Yun Xuesheng clenched the object in her hand and cast a wary glance at Yun Hong.
Yun Hong seemed not to notice Yun Xuesheng’s look. He turned to Old Madame Yun. “Mother, what mistake has she made that warrants punishment?”
“Hmph! You’ve come at the right time. She’s your daughter, so it’s only fitting that you discipline her.”
Old Madame Yun’s gaze was full of disdain. “Your fine daughter—she talked back to her elders and struck her younger sister. Does she not deserve punishment?”
With that, she looked at Yun Hong, waiting for him to pronounce judgment on Yun Xuesheng.
This concubine-born son of hers had never once defied her. All these years, when she told him to produce money, he produced money; when she told him to pull strings for the eldest son’s post, he pulled strings.
If not for his obedience, how could she have tolerated him strutting about under her very nose for so many years!
“If what Mother says is true, then of course she deserves punishment!”
Yun Hong’s flat voice rang out, extinguishing the last spark of hope in Yun Xuesheng’s heart.
Her face turned deathly pale, and she clenched her fists so tightly her nails bit into her palms.
What had she been expecting? Her relationship with Yun Hong had always been one of mutual benefit. She had contributed nothing so far—how could she dare to hope for his protection?
And the person she had struck was Yun Man, Yun Hong’s own flesh and blood daughter.
In her previous life, even though Yun Man had never once called Yun Hong “Father,” he had still sent her a steady stream of fine gifts.
How could she possibly presume that Yun Hong would defend her?
Perhaps Yun Xuesheng’s despair was too obvious, for Yun Hong could not help but glance at her.
Amid Old Madame Yun’s smug expression, he spoke calmly. “However, Yun Xuesheng has always been an obedient and sensible child. She wouldn’t do something like this without reason. Shouldn’t we also hear what she has to say?”
Old Madame Yun’s expression shifted. She snapped, “Are you saying I’m lying?”
“Yun Hong, you have quite the nerve.”
“To hear both sides is to be enlightened; to hear only one is to be misled. Managing a household is like commanding an army—fairness is paramount.”
Yun Hong’s tone was resolute. He looked at Yun Xuesheng. “Speak. What exactly happened?”
Since this bargain-bin daughter of his had called him “Father,” he naturally wouldn’t let her be slandered.
But he wouldn’t protect a useless person either. If she didn’t even have the courage to speak the truth, she didn’t deserve to be his daughter.
“Did you hit someone? Why?”
“Because she deserved it!”
Seeing Yun Hong’s sharp, imposing demeanor, Yun Xuesheng instinctively straightened her back and said loudly, “Yun Man took over my courtyard, trampled all the medicinal herbs in it, and withheld the things my mother left me. She even had her maids block me from retrieving my own belongings.”
“I only hit her because I was furious.”
“As for talking back to my elders—I merely spoke the truth. I had no intention of disrespecting the matriarch.”
Yun Hong nodded, then looked at Yun Man, who was leaning against Old Madame Yun. “Do you have any objection to what she said?”
Yun Man gritted her teeth and said indignantly, “That courtyard was originally mine. Father told me to move in there.”
“Then it’s true!”
Yun Hong nodded. “Yun Man showed no respect for her elder sister, damaged her elder sister’s property, and displayed no sense of deference. Yun Xuesheng struck her younger sister, which likewise shows a lack of deference. If Mother wishes to mete out punishment, then both should be punished together—only then will it be fair in everyone’s eyes.”
“What does Mother think of this?”
“You actually want to punish Manman?”
Old Madame Yun hadn’t expected Yun Hong to talk circles around her only to end up demanding that Yun Man be punished.
She slammed her hand on the table. “Manman is your own flesh and blood daughter!”
“Rewards and punishments must be meted out clearly, regardless of closeness. Even the Son of Heaven is subject to the same laws as commoners. What makes Yun Man so special?”
