The legitimate daughter returns to the capital and embarks on a splendid life, tearing apart the fak

Upon seeing Yunxiu, Liu Zhixue frowned and said, "Didn't I tell you not to come over recently? Focus on comforting your mother. Why are you here again?"

Yunxiu casually said, "What are you afraid of, Mother? I told Mother I was buying a gift for that wretched girl, and she doesn't know I came to see you."

She took off the hood of her cloak and sat down opposite Liu Zhixue. Her gaze swept over the empty room, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes.

"Mother, why are you dressed like this? Where are your clothes? Why is it so cold in this room? Couldn't you burn more charcoal? And this stuff, couldn't you have bought something nicer? This room looks so shabby."

Liu Zhixue glanced at her and said indifferently, "Do you think I want this? All my clothes have been stolen, and even all the money I saved is gone. What am I going to buy?"

Yunxiu was stunned: "All gone? Then... then what about the dowry you saved for me?"

Liu Zhixue looked up at her, her eyes filled with bitterness: "Dowry? Gone! The storeroom was emptied, everything is gone. All the wealth I painstakingly accumulated has ended up benefiting someone else."

Yunxiu's expression immediately changed: "Where's Father? Didn't Father give you any money?"

Liu Zhixue sighed, her voice weary: "How much money does your father have? How much is his monthly salary? He gave me five hundred taels of silver notes. What can that buy? Mother can't even afford a decent piece of clothing now."

Yunxiu gritted her teeth, took out two silver notes from her bosom, and handed them to Liu Zhixue: "Mother, I only brought two hundred taels with me when I came out. Take this for now and I'll think of something else later."

Liu Zhixue looked at the two silver notes but did not reach out to take them.

She looked at Yunxiu with a mixture of relief and heartache in her eyes: "Keep it for yourself. You're a young lady; you can't be without money."

"Mother, please take this." Yunxiu stuffed the silver notes into her hand. "I have plenty to eat and wear in the manor, so I don't need any money. You can have this..."

She paused, then didn't continue.

Liu Zhixue clutched the silver note, her eyes slightly reddening. She reached out and touched Yunxiu's hair, whispering, "Xiu'er has grown up."

Yunxiu leaned on her shoulder for a while before remembering the important matter.

"Mother," she looked up, her voice tinged with grievance, "I came to ask you, the manor is going to hold a family recognition banquet for her tomorrow, are we just going to stand by and watch?"

Liu Zhixue withdrew her hand and asked calmly, "If we don't keep an eye on it, what else can we do? Can you stop it?"

Yunxiu cried out in alarm, "Mother, please think of something! Since she entered the manor, Mother has become distant from me, keeping her constantly by her side. Before, Mother only had eyes for me, but now? The way she looks at that wretched girl is more affectionate than she looks at me! What should I do?"

Liu Zhixue did not speak.

Yunxiu leaned closer, her voice extremely low: "Mother, is she... that child?"

Liu Zhixue was silent for a moment before saying, "I don't know. I sent someone to Qingping County, but they haven't returned yet. We can't say for sure whether she is or not."

Yunxiu bit her lip, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in her eyes: "What if she is?"

"Even if it were, it wouldn't affect you." Liu Zhixue looked at her calmly. "At most, your dowry would be a little less. Your father wouldn't disown you; the General's Mansion is your maternal grandparents' home. What are you afraid of?"

"But why should she?!" Yunxiu's voice suddenly rose, her eyes reddening. "If she hadn't come back, Mother's heart was with me, and her dowry belonged to both Yunlang and me. Now that she's back, Mother will definitely give her a portion of the dowry! That should have been mine all along!"

Liu Zhixue just looked at her calmly, without saying a word.

Yunxiu called out for a long time, but when she saw Liu Zhixue just looking at her indifferently, she suddenly realized that she had lost her composure.

She took a deep breath, suppressed her surging emotions, lowered her head, and whispered, "Mother, I was wrong."

Liu Zhixue asked calmly, "Where did I go wrong?"

"I..." Yunxiu bit her lip, "I didn't control my emotions."

Liu Zhixue then spoke, her voice soft but each word clear: "Didn't I tell you that you must never show your emotions? Your emotions are your biggest weakness. If your mother had seen you like that just now, what would she have thought? Do you think she would have thought you were afraid of losing her, or that you were heartbroken over your dowry?"

Yunxiu lowered her head, not daring to reply.

Liu Zhixue continued, "Remember, no matter what, you must never let anyone easily see through your thoughts. The angrier you are, the more you should smile. The more you want something, the more you should pretend to be indifferent. Only in this way can others not figure out your true intentions."

Yunxiu whispered, "Xiuer will remember."

Liu Zhixue looked at her and softened her tone: "Then tell your mother, what do you want now?"

Yunxiu raised her head, her eyes filled with resentment: "Mother, I'm really not reconciled. Just let her become the second young lady of the Yun family so easily? Couldn't we have thought of a way... to ruin the family reunion banquet? Like, to ruin her reputation..."

"Snapped!"

Liu Zhixue slammed her hand on the table, her face ashen: "Are you crazy?"

Yunxiu shrank back in fright and dared not utter a sound.

Liu Zhixue stared at her, saying each word clearly, "Do you think that no one will suspect you after you've done all this? Your mother isn't stupid, and your maternal grandmother is even more shrewd. Who are the people attending tomorrow's family reunion banquet? The General's Mansion, the Grand Tutor's Mansion, all the nobles and dignitaries in the capital. Do you think you can get away unscathed by causing trouble in such a setting?"

Yunxiu's face turned pale.

Liu Zhixue continued, "Even if you manage to succeed by sheer luck, what will your mother think? She'll suspect you first! She can't do anything to you, but think about it, your marriage will ultimately go through her. If she's disillusioned with you and just finds you any random family to marry into, what can you do then?"

Yunxiu broke out in a cold sweat, and stammered, "Then... what should I do? Just watch her smugly do what she wants?"

Liu Zhixue sighed, beckoned her to sit beside her, gently patted her back, and said softly, "Xiu'er, listen to your mother. Whether that girl is that child or not, you don't need to worry about it. You've been in the manor for fifteen years, and in terms of affection, you and your mother are definitely closer. Even if she loves that girl a lot, it can't surpass your affection."

Yunxiu raised her head, looking at her with teary eyes.

Liu Zhixue wiped away her tears and continued, "That girl comes from a small town. Her talent, manners, and experience—how can she compare to you? Your mother is only nice to her now because it's new and she feels sorry for her. After a while, when she's taken out to see the world, she'll naturally show her insecurity. Then, what will those ladies from prominent families in the capital think of her? Will your mother still treat her the same way?"