The legitimate daughter returns to the capital and embarks on a splendid life, tearing apart the fak

Yun Heting broke out in a cold sweat, forcing himself to remain calm, and said, "Madam, I... I don't understand what you're talking about. How would I know about her parents?"

Chu Wanqing looked at him coldly, her gaze sharp: "Master, I don't care whether you understand or not, there are a few things you need to listen to."

She said, word by word, "We both know about Jin'er's background. I don't care whether you acknowledge her or not. Since I've accepted her, I will treat her as my own daughter and will not let anyone bully her."

Yun Heting opened his mouth, as if to say something, but Chu Wanqing interrupted him and continued.

"Yunxiu is destined for greatness, that's true. Her marriage to the Fifth Prince will benefit the Yun family, you, and me. But don't forget, for her to marry the Fifth Prince as his principal wife, I must first be her mother, and the General's Mansion must be her maternal grandparents' family. Without me, without the General's Mansion, she is nothing."

Yun Heting's face turned pale, his lips trembled, and he could only utter two words: "Madam..."

Chu Wanqing looked at him coldly: "Yun Heting, you better remember this: you're on good terms with me, and everyone else is on good terms too. As long as my Jin'er and Lang'er are doing well, she can still be the legitimate daughter of the Yun family and the granddaughter of the General's Mansion. But if they're not doing well, I will divorce you. At that time, I'll see if, even if she has the destiny of a phoenix, the Fifth Prince will still marry her as his principal wife."

Yun Heting's body jolted violently, and he almost fell off the bed.

He braced himself on his elbows, barely managing to steady himself, his voice trembling: "Madam, what... what are you saying? How could things have come to this?"

Chu Wanqing ignored him and continued, "Yun Heting, don't think you can bully me. I, Chu Wanqing, have never been a pushover. My bottom line is Jin'er and Lang Ge'er. If they are well, I will support Yunxiu's marriage to the Fifth Prince as before, and I will talk to my parents to support the Fifth Prince. But if they are not well..."

She paused, her voice sharp as poison, "I'll fight you to the death. You'll see."

After saying that, she didn't look at Yunheting again and turned to leave.

Yun Heting lay paralyzed on the bed, drenched in cold sweat.

He had always suspected that Yun Jin was the child, but he never expected that it really was, and that Chu Wanqing already knew.

She actually found out!

Only now did he realize that Chu Wanqing had truly changed and was no longer the foolish woman he could manipulate at will.

What should he do?

……

After Chu Wanqing left, she went directly to Jinshu Pavilion.

Yun Jin had just returned, changed her clothes, and was preparing a meal.

Chu Wanqing walked in and hugged her tightly, remaining silent for a long time.

Yun Jin was startled. She waved her hand, dismissing the servants, and then gently patted Chu Wanqing's back to comfort her. After a while, feeling that her emotions had calmed down, she asked softly, "Mother, what's wrong? What did Yun Heting say? Why are you so angry?"

Chu Wanqing straightened up, looked at her, and said sadly, "Jin'er, I couldn't hold back and confronted him. Your mother can't stand him slandering you. You are also his daughter. Why does he have the right to join outsiders in saying you are a jinx?"

Yun Jin paused for a moment, then said softly, "Thank you for protecting Jin'er, Mother. Mother, what exactly happened just now?"

Chu Wanqing calmed herself down and recounted her conversation with Yun Heting. She then added, "But don't worry, for Yunxiu's sake, he won't dare to turn against me, but at least from now on, he'll never dare to neglect you again. And..."

She paused for a moment and continued, "If they really push us to the brink and resort to desperate measures, we can use that against them. At the very least, Yunxiu won't dare to use your status as her adopted daughter anymore."

Yun Jin looked at her with emotion: "Mother, whatever decision you make, I will support you."

It's good to stir up trouble.

Chu Wanqing didn't say anything more. She had dinner with Yun Jin before returning to her own courtyard.

The next day, Yun Jin went to Grand Tutor Zheng's house as agreed.

When Chen Mengyao met her, she expressed her resentment towards the spreaders of rumors. Everyone in the Zheng family showed her their usual enthusiasm, which moved Yun Jin deeply.

She knew that they were showing her through their actions that no matter what others said, they would always believe in her and support her.

While she was a guest at the Zheng family's house, another wave of rumors spread throughout the capital.

"That adopted daughter of the Yun family is a jinx. Wherever she goes, disaster follows. Just think, before she came to the capital, the capital was perfectly fine. After she arrived, this winter became so cold, and how many people froze to death?"

"You don't know, do you? The cat that Consort Shu kept in the palace died last month. I heard it was cursed by her. If even a cat can be cursed to death, what about a person?"

"I heard that the great floods in Jiangnan a few years ago were also caused by her. She's really tough; she can bring disaster to Jiangnan even from a thousand miles away."

The rumors became increasingly outrageous and unbelievable as they spread.

Some say that on the day she was born, a once-in-a-century hailstorm struck Da Ning Prefecture, killing all the crops in the fields.

Some people even say that the plague in Nanjun ten years ago was all because of her.

It was as if all the natural and man-made disasters in the world were related to her, and that she was the one who brought them down.

Even when it thunders and rains, people say it's related to her.

The most outrageous thing is that someone dragged in a concubine in the palace who had a child who died young.

They said, "Yun Jin is a cursed star, her fate is too strong, she can bring misfortune to the palace even from a thousand miles away. The children in the palace are cursed by her."

……

Upon hearing the rumors, Zheng Jie rushed to the First Prince's residence and excitedly told Consort Zheng, "Sister, have you heard? There are rumors everywhere about that Yun Jin..."

Then she recounted the rumors circulating outside, and added, "Sister, is this your idea? Your move is brilliant! Subduing the enemy without a fight!"

At first, Consort Zheng was quite happy to hear the rumors getting more and more outrageous, but the more she listened, the more something seemed wrong. She hadn't started these rumors herself, so how could they be getting more and more absurd?

But then she thought about it, and realized that's how rumors are supposed to be; they get distorted as they're passed down, so it's normal for them to have become like this.

She said smugly, "Yes, Xiao Jie, you should learn from her. Dealing with her doesn't necessarily require you to get involved yourself. She's a jinx. Even if she has the Yun family and the Grand Tutor's mansion behind her, so what? Do you think anyone in the capital would still be willing to marry her?"

Zheng Jie showered Concubine Zheng with flattering words, making Concubine Zheng feel that her main point was simply exquisite.

When these words reached Yun Jin's ears, she had just returned from the Zheng family.

Chunxi turned pale with anger: "Miss, how can they talk such nonsense? What does the concubine's child have to do with you?"

Dongxue also said angrily, "Miss, I can't stand it anymore! I'll go and find out who spread it. If I find out who did it, I'll beat her to a pulp!"

Yun Jin calmly poured herself a cup of tea, took a sip, and then said, "Investigate what? Why investigate? Don't you think this rumor is quite apt?"