Chapter 364 - 363: The Old Path

Chapter 364: Chapter 363: The Old Path

Du Yunluo handed the brocade box to Mu Lianxiao: "Auntie Si gave this to me and said to pass it on to Young Master Ye."

Mu Lianxiao took it and gave it a glance.

The green jade was translucent, cool to the touch, and of excellent quality, yet it was a new jade, not yet nurtured by anyone.

Mu Lianxiao put the brocade box away and said with a smile, "I heard that Yu Zhi has already set off."

Du Yunluo was surprised; she had originally thought that she and Mu Lianxiao were already rushing, but who knew that Ye Yuzhi would be the one to leave in a rush.

Mu Lianxiao, on the other hand, didn’t feel surprised at all.

Delays lead to changes; if Ye Yuzhi wanted to leave, he had to do so before the Old Master and Young Master realized, otherwise, caught in the Capital, all his ambitions would be in vain.

"Today I heard that the Duke Jing Mansion is inquiring about Yu Zhi’s whereabouts," said Mu Lianxiao.

Du Yunluo pursed her lips in distaste, having no good feelings for the Duke Jing Mansion that burns the bridge after crossing it.

In the Duke Jing Mansion, Aunt Liao lay on the couch, her complexion pale, and her forehead bound with a headband.

Princess An Ran entered quickly and said, "Auntie, have you gotten a headache?"

Upon hearing the voice, Aunt Liao opened her eyes: "Why have you come back?"

Princess An Ran sat by the couch and held Aunt Liao’s hand: "I heard Auntie fell ill."

If it weren’t for Aunt Liao, Princess An Ran wouldn’t even want to return to the Duke Mansion during the holidays, but today the household sent a message to the Enrong Bo Mansion, saying Aunt Liao was sick, and she could not rest easy, so she hurried back.

Aunt Liao smiled faintly: "I’m fine."

Princess An Ran pursed her lips, a hint of unease flashing in her eyes, and leaned down to whisper to Aunt Liao: "I heard that brother is missing."

However, Aunt Liao’s smile grew deeper as she comfortingly patted Princess An Ran’s hand: "Rest assured."

Ye Yuzhi left the Capital with Aunt Liao’s consent.

When she heard about his plans to join the army, Aunt Liao was quite frightened, but after listening to Ye Yuzhi’s detailed analysis and knowing that General Huang was defending Shanyu Pass, along with Mu Lianxiao’s support, Aunt Liao’s heart slowly settled.

Truthfully, Aunt Liao was reluctant to let Ye Yuzhi go to the barracks; she had come to terms with it over the years. Whether it was her husband’s affection or her status, Aunt Liao no longer cared.

Now she just wanted to live a peaceful life, lounging on the Eight Immortals Chair, cracking seeds and watching a good show.

But seeing the determination in Ye Yuzhi’s eyes, Aunt Liao thought she shouldn’t cut off her son’s prospects.

An Ran was her daughter and already married, with a title and a son of her own, ensuring a secure future without Aunt Liao’s worry.

Ye Yuzhi was different; even as an illegitimate son, he was still a son and the eldest son at that.

The Old Duke and his wife, Young Master, and the new madam wouldn’t possibly arrange a good marriage for Ye Yuzhi, instead hoping he would live a muddled life on his monthly allowance.

But Ye Yuzhi wasn’t like that, having been painstakingly raised by Aunt Liao for over ten years, she had diligently molded him in studies, martial arts, character, and habits, fully understanding his nature.

Her son had more responsibility than she imagined.

Her life had already been made a mess by the Duke Mansion, should Ye Yuzhi also become a complete sacrifice?

Aunt Liao was unwilling, she was unwilling for Ye Yuzhi; how could the son she raised with the expectations of a successor of the Duke Mansion live a mediocre life?

That would truly waste Ye Yuzhi’s years of hard work.

Aunt Liao gave all her private savings to Ye Yuzhi as travel money, advising him not to pack luggage when departing, just leaving like usual, and once out of the Capital, he could buy whatever he needed with silver.

