Upon arriving in Wuzhou, Xiao Jinglin took over all affairs as instructed in Xiao Jingxi's letter.
By this time, officials from the imperial court and envoys from the Liao Kingdom had also arrived in Wuzhou one after another. Xiao Jinglin handed these people over to Min Wenqing to deal with, while she dispatched her own personnel to secretly investigate Xiao Jingxi's whereabouts.
The Yanbei Prince's Mansion had an official residence in Wuzhou, where Xiao Jinglin stayed after arriving. Although Yun Wenting had been following Xiao Jinglin all along, he did not stay at the official residence with her. Instead, he lodged at the Wuzhou courier station. During the day, however, he would go to assist Xiao Jinglin with some official duties. The paperwork that Xiao Jinglin found most tedious during this period was taken over by Yun Wenting. To avoid suspicion, he consciously limited himself to handling only routine matters.
Xiao Jinglin found herself somewhat at a loss with Yun Wenting. Although he was always by her side, he worked diligently without speaking, showing great tact and never complaining. Even if Xiao Jinglin had initially been somewhat annoyed, she gradually found it impossible to stay angry with him. It could be said that Yun Wenting had a precise understanding of Xiao Jinglin's temperament.
Until one day, Xiao Jinglin could no longer hold back and said to Yun Wenting, "If you leave now, you might still make it back in time for your wedding."
Upon hearing this, Yun Wenting merely smiled and lowered his head to continue reading the documents.
Feeling irritable, Xiao Jinglin walked over and knocked on the sturdy, plain elm desk Yun Wenting was temporarily using. Looking down at him, she said, "It's useless, Yun Wenting. You should hurry up and get lost! Staying here is just a waste of time. You can't change the outcome."
While in Yunyang City, influenced by Ren Yaoqi and restrained by the Princess Consort, Xiao Jinglin had been civilized and proper—a constraint of the environment. Now, spending her days mingling with people from the military camp, she could naturally speak in a rougher manner. Although Princess Xiao usually tried to avoid coarse language whenever possible, she was considered the most refined commander in the Yanbei Army aside from Min Wenqing.
Yun Wenting looked up at Xiao Jinglin, then handed her a cup of bitter tea he had brewed earlier, saying calmly, "I don't intend to change any outcome."
Xiao Jinglin raised an eyebrow. "So you’ve just been here doing good deeds all this time?"
Yun Wenting looked at her and smiled. "No."
"Then why?" Xiao Jinglin rolled her eyes inwardly.
Yun Wenting thought for a moment. "Because it makes me happy."
Xiao Jinglin: "..."
Xiao Jinglin had never known that Yun Wenting also had the ability to leave people speechless.
"Isn’t it a joyful thing to stay by the side of someone you like and do what you can?" Yun Wenting asked in return.
Xiao Jinglin was taken aback. She didn’t blush or feel her heart race at Yun Wenting’s confession. Instead, she recalled what Ren Yaoqi had once told her: "Liking someone isn’t just about sacrifice, devotion, and unwavering commitment. The most important thing is that it brings you happiness. Otherwise, it’s not affection—it’s obsession."
Unable to help herself, Xiao Jinglin asked, "Yun Wenting, how long have you liked me?"
Yun Wenting wasn’t surprised by Xiao Jinglin’s bluntness, but the question was difficult to answer. He replied somewhat awkwardly, "For a long time."
Xiao Jinglin nodded. "Have you been happy all these years? The years since you left Jiajing Pass?"Yun Wenting was slightly taken aback, and this time he remained silent for a long while.
Xiao Jinglin stood there watching him, not urging him on, yet a hint of complexity lingered in her gaze. She herself didn’t know what kind of answer she wanted to hear.
After thinking for a long time, Yun Wenting finally looked up at Xiao Jinglin again. "From the moment I was born, I was designated as the heir of the Yun Family. The burden on my shoulders has always been too heavy. All these years, I could only do what I was supposed to do, not what I wanted to do." Yun Wenting paused and lowered his voice. "I thought I was unhappy, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been moments of joy. Lin’er, my unhappiness was determined by my birth, but all the things that brought me happiness were related to you."
Over the years, Yun Wenting’s favorite pastime during his leisure moments was to search for delicacies from all over the world and discreetly pass the information to those around Xiao Jinglin, because he knew this was something she enjoyed. But he didn’t do this to curry favor with Xiao Jinglin or to apologize; he simply did it selfishly to make himself a little happier. Anything related to Xiao Jinglin brought him a sense of joy, both in body and mind.
Xiao Jinglin didn’t say anything. She picked up the bowl of bitter tea, took a sip, and frowned. "It’s bitter."
Yun Wenting smiled as he glanced at her. "You need to clear your internal heat. Besides, if you savor it carefully, it’s not entirely bitter."
Xiao Jinglin looked at Yun Wenting, then tilted her head back and boldly gulped down the bowl of now lukewarm tea in a few mouthfuls. As for savoring it, Princess Xiao never had the leisure for such things.
Yun Wenting looked at her with a mix of helplessness and affection, taking the empty bowl from her hand.
After finishing the tea, Xiao Jinglin thought to herself that the tea was bitter with a hint of sweetness—not entirely undrinkable.
However, Xiao Jinglin still said nothing and turned to leave. She had plenty of matters to attend to that day.
