Wushuang covered her mouth and chuckled. Seeing the old woman glaring at her, she wasn't afraid at all. She stood up and snuggled up to her grandmother, saying, "It's all thanks to Grandmother's good teaching. Our family is harmonious and trusts each other. When there are benefits, we naturally don't fight or grab, and when bad things happen, we can unite as one."
The old lady pinched her chubby little face: "Hmph, no matter how sweet your words are, it's useless. After your second sister gets married, it will be your turn, so you two will each embroider a wedding dress."
“Ah…” Wushuang was dumbfounded.
When it was Wuyou who embroidered the wedding dress, even if she went to the embroidery room, it was mostly to keep her company and encourage her; how much she embroidered was not the point.
But when it's her turn to make a wedding dress, the situation is completely different.
"Grandmother," Wushuang hugged the old lady's arm and shook it coquettishly, "The wedding date hasn't been set yet. If I embroider my wedding dress so early, people will think I can't wait to get married. I don't want to!"
"Your marriage was bestowed by the Emperor. Even if the whole capital knows you're eager to get married, it's fine. It's better than people spreading rumors that you don't want to marry well," the old lady said.
Wushuang will one day become a princess consort, and her wedding dress should be made by the Imperial Dress Bureau according to her rank. Even if she really wanted to sew it herself, she wouldn't have the fortune to do so. The old woman's words were just a way to get her to go to the embroidery room to temper her temper.
Wuyou and Wushuang have very different personalities.
Wuyou appears gentle and honest, but when she started secretly switching jewelry under Fang Rulan's instigation, she was only a little over 10 years old, yet she was able to act completely innocent and deceive so many people, showing that she was quite shrewd. The old lady had originally worried that she would be bullied by her strong-willed sister-in-law after marriage, but now it seems that she is decisive and calm in the face of problems, and should be able to handle all the trivial matters in the inner quarters of the house independently.
Wu Shuang, on the other hand, appears spoiled and willful, pampered by her parents. However, her thoughts and emotions are always on her lips; even without her saying a word, she is completely transparent. Such a personality makes her easy prey for those with deep cunning. Furthermore, her outward display of spoiled and willful nature makes her prone to being unreasonable, easily gaining the sympathy and approval of those who scheme against her.
Prince Ying, Chu Yao, has visited the Marquis of Runan's residence quite often over the years. The old lady is very pleased with his character and temperament. Moreover, Wu Shuang has been doted on by Chu Yao since childhood, so the old lady has no worries about the young couple's relationship. Chu Wan also often visits with her brother. She is a well-behaved and innocent girl who doesn't even have a temper, and she is so adorable that everyone can't help but love her. She has also been close to Wu Shuang since childhood, so the relationship between the two sisters-in-law will surely be harmonious in the future.
However, the master of the Ying Prince's mansion was not only these two. Although the old Princess Consort of Ying had been traveling for many years, people always return to their roots, and she would have to come back sooner or later. There was also Chu Yao's younger sister, Chu Pei, who had reached the age to be married. The old Prince of Ying had arranged a marriage for her when he was alive. Daughters of the imperial family married later than ordinary noble families, but no later than twenty years old. At most, they would return home in two or three years, which would be around the time Wu Shuang had just married into the family.
The old Princess Consort of Ying was rather eccentric. Rumors about what happened back then had circulated throughout the capital, and the old lady had heard quite a bit. As an outsider, the old lady could calmly dismiss the rumors and view things objectively, but when it came to her beloved granddaughter, how could she not worry? Whether the old Princess Consort of Ying harbored resentment towards her children, Chu Yao and Chu Wan, was impossible to know, but abandoning her underage son and infant daughter for so many years, her coldness and indifference towards them was obvious to everyone. If she treated her own children this way, how much more so would she treat her daughter-in-law, who wasn't even her choice? If Wushuang didn't learn to be more obedient and tactful, she would inevitably be disliked by her mother-in-law in the future.
The matter was thus decided, and the next day the two pairs of mothers went to the embroidery room to receive their punishment as arranged by the old lady.
However, the so-called punishment was only known to them. For the sake of Wuyou's reputation, they certainly couldn't let the reason for the matter spread. So, not only to outsiders, but also within the Marquis of Runan's mansion, the only explanation was that everyone was embroidering the wedding dress with Wuyou.
Unfortunately, secrets don't stay hidden forever. Somehow, the news reached Wu Hui's ears, and when she went to the Grand Princess's residence, she had no choice but to tell He Yao.
"Didn't you always say that your grandmother was incredibly biased? Jun Wuyou is clearly born out of wedlock, but she insisted that she had done her a favor and arranged a wonderful marriage for her, while ignoring you completely?" He Yao said, squinting. "Don't you want revenge? Don't you want to ruin that marriage?"
"How do you destroy it?" Wu Hui asked.
He Yao said, "The Emperor plans to make a northern tour this year, and your uncle will inevitably have to go with him. As long as you find a way to get all your sisters to go, I will have a plan." She smiled as she spoke, "Not only Jun Wuyou, but also Jun Wushuang. What did I tell you back then? She's grown up now, and it's time to settle accounts."
Wu Hui was only a few years old back then, so she couldn't possibly remember so much. She had long forgotten what He Yao had specifically said, but she did remember her plan to deal with Wu Shuang. Hearing He Yao say this now, she naturally nodded in agreement without hesitation.
After Wu Hui left, He Yao summoned the head guard and instructed him, "Find some men and divide them into two teams. One team should search for a woman named Fang Rulan. If they find her, don't act immediately. Just keep an eye on her and find a way to send a message to the second master of the Runan Marquis's mansion, Jun Nian, without revealing your identity. The other team should follow Jun Nian and the Jun family's servants. If they find Fang Rulan, kill her. And remember to make this matter as big as possible."
