Chapter 032
Chapter 32: More Like the Heroine’s Faithful Puppy
Madam Yun brought over several sets of tiny garments and dressed Yun Wan Ning in each one with great patience, then carried her to the mirror so she could admire herself: “Little Fourth, these clothes are all for your one-month banquet. Take a look, which one do you like best?”
Yun Wan Ning babbled softly: “aiya…”
[Wow, they are all so beautiful. I love every one of them, but I can only choose one, how frustrating. Hmm, maybe this one is the best. After looking at all of them again, I still like this one the most.]
She gripped a small red embroidered jacket tightly in her tiny hands, refusing to let go. The collar and cuffs were trimmed with snowy white fur, and golden thread stitched the words Peace Year after Year across the front. The longer she looked, the more she adored it.
Madam Yun could not hold back a laugh at her daughter’s attachment and said, smiling: “Alright, alright, Mother knows you like this one the most. You will wear it for your one-month banquet, and the rest we will save for daily wear.”
[Oh yes, wonderful. All of these clothes are mine now.] Yun Wan Ning’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the colorful outfits laid out beside her. She wished she could wear them all at once.
Madam Yun reached over and lightly touched Yun Wan Ning’s cheek, teasing with a gentle smile: “Sometimes I wonder, is our Little Fourth really this clever? Could she already understand what Mother is saying after just one month?”
Yun Wan Ning blinked, released her grip on the jacket, and looked up at Madam Yun with a proud smile.
[I can understand. I truly can. Mother, you are not imagining things, I really do understand every word.]
Madam Yun chuckled softly and leaned down to kiss her cheek: “Our Little Fourth is just too adorable.”
After choosing the outfit, Madam Yun left to attend to other matters. Yun Wan Ning lay on the divan, stretched out like a lazy little kitten in the golden afternoon sunlight. Not long after, Yun Wan Ye arrived and said to the maids as he walked in: “I will watch Little Sister now. You may all go.”
He strode over and dropped down beside her. Yun Wan Ning barely cracked open an eye to glance at him, then closed it again, pretending to sleep.
Yun Wan Ye stared at her, speechless and wronged, and thought with a bitter edge: [Why is Little Sister always so affectionate with Big Brother? She is always praising him, wanting to be held by him, even checking his pulse and worrying about his health, yet when it comes to me, she could not care less.]
[Am I not also her real brother? I have spent more time with her than Big Brother has, but she acts like I do not exist in her heart.]
Remembering he needed her help, Yun Wan Ye swallowed his resentment, pinched her soft cheeks, and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead as he coaxed: “Little Sister, did you miss Second Brother? Second Brother has come to see you.”
Yun Wan Ning lazily opened her eyes and gave him a listless look.
[I refuse to answer that question. If I say yes, I would be lying a little. If I say no, it feels too heartless. Besides, I cannot even talk yet, so what does it matter.]
Yun Wan Ye’s lips twitched as he admitted inwardly that her logic was flawless. He sighed with theatrical sorrow and said, voice low and sincere: “Second Brother has so much on his mind, yet nowhere to vent. After thinking long and hard, I decided to confide in you. After all, Little Sister cannot understand, and she certainly will not go blabbing to anyone.”
His features were handsome and refined, but now they wore a sorrow so sincere that anyone else might have been moved. Unfortunately, his audience was Yun Wan Ning.
[Hmph, so that is what this is. I was wondering why Jerk Second Brother suddenly came to visit. Turns out he is just treating me like a tool to unload his emotions. Well, it is not entirely out of the question. Depends on my mood. If I get bored, I might just fall asleep and ignore him.]
The word jerk stabbed him. Yun Wan Ye stiffened, expression cracking as he clenched his jaw and thought with a wince: [Why is it that Father, Mother, Big Brother, Yun Wan Yao, and even Seventh Uncle are all dear, yet I alone am called a jerk.]
Then he remembered the last time he made her cry. She had wailed for him to stay, and he had walked away anyway. Even after hearing her heart-wrenching cries, he still had not returned fast enough. She must have felt abandoned. Trying to steady himself, he spoke softly, as if explaining a vow: “Little Sister, Second Brother has worked hard in martial arts and archery since childhood. I dream of bringing peace to the world. Even if Father does not approve of me, I will not give up. Someday, I will become a hero admired by all. Do you not think so?”
