After climbing over the wall from Autumn Swan Courtyard, Yun Wenfang did not leave the hot spring villa. Instead, he waited on the path that led from Moon Embracing Pavilion to the Western Garden.
Wu Yiyu had said that Ren Yaoqi would be taken to Autumn Swan Courtyard, so he waited there. Although he felt that Ren Yaoqi would not easily fall for the schemes of that madwoman, Wu Yiyu.
As expected, he waited until the hour of You that Wu Yiyu had mentioned, but Ren Yaoqi never appeared. Instead, he saw two of Ren Yaoqi’s sisters hurriedly rushing toward Moon Embracing Pavilion.
Standing in the shadows, Yun Wenfang recalled Wu Yiyu’s claim that she had one of Ren Yaoqi’s sisters trick her into going there, and he couldn’t help but wonder which sister Wu Yiyu had meant.
Shortly after, Yun Wenfang was met by his elder brother, Yun Wenting.
When Yun Wenfang saw Yun Wenting, he narrowed his eyes slightly. Though his body remained still, he subtly assumed a defensive stance. He knew that while his elder brother appeared gentle and refined, if it came to a fight, he might not be able to defeat him.
Yun Wenting was likely furious, but Yun Wenfang could detect no trace of emotion in his expression. This was one of the reasons Yun Wenfang had always been reluctant to get close to his brother, even though Yun Wenting had taken great care of him since childhood.
If Yun Wenfang wanted something, Yun Wenting would never compete with him for it. When Yun Wenfang caused trouble and acted recklessly, Yun Wenting would follow behind him, taking the blame and cleaning up the mess. As an elder brother, Yun Wenting was truly beyond reproach.
"How did you know I was here?" Yun Wenfang asked, crossing his arms and leaning against a nearby tree trunk, glancing sideways at Yun Wenting. In reality, it was a defensive posture.
Yun Wenting, however, replied, "Do you remember the dog you kept when you were young?"
Yun Wenfang raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Yun Wenting continued, "It was an Ao Hound. You heard it was taken from a wolf’s den and spent a fortune to buy it. You were very fond of it and refused to give it to anyone, even taking it with you when you went to study with your tutor. But once, when you were feeding it, it accidentally bit you. You were furious at the time, but afterward, you continued to keep it as if nothing had happened. After Old Madam Ren found out, she ordered the steward to secretly beat the Ao Hound to death. When you later learned of this, you said nothing in front of Old Madam Ren, but as soon as you left her courtyard, you broke the steward’s legs."
Yun Wenfang frowned, thinking it over. It seemed there was such an incident. "What are you trying to say? I thought you came here to fight me."
Yun Wenting shook his head. "If you could escape once, you could escape again. Unless I have someone tie up your hands and legs."
Hearing this, Yun Wenfang regarded Yun Wenting with even greater wariness. Though Yun Wenting’s words were spoken calmly, Yun Wenfang knew he was capable of such actions.
Ignoring Yun Wenfang’s caution, Yun Wenting simply asked, "Can you tell me why you are so fixated on the Fifth Miss Ren?"This was what truly puzzled Yun Wenting. Ren Yaoqi's appearance was indeed striking, and from today's performance, she was quite talented, yet there were others more outstanding than her. Yun Wenfang's interactions with Ren Yaoqi were limited to the period when he sought refuge at the Ren Family. Moreover, Yun Wenting had specifically inquired—even during Yun Wenfang's stay at the Ren Family, their encounters were few and far between. That Fifth Miss Ren had never deliberately sought Yun Wenfang's attention; in fact, she often kept her distance to avoid suspicion.
Upon hearing this, Yun Wenfang fell silent for a moment. Yun Wenting did not press him, merely standing there quietly watching him.
Finally, Yun Wenfang scoffed and looked at Yun Wenting with a somewhat careless expression. "What if I told you I've been dreaming of her since I could remember? Would you believe me?"
Yun Wenfang's expression was teasing, but Yun Wenting saw an unprecedented seriousness and confusion in his eyes.
Yun Wenting was taken aback. He had never expected such an answer. He frowned. "Have you met her before?"
Yun Wenfang looked up at the sky, as if recalling something, then shook his head and curled his lips. "No."
In truth, before meeting Ren Yaoqi for the first time, Yun Wenfang had no idea who the woman he often dreamed of was. He could never see her face clearly, only remembering the way she looked at him—sorrowful, pleading, and even fierce at times. But in his dreams, she never spoke to him. All he remembered was the suffocating ache in his heart each time he woke from those dreams.
He thought he was merely haunted by nightmares.
Until that day when he went to the Ren Family with Qiu Yun and watched her walk toward him from beneath the winding corridor. Even before he could clearly see her face, he knew it was her. His feelings at that moment were a mix of surprise and an inexplicable joy he couldn't understand—a sensation akin to recovering something lost.
He thought that since she appeared in his dreams, she must have had similar experiences as he did. Yet, after several attempts to probe, he found she had none. In fact, she seemed deliberately distant from him, which left him deeply unsettled.
Moreover, ever since he saw her at the Ren Family that day, she had never appeared in his dreams again.
