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The following situation, as described by Yun Yang, was tense and thrilling. Both inside and outside the court, everyone felt insecure, and almost anyone who had dealings with the Eight Kings and Ten Kings faced repercussions. This situation continued until the following year before it began to ease.
On June 10 of the 22nd year of Taihe, Emperor Qin Yan conferred the title of Marquis of Qingyuan upon Feng Yinxiao, the legitimate fourth son of the Duke of Yan, and appointed him as the Commander in Front of the Hall. He also conferred the title of King of Han upon Fu Yueze, with his son Fu Yihang named as the Heir Apparent. The news spread throughout the capital and reached the Third House of the Duke of E. Fu Lianyin was overjoyed, standing tall in front of Yun Yang, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Yun Kexin sneered; this might be what they meant by "when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs rise."
At the end of the month, the King of Han sent someone to convey an invitation for the Third House to visit Fan City, implying a family reunion. Fu Lianyin agreed.
"Master, my elder brother has sent word from Fan City inviting us to visit. What do you think?" After dinner, Fu Lianyin brought this up to Yun Yang.
"Of course," Yun Yang replied from his seat at the head of the table with a smile. "My brother-in-law was conferred as King in early June; we should go congratulate him. We're a bit late already."
"It's no trouble; my elder brother understands that you have been busy with last year's matters," Fu Lianyin cautiously avoided discussing the hunting incident. "Now that things in court have returned to normalcy, my elder brother wants me to convey that we must return for a visit."
Yun Yang nodded. "You prepare accordingly; we will choose a day to depart."
"Yes, Master," Fu Lianyin was delighted by Yun Yang's unusual promptness. She had expected him to delay but was surprised by his swift decision. She quickly responded, "Consort, I will instruct the servants right away."
As Fu Lianyin turned to leave, Yun Ran rushed in from outside, looking pitiful.
"Father, Mother, can you take me with you to Fan City? I want to go too..."
Fu Lianyin shot Yun Ran a sideways glance, her expression filled with disdain and impatience. Deep down, she did not want to bring Yun Ran along—a Concubine Daughter who was more trouble than she was worth and often embarrassed her. She had hoped to take this trip without her presence. However, thinking about another purpose for this trip made her gaze toward Yun Ran filled with cunning and calculation: perhaps using Yun Ran could help her execute her plan.
As she pondered this, a glint of malice flashed in her eyes, and her smile became inscrutable, making Yun Ran feel elated as she interpreted Fu Lianyin's smile as consent.
"Fine, if Fifth Young Lady wants to go, then she can," Fu Lianyin said with a smile while patting Yun Ran's head affectionately but with an underlying warning. "But Fifth Young Lady must listen to Mother and Father and not cause any trouble for us again, understand? Otherwise, Mother wouldn't dare take you..."
Having lived under Fu Lianyin's subtle threats for several years, Yun Ran understood that every word from her had a purpose—ever since Third Uncle's birthday celebration, Fu Lianyin had treated her increasingly coldly. Now that she was willing to take her along on this trip to Fan City and hinted at something deeper in her words, Yun Ran realized that Fu Lianyin intended to use her again. Instead of feeling humiliated, she felt honored and believed she would finally have her chance to shine.
"Yes, Mother! I will definitely listen to you this time and won't be willful anymore or embarrass you."
Yun Ran smiled obsequiously and nodded repeatedly.
"Good," Fu Lianyin said with difficulty through a strained smile. "Go ask Granny Feng and Jinxiu to help pack our things and see what we need to bring; it's not moving houses so don't bring too much."
Yun Ran joyfully ran out of the main hall. Yun Yang was pleased with Fu Lianyin's actions; he felt she was increasingly embodying the demeanor of a mistress of the household. Only Yun Kexin saw through Fu Lianyin clearly; there was no doubt that they would go on this trip to Fan City. Although there were no life-threatening dangers this time around, it was fraught with traps—one careless step could lead them deep into trouble—and they needed to be cautious and prepared...
After a journey of two days, Yun Yang and Fu Lianyin, along with their families and servants, arrived at the old home in Fan City. They met with King Han Fu Yueze, Queen Wang Ling, and the Heir Apparent Fu Yihang. Although they had seen each other before, the atmosphere felt different—intimidating, yet the Marquis Wu'an Fu Yueheng was notably absent.
The group settled in the Main Hall of the Han King's residence. Wang Ling instructed the maids and servants to move their luggage to the storage room and asked the maidservants to bring tea and snacks.
"Your Highness, Your Majesty, where is Lord Second Brother?" Yun Yang quickly adapted to his new identity and status within the Fu Family, even changing his titles appropriately. This made Fu Yueheng and Wang Ling feel quite pleased, and Fu Lianyin felt a sense of pride.
"He just arrived in the capital," Fu Yueheng replied with a smile. "On your way to Fan City, he received a decree appointing him as the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor, so he couldn't attend the banquet at Ming's residence."
The "banquet" mentioned by Fu Yueheng referred to the celebration for his title as a king. Fu Lianyin had already attended this event in Qinghe City. What shocked Yun Kexin was that Marquis Wu'an Fu Yueheng had become the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor so quickly! She recalled hearing discussions among people from the Duke's residence in her previous life about how Marquis Wu'an had conflicts with Qingyuan Hou and General Yun Ke, which eventually led to them becoming political rivals of the Yun family. Historically, civil officials looked down on military generals for their perceived coarseness, while military officials dismissed civil officials as pedantic and impoverished, leading to intense rivalry.