Yun Wan Ning rolled her eyes inwardly and scoffed: [You, a hero admired by all? Ha. Do not flatter yourself. You are more like the heroine’s faithful little puppy.]
The words struck like a slap. Yun Wan Ye’s expression shattered on the spot. He stared blankly, stunned by how absurd it sounded. Toward that Su girl, he had nothing but disgust. How could he possibly become her…
He only wanted to test what role he might play when the family fell into crisis according to the so-called plot. But this answer, how could this be?
Little Sister must have misunderstood.
Her inner voice continued with quiet fury: [Of all the heroine’s followers, you were the most loyal. You cleared every obstacle from her path and smoothed her journey forward. If it were not for you, with Seventh Uncle’s ability, how could he have fallen into the trap of the male and female leads so easily? How could he have died with me, both of us riddled with arrows beneath the moonlit sky.]
Yun Wan Ning ranted on, but Yun Wan Ye had stopped listening. His mind was a churning storm. How could this happen? How could he have conspired with the woman who destroyed their entire family? How could he have caused the deaths of Seventh Uncle and his own Little Sister? There had to be a mistake.
[Hmm? Why does Jerk Second Brother look so strange? What happened? Could it be that Father crushed his dream of becoming a hero, and he is devastated? But that expression, is this level of sadness not a little too intense?]
Snapping out of his daze, Yun Wan Ye forced a smile more pitiful than tears and patted her head: “Is Little Sister encouraging Second Brother not to give up his dreams? I understand. I will keep going.”
He added in a thin voice: “After talking to you, I feel much better now.”
[Yeah, right. Your eyes are red. You look like you are about to cry. Second Brother, what is wrong? You look so pitiful. Second Brother, do not be sad. Seeing you like this feels really strange.]
Yun Wan Ning stretched out her little arms, waving them to comfort him. All that came out were soft baby babbles.
Watching her try to cheer him up, Yun Wan Ye’s heart warmed and then drowned under guilt. In her inner voice, he had been the very reason she and Seventh Uncle died. Yet she still cared about him.
Over the next few days, Yun Wan Ye grew gloomy and quiet. Everyone in the Yun family noticed. Yun Wan Yao finally could not bear the curiosity and leaned close to whisper: “Yun Wan Ye, what has gotten into you? You have been like this ever since you spent time with Little Sister. Did she say something troubling again?”
Yun Wan Ye only shook his head. Yun Wan Yao sighed and said, helpless yet trusting: “Fine, do not tell me. You have always been clever. Whatever it is, I am sure you will figure it out yourself.”
Soon, it was the eve of the full moon banquet. Everything had been meticulously prepared. Madam Yun double-checked the arrangements with the steward and, once satisfied, finally allowed herself a moment of relief.
That evening, the entire family gathered for dinner. Afterward, they discussed the banquet’s final arrangements. Madam Yun calmly assigned tasks to each family member. Nearby, Yun Wan Ning lay on a soft couch, yawning again and again.
[Ah, just listening to them talk is making me sleepy. Who knew preparing for a simple banquet was such a hassle. No wonder Mother has been so busy lately. Mother has worked so hard.]
Everyone’s faces softened as her thoughts echoed in their minds. Madam Yun paused, walked over, gently picked up Yun Wan Ning, kissed her tenderly on the cheek, then returned to her duties. She instructed in a composed tone: “Husband, you and Old Seventh will entertain the visiting lords and officials. Chen’er and Ye’er, you two brothers will accompany the young masters from various households. I will attend to the ladies myself.”
After a pause, she turned toward Yun Wan Yao and added warmly: “Yao’er, Princess Hua Yang and the Jiang family’s eldest daughter are your close friends. Look after them properly tomorrow and do not neglect them.”
Yun Wan Yao answered with a confident smile: “Do not worry, Mother, I will take good care of the Princess and A’Tang.”
[Oh no.]
Just as her words fell, Yun Wan Ning’s solemn inner voice rang again. The entire room tensed in an instant.
