Reborn of the Rightful

"Are you afraid he'll resort to underhanded tricks?" Ren Yaohua frowned, seeing Ren Yaoqi standing there in silence.

Ren Yaoqi was merely thinking of Ren Yaohua's experiences in her past life, hoping she wouldn't repeat the same mistakes. Reputation was crucial for a woman.

Ren Yaohua glanced in the direction Qiu Yun had left and sneered, "If he dares to play dirty, he can't blame me for disregarding family ties! No one will come out unscathed then! Even if I die, I'll drag someone down with me."

Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi shook her head helplessly. She believed Ren Yaohua's words—she had indeed done so in her past life. But Ren Yaoqi still felt it wasn't worth it.

"It's not that serious. I was just saying. With Grandmother and Old Master Qiu around, he wouldn't dare go too far. Otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to get you to stir things up first." Ren Yaoqi smiled as she spoke.

Ren Yaohua nodded. "By the way, I heard First Madam plans to send Fourth Sister to Eldest Sister's place."

Ren Yaoqi was taken aback. "The Gu Family of Jiangning Weaving Bureau?" Ren Yaoyin's full elder sister, Ren Yaochi, had married the legitimate son of the second branch of the Gu Family of Jiangning Weaving Bureau.

"First Madam has already written to Eldest Sister, asking her to send someone to fetch her. But Jiangning is in the south, so it will take some time for the Gu Family to reach Yanbei," Ren Yaohua explained.

After a moment's thought, Ren Yaoqi smiled. "Fourth Sister is an unmarried girl. She can't travel far alone—someone must fetch her to preserve her dignity. Saying Eldest Sister misses her and wants her to stay for a while is a perfectly reasonable excuse. However, the Gu Family is a large clan. Just Eldest Brother-in-law's branch alone has five brothers, and with so many people, gossip is inevitable. It wouldn't be appropriate for Fourth Sister to go to the Gu residence in her current state. I suspect First Madam isn't really sending her to the Gu Family but will first arrange a residence in Jiangning where Eldest Sister can look after her nearby. After some time, Eldest Sister can introduce Fourth Sister to the ladies and young misses of Jiangning."

Currently, Ren Yaoyin had no hair, and even wearing a wig couldn't conceal her hairline, making it impossible for her to go out and meet guests. This was why First Madam Ren wanted to send her away. If she stayed in the Ren Family, rumors would inevitably spread over time.

If Ren Yaoyin stayed in Jiangning for two years, Eldest Master Yun might have already been betrothed or even married by then, and Ren Yaoyin would have no more illusions. By that time, she could return to Yanbei to marry or simply marry into a prominent family in Jiangning. First Madam Ren had certainly put a lot of thought into this daughter.

Since the previous incident, Ren Yaohua had grown utterly disgusted with Ren Yaoyin. "She's so cunning. If she stays at home, who knows what schemes she might come up with to harm us? So it's better she leaves. Otherwise, I don't know if I'll be able to resist hitting her again when she reappears in public!"

Qiu Yun didn't stay long in White Crane Town. He returned to Yunyang City that afternoon.

On his way back to Yunyang Academy, Qiu Yun encountered the carriage of Eldest Master Yun, Yun Wenting, of the Yun Family. Eldest Master Yun stepped down from the carriage and nodded at Qiu Yun with a smile, still the picture of an elegant young gentleman, showing no trace of the frustration from being besieged for days.

Qiu Yun didn't seem surprised to see Yun Wenting. He smiled and stepped forward to greet him."Returning from White Crane Town?" Yun Wenting asked with a smile, noting his travel-worn appearance. Qiu Yun had ridden back to the city on horseback, inevitably gathering some dust on his white scholar's robe.

Qiu Yun casually tossed his riding crop onto the horse's back, pulled out a folding fan from his sleeve, and fanned himself. Knowing that this Eldest Master Yun was a capable man, he saw no reason to hide the truth: "I went to deliver a letter for Zishu."

Yun Wenting showed no surprise. He nodded, then extended his hand toward Qiu Yun, speaking gently, "The letter?"

After a moment's thought, Qiu Yun smiled and produced the letter, handing it to Yun Wenting. "You knew I wouldn't be able to deliver it?"

Yun Wenting took the letter without even glancing at it and passed it to the servant behind him, instructing, "Burn it."

Qiu Yun watched with interest, making no move to stop him. "Aren't you afraid Zishu will throw a fit when he finds out?"

Yun Wenting looked at Qiu Yun and smiled gently. "I know that even if the young lady refused to accept Zishu's letter, you, Young Master Qiu, would still find a way to convey the message, wouldn't you? Since that's the case, keeping this letter serves no purpose and might even cause unnecessary trouble in the future. Moreover..." He paused briefly. "Zishu is leaving Yunyang City the day after tomorrow. I don't want any further complications. What do you think, Young Master Qiu?"

Hearing this, Qiu Yun blinked and smiled. "Naturally. I was planning to tell Zishu upon my return that the letter had been delivered. After all, I did convey his message. This way, we avoid the Second Master Yun flying into a rage and charging off to White Crane Town, causing chaos. If you hadn't asked for the letter, I would have destroyed it myself once I got back. But Zishu is truly fortunate to have an elder brother like you, who looks out for him in every way."

Yun Wenting smiled in response and said to Qiu Yun, "He is also fortunate to have a friend like you. Don't you agree, Third Young Master Qiu?"

