Young Fu Jin paused for a moment, then said respectfully:
"Ever since we were little, Father has taught us that when brothers are of one mind, their combined strength can cut through metal. Now that my elder brother has received family punishment, it is only right that I, as his younger brother, come over to check on him. This is the most basic courtesy."
"Conucbine Yun, I—I was not deliberately putting on a show for Father. Eldest Brother really misunderstood me."
Yun Wan's expression turned dark and complex as she gave a slight nod. Of course she knew this child was naturally pure, upright, and possessed of great integrity.
In his dealings with others, he was like a refined and modest gentleman.
Precisely because he disdained to use those vicious and underhanded inner-courtyard tricks, in her previous life she had schemed against him step by step, ultimately causing him to miss out on the position of Heir.
Compared to his biological mother, Lady Song, this child fell far short, lacking in ruthlessness and scheming.
"I know, Jin'er. Not everyone in this world knows how to return a favor with kindness. You are good at everything—talented, well-mannered, and well-versed in etiquette—yet you lack the decisiveness, strategic depth, and ruthlessness of your father."
"However, you are still young. Once you take the imperial examinations and become an official in the imperial court, you will naturally understand."
"Don't come here anymore. Xuan'er is not worthy of your kindness."
In her previous life, it was precisely because of her repeated, calculated schemes that Jin'er failed the imperial examinations.
Moreover, later oppressed by the various factions of Princess Yongping, the primary wife Xuan'er married, he spent his entire life unrecognized for his talents, completely losing the chance to serve as an official in the imperial court.
It was a pity that all of this child's talent and ambition had nowhere to be applied. If he had been given the chance to serve as an official, she believed he would have done even better than Xuan'er and soared higher.
With that, Yun Wan walked into the room.
Everything in the room that could be smashed had been reduced to powder, leaving the floor in utter ruins. Those were priceless antique vases—what a terrible waste of natural treasures.
At that moment, Fu Jin lay on his sickbed, covered in dust and grime. He looked at Yun Wan and grumbled with displeasure:
"Why are you here? Weren't you washing your hands of me? You might as well let me fend for myself and die."
Yun Wan glanced around the room, raised a finger to point at the peerlessly precious decorations scattered about, and gave an order:
"All of you, help me move these antique pieces into my room. These are all priceless treasures; we cannot let Eldest Young Master squander and ruin them."
Fu Jin was utterly dumbfounded. Shouldn't his concubine mother be concerned about his health? How could she possibly care about these expensive, worldly trinkets instead?
Besides, every time he staged a hunger strike, Concubine Mother would be heartbroken. From childhood to adulthood, it had worked every single time. He was deliberately going on a hunger strike to force Concubine Mother into letting Meiniang enter the manor.
With a dark expression, he let out an irritated, low roar:
"Your son has been lying on a sickbed for so long, and you haven't even come over to look at me, yet you care about these antiques! How can there be such a cold-hearted mother in this world? Am I even your biological son? Why have you suddenly become so unfeeling?"
Of course Yun Wan cared about her antiques. She remembered how in her previous life, because of his hunger strike, he had forced her to agree to let him marry Meiniang.
When she refused, he had smashed her entire room of treasured antiques to pieces.
It was all her fault in her past life for spoiling her children too much, eagerly bringing them whatever good things she had.
Because her background was humble and low, she had suffered a great deal when she was a maid in the Marquis Manor, frequently bullied and trampled upon by the other servants.
Later, seeing that she was blessed with delicate and pretty looks, the Old Madame promoted her to be a concubine maid in front of Lord Marquis, and only then did her life become a bit easier.
She had suffered plenty of bitterness and endured plenty of hardship.
Having finally crawled out of the mire, she naturally wanted to pour her heart out and offer the best things in the world to them on a platter.
She was terrified that they would be trampled upon and looked down upon because of their concubine-born status.
Therefore, even though Fu Yao tended to be willful and domineering in her daily behavior, Yun Wan turned a blind eye and couldn't be bothered to intervene.
She felt that there was no harm in raising her daughter a bit delicately; besides, Fu Yao had the capital to be arrogant and haughty in the Marquis Manor, so at least she wouldn't be easily bullied by others.
At that moment, Yun Wan found a chair and sat down leisurely in front of him. Pausing for a fraction of a second, she said with a stern expression:
"Fu Jin, if you want to seek your own death and make a fuss with a hunger strike, suit yourself. I told you long ago: if you want to welcome Meiniang into the manor, I do not object. After all, you are grown up now, and you should take responsibility for your own actions. As for your father, there is nothing I can do."
Pondering inwardly for a moment, she continued solemnly:
"Also, let me ask you: where are the kingfisher-feather inlaid hairpin and the red coral earrings that were previously kept in my jewelry box?"
Fu Jin's gaze flickered away, and he grumbled with a guilty conscience:
"How would I know where they are? Your own jewelry is missing, so why are you asking me? Besides, as a man, would I possibly use your trinkets?"
"It must be because you are too lax in managing your subordinates, allowing some servant with sticky fingers to slip in and steal them, or else Younger Sister took them. Doesn't she love expensive jewelry the most?"
Yun Wan stared at him intently with a deep gaze for a long moment, then let out a light snort:
"Fu Jin, things have reached this point, and you are still playing dumb with me? Be honest with me: did you take my jewelry to curry favor with your Meiniang and win her heart?"
Panic surged even higher in Fu Jin's heart, though he forced a calm expression on the outside:
"What nonsense are you spouting? How could I possibly take your jewelry to please Meiniang? What's the big deal about a few pieces of missing jewelry? Besides, don't you have so much jewelry in your box that you can't even finish using it?"
"If they're lost, they're lost. Father dotes on you so much anyway; by then he'll just send another huge batch over. Could you possibly use them all up?"
"Can't you see your son is still lying here covered in injuries? Ouch, it hurts so much, so painful! I can't talk anymore, my head is spinning—"
In the past, if her son had even a slight ache or pain, Yun Wan would have been beside herself with worry.
Yet when she was bedridden in her previous life, not only did she fail to receive a single word of comfort from her children, but she also fell victim to their murderous plots.
She had schemed and fought her whole life, never expecting that she would ultimately lose at the hands of her own biological children. How utterly ridiculous and tragic.
Even the warmest heart could be frozen solid by a basin of ice water from them, thoroughly chilled to the bone.
At this moment, she still looked at him with a cold expression, her gaze carrying a trace of fierce grief:
"Fu Jin, that kingfisher-feather hairpin was personally commissioned by your father from a renowned artisan back then, taking more than two whole years to craft for me with all his heart."
"As for those coral earrings, your father obtained them from the people of Nanyang with great difficulty when he accompanied the Emperor on an imperial inspection disguised as a commoner. You actually took the things I hold dearest to curry favor with your sweetheart? Has your conscience been eaten by dogs?"
"I am warning you: no matter how many pieces of jewelry you have secretly stolen from the box lately to please Meiniang, you must get every single one of them back without missing a single piece."
"Otherwise, if your father finds out about this, you certainly won't come out of it well. You've just received family punishment—surely you don't want another beating!"