The head guard accepted the order and left.
He Yao's maidservant stepped forward to pour her tea and asked in confusion, "Princess, didn't you just tell Fourth Miss Jun that you would only take action during the northern tour? Why did you change your mind all of a sudden?"
He Yao said, "His Majesty's departure won't be for another two months. Who has the patience to wait that long? I'm not keeping it from her to deceive her, but simply to prevent the news from leaking out. Once Fang Rulan is killed and things get out of hand, we can spread the word that the second young lady of the Jun family has emptied the family's storerooms over the years to support her kicked-out concubine, and that the Marquis of Runan sent someone to kill that concubine after finding out. In that case, Jun Wuyou's reputation will be ruined. All the girls in the family are in the same boat; if one's reputation is ruined, the others won't escape either. Then we can say something to His Majesty, and Jun Wushuang's marriage to Chu Yao will definitely fall through. At that point, I can do whatever I want with her, and that Chu Yao won't be able to stop me."
"Then... what about Fourth Miss's reputation..."
"Hmph, it's her own fault for being so stupid. A family of sisters, they don't know how to help each other. They're always complaining and criticizing each other, finding fault with everyone. They're always trying to climb the social ladder and get others to help them deal with their own sisters. They don't even understand the principle that a family's fortunes are shared, and their losses are shared. They deserve to suffer," He Yao said nonchalantly.
Finding Fang Rulan was very easy. She never even considered hiding. After selling the jewelry she got from Wuyou, she had already bought a three-courtyard house and hired maids and servants to take care of her. With money in her hands and no one above her, she lived a leisurely and carefree life.
When Jun Nian barged in with his servants, Fang Rulan was reclining on a chaise longue made of yellow pear wood with double upturned ends, eating fresh fruit skewered on thin bamboo sticks by her maid.
Several burly men barged in, startling her. She thought her extravagant spending had attracted thieves, but when she saw that the leader was Jun Nian, she immediately retorted sarcastically, "Oh, didn't you say that I murdered your brother, so we were estranged and had no further connection? Why are you shamelessly showing up uninvited today?"
Jun Nian snorted, "Do you think I wanted to come? If you hadn't shamelessly swindled money from my daughter, I wouldn't have even remembered that you existed."
Fang Rulan's face paled, but she still tried to put on a brave front: "What do you mean by lying? I was just asking my daughter to give me my things."
"Then why don't you dare to ask for it openly and honestly?" Jun Nian showed no mercy and had no patience to say anything more to Fang Rulan. After exposing her lie, he ordered his servants to take her away. He had already made arrangements before he came. Fang Rulan would be sent to a manor outside the city and guarded by special people. She would never be able to leave the manor again for the rest of her life.
As a woman, Fang Rulan was no match for the servants in terms of strength, so she could only shout for help. Unfortunately, none of the servants in the house were kind-hearted and not a single one of them was willing to come forward to help. They just watched as she was dragged out of the house.
Jun Nian was the last to come out. He met a young boy standing in the courtyard. The boy looked him up and down with his bright, intelligent eyes and then stepped forward to ask, "Excuse me, are you from the Marquis of Runan's residence?"
"That's right. Do you have business with the people from the Marquis of Runan's residence?" Jun Nian asked in return. He didn't know the child's background and only thought he was a servant in Fang Rulan's household.
"I'm looking for Second Master Jun of the Marquis of Runan's residence," the boy said. "But there are too many of you, I can't tell you apart."
"I am Jun Er. What do you want?" Jun Nian asked.
Unexpectedly, the little child was very wary and did not believe him: "You say you are the second master of the Jun family, so you are? I could say I am the golden boy and jade girl in front of the Jade Emperor."
Jun Nian found him quite amusing and began to talk more: "Only Guanyin Bodhisattva has golden boys and jade maidens in front of her, but you are a boy, so you will definitely never become a jade maiden in this life."
The boy ignored his teasing and said, "You say you are Second Master Jun, but do you have any token? I have something important to give him, and I can't give it to the wrong person."
Jun Nian came out to arrest someone, so of course he couldn't bring any items to prove his identity, and he was in a bit of a predicament. Just then, Fang Rulan, who was being dragged ahead by the servants, turned around and angrily cursed him: "Jun Nian, you heartless bastard, you only care about your brother and mother, you don't care about the affection between husband and wife at all..." Before she could finish speaking, a servant stuffed a cloth into her mouth, and she couldn't say anything, she could only hum "woo woo woo".
This scolding conveniently helped Jun Nian. He said to the boy, "You saw it, right? She turned around and scolded, obviously this way. But besides you and me, there are only a few maids here. So, since you are not Jun Nian, then naturally I am. Don't you agree?"
The boy tilted his head and thought for a moment, then nodded very seriously. He took out a letter from the inner pocket of his clothes and handed it to Jun Nian: "This is a letter from an older brother who asked me to give to the second master of the Jun family. He said it concerns lives and deaths and there is absolutely no room for error, which is why I kept asking him questions. Don't find me annoying."
"How could that be?" Jun Nian patted his fluffy little head and smiled. "Since it's such an important matter, it's only right that you're cautious. I'm already praising you."
The boy was still young, and he smiled broadly, his eyes crinkling at the sight of kind words.
Jun Nian tore open the kraft paper envelope, took out the letter, and unfolded it. On the paper was a line of large characters: Someone wants to kill Fang Rulan and ruin the lives of the three young ladies in the manor.
Neither the envelope nor the letter paper had a signature.
Jun Nian lowered his head and asked the boy, "Who sent you to deliver this message?"
"It's my older brother," he said impatiently. "I already told you!"