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

Yun Jin's words left the old lady speechless. The South Sea pearl earrings were a gift from the Emperor; if she disliked them, it would be disrespectful to His Majesty; if she didn't dislike them, she could only happily accept them.

That brat Yun Jin always manages to use His Majesty as a shield, and yet she can't find a single fault with it.

The old lady's lips twitched repeatedly, and she finally managed to force a smile, saying awkwardly, "Jin'er, you're so kind. Since it's a gift from His Majesty, I'm naturally delighted."

Yun Jin smiled and said, "Since the old lady likes them, Jin'er will have them sent over later. Those South Sea pearls are all round and lustrous, and will surely add to the old lady's beauty."

Grandma Yun forced a smile and suddenly said, "Jin'er, now that you've been included in the Yun family genealogy, it's only proper that you call me Grandmother. Calling me 'Grandma' all the time sounds too formal."

Yun Jin sneered inwardly, but on the surface she feigned a flattered expression and readily agreed:

"Actually, Jin'er has wanted to call her Grandmother for a long time, but before, Grandmother disliked Jin'er, saying that Jin'er was uncouth and unworthy of being a daughter of the Yun family, so Jin'er didn't dare to approach Grandmother. Now that Grandmother has spoken, Jin'er will be bold and call her Grandmother from now on."

Grandma Yun's smile froze for a moment, and she quickly said, "It was all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. Why are you still holding a grudge, child?"

Yun Jin blinked, her tone sincere and innocent: "Grandmother is right, it's Jin'er who's narrow-minded."

Seeing that the atmosphere had eased a bit, Granny Wang, who was standing nearby, rolled her eyes and suddenly interjected with a smile:

"Grandma, the Second Miss is clearly a filial daughter. If I may be so bold as to mention, among the items His Majesty bestowed upon us the other day, I saw a piece of gray rabbit fur. The fur is of excellent quality, and it is both light and soft, as well as warm. It would be perfect to make a vest for you to wear underneath. The Second Miss is so filial, she must be willing to part with it."

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Yun's eyes lit up instantly, and she looked at Yun Jin expectantly, but pretended to be angry and scolded, "Wang Mama, don't talk back!"

Then she turned to Yun Jin and said with a smile, "But if you're willing to part with it, Grandmother will definitely remember your kindness."

Yun Jin sighed regretfully, her tone tinged with remorse, "If Grandmother had brought this up yesterday, Jin'er certainly wouldn't have refused. It's just unfortunate that Jin'er already gave that piece of gray rabbit skin to Grandmother Zheng at the Zheng residence today."

Grandma Yun's smile froze instantly.

Yun Jin, as if she hadn't noticed, continued slowly, "Although Grandmother Zheng and I are not related by blood, she did recognize me as her goddaughter. When I was made a county princess, Grandmother Zheng specially prepared a congratulatory gift for me. I thought that one should repay kindness, so I took this opportunity to give the gray rabbit skin to Grandmother Zheng as a token of my appreciation. Grandmother is very understanding, so I don't think she would mind that I showed filial piety to Grandmother Zheng first, would she?"

Grandma Yun's face turned pale and then red. Although Yun Jin's words were true, they also revealed something else: Madam Zheng, who was a godmother, gave Yun Jin a congratulatory gift for her being named a county princess, while Grandma Yun, who was her grandmother in name, hadn't given her a single thread.

When someone gives a gift, it's only natural for Yun Jin to reciprocate with a gray rabbit skin. What right does she have to complain?

She opened her mouth, but only managed to squeeze out a dry, curt sentence: "It's alright. Since it's already been given away, then so be it."

Chu Wanqing, suppressing a laugh, spoke up at the opportune moment: "Mother-in-law, I do have a gray rabbit fur shawl that I made last year. Although the fur isn't as even as the one His Majesty bestowed upon me, it's still a very fine material. If you don't mind, I'll have someone send it to you later."

Grandma Yun quickly went along with it, nodding and saying, "Good, good, Wanqing's things are naturally never bad, you're very thoughtful."

Chu Wanqing smiled slightly, and without further delay, pulled Yun Jin up to take her leave.

After the mother and daughter left the old lady's courtyard and walked a short distance, Yun Jin lowered her voice and asked, "Mother, are you really going to give the old lady that set of gold and pearl-encrusted jewelry?"

Chu Wanqing smiled slightly, raising an eyebrow, "Give it to me, why wouldn't I? Zijuan swapped the real items with fakes before, and those fakes are just gathering dust in the warehouse. They're just sitting there doing nothing. The old lady wants jewelry, so this will come in handy."

Yun Jin suddenly realized and couldn't help but smile: "No wonder Mother agreed so readily. Even if she finds out it's a fake, it won't be Mother's fault. If she does find out, she can take the opportunity to bring up Zijuan's theft of the dowry and make a big fuss about it."

Chu Wanqing gave her an approving look: "That's exactly what I was thinking."

The mother and daughter parted ways at the fork in the road and each returned to their own yard.

Yun Jin returned to Jinshu Pavilion and first instructed Chunxi: "Go to Weicao Hall tomorrow and bring Xia Hong back. Tell her it was my idea."

He then said to Dongxue, "Contact Flying Eagle and have him bring Fusheng back."

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Chunxi went out.

After having breakfast, Yun Jin was sitting by the window reading the letter that Xiao Jingyan had sent yesterday. The letter contained only a few words, saying that Yun Dahai and his wife would arrive in the capital in the next two days, and that she didn't need to worry, as he would take care of everything.

She had just folded the letter and put it in her sleeve when she heard hurried footsteps outside. Then Chunxi lifted the curtain and came in, smiling, "Miss, Xia Hong is back." Her figure rushed in.

Before the words were finished, a figure in indigo blue flashed out from behind Chunxi, kneeling down before Yunjin with a thud. Excitedly, she exclaimed, "Miss! I've missed you so much! These past few days at Weicao Hall, although the food and lodging have been good, without you by my side, I always felt empty inside. I've longed to return to serve you every day, and now my wish has finally come true!"

Yun Jin was amused by her appearance, reached out to help her up, and looked her up and down.

Xia Hong had gained some weight, her complexion was rosy, and her eyes were bright and alert; she looked much more energetic.

She asked Xia Hong to sit down and asked her what she and Doctor Sun had learned.

Xia Hong then briefly explained what she had learned. Yun Jin discovered that she had mostly learned some common methods of harming people and antidotes used in the capital.

She was somewhat surprised and asked Xia Hong why she was learning these things.

Xia Hong said somewhat shyly, "Miss, I thought that since you sent me to study pharmacology, you must want me by your side to protect you from others, so..."

Yun Jin nodded in satisfaction. This girl was indeed very smart; she hadn't misjudged her.

She first praised Xia Hong, saying, "You've learned well."

Then, changing the subject, he said, "Xia Hong, I want you to go to Qingshui Garden and stay with my mother."

Xia Hong pursed her lips, and after a long while, she whispered, "Miss... I want to stay by your side. I was bought by you, so you are my mistress. I studied hard every day at Weicao Hall, hoping that one day I could come back to serve you and repay your kindness."