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

Yun Jin followed Chu Wanqing back to Qingshui Garden. Qinghe served tea, and Chu Wanqing waved to her. Yun Jin then led her maids out.

Chu Wanqing looked at Yun Jin, remained silent for a moment, and then cut to the chase: "Jin'er, tell your mother the truth, did you already know about the imperial edict? Also, when did you present His Majesty with a prescription for treating the cold epidemic?"

After a moment's thought, Yun Jin came up with an acceptable excuse: "Mother, I happened to meet the steward of the Prince Yu's mansion outside. He told me about the rampant cold epidemic in the northern border and the lack of doctors and medicine in the army."

When Jin'er was in the countryside, an old doctor in the village mentioned a folk remedy, and she told him about it. She mentioned it casually at the time, but unexpectedly, the remedy actually worked.

She paused, then continued, "As for the imperial edict, Jin'er met His Highness Prince Yu when she went out a couple of days ago. He mentioned to Jin'er that His Majesty might give some rewards, but he didn't say that she would be granted the title of County Princess. He only said that he would come today, so Jin'er had a rough idea of ​​what was going on, but she never expected that the Prince would give her such a surprise."

Her words were half true and half false. She couldn't tell the truth. She couldn't very well say that she and Prince Yu had already secretly pledged their lives to each other and had even received an imperial decree to bestow their marriage upon them.

Chu Wanqing looked at her with some doubt, but seeing her calm expression, she couldn't see any flaws. She could only sigh in her heart and didn't ask any further questions.

She changed the subject and brought up another matter: "Jin'er, I really didn't expect that the old lady would bring Liu back today. I finally found an excuse to kick her out of the mansion, but now the old lady has brought her back with just one word. I really can't swallow this."

Yun Jin looked up at Chu Wanqing and suddenly chuckled softly, "Mother, isn't it just right that she's back?"

Chu Wanqing was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"Close the door and beat the dog." Yun Jin said, word by word, "Mother thinks that when she lives outside, we have to find her where she is first and then arrange for people to keep an eye on her if we want to do something. It's neither convenient nor efficient. Now that she has walked into our trap and moved into the mansion, right under our noses, we can see her every move clearly. Isn't that much more convenient?"

Chu Wanqing looked at her for a while, the sorrow in her eyes gradually dissipating, and suddenly chuckled, "You're right. I was just angry before and made up an excuse to send her away. Now that I think about it, I really let her off easy. Now that she's come back on her own, she shouldn't think she can get away so easily again."

Yun Jin held Chu Wanqing's hand and comforted her with a smile: "Mother is blinded by her own involvement. Mother, for the past fifteen years, we have been completely fooled by them. Now, it's time to turn the tables."

Chu Wanqing paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously: "You're right."

Seeing that she had figured it out, Yun Jin asked solemnly, "Mother, what happened to the old lady? Why have I never heard you mention her?"

Chu Wanqing sighed and said helplessly, "She went back to our ancestral home with your second uncle, who is Yun Heting's younger brother. She said she would never come back, so I didn't mention it. Who would have thought she would come back?"

Yun Jin asked, puzzled, "Then why did she leave back then?"

Chu Wanqing picked up her teacup, took a sip, and sighed, "The reason I left back then was because of Yunhe Lake."

She paused, then continued, "The old lady was widowed when she was young. When the old master passed away, he only left behind his two sons, Yunheting and Yunhehu. The old lady doted on her youngest son and spoiled him rotten from a young age."

After Yunheting and I got married, my second son also got married, to the daughter of a wealthy merchant in the county. At that time, my mother was coming to the capital, but my second son was still very much in love with his new wife and didn't want to leave, so my mother came alone.

But less than two years later, his second son's wife encouraged him to come to the capital, hoping he could find a job at Yunhe Pavilion. However, after arriving in the capital, he neglected his duties and spent his days hanging out with a group of纨绔子弟 (playboys), indulging in all sorts of vices, including eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring.

Yun Heting cleaned up countless messes for him, but he ignored them all. His wife regretted it then and tried to persuade him to go back, but he wouldn't listen.

Then one day, he messed with someone he shouldn't have. He got into an argument with someone in the gambling den, and in a moment of impulse, he beat the person up, seriously injuring them.

That man was a distant nephew of the then Prefect of Jingzhao. The other party was not about to let it go easily and went directly to the prefectural government, threatening to send your second uncle to prison. Yun Heting sought help everywhere and spent a large sum of money before finally managing to suppress the matter.

But that wasn't the end of it. Less than six months after that incident, he got drunk again and rammed into the carriage of the Duke of Anguo's mansion.

That time I almost lost my life. Your father begged me to go to your maternal grandfather. At that time, Duke Anguo agreed not to pursue the matter because of your maternal grandfather's kindness, on the condition that Yunhehu must get out of the capital and never set foot in the capital area again.

The old lady was unhappy to see her second son being sent back to his hometown. She blamed Yun Heting, saying that he had become an official in the capital but couldn't even protect his own younger brother. She also said that there was nothing good about staying in the capital and that she wanted to go back to her hometown with her youngest son to live out her old age.

Yun Jin was taken aback: "Just because of this, she went back to her hometown with Yun Hehu?"

"It's not entirely because of that." Chu Wanqing lowered her eyes, her fingers gently stroking the jade bracelet on her wrist. "The old lady harbored resentment towards me. She felt that your maternal grandfather hadn't put in his full effort regarding the second son. So when she left, she declared that she would never set foot in the capital again."

After listening for a while, Yun Jin finally spoke: "Mother, if that's the case, I'm afraid her return this time is not simple."

She suddenly remembered something, "Mother, will the old lady try to take control of the household?"

Chu Wanqing snorted coldly: "No. When the old lady first arrived in the capital, she said she would help me manage the household. Yun Heting told her at the time that he didn't want her to have to work so hard; he also coaxed me, saying that I was the head of the household and no one could surpass me."

I was foolish back then and took on the important task of managing the household. But now that I think about it, he put me in charge just so he would make me use my own dowry to supplement the family income.

But after all these years of sacrifice, how has their whole family treated me?

The old lady bosses me around in the mansion. As long as she's around, I have to pay my respects to her morning and evening every day. She says that's the rule for all the high-ranking families in the capital, and the Yun family must abide by it if they want to join the ranks of the nobility.

She doesn't fight for control of the household, yet she wants to be the absolute ruler of the mansion. I was foolish before, which is why they made such a mess of things in the mansion. Now that I think about it, she probably knows everything about Liu Shi and Yun Heting's affair.

Otherwise, why would you have brought Liu back so soon after you returned? Were you trying to intimidate us? I wanted to kick you out of the manor as soon as I got back today, but thankfully Eunuch Fulai came today.”

She suddenly paused and said, "Wait a minute, Jin'er, tell your mother the truth, does His Highness Prince Yu have feelings for you?"