Chapter 101
Chapter 101: This Face Matches My Aesthetic Perfectly
Duke Ning Manor.
After returning to the manor, Yun Wan Ye didn’t even stop to drink a sip of hot tea. He went straight toward the Moon Seizing Pavilion.
Rather than using the main entrance, he picked a secluded spot and leapt over the wall in a silent flash, not alerting a single guard stationed at the gate.
Knock knock knock!
A few deep knocks echoed against the door. Yun Wan Chen had just set down his brush and was about to speak when a familiar voice came from outside.
“Big brother, it’s me.”
Yun Wan Chen strode over, opened the door, and saw the dust-covered youth standing beneath the moonlight. A flicker of tenderness flashed through his eyes.
“Come in quickly.”
“Mm.” Yun Wan Ye stepped inside in long strides, closing the door behind him. He walked to the table and poured himself a cup of water from the teapot.
“Big brother, did you summon me back for something urgent?”
“Nothing too pressing. You’ve been watching that woman for two days straight. I called you back so you could rest. I’ve already sent Cang Yan and Cang Xuan to keep watch over her instead.”
Yun Wan Ye fell silent.
So that was it?
He had thought his brother called him back for something important, but it turned out to be just this.
“I’m fine, big brother. Oh, by the way, I saw someone rather unexpected outside the Su manor today. Want to guess who?”
Yun Wan Chen’s brow shifted slightly as he said, “Someone from Pei Yu’s side.”
No—more accurately, it had to be Pei Yu himself. He probably avoided showing his face so as not to be recognized. Which meant he could only send someone else in his place.
[How did he know that?]
Yun Wan Ye’s lips parted slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes. Then he said, “Nice guess, big brother. You really saw through it. Did something else happen?”
“And when did Pei Yu return from the border?”
“Last night.”
Yun Wan Chen then relayed everything Yun Wan Yao had told him about Pei Yu and the plot developments—how, according to the story, Pei Yu was supposed to return and form an alliance with Su Qian Xue.
“Little sister mentioned in the original plot that Pei Yu would work with Su Qian Xue after coming back. So based on your words and expression, I deduced that the person you saw must be Pei Yu.”
“That scoundrel… I really underestimated him. He’s so vicious, I almost want to bow down in admiration.”
Yun Wan Ye ground his teeth and cursed, then added, “You guessed right. The person I saw outside the Su manor was indeed one of Pei Yu’s attendants.”
“He handed a letter to the gatekeeper. Thinking back, that letter must’ve been addressed to Su Qian Xue.”
“If I’d known sooner, I would’ve intercepted that letter and crushed any chance those two villains have to conspire together.”
He slapped his forehead, looking more and more regretful.
Yun Wan Chen watched him and calmly offered a word of comfort: “It’s fine. Our people will continue monitoring Su Qian Xue. We can stop them from meeting at any time.”
“Speaking of which, big brother, I suddenly came up with a great idea.”
Yun Wan Ye gave a wicked grin, his eyes gleaming with scheming intent. His whole face radiated mischief.
Yun Wan Chen gave a small smile and said, “Let’s hear it.”
“Yes, sir. Here’s what we…” Yun Wan Ye leaned in and whispered in his ear for quite some time. Then, wearing a roguish grin, he said, “So, big brother? What do you think of my idea? Brilliant, right?”
“……”
Yun Wan Chen didn’t respond right away. Seeing his brother’s hesitation, Yun Wan Ye threw his hands up dramatically and shouted, “No way, big brother. Don’t tell me you’re feeling soft-hearted about that woman?”
“She’s the one who asked to break off the engagement in the original plot. Because of her, you became a laughingstock and fell into disgrace.”
“If not for little sister interfering this time, father and mother would’ve already gone to cancel the engagement themselves. Who knows how badly she would’ve ruined you. And you’re still hesitating?”
“It’s not that,” Yun Wan Chen sighed. “I’m just wondering—what if we mess this up?”
“Mess up? Impossible!”
Yun Wan Ye’s eyes sparkled with confidence as he smiled and said, “Trust me, big brother. I’ll personally see this through. There won’t be any mistakes.”
…
Peacekeeping Courtyard.
After nursing Yun Wan Ning and changing her into clean clothes, Madam Yun and Yun Zheng went to bed.
Nestled between them, Yun Wan Ning stared up at the bed canopy, lost in thought.
She’d slept too much in the afternoon, so now she wasn’t sleepy at all. Her mind wandered.
[Ugh, I almost forgot. In the plot, Su Qian Xue and Pei Yu are supposed to meet at the Prosperous Gathering Restaurant at noon tomorrow.]
[Since the system wants to pull things back on track, is it possible that Pei Yu is one of Su Qian Xue’s mission targets too?]
