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

Yun Heting dismissed all the servants and had Ping An stand guard at the door, preventing anyone from approaching. Then, he lowered his voice and repeated in detail what Chu Wanqing had just told him.

After saying that, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked:

"Zhixue, she knows everything? What should we do?"

Liu Zhixue sat in her chair, pondered for a long while, and then said, "It seems our previous guess was correct. That girl is no simpleton; she managed to return to the capital and to her side so quietly. We've underestimated her all these years."

Yun Heting sighed, his tone filled with resentment: "If Xiu'er hadn't been given the Phoenix Fate, she probably would have already turned against us. Zhixue, do you think she might...?"

Liu Zhixue shook her head, her gaze deep: "No. She has no evidence. Just because she says Xiu'er isn't her daughter doesn't mean she isn't. Without evidence, her words are meaningless and she can't stand up to anyone."

Yun Heting swallowed hard, his voice tinged with nervousness as he spoke, "Then what should we do? Should we pretend we know nothing?"

Liu Zhixue stood up, paced around the room a few times, and then said, "Respond to all changes with constancy. You can remain still, but if others want to harm Yun Jin and Yun Lang, then it's not your fault."

Yun Heting was taken aback, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "You mean...?"

Liu Zhixue looked at him with a calculating look in her eyes: "Many people have seen how much Prince Yu has taken care of her. Although he hasn't said anything, we can stir things up and make others think that Prince Yu wants to marry her. Do you think Princess Yamin would be happy to do that?"

And then there was the incident at the Princess's residence last time. Although it might not have been the Princess's idea, she still lost face. Would she let it go? And then there's Consort Zheng from the First Prince's residence; I heard she now sees her as a thorn in her side. She's only been in the capital for a few months, and so many people are already watching her. Her life isn't going to be easy.

She paused, a slight smile playing on her lips. "We don't need to do it ourselves; we just need to give it a push from behind and add fuel to the fire."

Yun Heting felt that what she said made sense, and her panicked heart finally calmed down.

He then remembered something else and asked, "Should we tell Xiu'er?"

Liu Zhixue thought for a moment and shook her head: "No need. She's still a child. If she loses her composure, she might ruin things. Let her be the same as before, do what she needs to do, and let her get closer to Chu Wanqing so she doesn't give anything away. Once she marries the Fifth Prince, we can use the General's Mansion's influence to help him ascend to that position. At that time, the initiative will be in our hands."

Yun Heting then asked, "What if she changes her mind?"

Liu Zhixue sneered, a hint of ruthlessness in her smile: "Then it's not something she can back out of now. At worst, we'll act ahead of time and send her and the General's Mansion to hell together."

Yun Heting gritted his teeth, a sinister glint appearing in his eyes: "You're right."

He was silent for a moment, then spoke again, his voice tinged with resentment, "But I'm not happy about her controlling the household like this. I'm the head of the family, and now I don't even have a voice."

Liu Zhixue thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Let the old lady come back."

Yun Heting's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Great! That's a good idea! I'll arrange for someone to send a message back home, asking my mother to come to the capital. Once she's here, Chu Wanqing won't be able to do whatever she wants like she does now."

If Chu Wanqing knew, she would only tell them that they were overthinking things, and that she was no longer the person she used to be.

The two talked for a while longer, discussing some details, before Yunheting left.

What he didn't know was that Liu Zhixue left right after he left.

……

In Qingshui Garden, Chu Wanqing heard from a servant that Yun Heting had been carried to the Imperial Hospital.

Chu Wanqing simply hummed in response, her expression as calm as if nothing had happened.

She guessed that Yun Heting had gone to find Liu Zhixue. She knew he would panic after what she said to him and would definitely seek advice from someone. Who else could he turn to besides Liu Zhixue?

But she doesn't care that everything about me was unexpected, right?

……

The emperor had also heard the rumors circulating in the capital.

That day, after the morning court session, he returned to his study and suddenly asked the eunuch beside him, "Have you heard the rumors circulating outside about the Yun family's adopted daughter?"

The eunuch bowed quickly and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, I've heard a few things. They say she's some kind of cursed star, bringing misfortune to her father and mother. Some even say she caused the fire at the Charity Hall, and that she's the one who caused Lord Yun to break his leg."

The emperor frowned and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table: "I didn't expect there would be someone targeting that girl."

He was silent for a moment, then said, "Have someone keep an eye on this. If it goes too far, intervene. Since that kid likes this girl, and he's not in the capital, we can't let her suffer."

The eunuch quickly agreed.

But just two days later, the rumors were debunked on their own.

The eunuch rushed in excitedly to report: "Your Majesty, those rumors have been debunked. They came from who-knows-where, saying that she was responsible for the deaths of the concubines' children, the hailstorms in Daning Prefecture, and the plague in the south. The rumors were so outrageous that the people stopped believing them. Now, in teahouses and taverns, everyone is laughing at those who spread the rumors, saying they're just bored and have nothing better to do."

After listening, the emperor couldn't help but laugh: "Interesting. Do you think that kid could have done it?"

The eunuch smiled obsequiously and said cautiously, "His Highness Prince Yu is so far away, it would take a long time for the news to travel there and back. Besides, given His Highness Prince Yu's personality, if he knew about this, he would probably return to the capital directly to support her, rather than using such a roundabout method."

The emperor thought for a moment and nodded: "What you say makes sense. If it's not him, then it must be this girl herself."

He paused, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. "She's quite clever; no wonder that boy likes her. I'll find an opportunity to meet her."

The eunuch smiled and agreed.

The northern border, Daning Prefecture.

Xiao Jingyan was in a state of utter distress.

A cold epidemic broke out in Daning Prefecture. At first, only a few people showed symptoms such as chills, high fever, cough, chest tightness, and body aches. The local doctor thought it was just a common cold and prescribed some medicine to dispel the cold.

One after another, people fell ill as a result, with almost entire families falling into the same trap. The epidemic spread across half of the prefecture overnight.

The imperial physician brought by Xiao Jingyan immediately noticed something was wrong and reported it that very night.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingyan immediately ordered the prefect to seal off the city, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving, to prevent the people from spreading the epidemic elsewhere.

At the same time, he summoned all the doctors in the city, studied prescriptions day and night, and tried every means to control the epidemic.

However, the effect was minimal, more and more people fell ill, and the medicinal herbs in the pharmacies became increasingly scarce.

News from the capital reached the northern border at this time.