Creak—
The door opened, and Xiao Lanting stepped out. “It’s time to return. Otherwise, if they can’t find us, they will come looking here.”
Yun Juan had no wish for Yun Cengguang, and especially Madam Xu, to find out about how Nanny Sun had taken care of her over all these years.
“Then, Nanny, we shall take our leave. I will come to visit you again next time.”
Nanny Sun placed the wrapped parcel into Yun Juan’s hands. “Keep this safe. Once you go back, live a good life with Lanting and support each other.”
“We will.”
The bundle wasn’t large, but it was difficult to hide. Once they left the courtyard, Yun Juan began to fret over how to explain it.
Xiao Lanting said, “When the time comes, just say you went to fetch some belongings from before your marriage. Where is your courtyard? I will have Changfeng go right now and grab some random items.”
“Alright.” Yun Juan’s eyes lit up, and she pointed out the direction for Xiao Lanting. The very next second, she saw Changfeng’s figure leap through the air and vanish into the distant, snowy landscape.
“What a formidable qinggong [lightness skill]…” It was Yun Juan’s first time seeing it in person.
Xiao Lanting looked at her from the corner of his eye, suddenly letting out a lukewarm snort.
Yun Juan looked at him curiously. Xiao Lanting kept his gaze fixed ahead, appearing perfectly normal.
She rolled her eyes slightly. “Xiao Lanting, do you also know qinggong?”
“Yes.”
“Then you must be even more formidable than Changfeng.”
Xiao Lanting remained silent.
Yun Juan continued, “If there is an opportunity, let me watch you practice martial arts.”
“I have never seen anyone practice martial arts before. You became the Zhuangyuan [top scorer of the imperial exam] at such a young age; you must be incredibly powerful.”
“In the future, when you practice martial arts during the day, may I watch from the side?”
Xiao Lanting lowered his eyelids to glance at her, his tone flat: “Suit yourself.”
Though he appeared completely unperturbed, his tensed muscles relaxed significantly, and his stride grew a bit lighter.
Yun Juan snickered inwardly.
Actually, he is quite easy to coax.
In the front courtyard, Yun Cengguang and the others had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes, yet there was still no sign of Xiao Lanting and Yun Juan.
Yun Cengguang showed his displeasure. “Where on earth has this Yun Juan run off to! Someone, go and search again!”
“Eldest Brother hasn’t returned either; he is likely lost in the estate,” Xiao Mingyu remarked.
Yun Cengguang grumbled, “It is all because Yun Juan is so ignorant of etiquette, running around wild the moment she returns!” He glared at Concubine Rong and barked fiercely, “Why didn’t you stop her!”
Concubine Rong shrank her neck in fear. “Your concubine… Your concubine did try to stop her, but Juan’juan refused to listen…”
Xiao Mingyu suggested, “Perhaps we should send a few more people to search.”
Yun Xiu chimed in, “Forget it. Third Sister has always been willful; we are all used to it.”
Having to wait on an empty stomach, Xiao Mingyu was actually growing impatient as well. He looked at Yun Xiu, feeling incredibly relieved that he had married her instead of the ill-mannered Yun Juan.
Eldest Brother truly has it rough.
“The Third Young Lady and the Eldest Young Master are back!”
Everyone in the room stood up one after another. The moment Yun Cengguang saw Yun Juan, he began to scold her, “What is wrong with you! Where did you wander off to! Have you gone wild? Letting your husband search all over for you! Why haven’t you apologized to your husband yet!”
Yun Juan stared straight back at him. Her level gaze actually caused Yun Cengguang to freeze in astonishment for a moment.
Xiao Lanting’s brow furrowed slightly, and he said with clear displeasure, “What are you shouting for? It is deafening.”
“…”
Yun Cengguang choked on his words, feeling as though he had been delivered a stinging slap to the face.
Madam Xu quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Let us eat first. Having been busy all morning, Mingyu and Lanting must be starving. Someone, serve the meal!”
Xiao Lanting and Yun Juan took their seats, and dishes were brought to the table one by one.
Madam Xu looked at Yun Juan and spoke in a gentle voice, “Third Girl, even if Lanting dotes on you, you cannot behave in such a spoiled and arrogant manner. Wandering around outside during mealtime and leaving Lanting to search for you on an empty stomach—you are far too inconsiderate.”
“It is my fault,” Yun Juan replied flatly. “It is just that I am not yet accustomed to having someone wait for me to dine.”
