When Lin Yanran woke up in the afternoon, she heard Wenmei reporting, “While you were asleep, the young maid Ruyue from the Old Mistress’s side came to inform us that you do not need to go for your evening greetings. The Heir alone is to go for dinner.”
Lin Yanran was not only surprised that she was not required to attend but also that the Old Mistress had not summoned Heng’er. Frowning, she asked Wenmei, “She didn’t call for Heng’er?”
Wenmei shook her head truthfully and added, “I inquired; she only called for Young Master Yu from the second branch and our Heir.”
Lin Yanran felt that she had to retract her previous thought that her mother-in-law still had some sense. Of the three grandsons in the Marquis’s estate, the Old Mistress insisted on showing such blatant favoritism. Lin Yanran felt that the Marquise Dowager was becoming more muddled as she aged. Heart-stricken for her younger son, she instructed the servants, “Then have the small kitchen prepare a few extra dishes that Heng’er likes for dinner.”
Lin Yanran did not consider having her younger son go along; if others were unwelcoming, her son would only be treated with indifference, so why put him through that?
At dinner, when Chu Yunheng saw a table full of his favorite dishes, he was naturally very happy, but he still asked sensibly, “Mother, why didn’t you have anyone make a few dishes that Big Brother loves? If Big Brother knows you are biased toward me, he will be upset.”
“Your big brother is dining at your grandmother’s place tonight. It is just the two of us, and since your big brother isn’t here to see it, he certainly won’t overthink it.”
Hearing this, Chu Yunheng’s eyes crinkled with a smile, “Then that is Big Brother’s misfortune. Mother, let’s eat!” Once he said this, he sat obediently at the table. Seeing that Chu Yunheng did not mind that their grandmother hadn’t called him but had called his big brother, Lin Yanran didn’t say anything more. She smiled and dined with her younger son, ignoring any “no talking while eating” rules, and they chatted happily. The entire room was filled with the laughter of mother and son.
In contrast, the atmosphere at Marquise Dowager Xie’s place was quite awkward. The Old Mistress kept praising Chu Yunyu of the second branch; Chu Yunxuan responded occasionally, while Chu Yunyu, disdaining to curry favor with Chu Yunxuan, kept his head down and ate greedily. Only the Old Mistress continued to talk, while the two younger ones ignored each other entirely.
After they finished dinner, Chu Yunyu looked at Chu Yunxuan, who was dressed in attire worth a small fortune, and felt intense jealousy. He demanded, “Big Brother, I like the jade pendant at your waist.”
“Oh.” Chu Yunxuan, holding his digestive tea, showed no reaction.
The Old Mistress, unable to sit idly by, helped out, “Since Yu’er likes it, Xuan’er, just give it to your brother.”
Chu Yunxuan fiddled with the jade pendant at his waist and remarked mockingly, “One must learn to restrain one’s desires. This pendant was a gift from my maternal grandmother; who doesn’t like a fine item from the current Eldest Princess?”
Upon hearing her eldest grandson say this, the smile faded from the Old Mistress’s eyes. She only pretended to scold Chu Yunyu, “Be good, Yu’er. You cannot just ask for your big brother’s precious belongings.”
Chu Yunyu, deeply pampered by the Old Mistress and Lady Zhou, had grown up to be overly overbearing; usually, whatever he wanted, he got. He had initially just wanted the pendant because it looked nice, but now, seeing his big brother refuse, he insisted on having it. Chu Yunyu stared at the pendant, giving Chu Yunxuan a pleading look.
The Old Mistress’s heart instantly softened. She gently persuaded Chu Yunxuan, “Your brother really likes it; just give it to him! Grandmother will compensate you with another one from the private treasury.”
Chu Yunxuan would never give his belongings to someone he disliked. “Oh, I won’t.”
“Grandmother…” Chu Yunyu wailed and lunged toward Chu Yunxuan, attempting to grab it by force.
Chu Yunxuan responded by delivering a firm kick, sending Chu Yunyu sprawling to the floor. Chu Yunyu fell and began to bawl, “Grandmother, he kicked me! Grandmother…”
Marquise Dowager Xie rushed over to hold him, “Yu’er, what happened? Yu’er?”
Chu Yunxuan looked at Chu Yunyu, who acted as if he were on the verge of fainting, and explained, “Enough. I kicked him in the thigh. Even if the bone were broken, he wouldn’t die. Besides, I didn’t even use much force.”
The Old Mistress’s eyes turned red with distress, “Chu Yunxuan, what are you saying? Yu’er is your own younger brother. How could you strike him so hard?”
“Grandmother, it’s not for me to say, but Chu Yunyu is the legitimate eldest son of the second branch. If you raise him to act like a bandit, what kind of future will he have? Don’t tell me you have a grudge against the second branch? Is the second uncle not your biological son?”
With every word Chu Yunxuan spoke, the Old Mistress felt she was getting closer to being angered to death. She pointed at Chu Yunxuan, trembling, but failed to faint. Seeing this, Chu Yunxuan realized he was no longer welcome, so he bowed, “Grandmother, please reflect on this. I shall take my leave.”
As he watched his eldest grandson leave without hesitation, the Old Mistress cursed Lin Yanran again, blaming her for “ruining” her fine grandson.
Seeing Chu Yunxuan leave so brazenly, Chu Yunyu was extremely indignant. He signaled the servants to go and report this to his mother, Lady Zhou. By the time Lady Zhou arrived, the estate physician had already examined Chu Yunyu; there was a large bruise on his thigh, but no broken bones. After all, Chu Yunyu was only a few months younger than Chu Yunxuan and was quite chubby, so for Chu Yunxuan’s kick to result only in that was remarkable.
Initially, Lady Zhou thought her son had been bullied, so she arrived aggressively. Once she understood the sequence of events, she turned around and slapped Chu Yunyu. Not only was Chu Yunyu stunned, but even the Old Mistress was shocked, as Lady Zhou usually pampered him and gave him whatever he wanted.
When Chu Yunyu finally reacted, his first response was to wail loudly. Lady Zhou raised her hand again, threatening, “Shut up!”
The Old Mistress, coming to her senses, shielded her grandson, “Second branch wife, what are you doing?”
Lady Zhou was quite angry herself. Given the royal blood flowing through Chu Yunxuan’s veins, the title could only be his. Even if something happened to him, it would pass to his own brother; there was no way it would ever fall to the second branch. For her mother-in-law to not only fail to foster a good relationship with him but also to indulge Yu’er in robbing him—it was simply the height of muddled thinking.
“Mother, I understand that you spoil Yu’er, but you cannot indulge him in robbing the Heir of his jade pendant. Who is the Heir? He is the future master of the Marquis’s estate. If we don’t build a relationship now, what will happen to Yu’er when we are gone? He won’t even have anyone to protect him. If you love him, you should consider his future instead of just pampering him endlessly.”
After saying this, Lady Zhou bowed curtly, grabbed Chu Yunyu by the clothes, and dragged him out. Left alone, the Old Mistress was filled with a thousand thoughts—anger, grievance, and regret.