Crossing Over to Yamada Love

The old marquis looked at the woman before him with surprise. How could a woman from such a remote and impoverished place have such courage? Seeing him, she remained unfazed, did not answer his questions, and even questioned him in return. This shouldn't be the case. Could it be...? Hope rose again in the old marquis's heart.

"My daughter, have you ever seen a jade pendant like this?" The old Marquis took out the jade pendant and handed it to Mo Lan.

Mo Lan paused for a moment, suppressing her surprise and keeping her expression unchanged, before stepping forward to accept the jade pendant with both hands.

Mo Lan examined the jade pendant carefully; she recognized its appearance. It was made of the same material and had the same pattern as her grandmother's, the only difference being the inscription. It seemed to be a token between relatives. Could this old Marquis really be a relative of her grandmother's?

In fact, Mo Lan wasn't the only one surprised; Xue Lingfeng and Xue Lingyun were also astonished upon seeing the jade pendant. They were both familiar with it.

Xue Lingfeng subconsciously touched his own pocket. Lanlan's jade pendant was still there. So the Marquis's pendant was his own. What about the one in his pocket? A thought flashed through his eyes.

Xue Lingyun then turned her gaze to her elder brother. Wasn't this Lanlan's jade pendant? Wasn't it always in Fifth Brother's possession? Why is the old Marquis taking it out now? What's the connection between these two things?

"My lord, may I ask what this jade pendant is?" Mo Lan asked, feigning confusion as she held the jade pendant.

"This jade pendant is an heirloom of my ancestors. I wonder if you have ever seen a jade pendant like this before?" The old Marquis did not say much. He would not speak until he found out.

Mo Lan frowned. The other party was a marquis, a man of noble status. He couldn't possibly allow a commoner like her to be too presumptuous. Should she speak or not? The other party said that the jade pendant was an heirloom, so he must be a relative of her grandmother, right? He shouldn't be an enemy.

Mo Lan gritted her teeth and decided to take the gamble. She knew that the three Xue brothers knew about the jade pendant, and there was no way to hide it from them. She might as well find out the truth.

“Your Excellency, I have seen such a jade pendant before,” Mo Lan said calmly.

Although her voice was calm, it sounded like a thunderclap to Marquis Dingyuan.

"Really?" the old marquis asked, a sharp glint suddenly flashing in his eyes, though it carried a hint of urgency and excitement.

Seeing Mo Lan nod, the old Marquis continued, "Where have I seen it before? Who owns the jade pendant, and what is their relationship with you, young lady?"

Seeing the old Marquis's urgency, Mo Lan became even more certain of her guess.

"Your Excellency, I have seen jade pendants like this before, but they are not quite the same as this one. The back of this pendant is engraved with the character 'Lan'." Mo Lan did not answer the Marquis's question, but instead talked about the jade pendant.

"Yes, yes. The jade pendant I'm looking for has the character 'Lan' engraved on the back. Tell me quickly, young lady, where have you seen it before? Where is the owner of the jade pendant?" The old marquis's eyes lit up. The fact that the other party could recall the engraving on the back of the jade pendant proved that she had indeed seen it before, which meant there was hope of finding the person he was looking for.

"Your Excellency, this jade pendant is not with me. I know who has it, but that person is someone I cannot afford to offend. I dare not say, and I hope Your Excellency will forgive me. However, if Your Excellency could explain the relationship between this jade pendant and Your Excellency, I would tell Your Excellency even at the cost of my life." To be on the safe side, Mo Lan did not directly mention her grandmother.

Her words made the old Marquis frown, while Xue Lingyun glanced at her brother, and Xue Lingfeng was both amused and exasperated. This girl, how come he was someone she couldn't afford to offend? And she was even willing to risk her life? She was just fooling the old Marquis, but judging from this, her grandmother was probably the person the Marquis was looking for.

The old Marquis looked at Mo Lan. She was his hope in finding the person, and besides, she looked exactly like that person. He couldn't bear to hurt her. She had her own difficulties, and there was nothing wrong with him talking to her.

“Since you have concerns, then I will explain. There are three jade pendants. They were carved by skilled craftsmen at the request of our elders. The front of the pendants is the same, but the inscriptions on the back are different. They were given to my two siblings. My second brother and I still have ours, but my dear sister was separated from us decades ago. This jade pendant was her personal possession. We have searched for her everywhere over the years without success and have never heard from her.”

"Upon seeing you today, I felt you bore a resemblance to my long-lost sister, which prompted me to inquire. I never imagined you would actually have seen the jade pendant. Could you please tell me who possesses this pendant? If you are willing to tell me, I will certainly reward you handsomely." The Marquis of Dingyuan then explained his relationship with the pendant's owner.

Mo Lan understood. She remembered that when she first arrived, her grandparents had whispered late at night that she resembled her grandmother the most, which was why her grandmother doted on her so much. If the old Marquis was her grandmother's brother, then it wasn't surprising that he looked at her like that. But if her grandmother had such a background, why hadn't she ever mentioned it? Ah, right, she remembered Xue Lingfeng saying that the old Marquis had once lived in Dandong and couldn't leave. It seemed that her grandmother's family had committed some crime back then.

