Chapter 092
Chapter 92: Are All the Yun Family This Despicable?
[And surely, she’ll run off to complain to Madam Su.]
[Madam Su, brainless and fiercely protective, once she finds out that Seventh Uncle and the others snuck into the Grand Commandant manor last night, injured Su Qian Xue and even tore her clothes… she’ll definitely stir up trouble again.]
[Fortunately, those three men were clean in their work. They left no evidence. Su Qian Xue’s testimony alone won’t be enough to bring them to justice.]
[As for any underhanded methods behind the scenes, the Yun family isn’t afraid of her.]
What?
Seventh Uncle, Big Brother, and Second Brother snuck into the Grand Commandant manor last night, injured Su Qian Xue, and even ripped her clothes?
All that in a single night? How could such a shocking thing happen?
Yun Wan Yao gripped the book in her hands tightly, eyes wide with disbelief. Her gaze locked onto Yun Wan Ning, fully prepared to gather any useful information.
Madam Yun handled the night watch, so naturally, the daytime responsibility fell to her. The two of them had taken turns looking after Yun Wan Ning alongside the wet nurse.
[What? It was those three Yun family men?]
[How could it be them?]
[Logically, the emperor sending Mo Yuan Hao to investigate my father should’ve been a secret. The Yun family shouldn’t have known. Why would those three appear at such a critical moment?]
[They broke into the Grand Commandant manor, rescued Mo Yuan Hao… was it intentional or just coincidence? System, what’s really going on here?]
System: [……]
[Host, this wasn’t a coincidence.]
[Those three Yun men clearly came for you. After you fainted last night, Yun Wan Ye even tried to kill you. Luckily, I activated the defense system in time, or you wouldn’t have made it.]
As for her clothing being torn and lying stark naked on the ground for countless guards to witness, the system didn’t dare mention it.
Hearing this, Su Qian Xue clenched her teeth in fury.
[He tried to kill me? Is Yun Wan Ye some kind of murderer? Why would he even want to kill me?]
[Up until now, I haven’t done anything to offend him, have I?]
[Even if the whole marriage-annulment mess with Yun Wan Chen didn’t end amicably, wasn’t it the Yun family who initiated it?]
[They wanted to break the engagement, and I let them. I’ve never held a grudge or caused trouble. I haven’t clung to them like a lovesick fool. So what right does he have to try and kill me?]
[Are all the Yun family so loathsome?]
[Wait a moment…]
Fuming, Su Qian Xue suddenly paused as a thought crossed her mind.
[Did you say Yun Wan Chen was there too? But isn’t he crippled? Was he pushed in on a wheelchair just to watch Yun Wan Ye kill me?]
System: [……]
[Not quite. Ever since the new female lead interfered, this world’s plot has been completely thrown off. Yun Wan Chen’s legs recovered long ago. He no longer uses a wheelchair.]
So that was it.
Su Qian Xue’s eyes flickered as she said, “System, do you think the new female lead could be Yun Wan Yao?”
“Is it possible that Yun Wan Yao has been reborn too, or maybe she’s also bound to some system, with the goal of sabotaging our missions?”
“Last night, the three men from the Yun family didn’t appear early or late, but just in time to knock me out and steal the male lead, ruining our task.”
“That timing is too perfect. If you expect me to believe this wasn’t orchestrated by someone behind the scenes, I absolutely don’t believe it.”
“Aren’t you able to monitor everyone? Go and check Yun Wan Yao. See if you can uncover anything strange from her.”
[You’ve made a good point, host. I’ll begin monitoring Yun Wan Yao immediately.]
Hearing this, Yun Wan Ning instinctively glanced at Yun Wan Yao and began silently mulling things over.
[Su Qian Xue does have a point. The timing of Seventh Uncle and the others appearing last night was far too suspicious, and their actions even more so.]
[Could it be… that Elder Sister really is bound to a system, able to see Su Qian Xue’s missions?]
[If that’s the case, then that’s great.]
[The only problem is, Su Qian Xue and that dog system are already suspecting Elder Sister. They’re even trying to monitor her.]
[If they actually confirm she’s the new female lead, they’ll definitely try to eliminate her.]
[But… if Elder Sister really is the new female lead, she should have some kind of protagonist aura, right?]
[Also, that dog system wants to come snooping. Perfect timing—I can use this to test whether the protective barrier I set up around the Yun family is actually working.]
[Wait a second, speaking of the protective barrier, I think I may have overlooked something important.]