[Or maybe her newly generated task involves Pei Yu directly?]
[Also, does elder sister know the exact time of their meeting?]
[I wonder what elder sister is planning.]
[Once those two start working together, Pei Yu immediately begins scheming.]
[Back then, he tried to break up elder sister and Prince Qi by setting traps.]
[He deliberately drugged elder sister with an aphrodisiac, then arranged for someone to harass her—planning to swoop in like a hero and save her at the last moment.]
[His goal was to take advantage of the situation and ‘win her over,’ ideally getting her pregnant so he could justify breaking off her engagement and marrying her himself.]
[But unexpectedly, Seventh Uncle showed up. He took elder sister away and found a doctor to purge the drug from her system, unintentionally foiling Pei Yu’s plan.]
[One plan failed, but he just came up with another.]
[Later on, Pei Yu used countless schemes, both big and small, to finally drive a wedge between elder sister and Prince Qi.]
[Sigh… once they meet tomorrow, it’ll only be a few days before he drugs elder sister again.]
[And the effects of that drug are intense. It’s a painful experience. I hope elder sister won’t fall for it this time.]
[…]
Thinking of all this, Yun Wan Ning couldn’t help feeling anxious.
Meanwhile, Madam Yun had been shocked speechless the moment Yun Wan Ning’s thoughts echoed out loud.
Neither Yun Zheng, Yun Wan Chen, nor Yun Wan Yao had told her anything about Pei Yu. So hearing such explosive news without warning nearly made her jaw fall off.
Pei Yu was colluding with Su Qian Xue?
To what end?
And he had the audacity to drug Yao’er with something so vile—hoping to use such despicable methods to steal her away and sabotage her engagement?
How could this be?
Madam Yun wasn’t the only one shocked. Even Yun Zheng hadn’t realized Pei Yu had gone that far in the original plot.
[This little brat really is vile.]
Yun Zheng narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing across them.
And Yun Wan Ning’s heart voice listening continued on…
[Once Father and Mother fall asleep, should I try dream weaving with spiritual power to warn them?]
[With my current spiritual power, the dream weaving won’t last long, but I can still show them a few brief scenes.]
[Yes, I should. If I don’t, elder sister might let her guard down and be tricked by Pei Yu again.]
Having made up her mind, Yun Wan Ning finally smiled with satisfaction.
Then she closed her eyes and began cultivating spiritual power. The moment she entered the state of cultivation, Yun Zheng once again sensed that mysterious force.
In the dead of night, Yun Wan Ning emerged from her meditative state. Around her, the room was quiet, filled only with the steady rhythm of breathing.
In the darkness, she turned her head ever so slightly—first toward Madam Yun, then toward Yun Zheng. At last, she settled on Madam Yun as the target of her dream weaving.
Father had always listened to Mother’s words. Besides, Mother didn’t possess inner power and wouldn’t unconsciously resist, making her the perfect choice.
Yun Wan Ning’s gaze flickered. In the next instant, she closed her eyes.
Her spiritual power surged gently, like a silken mist flowing toward the center of Madam Yun’s brow.
Within her slumber, Madam Yun’s dreamscape shifted. Moments ago, she had been wandering through gardens with little Yun Wan Ning in her arms, admiring flowers. But suddenly, the images turned—flashing into scenes of Pei Yu working hand in hand with Su Qian Xue, then falling for Su Qian Xue, and finally… the heart-wrenching downfall of Yun Wan Yao.
The visions passed quickly, like a spinning lantern reel, yet every detail was vivid.
“Ah…”
Madam Yun suddenly cried out, waking from her dream. At some point, tears had silently carved twin trails down her cheeks.
“Madam, what’s wrong?”
Nanny Wang rushed in, her face full of worry. She quickly came to the bedside and gathered Madam Yun into a comforting embrace.
“There now, there now, Madam. You must’ve had a nightmare. Don’t worry… dreams are always the opposite of real life. It’s alright now…”
[Oh no… Mother’s reaction is too intense.]
[I probably shouldn’t have picked her for dream weaving. Father’s mind is steadier.]
[I’ll remember that next time—choose Father.]
Madam Yun paused, startled by the two different voices in her ears. She glanced at Nanny Wang, then at Yun Wan Ning.
There in the cradle, the little milk bun blinked her inky black eyes, gazing up at her so adorably that Madam Yun’s heart melted on the spot.
Letting out a quiet breath, Madam Yun turned her eyes to the window, where the sun had already risen high above. Yun Zheng was long gone from the room.
That had been a very deep sleep.
Closing her eyes, Madam Yun pressed her fingers to her temple and recalled the scenes from her dream.
