Chapter 011
Chapter 11: Little Sister, How Could You Set Your Brother Up Like This?
[Ah, I must say, Mother and Father’s bloodlines are truly exceptional. If I had not died so early last time and had grown up properly, I am sure I would have become a great beauty.]
[I am not asking for much, only to look as lovely as I did in my past life. Everyone praised my beauty back then.]
Yun Wan Ye had just begun to smile at his little sister’s praise when her next thought struck him like thunder.
Died early?
Did she mean she would die young again?
A sharp pang hit his chest.
He stared blankly, unable to respond.
“What are you standing there for?” Madam Yun asked with a light frown. She lifted her daughter and placed the little milk bun into Yun Wan Ye’s hold with gentle hands. She spoke with calm care: “You have never held a child before, so be careful. Here, support her neck, just like that.”
By now, Madam Yun had grown used to Little Fourth’s fondness for flattery. The child liked money, adored beautiful things, and said so without shame. Praising Ye’er for being handsome no longer surprised her.
“Oh, I got it, Mother. Do not worry, I will be careful,” Yun Wan Ye said. He adjusted his arms and held his sister as if she were made of clouds. He bent and whispered: “Little sister, hello. I am your second elder brother.”
[I know that already.]
Yun Wan Ning pursed her tiny lips, her eyes half-lidded with drowsiness as she answered in her heart.
[But the book clearly said Second Brother was cunning and strategic, the greatest rival of Seventh Uncle. Why does he look a little dull?]
Yun Wan Ye’s expression cracked like ice under a sudden thaw.
Dull?
She was calling him dull?
He had not even said ten words yet.
And what was that about being Seventh Uncle’s enemy? That made no sense. He admired Seventh Uncle, obeyed him completely, and practically worshipped the man. How had he become the villain of the story?
Little sister, could you please speak clearly?
Leaving things half-explained like that, how was he supposed to believe her?
But the little milk bun did not know what kind of storm she had stirred in her brother’s mind. Her soft round face stretched into a sleepy yawn, and her lids drooped again.
[Ah, I am so sleepy. I really cannot hold on anymore. Must sleep now.]
And so, with her final sigh, she drifted off in the middle of her sentence.
Yun Wan Ye stared down at her, his chest tight with frustration. His questions were unanswered. Confusion swelled.
A pair of sharp, suspicious eyes pricked the side of his face like needles of ice.
He turned his head slowly.
It was Mother.
Her gaze was like a blade sheathed in silk, calm on the surface yet seething beneath.
Yun Wan Ye understood at once.
She must have heard Little Fourth’s voice too.
She now believed he was someone who would one day betray the Yun family, or worse, harm Seventh Uncle.
He felt wronged to his core.
Little sister, how could you set your brother up like this?
He scrambled to recover and tried to look innocent. He asked: “Mother, what is wrong? Why do I feel your gaze is a bit frightening?”
“Hmph,” Madam Yun snorted. Her eyes narrowed as she said in a low voice: “Little Fourth is asleep. Give her back.”
She had not forgotten what Little Fourth said earlier, that she and Old Seventh had died pierced by countless arrows. Could this boy have had something to do with it?
If that proved true, she would skin him alive.
But for now, she had no proof.
Little Fourth had fallen asleep mid-thought, and the rest remained unclear. She would hold back judgment, for now.
“Yes, Mother,” Yun Wan Ye said.
He handed the tiny bundle over and drooped his shoulders.
It was over.
In Mother’s eyes, he had already been branded a criminal.
Even though he had done nothing yet. Absolutely nothing.
Little sister, you have truly caused your brother trouble this time.
Madam Yun took the baby with a gentle motion and cradled her close again. The lines between her brows deepened.
She had not yet decided what to do about Yao’er and Prince Qi. Now Ye’er might become a threat to Seventh Brother.
So many worries. The path ahead was full of thorns.
Her head began to ache.
Yao’er.
Little Fourth’s inner voice had been clear. Her engagement to Prince Qi would only lead to tragedy. If Yao’er did not keep her distance, the whole family might fall.
But Yao’er’s heart had already been given away. Her eyes could see no one else.
And their engagement had been decreed by the late emperor. It was no small matter. Even as her mother, she could not easily interfere.
What should she do?
For the first time, Madam Yun felt truly powerless.
Forget it, she told herself. I have not even seen this so-called female lead yet. I will observe quietly for now.
But the moment another woman appeared at Mo Yuan Hao’s side, she would act without hesitation. She would have her husband go straight to the emperor and annul the engagement.
Prince Qi could have his female lead.
As for Yao’er, she would never allow her daughter to fall into ruin.
In the meantime, she would watch closely.
No mistakes would be allowed.
In the back garden, behind the towering rocks of the artificial mountain, Yun Zheng stood concealed. He stilled his breath and watched from a distance.
In the pavilion not far away, two figures sat facing one another.
Mo Yuan Hao sat with effortless grace, dressed in silks of black and jade. He smiled warm as spring light and asked: “Yao’er, it has been so long. How have you been lately?”
Yun Wan Yao’s cheeks flushed at once. She lowered her head, and the warning in Little Fourth’s voice slipped away. She murmured: “I have been well, and you?”
“This prince is also well, except,” he said, pausing with a hint of sorrow.
Yun Wan Yao’s heart skipped. She turned her face away, lips tightening in shy rebuke, and said under her breath: “Speak properly.”
“Yes, Eldest Miss,” Mo Yuan Hao replied with a quiet laugh. His voice flowed like water as he said: “Though the ends of the world have boundaries, my longing for you does not. My only sorrow is not seeing you, day or night.”
Her heart raced. Heat rushed to her face.
Hidden in the shadows, Yun Zheng almost spat blood from anger.
That brat.
He acted noble in public, stoic and controlled, yet in private he was all glib tongue and honeyed words.
No wonder Yao’er was besotted.
But she was not of age.
Shameless brat. Truly shameless.
If not for Little Fourth’s warning, he would never have followed them. He would never have known how filthy Mo Yuan Hao’s mouth could be.
Inside the pavilion, Yun Wan Yao whispered, shy and soft: “Me too.”
Mo Yuan Hao’s eyes gleamed.
He leaned forward and said with feeling: “I want to see you every day.”
Yun Wan Yao’s pulse turned chaotic. Just as she parted her lips to reply, his voice dropped low and steady. He said: “Yao’er, you are almost of age. This prince plans to send betrothal gifts in a few days. Once your coming-of-age ceremony is complete, I will marry you at once. How about it?”