Yun Kexin took a deep breath, feeling alarmed: Could Marquis Wu'an be related to Yun Ke's downfall in her previous life? This lingering suspicion troubled her mind. Her willingness to come to Fan City this time was driven by a desire to meet this legendary Marquis Wu'an, but unexpectedly, he had already arrived in the capital ahead of them.
"Fifth Young Lady, Seventh Young Lady, why aren't you greeting Uncle and Aunt?" Fu Lianyin frowned and urged Yun Kexin, who seemed lost in thought. "What are you dazed about?!"
"Ruan'er greets Uncle, Aunt, and Cousin," Yun Ruan stepped forward first to greet Fu Yueze and Wang Ling. "Hello, may you have long-lasting peace and prosperity."
"Xin'er pays respects to King Han, Queen, and Heir Apparent," after Yun Ruan finished speaking, Yun Kexin smartly knelt before Fu Yueheng and Wang Ling, bowing her head with a smile.
Fu Yueheng and Wang Ling had previously felt displeased with Yun Ruan's lack of decorum; although they were family, their statuses had changed. It was customary to observe proper etiquette upon first meeting! Fu Lianyin silently regretted not reminding Fifth Young Lady about this beforehand. However, upon hearing Yun Kexin's respectful greeting, she felt relieved yet somewhat resentful: Yun Ruan's spontaneous behavior could not compare to Yun Kexin's propriety!
"Look at how sweet-tongued you are," Wang Ling felt somewhat pleased and said with feigned politeness in her upturned phoenix eyes. "We're all family here; there's no need for such formality at home. Seventh Young Lady can just call us Uncle and Aunt."
"Yes, Seventh Sister, you don't need to call me Heir Apparent anymore," from the moment Fu Yihang saw Yun Kexin, he had been eager to speak with her. However, since his parents had instructed him not to interrupt adults while they were speaking, he had held back until now. His mouth finally "freed," he said with a smile on his face that expressed their long-awaited reunion. Seeing this made Yun Ruan feel anxious yet helpless; she felt a pang of jealousy but refused to show weakness as she knelt before King Han and Queen Wang.
"King Han, Queen, Heir Apparent," she said earnestly, "it wasn't that Ruan'er didn't understand etiquette; I was simply so happy and close upon seeing Uncle, Aunt, and Cousin that I momentarily forgot about Uncle's title as king. Please forgive Ruan'er's youthful ignorance."
Fu Yueze scoffed coldly: She's already ten years old but still calls herself youthful and ignorant? She really doesn't know how to save face!
Wang Ling didn't even glance at Yun Ruan; her gaze remained fixed on the beams of the room as she lazily uttered one word:
"Mm." Beyond that, she said nothing more.
Yun Ruan felt somewhat embarrassed; she realized her belated attempt at an apology was futile—she had put her warm face against a cold backside. In her awkwardness, she looked pitifully toward Yun Yang and Fu Lianyin for help.
"Get up," Fu Yueze thought that being too cold might provoke Yun Yang's displeasure. He smiled and said, "This is our home; Fifth Young Lady need not be so formal—just call us Uncle and Aunt like before."
"Since both the Prince and Princess have spoken, the Fifth Young Lady may rise," Yun Yang said calmly.
"Thank you, Uncle and Aunt... oh, no, no," Yun Ran said, nearly comically flustered, her face turning red as she stammered, "Thank you, Prince and Princess, thank you..."
She stood up, shrinking back to the side, momentarily losing the courage to even look at Fu Yihang and Yun Kexin.
Fu Yihang was also dressed impressively today, wearing a golden crown, a dazzling brocade robe, and various waist accessories that highlighted his status. It added a lot of nobility to him. After not seeing him for over a year, he had become quite striking; just by looking at how Yun Ran gazed at Fu Yihang with admiration made it clear.
"Father, Mother," Fu Yihang turned to King Han and the Princess and said, "I would like to take Cousin Kexin for a walk outside. Is that alright?"
Yun Yang and Fu Lianyin were more than happy about this; it was exactly what they wanted. She smiled and said, "Elder Brother, Sister-in-law, Yi Hang has been good friends with the Seventh Young Lady since his time at the Duke's residence. Last time Yi Hang returned to Fan City, Kexin asked more than once when she could see Brother Fu again. They must have a good rapport, so let these two children play together."
Yun Kexin was furious: Fu Lianyin not only twisted the truth but also had a knack for embellishing stories. This was clearly about Yun Ran! Why did she have to drag her name into it? And in such an exaggerated manner! It made Fu Yueze and Wang Ling think what? They might even believe that she was shamelessly "clinging" to Fu Yihang and pestering him! How insidious and cunning!
Yun Ran also wanted to go along. Just as she was about to ask her parents if she could join them, fearing rebuke and punishment instead made her hesitate. Unexpectedly, Fu Lianyin glanced at Yun Ran and continued, "Look at me forgetting about the Fifth Young Lady. Actually, they all get along quite well; let the three children go together while we siblings talk."
Yun Yang caught on to Fu Lianyin's implication and nodded in agreement. Seeing this situation, Fu Yueze and Wang Ling had nothing more to say; they just hoped that Princess Li Yurong from the Jin Wangfu wouldn't see this.
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