[The Princess is about to meet with trouble. Tomorrow, the female lead will come to my banquet too. Lately, she has been slandering Elder Sister everywhere, trying to seduce Prince Qi. Elder Sister chose to ignore it, but the Princess, being Elder Sister’s closest friend, will not stand it. At the banquet, when they cross paths, the Princess plans to push the female lead into the water to teach her a lesson and defend Elder Sister’s honor. But this exact scene happened in the original plot. The Princess did succeed against the original Su Qian Xue, leaving her humiliated. Though the Grand Commandant and his wife were furious, they could not retaliate because of the Princess’s royal status. They had to swallow their anger. But now, the one inside Su Qian Xue’s body is the female lead. She knows the plot. She flips the script and trips the Princess instead, making her fall into the water instead of the other way around. The Princess is drenched and humiliated. She wants to retaliate, but the female lead talks her way out of blame, even making the Princess seem unreasonable. This becomes the female lead’s big moment. She wins sympathy and admiration from many supporting male leads. Even the male lead begins to see her in a new light. The Princess, once most favored by the Emperor and Prince Qi, has never suffered such disgrace. From then on, she holds a deep grudge against the female lead, opposing her at every turn. If Elder Sister is the biggest so-called vicious female supporting role, then the Princess is surely second. She earns her villainess title. It is all so tragic. The Princess truly cares for Elder Sister. But in this twisted story, even a noble princess cannot escape the heroine’s halo. In the end, she too is hated by all and dies in the arms of the man she loves. I have always wondered why that scene had to take place during my full moon banquet. But thinking about it, it makes sense. I am the little sister of the villainess. Duke Ning’s manor is our home, of course it is the perfect setting for the heroine’s dramatic rise. Pah. My Elder Sister is not a villainess. She is clearly the kindest, most beautiful person. It is that twisted female lead and male lead, both completely immoral, who have ruined her reputation.]
Silence fell. The weight of her words pressed like a heavy cloud. Yun Wan Ye lowered his head, fists clenched tight, heart thick and suffocating.
Princess Hua Yang… she was also just a supporting role.
“Good, then it is settled,” Madam Yun said evenly when the inner voice ended. She nodded toward Yun Wan Yao, eyes carrying a deeper meaning. Yun Wan Yao returned the gaze and gave a subtle nod. Tomorrow, she would stay by the Princess’s side. She would not let her fall into a trap or become a stepping stone. She would not let her descend into villainy and die unloved.
The next day, Duke Ning’s manor dressed itself for celebration. A large scarlet flower crowned the gate’s plaque, bright red lanterns swayed in the breeze, and delicate petals were strewn along the walks, turning the courtyard into a sea of color. Joy filled every corner.
Yun Zheng and Yun Zhan stood at the gate to receive guests, flanked by Yun Wan Chen and the twins, Yun Wan Ye and Yun Wan Yao. Relatives from the Yun family and noble officials of Haojing City arrived one by one, each greeted with fireworks and ceremonial warmth. Voices rang out with hearty cheer: “Duke Ning, congratulations.”
The officials wore comfortable festive robes and came with their families. Smiling, they exchanged greetings with Yun Zheng and the younger generation. The twins and Yun Wan Chen responded with poise and courtesy.
By late morning, most guests had arrived. Then a deep red carriage stopped before the gates. A young girl stepped down, radiant in palace robes. Crimson silk embroidered with gold dazzled beneath the sunlight like a blaze of fire. She called with joy as she skipped toward Yun Wan Yao: “A’Yao.”
Yun Wan Yao watched her approach with a soft smile and stepped forward to receive her, while beside her, Yun Wan Ye’s expression dimmed, something unreadable in his gaze. Princess Hua Yang clasped Yun Wan Yao’s hands and asked with a grin: “A’Yao, did I arrive too late?”
Yun Wan Yao answered gently: “No, you are perfectly on time.” Her eyes shifted toward the man who had accompanied the princess. He was tall in dignified imperial purple, his presence steady as a mountain.
Noticing her glance, Mo Zhao Zhao leaned close and whispered with playful mischief: “Imperial Brother did not want to ride in the dragon carriage today and insisted on coming with me. Who knows what is going on in that head of his.”
Yun Wan Yao immediately stepped forward and bowed low: “This humble subject greets Your Majesty.”
Before she could kneel, the man reached out and held her arm to stop her and said in a deep, firm voice that allowed no refusal: “Today, I am out of the palace incognito. No need for formalities.”
A cold shiver ran down Yun Wan Yao’s spine. His gaze felt like a blade hanging above her head, invisible yet stifling. She answered softly: “Yes. Thank you, Your Majesty.”
His presence cast an invisible net of tension across the courtyard. Everyone stood straighter and breathed shallower. For Yun Wan Yao, who had always feared him since childhood, it was like walking on thin ice. Fortunately, the banquet would be held with men and women seated separately. At least that would offer some relief for a while.