Yun Hong swept a casual glance over Old Madame Yun. “Mother, if this is how one governs an army and a nation, how much more so a household!”
“Enough with your ‘how much more so’!”
Old Madame Yun could barely read a few characters and didn’t understand Yun Hong’s meaning. She fumed, “I won’t allow you to punish Manman, and that’s final.”
“If she isn’t punished, then I’ll simply take the girl with me.”
Wu Zi immediately pushed Yun Hong’s wheelchair toward the door.
Yun Xuesheng hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. She stood frozen in place.
Seeing that Yun Xuesheng hadn’t followed, Yun Hong frowned. “Not leaving?”
Yun Xuesheng snapped back to her senses and hurried after him.
After everyone had gone, Old Madame Yun felt something was off. She looked at Yun Man. “Wasn’t I supposed to punish that little wretch?”
Yun Man was equally upset. She said tearfully, “Grandmother, did you see? Father actually sided with Eldest Sister and even wanted to punish me.”
“What father? He’s not your father!”
A flicker of hatred passed through Old Madame Yun’s eyes. “He’s your second uncle. From now on, your father is Yun Ting and Yun Ting alone. Do you understand?”
Yun Man nodded. “I misspoke. He’s not my father!”
“Good, remember that. Hmph, if he won’t even take your side, what use do you have for him?”
Seeing Yun Man’s obedient demeanor, Old Madame Yun’s anger subsided somewhat. “But he’s lost the use of his legs. By all rights, the court should have sent commendations. Yet this time, he came back alone and empty-handed.”
In the past, whenever Yun Hong distinguished himself in battle, the rewards would be delivered directly to the Yun residence. This time, nothing had come at all. Old Madame Yun sensed that something was wrong.
She pulled Yun Man into her arms. “He’s always valued you most as his daughter. These days, you go coax him first, visit him often, and see how many good things he still has in his hands.”
Yun Man didn’t want to go. She didn’t like Yun Hong.
Every time Yun Hong came back before, he was stern and unsmiling with her, disciplining her like he drilled his soldiers. She was afraid of him.
She liked her eldest uncle. He not only bought her everything but also doted on her endlessly.
“Grandmother, didn’t he already give everything to the family? Now that his legs are broken, he’s just come home to wait for death. How could he still have anything good?”
“Silly girl!”
Old Madame Yun shook her head in frustration. “He fought wars outside for so many years—how could he not have spoils of war and such?”
“If you don’t take them, are you going to let Yun Xuesheng have them for free later?”
“I want them. They’re mine.”
Yun Man gritted her teeth. “I’ll go.”
“That’s right. We can’t let that little wretch benefit. Once you bring them back, Grandmother will give them all to you as your dowry.”
“Grandmother is the best to me.”
While the grandmother and granddaughter were scheming, Yun Xuesheng followed Yun Hong back to the small courtyard.
She still couldn’t quite snap out of it.
Yun Hong had actually brought her back. She had already braced herself for the possibility of being made to kneel in punishment again.
Entering the courtyard, Yun Hong turned his wheelchair to face Yun Xuesheng, looking at her coldly. “Do you know where you went wrong?”
Yun Xuesheng snapped back to attention. Seeing Yun Hong in the posture of someone demanding an accounting, she sneered inwardly.
Just as I thought. It’s different when you’re not his own flesh and blood.
Where exactly was she wrong?
But for the sake of him bringing her back from Ci’an Tang, she wouldn’t quibble with him.
She answered sullenly, “I know!”
Seeing her like this, Yun Hong knew she hadn’t taken it to heart. He gave a cold smile. “Where did you go wrong?”
Seeing him in that accusatory manner, Yun Xuesheng nearly ground her pearly teeth to pieces. “I was wrong for hitting your own daughter!”
Yun Hong frowned. “Nonsense!”
Huh?
Yun Hong cast her a sidelong glance, sneering disdainfully. “You were wrong for hitting someone and still letting them catch you at it.”