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墨書 Inktalez
Shan Ling, Shan Ying, and Shan Yue saw Yun Kexin speaking with a smile, laced with a hint of teasing, and they immediately felt a sense of relief, no longer feeling the previous awkwardness.
"Seventh Sister is truly knowledgeable and sensible," Shan Ling nodded and smiled, "From now on, if you have any requests, the three of us sisters will go through fire and water without hesitation."
"It's not that serious," Yun Kexin chuckled lightly, then quickly composed herself and said seriously, "However, tomorrow or the day after, I want you to accompany me to stay at the farm for a few days."
"Farm?" Shan Yue was taken aback.
"Yes, but don't ask for the specifics just yet," Yun Kexin frowned and said solemnly. "That farm is currently quite deserted. By then, apart from the four of us, there won't be a single man around. Are you scared?"
Shan Ying sensed something from Yun Kexin's sudden serious demeanor and straightened her back confidently, saying, "Who among the maids hasn't kept watch alone at night? Besides, we now possess martial skills. Sister, please rest assured; this won't be difficult for us."
Yun Kexin nodded with appreciation. At that moment, she felt even more grateful that Feng Yinxiao had sent her the "Wife Army." Otherwise, it would take considerable courage for her to stay alone at the farm.
"Then you three can go rest for now. Wait until I truly decide to go to the farm; before that, this matter must not be mentioned to anyone else."
"Understood, Sister." The three replied in unison, nodding as they left Yun Kexin's chamber.
Yun Kexin watched the three sisters disappear at the door. She walked to the open window and looked out. The entire courtyard was silent; only a patch illuminated by moonlight stood out in the darkness. She began to ponder: If she stayed at the farm while listening for news about Feng Yinxiao's murderer appearing there again... she had come up with the idea of staying at the farm to lure the snake out of its hole. Hopefully, the murderer would indeed remain unrepentant and not let her down. In fact, this was only one reason. She also wanted to stay in a place where her father had lived before to reminisce about him. Before that could happen, she needed to find out who the murderer was to ensure her safety; otherwise, there would be no peace at that farm... Lost in thought, Yun Kexin closed the window and changed into sleepwear before going to bed.
However, at this moment, the master and mistress of the Duke of E's residence had not yet gone to sleep. Each had their own concerns.
In the East Courtyard, Sun Rulan pulled Yun Ci up from bed and said, "Master. With Lord Hou gone like this, who will inherit his title? Who will your Majesty allow to succeed?"
"Naturally it will be Second Brother's eldest son Yun Ke," Yun Ci replied impatiently—ever since his second brother passed away, discussions about the title had become a focal point in the residence; he was truly tired of it. "The title is inherently hereditary; why does Madam keep asking?"
"That’s uncertain," Sun Rulan leaned against the headboard, crossing her arms and said, "The Emperor's decree hasn't come down yet, has it? It could be you, or Yun Jie or Yun Yao..."
Sun Rulan was filled with resentment about this matter: after all, she was the eldest daughter-in-law of the main branch. Yet in the end, she didn't even have the qualification to preside over the offerings, simply because the two elders had conferred the title of Marquis, which naturally allowed the position to go to Second Madam Yue Ziyun. Now that the two elders had passed away, wasn't it time for the glory of the Marquis to fall to the First House? If it wasn't given to Lord Yun Ci, it should at least be given to the offspring of the eldest son and grandson.
"Madam, my second brother has met with misfortune, and his body is still cold." Yun Ci frowned in disgust and mocked, "How can you bear to bring this up at such a time? You’re supposed to be my sister-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Sun Rulan felt as if she had been slapped in the face; however, she softly defended herself:
"It’s not just me; everyone in the residence is talking about this... I’m afraid Second Madam is already thinking of ways to secure her son’s inheritance. As for Third House, there's no need to mention it; they’ve long been aware of Fu Family's unwillingness to suffer any losses. If it were me, she would definitely be at Third Uncle's right now."
"Madam, can you say a little less? This is truly unfounded!" Yun Ci's annoyance escalated to anger, and his face darkened. "What Second Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law choose to do is their own business. But as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Yun family, you should know your place and have some discretion!"
Sun Rulan secretly despised him and thought: Always hiding behind others and never making an effort to fight for good things for herself; letting Second House, Third House, and Fourth Room enjoy everything instead—truly a disciple of 'filial piety'! Look at you; you’ll just be a fifth-rank imperial physician for your whole life!
Sun Rulan was already burning with anger inside but maintained a compliant smile on her face as she said:
"You are right, my lord. It's all because Consort wants to bring some glory to First House that it made you misunderstand me as being greedy. It’s truly a sin; I won’t bring this up again in the future."
"Enough. I need to attend court early tomorrow morning to serve the Emperor." Yun Ci spoke with a hint of self-mockery.
"Yes, my lord." Sun Rulan smiled as she lay down—since she couldn’t rely on her husband, she was thankful that she still had her son.
Yun Ci accused Sun Rulan of being "talkative and unfounded," but he actually wronged her; as a sister-in-law, she was still "aware" of Third Sister-in-law: Fu Lianyin was indeed with Yun Jinxi at this moment. As soon as she arrived at the study of Old Master San, she was eager for Third House to gain some benefit and hoped that Yun Yang could inherit the title. However, she knew Yun Yang's temperament well; encouraging him to fight for a Marquis title at this time would only add fuel to the fire—
“Third Uncle, you must say something,” Fu Lianyin's mouth was dry, but she found Yun Jinxiu sitting behind the desk with an indifferent expression, ignoring her. She became anxious, “The master listens to you the most; I can't do anything.”
