"Are all your grandfather's students so ill-mannered?" Qi Zhenzhen asked, her face cold. "How can a man and a woman share a room without feeling uneasy? Aren't you afraid of causing gossip and implicating my mother?"
Her words were quite impolite, and Madam Yun's expression changed. However, the man sitting there breathed evenly and did not show any signs of anger.
"This must be Zhenzhen, right? Very good. 'Tao zhi yao yao, qi ye zhen zhen.' What a good name, and a good temperament too." The man spoke, his voice clear, like a mountain spring, exceptionally pleasant to hear. "I thought Lan'er would raise her daughter with a temperament like yours."
Yun Lan was Madam Yun's name.
Calling her Lan'er revealed his close relationship with Madam Yun, and Madam Yun did not object to him calling her that.
"Zhenzhen, don't be rude. This is Qin Lang. Your grandfather regards him as his own son. He grew up with your mother and they are like brother and sister. You should call him Uncle." Madam Yun continued, "Your maternal grandparents were framed, and the Yun family declined. Mother thought, thought..."
Madam Yun began to sob again.
"Your mother thought I was also dead. I was lucky and survived," Qin Lang said emotionlessly. "But to survive, I had to hide constantly. Only after disfiguring myself did I dare to show my face."
He disfigured himself?
Qi Zhenzhen gasped, realizing how ruthless Qin Lang must have been to inflict such harm upon himself.
In the past, Madam Yun rarely spoke of her family. In the occasional brief mentions, Qi Zhenzhen only knew that her maternal grandfather was a scholar who ran an academy, was learned and respected. As for how they fell into misfortune, Madam Yun always remained silent.
Qi Zhenzhen suddenly became curious about how the Yun family had fallen and how Madam Yun had become a concubine of the Marquis of Changping.
And this Qin Lang, Qi Zhenzhen had not missed the subtle affection hidden in her mother's eyes.
Growing up together, childhood sweethearts, their relationship should be more than just siblings, shouldn't it?
Even someone as insensitive to emotions as Qi Zhenzhen could tell there was a past connection between them, not sibling affection, but romantic love.
However, how could a daughter inquire about such matters?
"I should leave now," Qin Lang suddenly said. "As long as you are well, and Zhenzhen is here to protect you, I am at ease."
After speaking, he stepped forward and gently hugged Madam Yun, then released her. He then called out to Qi Zhenzhen, "Zhenzhen, would you see me off?"
Qi Zhenzhen was a little bewildered, unsure of Qin Lang's intentions. However, considering that the working women had already arrived outside, if Madam Yun went to see him off, it might cause misunderstandings. So, she nodded.
When they met, Qi Zhenzhen said crisply, "Uncle, why are you leaving so soon?"
Qin Lang glanced sideways, the corners of his mouth under the veil twitching. This girl was truly interesting. By confirming his identity as her uncle in front of others, even if he visited their home in the future, it would not cause any gossip.
After leaving the house, Qi Zhenzhen followed Qin Lang all the way towards the official road.
"Uncle, do you have something to tell me?" Qi Zhenzhen took the initiative to ask. She had a premonition that Qin Lang had called her out to see him off because he had something to say.
Qin Lang slowed his pace. "Have you ever thought about returning to the Marquis's mansion?"
This was a question Qi Zhenzhen had never seriously considered.
The Marquis of Changping's mansion, perhaps the original owner had hoped for it. As for herself, she had never thought about it. The rules of noble families were too numerous; returning would be asking for trouble.
Qi Zhenzhen shook her head earnestly. "We are living very well now."
"But your mother is, after all, a concubine in the Marquis's mansion. Although no deed of sale was written back then, in the eyes of those people, she has no status. If the Marquis's mansion wanted your mother's life, it would be easy, and no one could say anything," Qin Lang said in a deep voice.
"Since the Marchioness drove us out, she definitely won't let us return," Qi Zhenzhen said calmly.
"But the Marquis of Changping's mansion is not solely decided by the Marchioness. There is also the Marquis of Changping himself, and your grandmother. In these past few years, no male heir has been born in the Marquis's inner court, and it is unlikely there will be any in the future. By then, Qi Yi will be the sole heir to the Marquis of Changping," Qin Lang said meaningfully. "At that time, you will have to return whether you want to or not."
So?
"Instead of returning passively, it's better to return actively," Qin Lang added.
Qi Zhenzhen shook her head. "Why should I believe your words? My mother and I are living very well now, and we don't want to get involved in that kind of scheming."
"The Yun family was punished, and it was all because of me," Qin Lang said, stopping completely. "Both the Marquis of Changping and I were students of your maternal grandfather. Your mother and I grew up together, we exchanged vows, and he also fancied your mother..."
So, the Yun family's downfall was due to love?
Qi Zhenzhen shook her head. This was too childish. If he wanted to obtain Yun Shi, he should have dealt with Qin Lang alone. By implicating the entire Yun family, wasn't the Marquis of Changping afraid of the truth being exposed later?
"We will not return voluntarily. If it becomes unavoidable, I will protect my mother," Qi Zhenzhen said.
After speaking, Qi Zhenzhen left without looking back.
If Madam Yun wanted to return, she would follow without hesitation. But since Madam Yun did not want to return, and they had been forgotten by the other side, she would not seek trouble for herself.
Qin Lang watched Qi Zhenzhen's retreating back for a long time, then shook his head and walked forward along the official road...
In the capital, the Marquis of Changping's mansion.
Qi Tianming sat in his study, lost in thought. Last night, he had dreamt of Yun Lan. In the dream, at first, she was smiling charmingly and was pure and beautiful. But her eyes were only for Qin Lang, her gaze constantly fixed on him, never even glancing at him. Later, Qin Lang and the Yun family were punished, his teacher and his wife committed suicide in prison, and Qin Lang disappeared. He had spent considerable effort to bring Yun Lan into the mansion, coaxing her carefully, and finally got his wish.
But a person's patience was limited. He coaxed her, doted on her, yet the sadness in her eyes never faded. Even after having two children, he had never seen the look in Yun Lan's eyes when she looked at Qin Lang – that dependence, that joy.
Later, his feelings waned, and he no longer cared how his wife caused trouble.
Qi Tianming thought Yun Lan no longer held any significance in his heart, but she suddenly appeared in his dream. After waking up, looking at the person lying beside him, he strongly wished that person was Yun Lan.
It had been more than three years. How was she doing on the estate?
Qi Tianming stood up and hurried towards Chaohui Hall. He wanted to discuss with his mother about bringing Yun Shi and her son back to the mansion. With his mother's intervention, his wife would not be able to make too much of a fuss. His mother had always been thinking of Brother Yi and would surely agree.
"Has the Old Madam rested?" Qi Tianming asked the maidservant guarding the corridor.
"Replying to the Marquis, she has risen."
Qi Tianming nodded. The maidservant lifted the curtain, and he passed the screen, entering the room.
"Mother," Qi Tianming said respectfully.