My Inner Thought is Exposed! The Villain Family Defy Their Fate!

"Here you go, the extra thirty taels can be considered as interest."

Yun Wanye raised an eyebrow and slapped two thousand taels of silver notes in front of Yun Wanyao with a grand gesture.

Extra thirty taels????

Really??

Yun Wanyao was stunned for a moment, looked at him with doubt, and then picked up the silver notes to count them seriously.

One hundred tael denomination, a total of twenty notes.

Indeed, it’s two thousand taels, but the problem is this guy is usually stingy, how could he suddenly be so generous?

She had a feeling something must be off.

"I said I’d give it to you today, so here it is today. I always keep my word. Don’t call me a lying swindler anymore, got it?"

He gently patted her head.

Yun Wanyao unceremoniously slapped his hand away, happily taking the silver notes.

Although it was delayed by one night, earning an extra thirty taels is still a profit no matter how you see it. She just couldn’t figure out what on earth this guy was up to.

"At least you have some conscience."

She muttered, taking the silver notes, and suddenly looked at him inquisitively.

"By the way, Yun Wanye, did you drink some fake wine last night?"

Could he have been poisoned and lost his senses?

Otherwise, it’s surprising he didn’t cheat her, let alone give her extra silver.

The more Yun Wanyao thought about it, the more curious she became.

Yun Wanye: "..."

If he’d known, he wouldn’t have given her the extra thirty taels.

"What nonsense are you talking? Say it again, and I’ll take back those thirty taels."

"No way!"

Upon hearing this, Yun Wanyao immediately backed away in shock, distancing herself from the young man in front of her.

She clutched her chest tightly, looking at him with full vigilance, afraid he’d break the rules and snatch them back.

"You’ve already given it to me, how could you dare to take it back? I won’t talk nonsense anymore, alright?"

Seeing this, Yun Wanye chuckled, not bothering to argue with her over the thirty taels.

He squinted his eyes, looking at her thoughtfully, and said casually, "By the way, your marriage agreement has been annulled. Do you have any thoughts on your future?"

"After the New Year, Mother will hold the hairpin ceremony for you. Then, she’ll start looking for a suitable match for you again. Besides King Qi, do you have any other men in mind?"

Mentioning this matter, Yun Wanyao visibly became downcast, feeling both annoyed and troubled.

She had already prepared herself to never marry, but unless no one actually wanted to marry her, her parents would definitely not allow her to remain single.

Just like Yun Wanye said, once the hairpin ceremony is over, Mother would certainly go everywhere to find her a suitable match.

And she couldn’t just delay it forever under Mother’s soft coercion. She’d have to choose one eventually.

"The men in the capital, I don’t know many, and those I do are already engaged. Who am I supposed to fancy?"

Apart from Yun Wanchen and Yun Wanye, the men she knows are Mo Yuanlin, Mo Yuanhao, Xie Xuanrong, Lu Huaixin, Lin Xingxuan, and Pei Yu...

She could count them on one hand.

Xie Xuanrong belongs to Jiang Zitang, Mo Yuanlin is the Emperor, and the rest are either with Su Qianxue or are already engaged early on.

What was she to do?

She couldn’t stoop so low as to snatch a man from Jiang Zitang or any of her other girlfriends, could she?

As expected, Yun Wanye’s eyes showed a hint of a smile.

"So, you haven’t found any you like?"

"Obviously."

Yun Wanyao rolled her eyes at him, not really wanting to talk to him anymore.

She didn’t want to consider such matters, yet he insisted on asking, really an annoying and clueless guy.

"Since you haven’t found anyone, consider the Emperor. I’ve checked for you, he really likes you, if you were to..."

Before he finished speaking, his mouth was tightly covered by two soft little hands. Yun Wanyao, as if frightened, looked at him in terror.

"Shut up, shut up, don’t say another word. I’m telling you, I’m not going to the palace, so stop talking nonsense."

The Emperor has always avoided women, how could he possibly like her?

When did this guy become so delusional?

His condition seemed serious, if necessary, she might need to take him to see the household doctor to check his brain and see if there’s any hope for treatment.

Yun Wanye: "..."

Though his intentions weren’t pure, he only said a single sentence. Was it necessary for her to react so strongly?

Alas, it seemed she genuinely resisted the Emperor. This makes things a bit tricky.

Never mind, haste makes waste, this is not something to be rushed, better to put it aside for now and wait for the right moment.

Today is a day off.

Yun Zheng, rarely free, finished handling his tasks and first went to check on Yun Chuchu, then came to Wan’an Garden to stay beside Yun Wanqing.

His little sweetheart seemed to have grown a little.

Her chubby, soft cheeks and big, shiny black eyes made Yun Zheng’s heart melt, as he lovingly played with her small fingers with his calloused hand.

However, Yun Wanqing was at an age where she was full of restless energy that couldn’t be contained, unable to stay put.