So unknowingly, by the time the Duke Mansion reacted, it was already the next day.

Even if they wanted to find someone, figuring out from which gate Ye Yuzhi had departed would still leave them clueless about his destination.

"Your brother is missing, and naturally, they come to ask me," Aunt Liao sneered, "but I turned it around on them, saying my son is missing, and I should be the one asking them for him; it’s because I’m worried about the missing Yu Zhi that I fell sick."

Princess An Ran understood, she didn’t pursue further about Ye Yuzhi’s whereabouts.

If Aunt Liao didn’t say, she wouldn’t ask. As long as her brother was well and Auntie was good, she was at ease.

"A few days ago, your Aunt from the Du Family came to see me, and I spoke to her," Aunt Liao laughed, "she’s quite enthusiastic; after all, we’re sisters, if I live well, it reflects well on her too."

Adding flowers to brocade is easy, but sending charcoal in snow is hard.

In recent years, this is what Princess An Ran understood best.

Liao Family could help Aunt Liao in few places, but as long as there was this sentiment, Princess An Ran appreciated it.

Seeing Aunt Liao wasn’t seriously ill, Princess An Ran sat for a while before leaving.

While passing through the garden, she encountered her legitimate sister, Ye Jinzhi.

They had a significant age gap, and Ye Jinzhi was raised by the Old Duke’s wife, so they were not close and now only saw dislike for one another.

Ye Jinzhi spoke with sarcasm, inevitably mentioning Ye Yuzhi’s foolishness and Aunt Liao’s sharpness.

Princess An Ran ignored her and turned to leave.

Ye Jinzhi followed, muttering under her breath, and when An Ran truly ignored her, she stamped her foot in frustration and didn’t follow further.

The maid next to An Ran felt angered on her behalf.

An Ran found it amusing.

Ye Jinzhi had always resented her, envying to the point of hatred.

The illegitimate elder sister was favored and acted dominantly in the mansion, whereas Ye Jinzhi, as the legitimate, was lower in status.

When the elder sister received a title, becoming Princess An Ran, Ye Jinzhi was indeed lower.

Ye Jinzhi almost grew up chasing An Ran’s footsteps.

She wanted everything good that An Ran had; she wanted a title, she desperately wanted to be better than An Ran, but she couldn’t achieve it.

Until An Ran fell from her pedestal, Ye Jinzhi suddenly felt she had a turnaround, she was arrogant and laughed.

But in An Ran’s eyes, Ye Jinzhi was still on her old path.

By the time the new madam fully took control of the Duke Mansion, the children of the original wife would also fall from grace.

An Ran could still marry Huo Ziming, who loved, protected, and listened to her, but Ye Jinzhi’s marriage was uncertain.

By the time Ye Jinzhi married, it would likely be when the sisters truly walked separate paths.

For a Ye Jinzhi like this, An Ran couldn’t be bothered to quarrel or argue with her.

In the evening, Du Yunluo and Mu Lianxiao were about to head to Baijie Hall for a meal when Yu Zhu lifted the curtain and entered, smiling, "Madam, someone from the Chengyi Bo Mansion is here."

Du Yunluo’s heart skipped a beat.

The nanny who entered was dressed in festive attire, her smile pushing the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes into flowers: "Madam, our lady has just given birth to a son."

Du Yunluo was more concerned about Du Yunying’s condition.

Du Yunying had been pregnant for ten months, nearly bedridden the entire time; this pregnancy was truly difficult.

Upon hearing from the nanny that both mother and child were safe, Du Yunluo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Du Yunluo asked Jin Rui to prepare some reward silver and instructed her to hand over the longevity lock, Yingluo Circle, and a package of gold and silver ingots to the nanny.

She would be departing the next day and couldn’t attend her nephew’s third-day ceremony, so she asked the nanny to bring the gift back.

The nanny thanked her with a broad smile.