[If Elder Sister truly is the new female lead and bound to a system, then could she detect the barrier I set up?]
[Could she even realize that I used spiritual power to control Yun Wan Ye the other day?]
[If she finds out… would she think I’m some kind of demon or monster?]
[No, no, no—if I get exposed, I’m doomed. Is it still too late to remove the Yun family’s protective barrier now?]
Yun Wan Yao: “…”
It was one thing for her younger sister to suspect she was reborn, but now even Su Qian Xue and her system were starting to believe she was the new female lead with a system of her own?
No—wait. It was Su Qian Xue and that idiotic system making the assumptions. Her younger sister only overheard and followed along.
And now, the system planned to monitor her?
She wasn’t worried. After all, she wasn’t the new female lead. She had no fear of the system’s surveillance.
On the contrary, this could work in their favor. Once Su Qian Xue and the system focused their attention on her, they’d stop suspecting her little sister.
It seemed she’d need to start revealing herself just enough—play out a false “new female lead” act to divert their suspicion and shield her sister. A little game of true and false heroines would be just what they needed.
While the two sisters were deep in their own thoughts, the system had already initiated full-scale surveillance of Duke Ning’s manor.
But just as its signal tried to enter the estate, a mysterious, unfathomable power erupted from within the grand residence, enveloping the entire compound in a protective shroud.
The system was barred from entry.
To the system, it now felt like the entire manor had been covered in a mosaic—unseeable, untouchable.
It immediately shrieked inside Su Qian Xue’s mind.
[Protective barrier! It’s a protective barrier! Host, someone has placed a protective barrier over the Yun residence—it’s blocking my surveillance.]
[But how? How can this world even have protective barriers? Could it be… the new female lead really descended from the Upper Realm?]
Hearing this, Su Qian Xue was stunned.
“What’s the Upper Realm? And what’s a protective barrier?”
“But from your tone, it sounds like the opponent is stronger than you. So how are we supposed to steal the protagonist’s luck and complete the mission?”
The system promptly ignored her first question.
[The new female lead is stronger than me because I’m currently out of energy, my level is low, and many of my functions are unusable. The system store is also inaccessible.]
[If you want to steal back the protagonist’s luck and restore the storyline, you can’t rely on me—you have to do it yourself. You’re the true female lead. I’m only here to support you.]
[If you expect me to do everything, you may as well prepare to die. Remember, if you can’t reclaim the luck or restore the plot, you’ll die a miserable death.]
[If you’re not afraid of dying, go ahead and give up. I’ll just ditch this world and find a new, more capable host.]
Su Qian Xue: “…”
Hearing those words, Yun Wan Ning burst into delighted laughter, gleefully rubbing her tiny hands together.
[Heh, so the protective barrier really blocked the system’s surveillance. This system really is a bit useless right now.]
[Still, it’s a system after all. Its potential is frightening.]
[Once Su Qian Xue completes a few more tasks and feeds it enough energy, it’ll become a true threat.]
[And when the tide rises, even Su Qian Xue will find it hard to control.]
[So for now, I must do everything I can to stop her from completing her tasks.]
Grand Commandant Manor.
Seeing Su Qian Xue biting her lip in silence, deep in thought for a long while, and recalling how she’d been found completely bare the night before, Madam Su assumed something awful had happened. She figured her daughter had suffered a terrible blow.
So, when Su Qian Xue said nothing, Madam Su dared not press her. She simply ordered someone to bring her a bowl of congee.
Once Su Qian Xue had eaten her fill, Madam Su studied her expression closely and carefully asked, “Xue’er, what exactly happened last night?”
Su Qian Xue blinked, only just realizing that ever since waking up, she’d been chatting with the system and hadn’t spoken a single word to Madam Su.
“Mother, wuwuwu…”
After a quick thought, she threw herself into Madam Su’s arms and began to weep pitifully, startling Madam Su into quickly comforting her.
“Don’t cry, Xue’er. Whatever happened, just tell Mother. I’ll find a way to fix it for you.”
“Mother, it was Yun Zhan, Yun Wan Chen, and Yun Wan Ye from the Yun family. They barged into my courtyard last night and knocked me unconscious… wuwuwu, my chest still hurts so much…”
“But they were all wearing black nightclothes, so there’s no evidence. Even if I want to accuse them, I can’t. What should I do, Mother?”
As Su Qian Xue sobbed and complained, her mind was already scheming away.
