Upon hearing that thin, chilly, and somewhat indifferent tone, Yun Wan’s heart gave a sudden, sharp jolt. Although she was the one who had served the Lord Marquis the longest in the Marquis Manor, she still feared this powerful man deep in her bones.
Back then, when he was still a dashing and spirited youth, she had been his personal maid. Later, seeing that she had blossomed into a delicate and graceful beauty, the Old Madame had promoted her to the position of a favored concubine. After the first time the Lord Marquis tasted the sweetness of intimacy with her, he became addicted, unable to stop himself. Even after he formally married the daughter of a Duke as the mistress of the manor and brought home several other beautiful concubines, he remained obsessed with her. In the past, even when he wore her out, she had always let him have his way, never daring to let him leave unsatisfied.
This was the first time she had so flagrantly rejected his affection. But in this life, she had no desire to be the servile, sycophantic woman she was in the past, a woman who spent all her energy scheming and vying for favor for the sake of her children’s future. Since her children had already been raised to be spoiled and rotten, she would simply abandon them. Without the desire to compete for favor, she had no intention of enduring the exhaustion of serving him.
She steadied her heart and spoke in a soft, mocking tone: "I dare not. If there is any fault, it is merely that my health is too frail to satisfy the Lord Marquis. It is my failing. Perhaps the Lord Marquis should take his leave and go elsewhere?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Jinghuai’s long, dark eyes narrowed dangerously. After studying her coldly for a long while, he let out a cold snort. Suddenly, he climbed off the bed, grabbed the chaotic pile of clothing on the floor, threw them on, and stomped out in a huff.
When he reached the doorway, a chill from the night wind washed over him. His footsteps faltered, and he couldn't help but look back several times. In the past, whenever Yun Wan angered him, she would surely have been unable to restrain herself and would have rushed out to follow him. Today, however, was strangely different; she had not followed him out. His expression grew even darker and more somber as he strode away.
The servant trailing behind him hurried to catch up, grumbling to himself. What had gotten into Concubine Yun today? To anger the Lord Marquis into leaving in the middle of the night, and then failing to immediately grovel and coax him back? Everyone knew that Concubine Yun was besotted with the Lord Marquis, waiting day and night for him to visit Furong Courtyard. Their bond, forged since childhood, had always been sweet, and even with new faces in the manor, the Lord Marquis had always treated her differently.
At this moment, Yun Wan sat before her dressing mirror, carefully observing the elegant and refined face reflected in the glass. Her features were like a painting, like a delicately carved jade piece. Even though this once-peerless face now bore faint wrinkles, her skin remained fair and smooth. She must have been reborn to ten years ago. She was now about thirty.
Those two ingrates had already been born; it was impossible to turn back time and put them back. She would simply let them fend for themselves. In this life, she only wanted to live well. If she could find an opportunity to leave the Marquis Manor, she would rely on the gold and silver jewelry she had painstakingly saved over half a lifetime. She could buy a house and a few acres of fertile land, living a free and easy life, never having to worry about food or clothing again.
Just then, her maid, Biyao, lifted the curtain and entered. Looking quite anxious, she said, "Concubine Yun, what has happened to you? Why did you anger the Lord Marquis and drive him away in the middle of the night? You should hurry and go coax him back. The Lord Marquis hasn't visited our courtyard for half a month. Now that you’ve finally brought him here, how could you—"
Yun Wan said with a cold, detached expression, "If he left, he left. Why should I coax him back?"
She had spent half a lifetime coaxing him; she was truly tired and weary of it.
Biyao looked at her mistress with a strange expression. In the past, whenever the Lord Marquis was angry, her mistress would be more anxious than anyone else, diligently playing the role of his empathetic confidante and soulmate. The Lord Marquis had become accustomed to the tea she brewed. Whenever he felt troubled, he would sit in her courtyard to find peace; as long as he was with her, he felt comforted, and all his worries would vanish. Why did her mistress look so indifferent now?
Biyao frowned slightly and asked, "Concubine Yun, are you upset with the Lord Marquis because he has been busy with official duties and hasn't visited Furong Courtyard much lately? But you shouldn't have driven him away in the middle of the night. Who knows how the servants in the estate will talk about you behind your back?"
Suddenly, the voice of the maid Qingluan came from outside the door: "Eldest Young Master, you cannot go inside. It is so late, Concubine Yun has already retired."
Immediately following, a tall, imposing figure pushed aside the curtain and walked in. The youth was as handsome and spirited as the Lord Marquis had been in his prime. He cast an indifferent glance at Yun Wan, then growled with irritation, "Concubine Yun, Meiniang and I are in love. Why must you insist on stopping us from being together? Besides, marriage is a matter of parents' orders and matchmakers' words. Since Mother has no objections and believes Meiniang is pure and virtuous, she is a suitable match. Although you are my biological mother, the affairs of a son's marriage are for the mother to decide. There is no need for you, Concubine Yun, to trouble yourself with it."
Yun Wan stared at the youth in a daze. In the past, every time they argued, she could sense his dissatisfaction and impatience. If she had used even a fraction of the energy she spent on her schemes toward her children, she might have seen the signs. But she had ignored them, always thinking that her children were closest to her, believing that there was no lasting grudge between a child and their own mother. What parent did not hope for their children to succeed, to become dragons and phoenixes? That was how she thought, and that was how she acted, sacrificing and planning for her children her entire life. She always felt that when they grew up, they would understand her painstaking efforts. But their hearts had already turned black; how could they possibly appreciate her hardships?
With a cold expression, she nodded slightly and said, "Very well."
The youth, Fu Xuan, was stunned for a few seconds. He knit his brows in disbelief; he had not expected Concubine Yun to agree so readily. He had assumed she would, as usual, launch into a long-winded lecture, scolding him about how Meiniang’s background was humble—just a tofu seller’s daughter—and that she was unworthy of him and could offer him no support. He even thought she would talk about how it would affect his future official career. Was she playing some other game? Was she trying to force him into submission by changing her tactics?