Qiu Yun gave an awkward chuckle.

"I heard Third Young Master Qiu is about to get engaged?" Yun Wenting asked casually, as if suddenly remembering something just as he was about to turn and leave.

Qiu Yun wore a pained expression, half-jokingly lamenting, "I wish I could follow Zishu's example and leave home for three to five years. Let my family handle the marriage arrangements themselves—this young master is done with it."

Yun Wenting chuckled. "You jest, Young Master Qiu. You would never do such a thing."

Qiu Yun also laughed, then added thoughtfully, "That's because I don't have an elder brother like you."

Yun Wenting shook his head with a smile and boarded his carriage.

Watching Yun Wenting depart, Qiu Yun mounted his horse and muttered under his breath with great regret, "Why does no one believe me when I tell the truth? Is it because I don't look sincere enough?"

Two days later, under Yun Wenting's arrangements, Yun Wenfang quietly left Yunyang City.

Old Madam Yun, fearing he would suffer hardships at the border, arranged for two personal maidservants and two carts filled with clothing, food, and supplies. However, Yun Wenfang left both the maids and the carts at the villa, setting off with only a young servant who had attended him since childhood.

As he left Yunyang City, Yun Wenfang dismounted and stood for a long time at the fork in the road leading to White Crane Town.He would be gone for several years, and he desperately wanted to visit her in White Crane Town once more before leaving, to personally say "goodbye" and ask her to wait for his return. Yet after much hesitation, he ultimately hardened his heart, turned his horse around, and headed northwest.

Only after Yun Wenfang left Yunyang City did Old Princess Consort and Xiao Wei receive the news. Furious, the Old Princess Consort immediately ordered her stepson Xiao Heng to take men and pursue him. However, shortly after leaving the city, Yun Wenfang vanished without a trace on the main road. Not only could the Old Princess Consort’s men not find him, even the Yun Family’s people secretly assigned to protect him along the way lost track of him.

Xiao Wei, in particular, made a scene three times a day at the Princess Consort’s residence, demanding when the Prince of Yanbei would return to uphold justice for them. On several occasions, she even urged the Old Princess Consort to pressure Xiao Jingxi into ordering the interception at all major checkpoints in Yanbei. Unfortunately, each attempt ended in failure, as Second Young Master Xiao was always elusive, appearing and disappearing like a phantom.

Just as the Old Princess Consort and her daughter were causing an uproar in Yanbei Prince’s Mansion, a nanny left behind by Xiao Wei in Ningxia rushed over with news: Commander Wu had taken in a mistress outside, and during Xiao Wei’s absence from Ningxia, he had brought this mistress into the Wu household, showering her with endless affection. The mistress, brought into the home, was both cunning and flamboyant, yet Commander Wu couldn’t bear to be apart from her for even a day. It was said he even kept her by his side while summoning subordinates to handle military affairs.

Many of Xiao Wei’s trusted confidants left in the Wu household had suffered setbacks at the hands of this woman, and it seemed the Wu family’s inner courtyard was on the verge of upheaval.

Upon hearing this news, Xiao Wei felt her vision darken.

Wu Xiaohe had only ever taken Xiao Wei as his official wife. Over the years, he hadn’t even taken a concubine, and despite Xiao Wei’s inability to bear a son, he had never shown any interest in others. Because of this, Xiao Wei initially thought she must have misheard.

But the nanny’s tearful and snot-filled accusations were so vivid and detailed that Xiao Wei couldn’t help but believe them.

Xiao Wei could no longer stay in Yanbei Prince’s Mansion. On the very day she received the news, she began packing to return to Ningxia.

Wu Yiyu refused to leave. Although her reputation in Yanbei was already in tatters, and even the young ladies who used to flatter her now avoided her, Miss Wu didn’t care in the slightest—after all, she had never considered any of them friends.

Xiao Wei tried to persuade her several times, but Wu Yiyu paid no heed. Finally, Xiao Wei lost her temper: "What can you possibly achieve by staying here? Be laughed at every day? What’s so great about the Yun Family? If you don’t return, do you expect me to face that vixen alone? I’ve heard that wretched woman has quite a background—she’s the adopted daughter of that old scoundrel Di Hao."

Wu Yiyu frowned. "Di Hao? Is the Di Family tired of living in peace? A family with Qiang ancestry dares to send a woman to the Wu household?"

"Don’t underestimate the Di Family! Although their ancestors were once leaders of a branch of the Western Qiang tribe, they pledged allegiance to Great Zhou as early as five generations ago. Over the generations, they’ve intermarried with prominent families in Ningxia, and due to their ancestral bloodline, they maintain good relations with some smaller tribes living within Great Zhou’s borders. By the time Di Hao took over, the Di Family’s influence in Ningxia was already formidable."

Wu Yiyu remained unimpressed. "When we were in Ningxia, didn’t the Di Family also rush to flatter us?"Wu Wei suppressed his anger before saying, "That's because they hadn't yet had the chance to send that wretch into the inner courtyard of the Wu family! Once that wretch is pregnant with a child, you'll see if they still come to flatter you!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yiyu's expression also changed. As the only young lady of the Wu family, she had always been able to act recklessly and had even walked sideways in Ningxia. But if there were to be a half-brother...

"I'll go back with you! I'll return once that wretch is dealt with!" After a moment of thought, a cold glint flashed in Wu Yiyu's eyes as she spoke with determination.