The afternoon sunlight was warm and bright.
A figure stood in the corridor, backlit, face hidden in shadow.
“Baby.”
She whispered softly.
Yu Mu’an felt her mind buzz; that gentle voice softened her heart, filling it with both sorrow and longing.
“Mother…”
She murmured, cautiously stepping closer to the figure in the corridor.
This was a dream, she knew that clearly.
But she wanted to get closer.
So badly.
“Mother… An’er misses you so much…”
“Baby, have you been well?”
The gentle woman stood there. Yu Mu’an could clearly see her face, yet she felt the warmth of her loving gaze.
“I… I haven’t been well, Mother. An’er hasn’t been well at all! Could you take me with you? Mother…”
Yu Mu’an stepped forward, reaching out to touch the other’s hand.
But the figure vanished in an instant, and the bright sunlight turned to shadow.
Yu Mu’an slowly opened her eyes.
Everything was dark.
She knew she had been dreaming.
She also knew she had woken up.
She didn’t even struggle or cry out.
It had to be the letters from her mother she had just read that shook her so deeply, causing her to dream of her that night.
The warmth lingered in her heart. She closed her eyes, almost wishing to return to sleep, to find that figure again.
She slowly sat up.
No.
People must always look forward.
Yu Mu’an didn’t call anyone; she quietly dressed and stepped out.
She had intended to take a walk, clear her mind, but stopped just as she stepped outside her room.
Qingchen Garden was a two-section courtyard.
Their bedrooms and bathhouse were in the back courtyard.
The front courtyard contained the small kitchen, the main hall, and a study.
As she stepped out, she saw the study’s rear window faintly glowing with dim, warm light.
So late at night? Who could be in the study?
She lifted her skirts and approached cautiously.
The courtyard had been swept that morning; only a thin layer of frozen soil covered the ground. She walked across without making a sound.
The rear window was tightly shut, nothing visible inside except the light.
She moistened her fingertips and carefully made a small hole.
Inside, on the soft couch, Xie Jingyan lounged casually, one leg bent, an arm resting on his knee, flipping through letters.
The candlelight outlined his profile in a warm, fuzzy glow. His expression was calm but stern, brows slightly furrowed.
Yu Mu’an slowly raised her hand to cover her mouth and nose.
Xie Jingyan… was pretending to be an idiot?!
Why?
He was the eldest son of the General’s mansion and a young general personally appointed by the Emperor his future bright beyond measure. Why…
She suddenly remembered her previous life.
After marrying into the General’s mansion, she learned that this eldest brother had been mentally impaired for years.
Though no one dared to openly mistreat him, respect was scarce. When Yu Lin married him, her treatment was predictable.
A year later, bandits plagued Hengcheng nearby. The Emperor ordered the young general to suppress them.
At that time, the General was away on duty.
General’s wife Hu Rui dared not disobey, so she sent someone to accompany Xie Jingyan, also ordering Yu Lin to go along to watch over him.
During the campaign, Xie Jingyan didn’t need to fight personally; the mansion’s troops simply had to complete the mission.
But something went wrong.
Somehow, Xie Jingyan fell off a cliff; his body was never recovered.
The only one found was his personal servant, Ping An, who had grown up with him.
Yu Mu’an’s eyes instinctively turned to the young servant waiting by Xie Jingyan’s side. They appeared the same age.
He had always stayed by Xie Jingyan’s side.
Everyone knew that when the mentally impaired eldest master went mad, only this servant Ping An dared to calm him, often suffering injuries from Xie Jingyan’s outbursts.
But in the previous life, both master and servant fell off the cliff one body a mangled wreck, the other vanished without a trace.
Ping An rolled up his sleeves and began ink work.
“If it doesn’t work, I’ll try to run a trip. You can’t go yourself right now.”
Xie Jingyan turned a page, lightly humming: “Wake up. Anyone who can leave this General’s mansion owes it to their own skill.”
He set down the letter, tapping his fingers casually on his knee.
“Need to keep myself busy… How’ve I performed these past few days?”
Ping An was puzzled. “Huh?”
“Tsk.”
Xie Jingyan lightly kicked Ping An.
“Do I seem obedient to my wife? Clingy, following her around, a model tag-along?”
Ping An hesitated. “Uh… yesterday you almost hit the eldest madam.”
Xie Jingyan chuckled. “A madman doesn’t play by the rules.”
Ping An asked, confused, “But didn’t you say you wanted to keep your distance from the eldest madam?”
Xie Jingyan sipped his tea.
“My dear mother couldn’t hold back anymore. Do you know why she went to the Marquis’s residence to propose?”
Ping An shook his head.
Yu Mu’an shook her head silently too.
Xie Jingyan sneered.
“Though my father wasn’t home these years, Xie Jinghong grew up day by day. My mother was in a rush to act, so everything had to be flawless.
The stepmother at the Marquis’s residence has considerable backing in Hengcheng. Not to be underestimated.”
Hengcheng!
Yu Mu’an’s eyes widened.
Could it be that Xie Jingyan’s death in the previous life was orchestrated by Hu Rui and the stepmother together?
Ping An scratched his head. “What does that have to do with being your tag-along?”
Xie Jingyan tossed the teacup lid at him. “You idiot!”
Ping An caught it deftly and handed it back with a grin.
“Our mistress would never let anyone control me. She wants me to be a madman who answers to no one.
If she discovers that my new wife has disciplined me, would it cause her trouble? Trouble means she won’t focus on me. She still has to plan for my elder brother’s career. Energy is limited.”
Yu Mu’an: “???” So she’s really scheming, huh?
Ping An worried, “Ah… will Madam make things difficult for the eldest madam?”
Xie Jingyan’s eyes darkened in thought: “She seems gentle and harmless like a little white rabbit, but notice, her half-sister and my foolish younger brother can be easily stirred by just a few words from her.”
Ping An was speechless.
Xie Jingyan’s tone was meaningful: “Don’t forget, on their wedding night, she faced my madness and dared to press me into the bushes to avoid the servant…
I’m just a titular idiot. Why did she insist on marrying me?”
Ping An belatedly hissed.
Yu Mu’an left silently.
Her mind churned. Thoughts raced.
She had always thought Xie Jingyan was a fool, so she never hid her emotions.
Yet this man, pretending to be a fool, was clearly a clever strategist.
She would need to act more carefully from now on.
She sat silently, contemplative.
A cold smile curved her lips.
A brilliant move, turning the mischief eastward.
Since he wanted her to fight with Hu Rui, he wouldn’t remain uninvolved!
Anyone who dares use her must pay a price.