Chapter 123.2

Recognising Tao Hong and Liu Lu’s footsteps, Yu Pin Yan brought his younger sister back into his arms, nibbled on her earlobe and whispered, “Let’s get married as soon as we get back to the capital.”

“Liu Lu has told you, right? Grandmother doesn’t approve of us being together.” The smile on Yu Xiang’s lips wilted.

“It’s alright. I will still marry you even if she doesn’t agree. She will think it through later on.” Yu Pin Yan lowered his head and pecked the corner of her lips.

Yu Xiang rejoiced and played with her elder brother’s slender fingers as she recounted, “Elder Brother, you don’t know how much I miss you. I dreamt of you every night.”

“What was I doing in your dream?” Yu Pin Yan’s voice was hoarse. His large palm slowly wandering down her spine to her waist and his fingertips fiddling with her belt over and over again.

“I dreamt you were kissing me. Then, I woke up and found my mouth still gnawing air.” Yu Xiang pursed her red lips up in a kissing gesture, causing Yu Pin Yan to laugh softly while he went to bite her lips. With Xiang’er by his side, even the most difficult and dangerous circumstances seemed like heaven.

So he could not die, lose the battle and lose his power. He wanted to give her the most beautiful things in the world.

Yu Xiang was seared by his deep and burning gaze. The tips of her ears turned slightly red as she continued, “I realised that I don’t like walking at all. My kneecaps hurt after a long time. I love it when you hold me and carry me wherever you go. Unfortunately, now that everyone knows that I can walk, you won’t be able to carry me in public when we return.”

Yu Pin Yan couldn’t help laughing and suggested, “I will prepare a new wheelchair. And when we return, you will sit on the wheelchair and say that your legs are injured again and you can’t move.”

Yu Xiang clung onto her elder brother’s neck and said coquettishly, “That’s a good idea. I can walk when I want to and let you carry me when I don’t. That would be so comfortable.”

As soon as Tao Hong and Liu Lu returned, they heard the pair of siblings having such unconventional conversations, and their foreheads twitched in unison.

“Marquis and Young Miss, have some wild fruits.” They spread out the baoguo[1] and took out a few bright red fruits. It didn’t take long for Ku Hai and the others to return. After breakfast, they hurriedly headed towards Xingluo Road.

　　———————–

The news that Yu Pin Yan was a spy of the Western Barbarians broke out in the capital. It only took a month for the news to reach the Western Frontier, which was sufficient time for him to contact Fang Da for a surprise attack on the Western Barbarian army. Once he had turned his defeat into victory, even if the charge of collaborating with the foreign enemy were to spread to the western border ‒ no one would believe it.

When Yu Pin Yan and the others arrived at Xingluo Road without a hitch, the Old Madam and the others were being held in the Heavenly Prison.

The servants were kept separately from their masters; therefore, the Old Madam, Yu Si Yu and Yu Miao Qi lived in one cell, while Ma Momo and ten over people crammed in the opposite cell.

Yu Si Yu’s marriage had been disrupted again, but her husband did not annul the engagement and came to visit every day to offer words of encouragement. On this day, the Old Madam sent her grandson-in-law away and stood looking at the door of her cell.

Yu Miao Qi said sarcastically, “Don’t bother looking. She is now Lord Shen’s biological sister, and she is also the emperor’s appointed Si Nong Xiang Jun.[2] Who knows she is living so comfortably. Why would she come to this side of the prison to touch people of your level?”

“Younger sister Xiang’er is not an ungrateful and an ingrate like you. If she knew that something had happened to the Marquis manor, she would definitely come.” Yu Si Yu retorted.

“She won’t come. Lord Shen won’t let her wade into this mess of ours. Besides, I threw her out with my own hands, so she must still be blaming me.” The Old Madam slumped to the ground.

Yu Si Yu immediately pulled her(the Old Madam) into her arms to pat and comfort her. When she saw Yu Miao Qi was still sneering, she couldn’t contain her anger. She took off her belt and walked quickly over to her, strangling her around the neck in the blink of an eye, asking in a stern voice, “Say it, did you put those incriminating evidence in Big Brother’s study?”

The Marquis manor was heavily guarded, especially around the study and the guards are constantly on patrol. Unless something happened in Jingfu’s courtyard, they would not leave their posts without permission. It so happened that when Shen Yuan Qi came to acknowledge Yu Xiang as his family member, Yu Xiang and the Old Madam were causing havoc in the courtyard, which led to many guards to intervene.

In all of these incidents, Yu Miao Qi’s involvement was evidently everywhere. A normal person would not destroy their own family for selfish reasons. However, in Yu Miao Qi’s case, that was a certainty. There was never a moment when she considered herself as a member of the Yu family. She would abandon anyone for her own future.

The more Yu Si Yu thought about it, the more she hated her and the belt strangling Yu Miao Qi’s neck gradually tightened. When the Old Madam regained composure and saw this scene, instead of stopping her, she ordered in a cold voice instead, “Kill her! She deserves to die!”

[1] 包裹(bāoguǒ)- wrapped up into a bag. It refers to a package wrapped in cloth. The cloth used for wrapping the package is a four-sided piece of cloth in which something is placed in the middle. It is wrapped up and knotted at the opposite corner, and then the other two opposite corners are wrapped and knotted again.

[2] 乡君 (xiāng jūn) – township princess. It is translated as “Lady of a Village” or “Lady of Third Rank”. It was usually granted to the daughter of dukes with eight privileges or daughter born to a secondary consort of beile. (Prince of The Third Rank, granted to the son of a qinwang or junwang and commonly used to refer to all Manchu princes.) Credits: Wikipedia