Chapter 009
Chapter 9: You Ungrateful Wretch, Don’t Touch Baby Me
“In our Great Wu Kingdom,” Yun Wan Ye said coldly as his eyes narrowed, “thievery is punishable by law. Yang Xin’er dares to steal from the Duke’s Manor, her audacity knows no bounds.”
He scoffed with ice in his voice: “As for Xu Qing Qing, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam cannot be straight. With a mother so dishonest, how can the daughter be any better. Father, I suggest we send both mother and daughter straight to the yamen.”
His fists clenched behind his sleeves. When the time came, he would bribe the yamen officers himself. That pair would rot in prison before they could cause more harm. Especially Xu Qing Qing. Once she was gone, she would never hurt Yun Wan Yao again.
And as for Yang Xin’er, daring to covet his father, she did not know the meaning of death.
“No, Aunt, I did not. I truly did not,” Xu Qing Qing cried, face white as snow. Panic clung to her limbs as she lunged forward and seized the hem of Madam Yun’s robe with trembling fingers. Her eyes filled with desperate tears.
Madam Yun’s face did not change. She pulled back her sleeve and brushed the girl aside without a glance: “You have frightened Little Fourth.”
Yun Wan Ning cheered inwardly.
[Exactly. Mother is absolutely right. You ungrateful wretch, do not touch baby me. What if your nastiness rubs off. I might need a full-body cleansing ritual.]
The little milk bun’s disgust leaked from every pore. Madam Yun hid her amusement and lowered her lashes to wipe the child’s chin, fingers impossibly gentle, though the chill in her eyes had sharpened like a blade.
She said coolly: “Your mother was caught red-handed. Her crime is clear. She must be punished. As for you, the Yun family has supported you for years. That is more than enough. You are old enough now. It is time you find your own way.”
“What,” Xu Qing Qing collapsed to her knees as tears streamed. “Aunt, are you driving me out.”
“Or would you prefer to stay in prison,” Yun Wan Ye said mercilessly with a dark face: “Should the Duke’s Manor feed and clothe you for life. If you will not leave, then fine, go squat in the yamen’s cells.”
He glared coldly. In his view, even driving her out was too lenient. If Mother could hear Little Fourth’s voice as he could, she would never treat Xu Qing Qing as kin again. Kicking her out was more kindness than she deserved. Once she was gone, he would decide whether to grant mercy or make her life a living hell.
Truthfully, Madam Yun’s thoughts were not far from her son’s. The entire capital knew the Yun family had housed this pair. If they died here, it would stir malicious rumors. To protect the family’s honor, some restraint was required. She would act once they were out.
Xu Qing Qing shuddered under Yun Wan Ye’s stare. Her face twisted in fear. She dropped to her knees before Madam Yun and sobbed: “No, Aunt, please. It was Mother who stole, not me. I knew nothing. I had no part in it. I have nowhere to go. If I leave the manor, I will die. Aunt always loved me, can you really cast me out.”
Deep in her heart, she was already plotting. Since that hateful old woman Ye Xi Wei insisted on punishing her mother, then she would sacrifice Yang Xin’er if it meant saving herself.
“Husband,” Madam Yun murmured in a tired voice without sparing Xu Qing Qing a glance: “I am tired. Please handle this matter.”
She closed her eyes slowly. Sorrow shadowed her lashes. It was all an act. If she threw Xu Qing Qing out herself, it might stir suspicion in her husband and children, and most dangerously, her Little Fourth. Better to step aside and allow her husband to issue the final order and preserve her benevolent image.
Her performance was flawless. Neither husband nor children doubted her. And just as she hoped, her son did exactly what she needed.
At His Grace’s command, the servants stepped forward, grabbed Xu Qing Qing by both arms, and dragged her from the room as she screamed and begged, kicking and sobbing. No one showed mercy. She broke free once and tried to run back inside, but the guards had grown tired of her shrieking. Fists and boots beat her back until her face swelled, and she fled into the streets like a homeless dog.
[Wow, the plot is crumbling faster and faster now.]
[Xu Qing Qing actually got kicked out this early. Strange. Mother did not protect her. Could it be that after Yang Xin’er’s betrayal, Mother finally woke up.]
[Or maybe when Yang Xin’er’s scheme failed, a chain reaction began and the whole storyline started to unravel.]
In the original plot, Yang Xin’er’s trap succeeded. Madam Yun was ruined, and everything else followed. Now it had failed. Everything afterward was changing, collapsing one piece at a time.
Yun Wan Ye and Yun Wan Yao went still as they listened. They finally understood what Little Fourth meant by plot collapse. Could it be Mother also heard the heart voice. Had her calm dismissal of Xu Qing Qing been a brilliant act. If so, she was truly terrifying. Maybe more terrifying than Father.
Then came the second question. If Mother could hear it, who else could. Was it just their family. Or could outsiders hear it too.
They exchanged subtle glances. They had to figure it out. If only family could hear Little Fourth’s thoughts, it was a blessing. If others could as well, Little Fourth’s existence might bring danger.
Yun Zheng’s thoughts followed the same path. He realized his wife must hear Little Fourth’s voice. Otherwise, how could she turn against Yang Xin’er so thoroughly after so many years of kindness. And the letters, was it not Madam Yun who sent Nanny Wang to search. It had been too clean and timely. She must have known.
Only with Little Fourth’s help could she have uncovered everything before it was too late. Cold dread filled him as he finally understood the unbearable pain Little Fourth had hinted at, that his wife had once died because of Yang Xin’er. But not this time. Now, he and his wife were both alive. That changed everything.
Still, worry stirred. If the three of them could hear Little Fourth’s voice, what about others. His gaze swept the room. The twins looked calm, but too calm. Caution shone in their eyes. They had the same thought. They needed to test it.
The steward’s voice came from outside with a formal bow: “Reporting to Your Grace and Madam, Prince Qi has arrived, saying he heard the young miss has returned and wishes to pay his respects.”
“He is here,” Yun Wan Yao whispered as her lashes lowered. A gentle smile curved her lips, shy and expectant. Ever since Father had sent her away to the female academy, she had not seen him.
[Wait, Prince Qi, Mo Yuan Hao. Is he not the male lead.]
[Oh no. He is here to hurt Elder Sister.]