Yun Wenting watched her leave, then lowered his head to continue reviewing official documents.
Once his immediate tasks were temporarily completed, Yun Wenting spread out a sheet of letter paper and began writing a letter. After finishing it, he sealed it and summoned his attendant, giving him a few instructions. Yun Wenting had followed Xiao Jinglin to Wuzhou alone, and his attendant had caught up with him later.
Xiao Jinglin soon learned that Yun Wenting had sent a letter out and dispatched someone to follow it. In the end, she discovered that the letter was sent to a certain garrison of the Yanbei Army, addressed to his younger brother, Yun Wenfang.
Since Yun Wenfang had fled his wedding and left Yunyang City, he had cut off all contact with the Yun Family. The elders of the Yun Family were largely unaware of Yun Wenfang’s whereabouts, but Yun Wenting knew.
At the same time, in Yunyang City, Ren Yaoqi also received the letter from Xiao Jingxi that Xiao Jinglin had sent back. After reading it twice, Ren Yaoqi finally breathed a sigh of relief. She was familiar with Xiao Jingxi’s handwriting and was well-versed in calligraphy, so she could naturally discern the same issues that Min Wenqing had noticed.
However, the atmosphere in the Yun Family was far from relaxed.
Earlier, Yun Wenting had sent word before leaving Yunyang City. The elders of the Yun Family hadn’t been overly concerned at first, because Yun Wenting, after all, was not Yun Wenfang. As the heir of the Yun Family, Yun Wenting had never acted recklessly and always prioritized the greater good. Thus, the elders assumed that Yun Wenting had gone off to handle some family matters as he had done in the past.However, with only two days left until Yun Wenting's wedding day and still no news of his return, the Yun family could not help but grow anxious. They began sending people to search for Yun Wenting, but to no avail. After all, Yun Wenting had spent several years in the military camp at Jiajing Pass, making it easy for him to hide his tracks and evade pursuit.
On the evening before Yun Wenting's wedding day, as the elders of the Yun family were growing increasingly frantic, a young master of the family finally returned—but it was not the groom, Yun Wenting. Instead, it was the unfilial son of the Yun family, Yun Wenfang.
This was Yun Wenfang's first time returning to the Yun family since his own wedding.
Upon seeing him, Yun Wenfang's father, Eldest Master Yun, scolded, "What are you doing back here?"
Yun Wenfang's appearance had not changed much, but his once bright, starry eyes had grown deeper and darker, and his entire demeanor had shifted. Even the Yun family had to admit that this troublesome, mischief-making youngest son had finally grown up.
"I've come back to get married," Yun Wenfang said, curling the corner of his mouth.
With just one sentence, he could still infuriate the elders.
"Get married? What do you mean?"
Yun Wenfang's gaze swept across the hall, pausing briefly on his nominal wife, Miss Meng, before shifting away without any emotion. He replied casually, "Isn't there some Zhao family girl to be married tomorrow? If I don't hurry back, how will she enter the family?"
Even Old Madam Yun couldn't help but frown at this. "What do you mean?"
Yun Wenfang addressed his grandmother respectfully. "My brother won't be coming back. Since it's just about marrying a woman, I'll marry her in his place. It makes no difference whether I marry one or two."
Upon hearing this, Miss Meng was stunned, feeling both wronged and angry. Her eyes immediately reddened.
She had been married into the Yun family for nearly a year, and Yun Wenfang had not even shown his face. If she hadn't already had feelings for him before the marriage, and if the Yun family elders hadn't treated her like a daughter, she would have long since returned to her own family in anger.
When she learned that Yun Wenfang had returned today, she was overjoyed. She changed her outfit three times before coming out, thinking that she had finally endured through the hardship and that her husband was willing to return. Yet, Yun Wenfang had only glanced at her indifferently.
That glance was cold, as if he were not looking at his wife but at an insignificant ornament—one that was misplaced and obstructing his view. Miss Meng's heart, which had just been warmed, was instantly doused with cold water.
And to make matters worse, he had spoken words that pierced her heart.
Old Master Yun had just entered from outside and, hearing this irresponsible remark, nearly choked with anger. "Nonsense! Marriage is a serious matter, not a joke!"
"Then consider it as marrying on behalf of my brother? When you arranged my marriage, didn't you have my brother stand in for me? He helped me, and now I'm helping him—isn't that fair?" Yun Wenfang said with a smile.
Only Old Madam Ren remained composed. She stopped Old Master Yun from scolding further and asked Yun Wenfang, "Do you mean you intend to stand in for your elder brother in welcoming the bride?"
Yun Wenfang smiled slightly. "Yes, that's what I mean. But if you can find someone more suitable than me, I won't interfere."
After Yun Wenfang finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
The wedding had to proceed. If Yun Wenting truly did not return, the Yun family could indeed find no one more suitable than Yun Wenfang to stand in for him in welcoming the bride.
Understanding Yun Wenfang's meaning, Old Master Yun's expression softened slightly.Old Madam Yun thought for a moment, then said, "You should prepare yourself first. If your brother hasn't returned by tomorrow, you will take his place to welcome the bride."
Everyone agreed.
The Yun Family still held some hope that Yun Wenting would return, after all, Yun Wenting had never made a mistake before.
Upon hearing this, Yun Wenfang merely raised an eyebrow and said nothing more.
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