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墨書 Inktalez
In her previous life, although Yun Kexin had spent a long time in seclusion and knew little about the internal strife within the mansion, she was still aware that Yun Jinxiu had never looked favorably upon her second niece-in-law.
Almost every year on Yun Jinxiu's birthday, the gifts sent by the Yue Clan were always returned, and her responses to Yue Ziyun's greetings were lukewarm at best. Based on the current situation in this life, it seemed that not much had changed.
Yun Kexin watched her mother's thin figure gradually fade away in the dim light until it condensed into a point and disappeared.
She put down her brush, stood up, and wanted to accompany her mother, but her grandmother pressed her back into her seat.
"Grandmother, I want to go see Auntie..." Yun Kexin glanced at the door and then turned back to Zhou, anxious. "I'll be back soon."
"You can't go; it will only make things worse," Zhou said thoughtfully.
"Worse?" Yun Kexin was taken aback, not understanding what she meant.
"If you're present, that old hag will definitely think that Second Madam is using you as leverage, and the consequences will be even more severe," Zhou said, lowering her head and fixing her gaze on a certain point on the table, her face appearing increasingly aged. "I know what Second Madam is thinking; as a mother-in-law, how could I not? But now is really not the time." Then she seemed to realize she had let something slip and lowered her voice.
Yun Jinxiu was a tiger, and the Substitute Concubine was a biting tooth in her mouth. The Yue Clan should wait until the tiger was completely old and incapacitated before attempting to extract its teeth. Going now would be akin to seeking death.
That was Zhou's meaning.
"Then I'll go find Second Uncle..." Yun Kexin suggested as subtly as she could.
"Yes, go find You," Zhou looked up at Yun Kexin as if speaking to herself. "Right now, he might be the only one who can stop the Yue Clan."
"Okay, I'll go right away."
Yun Kexin hurriedly left Haitang Pavilion. As she passed by Yun Jinxiu's Study on her way to North Courtyard Front Garden, she noticed the door was open. Light spilled out from inside, blending with the moonlight on the ground.
"...Third Uncle, I know your relationship with Substitute Concubine is special," Yue Ziyun's restrained voice came through. "But we can't just let her wreak havoc like this..."
"Shut up!" Yun Xiuxiu coldly interrupted. "What do you mean by 'special relationship'? If this gets out, what will people think? Yue Clan, you are becoming more and more disgraceful. You didn't learn how to speak properly from You, did you? Is this how Second House conducts itself?"
“Third Uncle, if you want to teach Consort a lesson, then do so without involving the Marquis,” Yue Ziyun said with calm assertiveness. “Consort is the father of Substitute Concubine and a colleague of Third Uncle. I can understand you speaking on her behalf, but I can no longer tolerate her using her connections to bully others. Before Yun Qi was born, I almost had a miscarriage because of her schemes. If it weren't for your influence, the Third Master would have already written a 'Dismissal Letter' to expel Substitute Concubine from the Duke's residence.”
“In that case, I am truly guilty of heinous crimes,” Yun Jinxiu's tone suddenly turned ominous, filled with barely contained rage. “Encouraging a Concubine to wreak havoc in the inner chambers?!”
This was followed by the sound of a wine cup shattering on the floor.
Yun Yun Kexin was startled and hurriedly ran towards the Southern Courtyard Second Branch. Upon seeing Yun You and Yun Yan in the study, she rushed in and grabbed Yun You's hand, saying anxiously:
“Father, Mother has gone to find Third Uncle.”
Yun You was taken aback and didn’t immediately grasp her meaning. “Seventh Young Lady, why is Third Sister-in-law looking for Third Uncle? And where is Third Brother? Is he still in the palace reviewing case files?”
Yun Yun Kexin facepalmed; her father misunderstood her, thinking she meant they were at the Third House. She quickly corrected herself:
“Oh, Xin'er misspoke; it’s Auntie. She’s at North Courtyard with Third Uncle…”
Yun You gasped in shock, as if he could foresee what was about to happen. He stood frozen in place, eyes wide and face pale.
“There’s no time to waste; I need to hurry,” Yun You said as he rushed out without looking back.
“Fourth Sister, stay here and don’t leave. I’ll go with Second Uncle,” Yun Yun Kexin quickly instructed Yun Yan before chasing after Yun You.