So, after two minutes of staring back at his own father, Yun Wanchen mercilessly withdrew his fingers and began rolling around on the bed under Yun Zheng’s watchful gaze, relishing every moment.

Watching the little one moving about on the bed, Yun Zheng couldn’t help but let a smile curl on his lips, his eyes brimming with warmth and affection.

Ningning is really lively and energetic; when she grows up, she’ll definitely be physically fit. If she were a boy, she’d surely be a promising soldier.

There’s no need for a girl to endure such hardships.

Just then, a figure stepped through the open door.

A little maid bowed to Yun Zheng and Lady Yun, saying, "Reporting to the Duke, reporting to the lady, Mr. Lu has arrived and requests to see the Duke in the front courtyard."

"Alright, I get it, you may go now."

Lady Yun smiled and waved the maid away, then turned to look at Yun Zheng.

"Husband, you should go quickly, don’t delay your tasks."

"Hmm, alright."

Yun Zheng looked at the little one rolling on the bed, reached out to touch her face.

"Ningning, your dad has some matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving for now. I’ll come back to accompany you once everything is sorted."

[Alright, hurry up, dad.]

Yun Wanqing lay flat on her back, stretched her small arm to wave at him.

[Goodbye.]

[Dad seems to always be busy, even while on vacation.]

[Isn’t being an official supposed to lead to a better life?]

[With so many tasks day in and day out, there’s hardly any freedom, waking earlier than the chickens and sleeping later than the dogs. It’s even tougher than a nine to six job, what’s the point of this office?]

[The officials of Da Wu Country work four days and rest one day. During court sessions, one must be at the court during the hour of the hare, around six o’clock.]

[Although the court is in the Xuanzheng Hall of the front palace, looking at the map, it’s not far from the palace gate, but walking takes at least twenty or thirty minutes.]

[Adding the time for officials to dress, groom, and travel from home to the Imperial Palace, they have to get up at half past four every day, truly exhausting, no wonder the ancients had short lives.]

[...]

Lady Yun: "..."

Yun Zheng: "..."

Having just reached the door, he could hear a continuous stream of complaints, especially when he heard the words ’ancients had short lives,’ Yun Zheng’s foot slipped, nearly losing his balance.

What does that mean?

Does lifespan have anything to do with waking too early and sleeping too late?

It actually seems to make sense; look at those aristocratic families in the Capital, plenty of widowed matriarchs still alive and well at seventy or eighty years old.

Many have been widowed for years.

Why do these matriarchs outlive their husbands?

Perhaps it truly is as Ningning said.

Looks like he should retire soon. He wants to live a few more years to accompany Lady Yun, preferably entering the earth simultaneously, rather than prematurely perishing from exhaustion, leaving Lady Yun vulnerable to others’ coveting.

Front hall.

Lu Wu was sitting leisurely in a chair, sipping tea, his gaze fixed on a tiny figure in the corner filled with apprehension.

The little one was sallow and thin, her exposed skin crisscrossed with scars, one eye stuck shut, unable to see the eyeball, and she still was filthy all over.

She was just like a frightened little animal, using her one remaining eye to vigilantly watch everything around her.

"Hey, you wouldn’t happen to really be a little mute, would you?"

Putting the tea cup aside, Lu Wu looked at her with full curiosity.

Along the way, this little kid hadn’t said a word, not even a peep.

Afraid she might cry loudly, he had knocked her out and taken her from the Shang Family.

Originally, he was expecting her to wake up and kick up a fuss, but surprisingly, she was like a mute, not saying a word, just looking at him with panic, without making a sound.

How could such a small child react in this way in front of strangers and unknown situations??

Lu Wu became interested.

The journey was long, the schedule rather tight, but he still patiently spoke to her over and over again, without a single complaint, but she never opened her mouth.

"Seeing you so miserable, I was even thinking, if you could complain, maybe I would stand up for you..."

While speaking listlessly, Lu Wu’s heart was not as calm as he appeared.

Upon first meeting this little one, he was shocked by her tragic condition, her ten fingers had no fingernails, all were bare, covered in needle marks and scars.

The body, not to mention.

Besides being covered in scars, several bones were broken, with many places haphazardly treated, then broken again later.

Due to various reasons, bones had grown askew, joints were dislocated, protruding many abnormal lumps.

One eye was blind, her appearance destroyed...

Along the way without speaking, it was unknown if there were issues with her hearing and vocal cords.

Just what kind of Asura hell was that Shang Family, to torment a perfectly fine child into such a state?

Though Yun Zheng specifically requested this child, at that time, Lu Wu still did not know her relation with Yun Zheng, assuming Yun Zheng had other uses for her.

But even so, he couldn’t stop himself from feeling inappropriate compassion.

Da da da...

A steady sound of footsteps drew closer, pulling Lu Wu out of his thoughts, he turned his head towards the door, watching a tall, imposing figure approach.

It’s Yun Zheng!