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"Not necessarily, Third Old Master is still awake," Sun Rulan said coldly with a smile. "Moreover, Third Sister-in-law may not know that it's not just us elders who have cared for Third Uncle; Seventh Aunt has also put in her efforts."
The Fu Family was taken aback, blinking in surprise. "Is that true? Right, there was a time when she seemed to be running to the North Courtyard all the time. I thought she was visiting her mother-in-law, but it turns out she had this 'heart' for it," she paused, as if intentionally trying to provoke Sun Rulan's emotions, sighing with a hint of sarcasm. "No wonder Third Old Master only has eyes for this one person; it’s like he’s itching for something, yet suddenly his gaze flickers and he retorts sarcastically:
'What? Is Third Master going to act according to the will and leave nothing for Seventh Aunt?'"
Sun Rulan could tell from Fu Family's words that they were implying that the Third House had received nothing. She thought about joining forces with them to complain about her husband, feeling quite pleased.
Sun Rulan was so angry that her nostrils flared, sensing a potential turning point, and inadvertently shifted the topic.
"Isn't that right?" Fu Lianyin indeed took the bait, raising the handkerchief in her hand and lamenting softly, "I’ve already made it clear; the first thing I thought of was Sister-in-law." The Fu Family shot a "close" glance at Sun Rulan, their words growing more indignant. "Everything you’ve done is known by everyone in the Duke’s residence; there’s no credit but there’s hard work. As for us in the Third House, haven’t we taken turns caring for him for so long? How could we be treated like this by Third Uncle? The master really doesn’t know what he’s thinking."
Sun Rulan wished she could seize this opportunity to vent with Third Madam, but doing so might ruin her usual image of being magnanimous as the eldest sister-in-law. It was better to endure; besides, the men of the Yun family were all stubborn; once they made a decision, any further discussion would be pointless.
It seemed that Third Madam's pretense of standing up for First House was false; however, there was some truth in wanting to use her as a pawn. Thinking of this, a cold smile appeared at the corner of Sun Rulan's mouth as she glanced at Fu Lianyin and said:
"Listen to the head of the family; how the men handle things is their business. We women can just grumble privately." The implication was clear: it was useless to seek her help. Fu Lianyin felt lost by Sun Rulan's sudden change in attitude and couldn't grasp what was happening. After pondering over her previous words and realizing that Sun Rulan had seen through her intentions, her face turned red with embarrassment as she awkwardly twitched her lips and said:
"Sister-in-law is right; this is something for the men to worry about. We shouldn’t say too much. I just came to chat with you about family matters, didn’t I?"
Sun Rulan responded with a dry smile, and both parties fell into a stalemate. Fu Lianyin felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, unsure how to end the conversation. Just then, a maid from the Third House named Jinxiu came in to report: "Madam, Third Madam, Seventh Aunt has returned home."
Both the Fu Family and Sun Rulan turned around in surprise and asked, "Why did she come back so suddenly? Where is she?"
Jinxiu replied, "She is in the Third House waiting for you."
"The news travels fast," Fu Lianyin squinted her eyes and sneered, "Third Uncle hasn’t even been buried yet, and she’s already so eager?" She cast a glance at Sun Rulan intentionally, hoping to stir up mutual displeasure against a common enemy. However, seeing that Madam remained unmoved, she had no choice but to invite her: "Sister-in-law, you haven't been to the Third House for some time. Since Seventh Aunt has returned home, would you like to go together?"
Sun Rulan eagerly awaited the mention of the Fu Family—she was very curious to know if Yun Kexin had returned for this matter, and even more so about her thoughts on it. Unable to contain herself, she smiled and said:
"Alright, let's go see Seventh Aunt..."
The two sisters-in-law walked hand in hand towards the Three Courtyard West Garden, chatting and laughing. Jin Xiu couldn't help but smile inwardly: if she hadn't witnessed their mutual sharpness behind each other's backs, she would have truly thought they were as close as sisters, inseparable.
"Mother, Aunt," Yun Kexin said upon seeing Fu Lianyin and Sun Rulan appear simultaneously. She stood up to greet them, "I haven't visited the residence for many days; please forgive me."
"What nonsense is this 'forgive' talk? You're being too polite," Sun Rulan approached warmly, taking Yun Kexin's hand to look her over. "I heard from your husband that you have been pregnant for several months, yet you still look so thin. This won't do; you need to take care of yourself."
"Thank you for your concern, Aunt," Yun Kexin replied with a slight bow and a smile. "Thanks to Uncle's diagnosis, he often brings me supplements and herbs for maintaining the pregnancy through my husband. I haven't had the chance to thank Uncle yet."
Fu Lianyin interjected with a smile, "Where is your husband? Why isn't he here?"
"My husband has been busy with trivial matters in the palace today; he often leaves early and returns late. He dropped me off at the Duke's residence and hurriedly took his leave; he will come to pick me up in the evening."
Sun Rulan invited Yun Kexin to sit down, waiting for her to bring up the matter of the late Third Old Master’s will. However, to her surprise, Yun Kexin did not mention it at all and instead engaged in casual conversation with them. The Fu Family and the Sun family exchanged glances filled with suspicion.
"Xiner, I heard you've been doing well at Fourth Uncle's shop. How is it? Have you become the shopkeeper?" Sun Rulan suppressed her curiosity and initiated a conversation instead. "How's business at the shop?"