In the North Courtyard, in Yun Jinxiu's study, the verbal sparring had not yet ceased. In a state of urgency, Yun Yun Kexin did not forget her grandmother's warning. She leaned against the doorframe and listened. Yun You burst in almost colliding with the door, and before he could steady himself, Yun Jinxiu mockingly said—
“Ah, You has arrived. Your good wife is questioning me, accusing me of being an accomplice to wrongdoing and encouraging a Concubine to cause trouble in the inner chambers…”
Yun Yun Kexin was astonished; this Third Uncle could fabricate such nonsense, embellishing it like a master storyteller. It was truly something to be wary of.
“No, no, no, Third Uncle,” Yun You repeatedly waved his hands. “The Yue Clan does not mean that at all; you must have misunderstood.”
"Then what does she mean—" Yun Jinxiu's old face darkened, his tone elongated, and his gaze cut like a knife towards Yun You.
Before Yun You could respond, Yue Ziyun coldly laughed and questioned, her voice trembling:
"Third Uncle, how can you slander me so viciously? When has the Consort ever 'colluded with the wicked and aided tyranny'? Well, now that the Marquis is here, let's speak openly," Yue Clan raised her head, her complexion even paler. "I know clearly that at the beginning, Third Uncle intended for the Marquis to marry the Fu Family. Unexpectedly, the Marquis fell in love with me and insisted on marrying me. Since then, you have harbored resentment towards me, even going so far as to coerce the Marquis into adopting Xin Jie to the Third House. In fact, all of this is your revenge against me—"
Yun Kexin narrowed her eyes: I understand now. The Fu Family has been closest to the royal family. Back then, Third Uncle wanted to curry favor with the Fu Family and hoped to have a connection with them. He must have wished for my father to marry Fu Lianyin and perhaps spoke highly of it in front of my grandfather.
As a result, my father insisted on marrying my mother, shattering his dreams of promotion and wealth. From then on, the Second House became a thorn in Third Uncle's heart; not to mention after marriage, how could the Yue Clan give birth and "branch out"?
"Shut up!" Yun Jinxiu was furious. With a wave of his hand, all the brushes and inkstones on the table were swept to the ground. He glared and spoke each word emphatically: "Yue Clan, listen well; the position of the Marquis's wife in the Second House is not something only you can occupy."
Yun You felt his legs weaken and his eyelids twitch. He turned to Yue Ziyun and shouted sternly:
"Yue Clan, have you had enough? Have you made enough noise? Go back to your room!"
Yue Ziyun stood aside, stumbling slightly when Yun Jinxiu said that but showed no intention of backing down: "Marquis, today I want Third Uncle to give me an explanation!"
Yun Kexin's heart tightened: Perhaps my mother's stubbornness is also what Third Uncle fears and hates most.
Yun Jinxiu snorted a breath of cold air through his nostrils and said meaningfully: "Yue Clan, you want me to give you an explanation? Fine, just wait."
He then looked at Yun You, who seemed to sense Yun Jinxiu's intention and suddenly turned towards Yue Clan, coldly warning: "Yue Clan, I'll say it again; go back to Southern Courtyard, or else—"
"What will happen!" Yue Clan stared coldly at Yun You.
"You see it too; it's not that I don't give her a chance," Yun Jinxiu's seemingly calm tone contained mockery. "Today I will make a decision—"
Before Yun Jinxiu finished speaking, he saw Yun You pointing at Yue Ziyun, raising his voice clearly: "If you say more, I will divorce you."
It felt as if she had been unexpectedly slapped in the face, as Yue Clan displayed a look of shock, confusion, humiliation, and disbelief—
She had always thought he would stand by her side no matter what, facing Yun Jinxiu together, bringing down Substitute Concubine, and exposing Fu Lianyin. She never expected...
Yun Kexin could no longer bear to watch or listen. She found an excuse and wanted to go inside to pull Mother out, but unexpectedly, loud, maniacal laughter from Yue Clan echoed from within.
Suddenly, her vision blurred as Yue Clan dashed past her, hand covering her mouth and nose, running wildly towards the Southern Courtyard.
Yun Kexin watched Mother storm out in anger, her heart racing. Would Mother be in danger?
In her previous life, Third House Nursemaid and the maidservants had wanted to write a Divorce Document to dismiss Yue Clan, which led to Second Madam losing her mind...
Could this be the truth behind Mother's suicide?
But it was clear that Mother misunderstood Father, because if Father hadn't provoked Mother into leaving, then Third Uncle would have certainly pressured Father into writing the Divorce Document!
Yun Kexin saw it clearly: Third Uncle indirectly caused Mother's death!
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