The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 28: Meeting Grandfather

Li Yun thought to herself that she knew she had martial arts skills, but did she have hidden guards? She had no idea...

"Go reflect on yourself! So I won't have to look at you," Grandfather Yun said, his beard quivering in anger.

With her head lowered, Li Yun slowly walked to the Eight Immortals table and sat down properly.

"Every time you're bullied, you have this downcast look. You really haven't made any progress. Stay further away from me," Grandfather Yun waved his hand dismissively as if shooing away a fly.

Li Yun was speechless. It was hard to imagine that Yun Qianyue endured this kind of scolding every day. She could only stand up and walk toward the door. If the door was far away, wouldn't walking away suffice? She didn't want to be here anyway! It was better to return to her own courtyard and room, shut the door, and figure things out before making any moves.

"Come back! Did I let you leave?" Grandfather Yun noticed Li Yun heading for the door and grew angrier.

Rolling her eyes inwardly, Li Yun reluctantly turned back, not caring if she would make a fool of herself in front of Rong Jing. She just wanted to get through this phase. With a pitiful look, she softly said to Grandfather Yun, "But it's far outside! If you don't let me go, where can I go?"

Rong Jing chuckled softly.

"What...?" Grandfather Yun seemed to realize he had another person present. It was too embarrassing to scold his granddaughter like this in front of others. Clearing his throat, he awkwardly said, "Then sit back down!"

"Yes!" Li Yun sat down again. This time, she felt braver, picking up the tea on the table and drinking it in large gulps, regardless of whether it was hot or not. She hadn't eaten a grain of rice or had a drop of water all day.

"Really rude!" Grandfather Yun glared at her, but it seemed he was also worried she might burn herself, calling out, "Slow down! Slow down! Hey, you little brat!"

Li Yun set down the teacup, stuck her tongue out at Grandfather Yun, then turned back to refill her cup, drinking it down in one go again.

She realized that this body belonged to Yun Qianyue, right? That would work. As long as she didn't reveal anything, who would guess such a bizarre thing? There was no basis for them to suspect her of being fake. They could only assume she had changed her temperament. With this thought, her heart relaxed. Being tense and worried was not her style. She would take things as they came!

Grandfather Yun snorted, no longer paying attention to her.

"Looks like Old Master Yun is in good spirits and still sharp when scolding people. It seems he has recovered from his illness," Rong Jing remarked, smiling at Li Yun, who had just stuck out her tongue at Grandfather Yun.

"I wasn't sick at all! I was just protecting this little brat," Grandfather Yun pushed aside the blanket.

Li Yun was astonished; so he had been pretending all along?

Rong Jing appeared unfazed, still smiling, not showing any surprise.

"What are you looking at? If I weren't protecting you, would I have bothered to pretend to be sick? The Emperor wouldn't care about you, but he would consider this old bone of mine. You're my only granddaughter. If you got killed, I wouldn't go and smash my head against a wall? I wouldn't be able to face your deceased mother," Grandfather Yun glared at Li Yun as his beard twitched again.

"Yes, yes, you're right. Your pretense of being sick is truly wise and brilliant," Li Yun nodded vigorously, then asked in confusion, "But don't I have many half-sisters? If I die, there are still plenty left!"

"Hmph! If I don't acknowledge them, then they don't count," Grandfather Yun snorted again.

Li Yun rubbed her nose. She didn't understand the situation, so she didn't know what to say. She lowered her head and fell silent.

Grandfather Yun seemed to have vented his anger and ignored her, turning to speak to Rong Jing.

"Yun Meng, bring the dinner to my room. The Young Master Jing and this little brat will have dinner together with me tonight," he commanded.

"Yes, Old Master!" Yun Meng, the head steward, who had been outside the door, replied and went down.

Rong Jing did not object or refuse, seeming to comply with Grandfather Yun's arrangement.

Li Yun thought to herself that this person really had no concept of courtesy. But since he saved her, he deserved a meal.

After giving the order, Grandfather Yun turned back to talk to Rong Jing.

Not long after, dinner was served, and the three sat down together. Li Yun had been hungry all day and immediately grabbed her chopsticks, only to be harshly tapped by Grandfather Yun. Embarrassed, she forced a smile and slowed down her movements.

Rong Jing, on the other hand, moved gracefully, chewing slowly with an air of elegance befitting a gentleman. Li Yun couldn't imitate him, so she could only sigh inwardly. She had always believed in eating quickly, just like working.

Grandfather Yun seemed to have opened up, gradually chatting more with Rong Jing. He talked about everything from his grandfather to himself, how he had won the top scholar in the civil and military examinations over the years, to how he had won against the Emperor in chess today... Rong Jing answered every question and occasionally tilted his head to listen to Grandfather Yun, his expression calm and unhurried. This made Grandfather Yun quite pleased, even more animated as he spoke. When he heard that the Emperor was pulling his hair in frustration over a move, he laughed heartily.

The atmosphere in the room became lively, and the two clearly enjoyed each other's company, leaving Li Yun in the cold.

At first, Li Yun listened attentively, but soon she began to feel drowsy after eating her fill. She remembered that she hadn't slept a wink the previous night while trying to dismantle a timed explosive device. Now, after a day of narrowly escaping death and a series of anxious events, with everything finally behind her and her body and mind relaxing, she couldn't hold on any longer and gradually fell asleep with her head on the table.

Before sleeping, she couldn't help but marvel that this person was indeed the number one prodigy of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty! He truly had the talent to back it up.

Rong Jing caught a glimpse of Li Yun's head leaning on the table, her breathing steady, and a smile crept onto his lips, but he didn't say anything.

Grandfather Yun was still immersed in his story and didn't notice that Li Yun had fallen asleep. After talking for a while, he finally felt thirsty and reached for the teapot on the table, only to find it empty. He realized that Li Yun had fallen asleep with her head resting on the table. Furious, he shouted, "Brat! Get up! How can you sleep while we have a guest? You really have no manners!"

Li Yun jolted awake, startled and half-asleep.

"I thought you had learned a lesson and made some progress, but you're more out of line than ever. Tell me, in this capital city, which noble young lady behaves like you? Your mother was gentle and graceful back in the day. How did she end up giving birth to a brat like you? I must have done something wrong in a past life to have a granddaughter like you who causes me trouble every day," Grandfather Yun glared at Li Yun and began scolding her again.