Her original mother was born into the aristocratic Wang clan—and the Wang clan was no joke. They had countless ways to make someone suffer.
And Madam Su wasn’t just from a powerful lineage; she was fiercely protective of her own. If she knew her daughter had been wronged, she’d never sit still.
If she could stir up trouble between Madam Su and the Yun family, it would open the perfect path for her to complete her next task.
But Madam Su frowned slightly.
“Xue’er, are you sure you didn’t mistake someone else? How could those three be the ones who harmed you?”
Though she harbored countless grievances against the Yun family, she had to admit: the seventh uncle was calm and clever, and the heir apparent was upright and gentlemanly. Only the second young master was the sort to act unruly.
If Su Qian Xue had only accused Yun Wan Ye, she’d have believed her completely. But to say all three had come together?
Even more suspicious—wasn’t the heir apparent crippled? Did he attack her while sitting in a wheelchair?
“Mother, you don’t believe me?” Su Qian Xue hadn’t expected Madam Su, who always sided with her, to hesitate. Instantly, she broke into even louder sobs, putting on an especially aggrieved expression.
“No, no, of course I believe you,” Madam Su quickly assured her. “I just feared you might have mistaken their identities and let the real culprit get away. I only wanted to be thorough.”
“You said they were in nightclothes… then how did you recognize them? Yun Wan Chen has a bad leg, you know. It doesn’t make sense for him to go out of his way for this.”
Seeing her daughter cry so hard, Madam Su’s heart ached. She quickly wiped away her tears.
“I didn’t mistake them. It was definitely those three. Maybe Yun Wan Chen’s leg has healed. Whatever the case, I’m certain!”
Since there was no actual evidence, Su Qian Xue decided to throw a tantrum instead. If she made enough noise, this woman would surely give in.
And indeed, seeing her so emotional, Madam Su immediately gave in.
“All right, all right, Mother understands. If those three dared to bully you, I won’t let them off lightly. Don’t cry anymore. I believe you. I’ll make them pay, all right?”
“I knew you loved me most, Mother.”
Her goal achieved, Su Qian Xue finally smiled.
The next day arrived.
Outside the palace gates, the gathered officials were met with an unexpected sight.
A sedan chair was slowly carried forward, and seated atop it was Su Jian, dressed in his ceremonial robes. Bandages wrapped around several parts of his body—most notably his forehead and right knee—already stained with spots of blood.
“Grand Commandant sir, what happened to you?”
“Why are you so badly injured? Are you attending court today because that matter has already been resolved?”
Everyone was stunned by Su Jian’s appearance. Almost immediately, his faction rushed forward, crowding around him with concern.
These past few days, Su Jian had been absent. Without him, his allies had been left leaderless, struggling under the pressure of Chancellor Han’s faction. Every day felt like drowning in deep waters and raging fire.
They had prayed day and night for Su Jian’s return.
Now that they saw him again, their hearts were filled with relief, some even on the verge of tears.
But before Su Jian could respond, Chancellor Han and his own supporters came up, elbowing their way through the crowd and shoving aside quite a few people.
With cold eyes and mocking tones, they looked Su Jian over.
“Has the Grand Commandant found proof of his innocence already? Is that why he’s back in court today?”
“Tsk. It’s only been a few days, yet you’ve ended up like this? Did someone finally have enough of your antics and beat you within an inch of your life?”
“How are you not embarrassed to appear here today? Has the Grand Commandant manor not heard what happened at the winter banquet? I heard all the young lords and noble ladies presented original poetry—only your daughter recited someone else’s. And it just happened to match Young Lord Xie’s piece word for word. Since when did your Su family get so close to the Xies?”
With Su Jian absent these few days, Chancellor Han’s faction had grown quite comfortable in court. Seeing him again now was like swallowing a mouthful of thorns.
Su Jian listened to their ugly words in silence, his expression calm and cold. He said nothing, not even sparing them a glance.
“Big Brother, doesn’t it seem like Su Jian came prepared today?” Yun Zhan stood at the edge of the steps, watching Su Jian’s bandaged body and speaking in a hushed tone.
Yun Zheng let out a cold chuckle, eyes narrowed. “You’re not wrong.”
“A man like the Grand Commandant—someone even I wouldn’t dare to hit—who could possibly have beaten him like this? Which means… that old fox Su Jian must have come prepared.”
“If he’s planning to break the stalemate so quickly… it’s likely Prince Qi gave him the opening the night before.”