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

Yun Jin gave Granny Sun a cold look, then turned to Granny Qian: "And you? How did you come to know Liu Zhixue?"

Granny Qian knelt on the ground and sighed, "Miss, my life is so hard. I married a man who is a drunkard. After I gave birth to a daughter, he complained that she wasn't a son, and when he was drunk, he would beat me to death."

Later... later he got drunk and cruelly threw the child to her death. My daughter was only four years old at the time.

As she spoke, her eyes reddened. "My daughter is gone, and I don't want to live anymore. I killed him, found a rope, and went to hang myself by a crooked tree outside the village. Just then, I met Mr. Liu, who saved me and buried my daughter for me."

She said that this old servant had no ties in Jizhou and that I should come with her, so this old servant followed her to the capital.

Yun Jin was silent for a moment. To be honest, this Granny Qian was also a person with a tragic fate, yet she helped Liu Zhixue harm her own brother. She was both hateful and infuriating.

Suppressing her complex emotions, Yun Jin continued, "How did you get into the Yun residence?"

Granny Sun hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Second Miss, it was arranged by Madam Liu. This old servant went into the mansion first to take care of the eldest young master. Later, Madam Liu asked this old servant to go and tell the madam that the eldest young master was not in good health and could not be taken care of by one person. She asked this old servant to bring Sister Qian in as well."

The old servant did as she said and went to plead with the madam. The madam was kind-hearted, and seeing that Sister Qian was an honest person, she nodded in agreement.

"When did you first meet Liu Zhixue?" Yun Jin asked again.

Granny Sun thought for a moment: "This old servant met Mr. Liu about fifteen years ago."

Granny Qian nodded in agreement: "This old servant did too. About fourteen or fifteen years ago."

Yun Jin understood immediately. It seemed they didn't know about Yang Xue. She didn't ask any further questions, but instead glanced at Xiao Jingyan.

Xiao Jingyan understood, stood up, walked to the two old women, looked down at them, and warned, "I will send people to verify what you just said. If even one word is false, you should know the consequences."

Granny Sun and Granny Qian immediately kowtowed, saying, "We wouldn't dare! These old servants wouldn't dare lie! If we uttered even a single falsehood, may we be struck by lightning!"

Xiao Jingyan stopped looking at them and summoned guards to take the two away.

The stone chamber finally fell silent.

Xiao Jingyan turned around, looked at Yun Jin, and said softly, "Let's go have lunch. I'm hungry."

Yun Jin nodded and followed him out of the dark room.

Xiao Jingyan led her to the dining room, where Dongxue and Hongling had already prepared lunch.

Yun Jin sat down and looked at Xiao Jingyan, asking, "Ayan, is this place safe? So many people are locked up here, what if they're discovered..."

"Don't worry," Xiao Jingyan said with a smile, "If there's any disturbance, they'll immediately move everyone to a safe place. They won't be discovered."

Yun Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After the meal, the two took a carriage back home.

In the carriage, Xiao Jingyan suddenly spoke up: "Jin'er, there's something I didn't have time to tell you in the villa earlier."

Your foster parents should arrive in the capital within the next couple of days. A messenger sent word that they encountered assassins on the way. The assailants were ruthless; they were there to silence them.

Fortunately, my men were prepared and rescued them. Yun Dahai and his wife, along with their son, were unharmed, but Zuo Laosi and his wife, who had come with them, did not survive.

Yun Jin frowned and asked, "Has the assassin been caught?"

Xiao Jingyan shook his head: "No. Those people retreated immediately after their first attack failed. Their methods were clean and efficient, and they were not ordinary desperados."

He seemed like a trained江湖 (jianghu) figure. Yun Dahai had lived in a place like Qingping County for over a decade, never venturing far from home, so he wouldn't have any enemies. The only explanation was that someone didn't want them to make it to the capital alive.

Yun Jin remained silent for a long while before speaking again: "Thank you, Ayan."

Xiao Jingyan patted her head and smiled, "Don't be so polite with me. Don't worry. I'll send more people to protect them. I know you have something to ask them."

He paused, then added, "However, you must be extra careful while you are in the Yun residence. You didn't know before that the Liu family was from the Southern Frontier, but now that you do, you must take precautions."

Yun Jin nodded in agreement.

The carriage entered the city and slowly came to a stop at the fork in the road leading to the Yun residence.

Just as Yun Jin was about to get out of the carriage, Xiao Jingyan reached out and grabbed her, instructing her, "I will take you to the palace to express my gratitude tomorrow, don't forget."

Before Yun Jin could react, he added, "Remember, if anything seems amiss, have someone come to me immediately. Don't try to handle it all on your own."

Yun Jin turned around, saw the worry in his eyes, felt a slight pang in her heart, and nodded: "I know. You too, be careful when you're checking the southern border."

Xiao Jingyan's lips unconsciously curved into a smile. He released his grip and watched her get off the carriage, leading Dongxue into the gates of the Yun residence.

Yun Jin did not return to Jinshu Pavilion, but instead led Dong Xue straight to Qingshui Garden.

Seeing the expression on Yun Jin's face, Chu Wanqing said softly, "Are you tired? You look so pale."

Yun Jin sat down beside her, remained silent for a moment, and then recounted the key points of the investigation that had taken place at the villa that day.

In the end, she revealed Liu Zhixue's true identity.

Chu Wanqing was indeed shocked. She remained stunned for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before finally speaking: "She's actually from Southern Xinjiang? Does Yunheting know about this?"

"It's hard to say." Yun Jin shook her head, took Chu Wanqing's hand, and said, word by word.

"Mother, I'm telling you this so you can take precautions. She's been hiding in the capital for over a decade; I'm afraid her master has ulterior motives."

You must not show any abnormality in front of her. Treat her the same as before, neither too warm nor too cold, neither too close nor too distant.

But you must be careful and wary of her. She's ruthless and unscrupulous. She's been holding back before, perhaps because she didn't consider you a rival. But things are different now, Mother. You must be extremely careful.

Chu Wanqing took a deep breath, grasped Yun Jin's hand in return, and nodded vigorously: "Jin'er, don't worry, your mother is not weak either. Don't forget, I am the daughter of a military family. I have been riding horses and shooting arrows with your maternal grandfather on the training ground since I was a child, so I have some martial arts skills."

Yun Jin shook her head, her gaze earnest and serious: "Mother, those who drown are all good swimmers. It's true that you are skilled, but you are in the open, while she is in the shadows."

Liu Zhixue has countless lives on her hands. She is ruthless, bold, and meticulous. You must not be careless.

Chu Wanqing quickly and earnestly replied, "Alright, Jin'er, don't worry, Mother understands."

On the other side, Xiao Jingyan returned to his residence. As soon as he entered his courtyard, a flying knife came flying towards him!