Yun Jinxiu looked up and stared at Fu Lianyin for a moment, then spoke slowly, “Third Madam, why do you want to bring glory?”
Fu Lianyin couldn't care less about “shame” and knew that she had to lower her voice when speaking behind someone's back. She whispered, “Third Uncle, since I entered the Duke of E's residence, Second House has taken all the glory. Now that the two elders have passed away, it is unfortunate, but shouldn't the Marquis title be passed on? We can't let Second House take all the glory, right…” After she finished her long-winded speech, she suddenly realized she might have gone too far and hurriedly lowered her head, closing her mouth.
“Fu Family, are you bringing glory for Third House or seeking personal ‘benefit’?” Yun Jinxiu looked at Fu Lianyin and asked sharply.
Fu Lianyin was startled, her gaze sweeping across the ground: indeed, she was ostensibly bringing glory for Third House. More importantly, if Yun Yang inherited the title, then she would become the marquis's wife and could deal with Second House more easily!
She clasped a handkerchief against her chest. Suppressing her racing heart, she feared that her true feelings would leap out of her throat. Fu Lianyin raised her head; her flawless delicate face was streaked with tears. With a mix of grievance and resentment, she said, “Third Uncle, what do you mean by that? Consort naturally thinks of the master; he is upright and principled. There are some things he cannot say or do. I am willing to act on his behalf for things he ‘cannot’ do.”
Upon hearing this, the previously indifferent expression of the old man turned slightly mocking: “‘Cannot’ do?” He repeated the question with a sharp tone. “So it seems that the old master wants to inherit the title but does not dare to say it outright, so he sends a woman like you to find me?!”
Fu Lianyin was startled again. Tonight was quite intense; with all this surprise and shock, she truly didn't know if she had walked into the wrong room or if the old man had lost his mind—she never expected him to interpret it this way. If the master found out, wouldn't he skin her alive? She felt a chill run down her spine!
“No, no, no, Consort absolutely does not mean what Third Uncle thinks; it’s just…” Fu Lianyin hurriedly waved her hands and stammered in clarification. “As Third House's legitimate wife, I should think of Third House, striving for its honor more often, Third Uncle. Don’t you think Second House is too glorious? I’m just trying to ‘balance’ things out; after all, fortune should ‘turn around,’ right?” Fu Lianyin secretly wiped sweat from her palms.
Yun Jinxiu felt disappointed enough to laugh: ever since he retired from court years ago, who had come into his room to speak? He finally thought Fu Lianyin had come to see him but instead found out it was about the petty squabbles within the household!
“Fu Family, I have already ‘helped’ you once,” Yun Jinxiu stared intently at Fu Lianyin and said cryptically, “But look at yourself; have you made any progress?! Sorry, but I am currently also ‘a tiger fallen in a valley being bullied by dogs.’ Just having a meal is good enough for me; how can I still have a say in this? Who would listen to me? Forget it…”
“Third Uncle, don’t say that,” Fu Lianyin still did not want to give up this opportunity and continued to persuade—she did not realize that Yun Jinxiu had already lost all hope. “Now in the Duke of E's residence, you hold the highest rank; your words carry weight. I wonder who would dare not listen!” As she spoke, there was an insidious provocation in her eyes and an air of self-righteous threat about her.
"Fu Family, I have fought my whole life," Three Old Lords sat back in his chair, leisurely continuing to flip through the book in front of him, and coldly issued an eviction order, "Fighting in the court, fighting at home, I am truly tired. You may leave..."
"Third Uncle!" Fu Lianyin cried with a mournful face, helplessly calling out, "If you do not speak, then..."
"The matter of inheriting the title is something Sovereign will decide in his heart. You, a mere woman, should not meddle," Yun Jinxiu was forced to find a way to shut her up and make her leave quickly. "If Sovereign insists on having Second House's eldest son Yun Ke inherit the title, can you curse and insult the Emperor?"
Fu Lianyin was immediately speechless; they had brought the Emperor out as a "shield." What else could she do?! Thinking about it, Yun Jinxiu was already half-buried in the ground as an "old tree." As long as he could eat and breathe, he would probably be grateful for a few more years of life and did not want to get involved and suffer.
"Yes, Third Uncle, your niece will take her leave!" Fu Lianyin realized that she could not count on Yun Jinxiu, and left with a heavy heart.
As she turned to exit Three Old Lords's Study, she noticed light coming from behind North Courtyard—that was the residence of the widow of the Duke of E. The lights were still on so late; Mother must not have gone to sleep yet. Fu Lianyin hurriedly circled around the screen, wanting to go to Haitang Pavilion to seek support from Zhou. However, when she reached the door, she hesitated, caught in a dilemma about whether to knock. Just then, she overheard a conversation between Zhou and Yue Ziyun from inside.
"Second Madam, rest assured, this matter of inheriting the title still needs to wait for the Emperor's decision. We cannot rashly speculate on his intentions; I will not favor any particular house," Zhou spoke firmly.
"Mother, where are you taking this?" Yue Clan replied calmly. "I came today to suggest that perhaps this title should be inherited by Four Elders. As for Ke'er, I fear he cannot bear this responsibility."
Zhou's eyes flickered, her heart stirred as well, but she declined verbally: "How can this be? Since You has unfortunately passed away, the title should rightfully be inherited by the eldest son of Second House. How can it be given to someone else? No!" Zhou shook her head repeatedly. "Moreover, I have just stated that this matter still requires the Emperor's decision..." (To be continued)
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