Yun Wenting never expected to hear such a mysterious and elusive answer from Yun Wenfang. He didn't think Yun Wenfang would lie to him. Yun Wenfang was the type of person who, even when wrong, would stand his ground unapologetically and without hesitation. He disdained lying and deceit.
Yun Wenting said, "Even so, you shouldn't have used such methods against Miss Wu and Miss Jiang. For women, reputation is more important than life itself. Have you thought about how to resolve this? Marry them both?"
Yun Wenfang laughed carelessly. "I only let that foolish woman Wu Yiyu suffer the consequences of her own actions. What makes her think she can touch someone of mine? This isn't Ningxia. Besides, I did it for your own good. Her motive for targeting Ren Yaoqi was to strike at Xiao Jinglin. Once this matter blows up, she'll have no choice but to return to Ningxia and won't have time to pester you anymore. Speaking of which, Brother, you really have a lot of patience. If I found out someone was keeping track of how many times I got up at night, I'd chop them up and feed them to the dogs."
Yun Wenting frowned slightly and said calmly, "And what about Miss Jiang? She never offended you."Yun Wenfang stroked his chin: "Jiang Yuan Niang? Who says she hasn't offended me? She offended me gravely!"
Yun Wenting was somewhat surprised: "You can remember her name?" Yun Wenfang usually couldn't be bothered to acknowledge people he didn't care about, so he hadn't expected Yun Wenfang to remember Jiang Yuan Niang's name, and moreover...
As if thinking of something, Yun Wenting asked suspiciously: "How do you know the person the Yun Family has settled on is Jiang Yuan Niang?" Old Madam Ren had been guarding against Yun Wenfang causing trouble once he found out, so apart from a very few people in the Yun Family, no one knew the final candidate chosen was the Jiang Family's Eighth Miss. Even the maids and servants in Old Madam Ren's quarters weren't clear about it.
"Naturally, someone tipped me off," Yun Wenfang said lazily.
Yun Wenting thought Yun Wenfang meant someone in Old Madam Yun's courtyard had guessed their mistress's intentions and secretly told him, thinking he must investigate thoroughly when he returned: "Since you know the elders want you to marry Miss Jiang, you should be even less inclined to target her. After your mischief, now you have no choice but to marry her."
Upon hearing this, Yun Wenfang showed no concern, not even a hint of urgency. He seemed to have anticipated this outcome: "Anyway, you won't rest until you've shoved someone at me. In that case, let it be her."
He had come to understand that the Yun Family was determined to have him engaged now. If not Jiang Yuan Niang, it would be someone else.
In that case, better it be Jiang Yuan Niang.
With anyone else, it would be harder to deal with later, but Jiang Yuan Niang...
Yun Wenfang sneered.
Yun Wenting found Yun Wenfang's attitude strange. He didn't believe Yun Wenfang was someone who would easily yield to the elders. And now, knowing about Yun Wenfang's entanglement with Fifth Miss Ren, he was even less convinced Yun Wenfang would let go.
Everyone saw the Yun family's second young master as arrogant and domineering, but they didn't know Second Young Master Yun also had one virtue: persistence. Once he set his mind on something, even if he had to break his head against a wall, he would never turn back.
To put it bluntly, he was absolutely stubborn.
This was also why Yun Wenting worried about his feelings for Ren Yaoqi.
Yun Wenfang suddenly said: "Is Wu Yiyu furious? Furious enough to want to kill me?"
Yun Wenting glanced at him: "What do you think?"
Yun Wenfang shrugged: "So once again, I have no choice but to flee? Otherwise, Old Princess Consort and her daughter definitely won't let me off."
Yun Wenting was almost amused by his attitude and was about to say something when he heard Yun Wenfang suddenly look at him seriously and say: "I want to go to Jiajing Pass."
Yun Wenting was taken aback: "What?"
Yun Wenfang repeated, word by word, his expression resolute and determined: "I said I want to go to Jiajing Pass."
Yun Wenting also became serious: "You should know what kind of place Jiajing Pass is. It's not somewhere for you to play around. Whatever trouble you cause in Yunyang City, people might still give you some leeway out of respect for the Yun Family. But at Jiajing Pass, you'll be subject to military law." Having spent years at the border, Yun Wenting deeply understood the strict military discipline at Jiajing Pass.
Yun Wenfang scoffed and said to Yun Wenting: "You managed to return safely, so why can't I? Besides, I've caused big trouble this time. Is there anywhere else to go besides Jiajing Pass? The capital is also beyond the Wu Family's reach, but I do remember the Yun Family's rule that descendants cannot go to the capital."Yun Wenting frowned and said, "Things aren't as bad as you think. The Old Princess Consort and Lady Wu still don't know about it yet. As for Wu Yiyu..."
Yun Wenting interrupted teasingly, "What? Are you going to sacrifice yourself to save me? Don't... That venomous woman Wu Yiyu—you might be able to tolerate her, but I'm afraid my entire household would be slaughtered by her. And..."
At this point, Yun Wenting grinned mischievously, "Who said they don't know? Maybe they already do."
"What have you done now?" Yun Wenting couldn't help but snap angrily.
Today is the first of the month. Could those with tickets please show some support? ...o(∩_∩)o
Tomorrow and the day after are the weekend. The author will work hard to update more frequently~.
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