After rebirth, she became the favorite of the powerful minister.

At the same time, in the forbidden area of ​​the back mountain.

Her clothes brushed against the newly sprouted grass by the roadside, rustling softly. Her delicate embroidered shoes trod across the uneven cobblestone path, her steps slow and deliberate, occasionally punctuated by a woman's soft reminders and admonitions, coming from afar.

It was Cui'er who was supporting Yu Wanyu. In contrast to her usual elaborate attire, the old lady today had only a simple wooden hairpin in her meticulously styled hair. She wore a dark blue long dress, which looked slightly thinner and lighter than usual, but her complexion was rosy and her breathing was heavy. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and stood in front of the last step, looking up at the locked black gate.

After spending several days befriending the servants in the mountains, Cui'er learned that the forbidden area behind the mountain was the location of the ancestral hall of the three clans. The largest one in the middle, with an ancient ginkgo tree planted at the entrance, belonged to the Yuan clan, where the memorial tablets of Yuan Dalang and his wife, as well as Yuan Qi and his sister, were enshrined.

However, the ancestral hall is a sacred and forbidden place. Even if you know the information from before, you can't get in without the key.

Yu Wanyu hadn't intended to go in anyway.

Firstly, it was, after all, the Yuan family ancestral hall, and it would be too impolite for her, as a woman of the Murong family, to enter someone else's ancestral hall. Secondly... Yu Wanyu remained silent for a long time, then sighed softly, "You wait for me here, I can go there by myself."

The mountain path was a bit slippery in the early morning. She had exhausted herself walking, and now she could clearly feel her legs were weak and unsteady. She lifted the hem of her clothes and slowed her steps even more. In just a few dozen steps, she walked slower and slower, taking smaller and smaller steps. Finally, when she was just two steps away from the black gate, she felt as if her legs were tied with stones, and she couldn't take another step.

She raised her hand, her fingertips trembled, then clenched it again, and slowly lowered it to her side.

"Shao'ai..." she called out, her voice low and hoarse, her expression weary, as if she had exhausted all her strength, she murmured softly, "They all say I'm dead... Sometimes I wish that were true too, that being dead would be better than living like this. But I'm afraid you still resent me, I... I have no face to see you... Shao'ai, I... your mother is sorry..."

A mountain breeze rustled through the grass, like a response from the deceased across time.

Yu Wanyu lowered her head and stared at her toes. Dew-covered grass blades clung to the embroidered shoes. She stared at them, a slight smile playing on her lips. "I didn't want to come. What does his life or death have to do with me? Why should I run around for his illness? I wish he were dead more than anyone else!"

The word "death" was spat out through gritted teeth, filled with bone-deep hatred, his face taut. Then, he lowered his head, smoothing a strand of hair at his temple, and chuckled softly, "Now I'm actually quite glad I've come this far… Shao Ai, I met your sister's daughter here. Although she lacks a bit in manners, I heard she's now the young mistress of the Earl's mansion, so it's not a disgrace. That girl is quite pretty, her appearance resembles Shao Rou more, but her eyes are like yours, and her personality… when she's quiet, she's like you, but her stubbornness is just like Shao Rou's. If you saw her, you should also feel happy… I am happy too."

“But I went to great lengths to drive her down the mountain, not wanting her to stay even a moment longer. She left without saying goodbye, without leaving a single word, which I suppose is because she resented me… I had no choice. All these years he has been seeking out sorcerers to dabble in strange and supernatural things. Although I don’t know what he’s trying to do, I will absolutely not let him pay attention to Shao Rou’s child again. That is my… only descendant.”

“Young Ai… I’ve been thinking a lot these past few days about what your child will look like. I’ve heard that the eldest son of the Yuan family is exceptionally handsome, so I imagine your child will be very good-looking too. Yuan Qi, Yuan Ge… is that what the name is? Such a sharp and intense name, it’s probably not what you’re looking for…”

The rustling of the grass grew louder, and Yu Wanyu turned around to see a person slowly emerging from around the corner. She stood there with her hands behind her back, wearing a long red dress, like the most dazzling elf in the mountains. Looking at Yu Wanyu, whose eyes were red-rimmed, she said softly, "The names Yuan Qi and Yuan Ge were indeed chosen by Young Madam Yuan. She said that neither men nor women need to be too gentle; one should have some edge in life so as not to be weak and bullied."

"You—didn't you go down the mountain? How come you're here?" Yu Wanyu's expression changed instantly. "When...when did you get there?"

"Early morning." Yuan Ge bent down to brush the dew off his clothes, his eyes sweeping over Yu Wanyu indifferently. "No need to call, Cui'er isn't here. These past few days, I've noticed you all seem quite bothered by my presence... So I went along with your wishes and pretended to leave, also to see what those people were really up to. I thought you'd come looking for me here, and I also had some questions I wanted to ask you, so I waited for you here." He smiled and asked, "Why don't we sit down and talk?"

The girl with her head tilted and smiling had a familiar look in her eyes. Whenever that child made a mistake, she would hide behind her sister with a smile, looking fearless.

“Alright.” Yu Wanyu nodded, her anger at being spied on leaving only deep helplessness. What could she do? She brushed the fallen leaves off the stone bench and sat down. After a moment of silence, she spoke first, “What you said… is it true? Shao Ai’s words… didn’t need to be so gentle…”

“Yes.” Yuan Ge nodded. “We talked about it before, I heard it from the Grand Elder.”

"She was such a gentle person..." Such a gentle person, yet she didn't want her child to be gentle. It must have been a deep wound to her, right? Yu Wanyu lowered her eyes and remained silent.

She sat there, head bowed, back hunched, her whole body curled up like a dying shrimp, utterly devoid of grace. Yuan Ge sized up the old woman, then cautiously asked, "Do...do you know how she died?"

The other person looked up, opened their mouth slightly, but didn't say anything.

Yuan Ge turned his head and looked at the heavy, dark door. He said softly, "She was killed by Yuan Ge. The four-year-old child was drugged by the Murong clan members who came to visit relatives and went mad. She killed her own mother with her own hands. It was an ordinary night."

Amidst the other person's stunned silence, she slowly forced a bitter smile. "She had thought it was just an ordinary night." If it was truly different, it was simply that a relative she had never met before had traveled a long way to see her...

“So, Grandmother…” Yuan Ge stared intently into the other woman’s eyes, unwilling to miss a single emotion. She lowered her voice and slowly said, “Could you tell me what he… Murong Zhen has been trying to achieve by searching for sorcerers to deal with the Yuan clan all these years?”