Yes… Little Fourth had said last night that she would remind them of Pei Yu’s true nature.
Then… that dream in the latter half of the night must have been sent by Little Fourth.
Which meant… it wasn’t merely a dream—it was the original storyline.
Pei Yu, after joining hands with Su Qian Xue to separate Yao’er and Prince Qi, had done countless despicable things. And once he fell in love with Su Qian Xue, he grew even more ruthless—utterly devoid of conscience.
He toyed with her Yao’er in the palm of his hand, forcing her step by step into a hopeless, tragic end.
[Mother must be thinking over the dream now.]
[I told her in the dream that this was a warning. Surely she’ll take it to heart.]
[Yes. She will.]
Just then, Madam Yun opened her eyes and slowly pulled away from Nanny Wang’s embrace.
“I’m fine, Nanny Wang. I just dreamed something unpleasant. Little Fourth is probably hungry now—please bring me the feeding bowl.”
“Yes, Madam.”
The bowl was soon brought in. Madam Yun fed Yun Wan Ning, changed her diaper, and had a maid help wash the child’s face and hands.
While Yun Wan Ning was being washed, Madam Yun also freshened up quickly.
“Little Tao, go and summon the heir apparent.”
“Yes, Madam.”
An incense stick’s time later, breakfast was set.
Just as Madam Yun took her seat, Yun Wan Chen stepped into the room.
Before he could speak, Madam Yun waved him over: “Sit down and eat.”
“Yes, Mother.”
No words at the table—meals were to be eaten in silence.
Before long, Yun Wan Chen set down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a silk cloth. Then he walked to the side couch and picked up the little milk bun who had been quietly gazing out the window.
Yun Wan Ning had been admiring the scenery, but being lifted so suddenly left her briefly stunned. The moment she saw that it was Yun Wan Chen, her eyes sparkled.
[Wow, it’s big brother!]
[It’s only been two days, but how does he look even more handsome now?]
Though she had praised him countless times already, Yun Wan Chen couldn’t help but smile at her admiration.
The sight made Yun Wan Ning’s eyes shine like starlight.
[Ahhh, no matter how many times I see it, I still can’t handle big brother’s smile—it slays me every time.]
[That face… it fits my tastes so perfectly. Just one look makes me feel happy.]
[Whoever becomes my big brother’s wife in the future is going to live in bliss.]
[But I wonder… who will he end up liking?]
Madam Yun: “…”
Yun Wan Chen: “…”
Did this little milk bun really like his face that much?
She always lit up with joy whenever she saw him.
Clearing his throat, Yun Wan Chen carried her over to sit beside Madam Yun.
“Mother, did you ask me to come just for breakfast, or is there something else?”
“Of course there’s something else. Chen’er, I had a strange dream last night, and I haven’t been at ease since. Your father’s not around today, so I called for you.”
Since the little milk bun had planted that dream and was watching to see her response, Madam Yun didn’t bother to avoid her as she brought it up.
“Oh? Please, tell me. I’m listening.”
[Ah, looks like Mother really took it to heart. She called big brother over—she must be asking for help.]
Yun Wan Ning lay lazily in Yun Wan Chen’s arms, half-heartedly tugging at his sleeve while yawning from time to time.
Hearing those words, Yun Wan Chen’s gaze shifted slightly as he studied his mother.
Help?
Help with what?
“Last night, I dreamed of Pei Yu. Strange, isn’t it? I barely even remember that man on a normal day. Yet in the dream, I saw all sorts of things…”
Madam Yun looked troubled as she recounted the dream in detail.
Yun Wan Chen frowned slightly.
The events she described were exactly the same as what Yao’er had told him before.
But how did Mother come to dream of them?
He instinctively glanced down at the milk bun resting contentedly in his arms. It had to be her little trick.
Even though she trusted that Yao’er had truly returned, she probably still worried Yao’er couldn’t handle it alone—and she knew the rest of them couldn’t hear her heart voice.
So she had chosen to deliver the message through a dream.
“That’s why I want you to go to Prosperous Gathering Restaurant at noon and check Heaven Number Six room. See if Pei Yu and Su Qian Xue meet there. If they do, I want you to sabotage whatever they’re planning.”
[Wow, Mother actually remembered the time and place perfectly. Her memory’s amazing.]
[But… there’s a problem. The plot’s already veered off course, and I can’t be sure Pei Yu and Su Qian Xue will still meet there like they did in the original storyline.]
[So big brother might be going for nothing.]
[Still, better a wasted trip than a missed one.]
[It’s a gamble. But if—just if—that little plot point hasn’t gone astray yet, then with big brother’s cleverness, if he catches them in the act, he’ll definitely suspect something and start guarding against them.]