Chapter 55: The Guardian Duke Finds His Sister
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The Guardian Duke, guided by Yu Zhi Yi, finally found his long-lost sister.
Just as Yu Zhi Yi had foreseen, his sister’s family was in deep trouble.
The local magistrate’s son had developed an interest in the sister’s granddaughter-in-law. When bribery failed, he came up with a wicked plan: destroy the Tian family so that the young woman would be forced to beg him to save her loved ones.
When the Guardian Duke arrived, the scheme had already reached a critical point. His sister’s son and daughter-in-law had been falsely accused of murder and thrown into prison.
The corrupt magistrate, wanting to protect his son, planned to execute them in three days, completely ignoring the law.
The Guardian Duke arrived just in time—on the last day before the execution.
Luckily, the executions were set for midday, and he had reached the town in the morning. After confirming that the elderly Madam Tian was indeed his sister, he quickly sent his men to gather all the details of the situation.
Upon hearing that his nephew and niece-in-law were about to be wrongfully executed, he stormed into the county office without hesitation. His men arrested the magistrate and his son, throwing them in jail for their crimes.
Within half an hour, the Guardian Duke had extracted every detail of their vile plan from their confessions.
His sister had two sons and two daughters. The ones falsely accused were her eldest son and his wife. After their execution, the magistrate’s son planned to create false charges against the second son and his wife, causing their deaths too.
Bit by bit, they intended to destroy the Tian family until only the granddaughter-in-law and the elderly Madam Tian remained, making the young woman desperate enough to comply.
Why leave Madam Tian alive? Because if all her family were dead, the granddaughter-in-law might choose death herself, leaving nothing for the magistrate’s son to claim. Madam Tian, frail and elderly, posed no threat—she couldn’t fight back or seek revenge.
But these villains had overlooked one crucial factor: human resilience and the limits of one’s endurance.
If only Madam Tian and her granddaughter-in-law were left, the young woman might indeed give in to save her grandmother-in-law. But Madam Tian’s health was frail, and these tragedies would crush her spirit. Realizing she was just being used to manipulate her granddaughter-in-law, Madam Tian might not wish to go on living.
Though none of this had happened yet, the Guardian Duke felt a chill while reading the detailed accusations. He had no doubt about Yu Zhi Yi’s judgment—once his nephew and niece-in-law were gone, his sister wouldn’t survive either.
He was filled with anger and relief. Anger at the despicable officials who dared to harm his family. Relief that he had listened to Yu Zhi Yi and rushed over in time.
He shuddered to think of what could have happened if he hadn’t arrived in time.
…
Days later, after settling the Tian family’s affairs, the Guardian Duke returned to the capital, his heart full of emotion. He brought his sister to personally thank Yu Zhi Yi.
Yu Zhi Yi felt a warmth surround her, a sign of the good karma she had earned. She didn’t refuse the Guardian Duke’s generous gifts.
Seeing her accept them, the Guardian Duke sighed in relief and smiled warmly. “From now on, Young Madam Du is an honored guest in my household.”
Even Chancellor Du hadn’t received such an honor.
Madam Yao held Yu Zhi Yi’s hand affectionately. “Your Grace, you are too kind. Our Zhi Yi may seem quiet, but she has a warm heart. She has quietly done a great deed.”
Yu Zhi Yi glanced at the numerous boxes of gifts filling the courtyard and spoke frankly. “Mother, I didn’t help the Guardian Duke for free. But these gifts are too much,” she said, turning to the Guardian Duke. “I only need ten thousand taels of silver. The rest, please take back, Your Grace.”
If not for counterbalancing Prince Xiao Yao, she wouldn’t have involved the Guardian Duke at all.
She had indeed changed the fate of Madam Tian’s family, so she deserved to be paid. But she wouldn’t take more than necessary.
Seeing her insist, the Guardian Duke didn’t argue. He instructed his men to take ten thousand taels of silver from the gifts and then sent the rest to Chancellor Du and his wife, expressing his gratitude for raising such a capable and kind daughter-in-law.
As for who would ultimately receive the gifts, that was no longer his concern.
Yu Zhi Yi was left speechless.
…
“Oh, by the way,” the Guardian Duke said, turning back just before leaving. “Those women rescued from Ma Family Village asked me to thank you, Madam Du.”
Yu Zhi Yi blinked in surprise. “You rescued them, Your Grace. What does that have to do with me?”
“Does it truly have nothing to do with you?” The Guardian Duke’s eyes twinkled knowingly.
Under his gaze, Yu Zhi Yi cleared her throat and looked away. “I merely offered a few words, and even pointed you to the wrong place. You are the one who actually saved them.”
A glint of admiration flashed in the Guardian Duke’s eyes. He turned to Chancellor Du. “Brother, your good fortune is yet to come!”
Then he looked back at Yu Zhi Yi. “I have reported this matter to His Majesty. He takes it very seriously and has assigned the Ministry of Justice to investigate. I believe that soon, more kidnapped women will be saved.”
This, perhaps, was his true repayment to her.
…
Du Zi Heng had heard that the Guardian Duke had visited Yu Zhi Yi as soon as he returned to the capital. Setting aside his book, he went to find them.
He overheard their conversation.
When Yu Zhi Yi turned around, she saw Du Zi Heng watching her with a complicated expression.
“Since Peach Blossom Town was where the Guardian Duke’s sister was really hiding, why did you mention Ma Family Village?” he asked.
Yu Zhi Yi met his gaze calmly. “What you really want to ask is why both Miss You and I mentioned Ma Family Village, isn’t it?”
Du Zi Heng hesitated. He didn’t want to bring up Miss You in front of his nominal wife, but the situation was too strange.
“It’s… quite a coincidence,” he admitted.
“I knew about Ma Family Village because I deduced—from the Guardian Duke’s features and Madam Tian’s birthdate—that he would eventually find a clue about Ma Family Village in a few years, but it would have led nowhere,” Yu Zhi Yi explained. “As for how Miss You knew… you’ll have to ask her yourself.”
Not only was Du Zi Heng curious; Yu Zhi Yi was too.
If You Bing Yue was merely someone from another world, how could she know the course of this world’s events?
Could it be that she also understood metaphysics?