"May I ask, Your Excellency, what is your name?" Mo Lan understood everything and decided to find out her grandmother's brother's name so she could go back to the inner hall and tell her grandmother. She couldn't rashly claim the name on her grandmother's behalf.

"My name is Wang Zhonghui. May I ask you my question, young lady?" The old marquis was getting anxious. Why was this young lady asking him questions without answering them?

"My lord, please have a seat. The dishes haven't been served yet. I'll go down and urge them on for you." Mo Lan had just finished speaking when she saw the old marquis's murderous gaze. His eyes were full of anger, and she was afraid that if she left like this, he would be furious and punish her.

Thinking of this, Mo Lan smiled and said, "As for the jade pendant, please don't be angry, my lord. The jade pendant is on Young Master Xue's person. You can ask Young Master Xue for it. I will come back later."

After speaking, Mo Lan bowed and turned to leave.

The old Marquis didn't stop her. She had already told him where the jade pendant was, so he couldn't refuse to let her go. But how did the jade pendant end up in the Xue family's hands? Young Master Xue. Was it Feng'er or Ling Yun? He looked up at the two of them.

Seeing the old Marquis's gaze, Xue Lingyun hurriedly looked at his elder brother. The old Marquis glanced at the composed Xue Lingfeng and understood that the jade pendant was in Xue Lingfeng's hands.

"Feng'er," the old Marquis called out, his eyes filled with urgency and confusion.

Xue Lingfeng didn't say anything, but reached into his pocket, took out the jade pendant, and handed it over with both hands.

The old Marquis's eyes gleamed as he looked at the jade pendant in Xue Lingfeng's hand. Trembling, he took it, stroking it repeatedly. Yes, this was the jade pendant—his sister's pendant, no doubt about it. Tears welled in the old Marquis's eyes. He had finally seen the jade pendant again! But where was his sister?

"Feng'er, where did you get this jade pendant? Quickly, tell me!" the old Marquis asked, his emotions running high.

"My lord, this jade pendant was pawned to me by someone. I don't know the relationship between this person and you. If it's convenient, could you tell me? I have a rough idea of ​​who you are looking for, but I don't understand the details and can't be sure yet." Xue Lingfeng didn't mention Mo Lan. The girl hadn't brought it up, probably asking around in the back room. He decided not to say anything for now.

"Alright, since Feng'er isn't sure, then Grandpa won't hide it from you anymore. I'll tell you so you can understand. After you hear it, Feng'er must tell me where the person is." The old Marquis didn't force Xue Lingfeng to tell him first, because he knew this child was a thoughtful person.

The old marquis's gaze became somewhat profound as he drifted into memories of the past.

"That year, my father was imprisoned after the Fifth Prince ascended the throne because he supported the Second Prince. He was framed by treacherous people and died tragically in prison. My mother attempted suicide by hanging but was saved. Afterwards, our whole family was sentenced to exile to the harsh and cold land of Dandong." The old Marquis recounted the story with a voice that had an indescribable quality.

"Dandong is a remote place, far from the capital. We traveled all the way to the border between Qingyuan Town and Shangyuan Town, where there is a stronghold called Qingfeng Village. There, we were stopped by a group of bandits. After a bloody battle, the bandits retreated. In that incident, I lost one of my half-brothers, one of my concubines, and even my three-month-old son, whom she was holding in her arms, was killed. My second brother's wife and her own daughter were also killed by the bandits."

After burying them and counting their remains, we discovered that my own sister was missing. There was no one nearby, and no body was found; she had simply vanished into thin air. Because we were the family members of a disgraced official, exiled, the soldiers wouldn't allow us to stay. No matter how much we thought about it, we had no way to stop searching for my sister.

Upon arriving in Dandong, we sent people to inquire everywhere, but there was still no news. It was as if she had never existed. Later, we entered the capital and gained the Emperor's favor. Every year, we went to the vicinity of Qingyuan Town to inquire, but we still had no news of the girl.

I secretly thought that the girl must have been rescued, and if she ever faced financial difficulties, she might have pawned her jade pendant. So, starting from Qingyuan Town, we went to every pawnshop to inquire, hoping to find out any news about the girl.

This is the twelfth town we've searched. Heaven has finally granted me the chance to see the jade pendant. If my little sister is still alive, and if I can find her, I can finally give my mother some peace of mind.

Five years ago, when my mother passed away, she held my hand and told me I had to find my younger sister. She only had this one daughter, and she couldn't close her eyes in peace without seeing her one last time. I promised my mother I would find her. Actually, even if my mother hadn't told me, I would have found her anyway. She's my only sister, and when we were little, she was very attached to me, her older brother. But we haven't seen each other for so many years; I don't know if fate will ever give us that chance again.”

After recounting his story, the old marquis couldn't help but burst into tears; he was truly moved. His own sister, whom he had parted from when she was only sixteen, had been gone for decades, and he had heard nothing from her since; the siblings had never met. He wondered if he would ever see her again in his lifetime.