"I can manage it on my own now," Yun Kexin replied calmly with a smile. "I can handle some accounts as well; Fourth Uncle is quite satisfied. The business is doing well."
Fu Lianyin had already learned from Yun Yang that Yun Kexin had taken over three shops from Fourth Old Master Yun Cheng and was thriving in her work, making quite a bit of money. Although she had asked Yun Yang to bring back some silver as a gesture of filial piety, she also found out that Yun Kexin privately supported the Second House as well. This made her extremely jealous, always suspecting that Yun Kexin was favoring one house over another and neglecting the Third House. However, without any evidence, she couldn't say much.
"I also heard from Fourth Old Master that he praises you for being clever and capable," Sun said with a smile. "You really know how to do business; it's strange that Aunt never noticed how shrewd Xiner was before."
Yun Kexin smiled lightly: Aunt might be suspicious of her purpose for returning, perhaps thinking she was back to gather wealth. Is she that greedy?
"I’m not clever at all; I learned all my business sense from Fourth Uncle," Yun Kexin chuckled as she deflected the comment. She turned to Third Madam and asked, "Mother, when will Father return home?"
Fu Lianyin quickly glanced at Sun Rulan, a half-smile on her face as she said, "What a coincidence, Master has been busy in the palace lately, just like Seventh Uncle. If Kexin hadn’t asked, I might have almost forgotten," she paused briefly before changing the subject, "So, is Kexin here specifically to find Master?"
"Yes, I need to confirm something with Father," Yun Kexin replied calmly, "But since Father hasn’t returned yet, I’ll wait a little while for him."
Yun Kexin actually wanted to go back to the Second House to see Mother and her elder brother. However, she was worried about attracting suspicion, especially regarding the matter of Third Uncle's will, which had become widely known in the Duke's Residence. If things went poorly, the Second House might face jealousy again, with people thinking it was all due to Second Madam teaching her daughter how to behave. It would be better to wait until this matter calmed down; after all, it wouldn’t take much time to handle. She just needed to clarify her words.
At dusk, Yun Yang returned home in a hurry and was very pleased to see Yun Kexin. He smiled and said:
"Indeed, it’s really you, Kexin. I ran into Seventh Uncle in the palace earlier and couldn’t believe you were here." He scrutinized her for a moment and added with a light smile, "Also, if you’re going to be someone who takes care of Mother, you’d better be cautious."
Seeing the cheerful yet troubled expression on Yun Yang, Yun Kexin was quite surprised. Recently, Feng Yinxiao often wore a similar expression and spoke little. What had happened? Was there some change in the palace? Yun Kexin felt her eyelids twitching and nearly asked but instead stated her purpose for coming since both the Fu Family and the Sun family were present.
"Father, I heard from Fourth Uncle about the matter of Third Uncle's will," Yun Kexin said respectfully yet indirectly in front of her elders. "I want to know if this is true?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Lianyin couldn’t help but cast a glance at Sun Rulan, signaling "Let me handle this."
Yun Yang stopped smiling and said seriously: "It is indeed true, Kexin. Third Uncle established his will in front of your elder brother and me. Once he passes away, we will act according to his wishes."
With a mix of tension and disdain, Sun Rulan looked at Yun Kexin, expecting her to show an ecstatic expression. However, to her surprise, Yun Kexin immediately stood up, walked over to Yun Yang, and slowly knelt down saying:
"Daughter earnestly requests that Father and Aunt discuss this matter further; we must not act according to the will."
Everyone was taken aback. Yun Yang was puzzled, Fu Lianyin sneered at Yun Kexin's "pretentiousness," and Sun Rulan appeared somewhat surprised. Yun Kexin then nodded several times and said:
"Father, Third Uncle has been bedridden for a long time, mostly cared for by Aunt and Mother sending maids and servants to look after him. I have not fulfilled even a bit of filial duty, so how can I take even a penny from him?"
Yun Yang helped Yun Kexin up and said, "Silly girl, is this such a big deal that you need to kneel and bow? While what you said has some truth, fulfilling filial duty is the responsibility of the younger generation. How can it be related to personal gain? If this gets out, what will people think of us?"
"Father, forgive me for speaking out of turn in my urgency," Yun Kexin said apologetically, but she was determined to refuse her adoptive father's inheritance. "I believe that no matter how you look at it, I should not be the one to inherit Third Uncle's estate. If I were to enjoy this unexpected wealth according to the will, I would truly be unable to sleep at night. I ask Father to think it over."
Yun Yang scrutinized Yun Kexin, trying to find any insincerity on her face, but instead saw a pleading expression: What happened to Seventh Aunt? Did she become foolish after marrying once? Or is she being overly cautious?
Thinking this over, Yun Yang squinted and said:
"Kexin, you are truly making it difficult for Father. If I and Uncle agree with you, it would be against the will and we would bear the blame of being unfilial..." Seeing that Yun Kexin was about to speak again, Yun Yang raised his hand to stop her. "Third Uncle is still alive; discussing these matters now is rather inappropriate. We can talk about it later."
Yun Kexin immediately breathed a sigh of relief: finally there was a breakthrough; it was not as "rigid" as before. So she smiled and said, "Father is wise; I knew that as long as I leave things to you, there is nothing that cannot be resolved."
Yun Yang clearly enjoyed Yun Kexin's flattery and smiled humbly, "You little rascal, your mouth is still so sweet. Come tell Father how you did at Fourth Brother's shop..."
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