Yun Yiniang's Hibiscus Courtyard was secluded and quiet, located in the most desolate corner of the Song residence.
Outside the courtyard walls, layers of hibiscus flowers bloomed in full splendor, their subtle fragrance floating in the air, growing stronger the deeper one went.
Song Yiqiu pushed open the slightly worn wooden door to find the courtyard meticulously clean yet sparsely furnished.
Yun Yiniang was reclining on a daybed by the window, dressed in plain gray robes without any makeup, her long hair cascading like a waterfall without elaborate styling.
Her features weren't strikingly beautiful, yet she possessed an ethereal elegance that transcended worldly concerns.
Hearing the door open, she looked up, her eyes showing surprise at seeing Song Yiqiu.
When her gaze fell upon Song Ziyu standing beside Song Yiqiu – bruised-faced with torn, dirty clothes – her surprise turned to concern.
She quickly rose to greet them.
"Ziyu!"
She first scolded him lightly, then turned to Song Yiqiu with deep deference, performing a proper bow,
"This humble concubine pays respects to the Eldest Miss."
Song Yiqiu stepped forward to support her up gently.
This was the first person since her return home who had shown her such respectful courtesy.
"Yun Yiniang, there's no need for such formality."
Yun Yiniang pulled her son over to carefully examine his facial injuries, her tone chiding:
"Where have you been running wild again? How did you get all these injuries? Didn't I tell you not to go to your brother's courtyard? You never listen!"
Song Yiqiu's impression of this Yun Yiniang was quite vague.
In her previous life, the woman had been almost invisible, never appearing at any family banquets or gatherings, to the point where Song Yiqiu had nearly forgotten there was such a person and her children in the residence.
Standing there, she momentarily struggled with how to state her purpose for visiting.
Instead, Yun Yiniang, after comforting her son, looked up at her with calm eyes:
"If the Eldest Miss doesn't mind, please come in for some coarse tea."
As she spoke, she casually tied up her long hair with a simple jade hairpin, every movement exuding perfect etiquette.
This made Song Yiqiu wonder – how could someone like this be content to marry her father as a concubine?
She guided Song Yiqiu to sit at the stone table in the courtyard and poured a cup of light tea.
Having spent seven years in the army, Song Yiqiu was accustomed to drinking from large bowls and eating meat in big bites. She picked up the delicate teacup before her and instinctively drank it all in one gulp.
Seeing this, Yun Yiniang smiled faintly without comment, silently refilling her cup.
"Yun Yiniang, where are Sister Achun and Sister Ruoling?"
Song Yiqiu glanced around the not-so-spacious courtyard, trying to spot her other two half-sisters.
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Yun Yiniang's face as she lowered her eyes, speaking softly:
"They… went out."
Song Yiqiu understood implicitly and didn't press further.
How ironic it was, she thought. She and her four brothers, even the adopted daughter Song Sangyu, all had their own independent courtyards, while Yun Yiniang and her three children were still crowded in this small, remote corner of the residence.
"The Eldest Miss's visit today is…?"
Yun Yiniang inquired proactively, looking at her with thoughtful eyes.
Collecting herself, Song Yiqiu decided to be direct:
"Yun Yiniang, to be frank, I came today to ask you about Second Miss Song Sangyu."
She briefly recounted how she had been drugged at yesterday's homecoming banquet and nearly framed for having an affair with the groom, omitting the details of her counterattack and threats to the groom, only emphasizing that she had discovered thieves stealing.
She stared intently at Yun Yiniang's reaction, trying to detect any clues.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Yun Yiniang's face turned pale, and she suddenly reached out to tightly grasp Song Yiqiu's wrist.
Her grip was firm yet gentle, completely unlike her frail appearance—it even seemed as though she had martial arts training.
"Yi Qiu! You… you weren't harmed, were you?"
This reaction took Song Yiqiu by surprise.
She calmly withdrew her hand:
"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Yiniang. I just don't understand—why has the family changed so much in the seven years I've been away? How did Song Sangyu… manage to win everyone's favor?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Yiniang gave her a complex look, as if weighing something.
In the end, she didn't answer directly. Instead, she abruptly asked in a low voice:
"Does the Eldest Miss… still remember Qingzhu?"
Qingzhu?!
Song Yiqiu frowned.
How could she not remember?
Qingzhu was the personal maid her grandmother had carefully selected for her. They had grown up together and were as close as sisters.
Seven years ago, when she left for the borderlands, she couldn't bear to make Qingzhu suffer with her, so she gave Qingzhu her freedom papers and entrusted her to her mother, Shen Shi, for care.
On the day of her return, she had asked about Qingzhu, but her mother, Song Shenshi, coldly informed her that Qingzhu had been caught stealing from the estate and had long been sold off.
At the time, disheartened and unable to find any trace of Qingzhu, she hadn't pursued the matter further.
"Qingzhu? She… Mother said she was caught stealing and driven out of the estate…"
Yun Yiniang said nothing more. Instead, she dipped her slender finger into the tea in her cup and slowly wrote three characters on the stone table:
Huan Yun Yuan!
After writing, she immediately wiped away the water marks with her sleeve, as if nothing had happened.
She lifted her eyes, gazing deeply at Song Yiqiu, her voice barely a whisper:
"If the Eldest Miss truly wishes to know something… perhaps you should go there and see for yourself."
Huan Yun Yuan—that was her second brother, Song Wenbin's courtyard.
A chill ran up Song Yiqiu's spine, her mind a tangled mess.
She stood up abruptly, her tone urgent.
"Thank you for the advice, Yun Yiniang. I have matters to attend to and must take my leave!"
Yun Yiniang said no more, merely offering a meaningful smile and a slight nod.
Song Yiqiu turned and hurried out of Hibiscus Courtyard, her heart clouded with doubt.
This Yun Yiniang, who seemed so detached from worldly affairs, was definitely not as simple as she appeared. Friend or foe…
…
By the time Song Yiqiu reached Huan Yun Yuan, dusk was approaching. From behind the courtyard walls came the sharp sounds of strings and flutes, mingled with the ambiguous laughter of men and women—completely out of place with the rest of the estate.
If not for the three large characters "Huan Yun Yuan" on the gate, she would have thought she had stumbled into a pleasure house in the capital.
A cold laugh rose in her heart as she pushed open the slightly ajar gate.
The scene that met her eyes made her stomach churn.
Her second brother, Song Wenbin, was half-dressed, his fleshy chest exposed, a garish red silk blindfold covering his eyes as he stumbled around the courtyard like a headless fly.
Around him, four or five young men in sheer gauze robes—handsome yet effeminate—darted about with coy laughter. Their figures were slender, their eyes seductive, and their attire so revealing it was scarcely different from that of courtesans.
"Little beauty~ Don't run~ Let your brother have a kiss~"
Song Wenbin leered as he lunged in one direction.
Suppressing the urge to draw her sword and cut down these demons, Song Yiqiu stood expressionless in place.
But Song Wenbin, blindfolded, staggered and lunged right toward her.