The expressions of every member of the Yun family at the table shifted instantly.
With an unchanged countenance, Yun Juan added, “In the past, regardless of whether I arrived or not at family feasts, Father and Mother would start the banquet whenever they pleased. By the time I arrived, only leftovers remained. I have long since grown used to it.”
Cold sweat broke out on Yun Cengguang’s forehead.
Had it been anyone else, he wouldn’t have cared in the slightest about what Yun Juan said. After all, what right did a mere concubine-born daughter have to complain?
But Xiao Lanting was sitting right here, and Xiao Lanting seemed to favor Yun Juan quite a bit. Yun Cengguang was still counting on Xiao Lanting to elevate his eldest son, so he absolutely could not afford to offend him.
“Worthy son-in-law, this is all a misunderstanding. That incident Juan’juan spoke of was merely due to mischievous servants who reported the wrong time.”
Xiao Lanting ignored him completely. He handed the chopsticks to Yun Juan, his voice crisp and cool: “Eat.”
A dead silence fell over the table. Yun Juan looked at Yun Cengguang, genuinely fearing that he might drop dead from anger in the next second.
By order of seniority, he was the father-in-law and should be the first to lift his chopsticks to begin the feast. Yet Xiao Lanting’s gesture clearly meant for Yun Juan to take the very first bite of the entire table—but no matter how one looked at it, such an honor should never fall to her!
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Xiao Lanting, yet he maintained his nonchalant demeanor, waiting for Yun Juan to pick up her chopsticks.
Yun Juan locked eyes with him for a brief moment before raising her jade chopsticks to pick up a piece of food from the dish.
The hope hanging in Yun Cengguang’s heart thoroughly died.
This meal tasted completely bland to everyone at the table, especially to the father and daughter, Yun Cengguang and Yun Xiu.
Yun Xiu only managed two bites before she could eat no more.
The massive disparity made her want to slam her hands on the table right then and there, demanding to know from Xiao Lanting: Just where did she and Yun Juan differ?!
Was it simply because she had swapped the marriages in her past life?
But one was legitimate and the other was concubine-born; could Xiao Lanting not distinguish which was more valuable?
He truly deserved to die in his prime!
Once the meal was finished and the necessary pleasantries had been exchanged, there was no longer any reason to remain.
Yun Cengguang would need a very long time to swallow the humiliation of today.
At that moment, a young servant came running along the corridor. “Master! Master—”
“What is it? Speak properly! Can you not see our two worthy sons-in-law are here?” Yun Cengguang barked.
“Forgive me, Master, forgive me, Young Masters. It is… there are officers who have brought a bound man to the front of our estate, demanding to come inside.”
“Officers? What officers?” Yun Cengguang looked utterly bewildered.
Xiao Lanting spoke in an unhurried manner, “I ordered it. Let them in.”
Yun Cengguang turned to look at him. “Worthy son-in-law brought a prisoner? Who is it?”
“Do not worry, you all know him.”
Even Yun Juan could not figure out what trick Xiao Lanting was playing. Only Yun Xiu felt a sudden, ominous premonition rise in her chest, and she clenched the handkerchief in her hand tightly.
“Behave yourself!” Several Brocade Guards dragged a heavily bruised and battered man to the front of the hall, grabbing him by the hair to force his face up toward the crowd.
A sharp gasp caught in Yun Xiu’s throat, and the faces of Yun Cengguang, Madam Xu, and the others instantly turned deathly pale.
Xiao Mingyu knitted his brows and looked toward Xiao Lanting. “Eldest Brother, what is the meaning of this?”
Xiao Lanting offered a superficial smile. “Two perfectly fine marriages, yet two brides ended up boarding the wrong bridal sedans. Surely we cannot let this slide just because the swap did not actually succeed in the end. I have never been one to tolerate sand in my eyes.”
“I heard this man is the housekeeper of your estate. I invited him to have a couple of cups of tea at the Northern Branch Prison of the Brocade Guards, and he seems to have recalled what happened that night.”
A Brocade Guard kicked Li Wang hard. Subjected to excruciating torture, Li Wang blurted out in desperation, “I confess! I confess! It was the Second Young Lady who asked me to help swap the marriages! And the Master, the Madam, and the Concubine all told me to listen to the Second Young Lady. The Madam even threatened me, saying that if the matter was exposed, I was to say the Third Young Lady ordered it! I was wrong, I deserve to die, I am a bastard…”
With a sudden crash, Xiao Mingyu bolted to his feet.