The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 39: Great Talent, Small Use

Yun Qianyue watched as Yuzhu chattered away, thinking to herself that this old man truly was shrewd!

"Miss, please come inside! The old lord has already risen and is waiting for you to pay your respects," Yuzhu said with a smile, noticing that Yun Qianyue wasn't moving.

Yun Qianyue smiled and stepped inside. Cailian, seeing that Yuzhu hadn't followed her in, stood respectfully outside the door.

"Stinky girl, how many troubles have you caused from last night until today? Do you even dare to come here?" Just as she was about to lift the curtain, the old lord's scolding voice came from within.

Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes. When did she ever meet this old man without being scolded? She lifted the curtain with one hand, revealing a somewhat obsequious smile as she walked in. "Didn't you say that if someone bullied your granddaughter, she should fight back? I've acted according to your instructions. Last night and this morning, I was bullied again, so I fought back."

"Hmm? Tell me how you fought back!" The old lord, who was getting dressed, raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yesterday, my big sister and a group of her friends blocked my courtyard to bully me, beat my maid, and wanted to hit me. They even said you were an old fool. I could endure being bullied, but when she dared to insult you, I couldn't let it go. So..." Yun Qianyue instantly perked up, her anger evident as she recounted the events from the previous day.

"So you just crippled one of her hands?" The old lord nodded, listening intently.

"Uh-huh! Crippled her," Yun Qianyue said, observing the old lord's expression. No matter how much he disliked that woman, she was still his granddaughter.

"I thought you had improved, but look at your lack of progress! Someone who doesn't protect their sister and insults their elders deserves to be beaten to death. Crippling her was too lenient!" The old lord reprimanded Yun Qianyue.

"Uh..." Yun Qianyue hesitated, then muttered, "How could I dare? I'm not you! I can't just kill someone at will. I only crippled my big sister's hand. This morning, the side consort Feng came looking for me with great fury and nearly had me executed on the spot. If it weren't for Mo Li, you wouldn't have been able to wait for me to pay my respects!"

The old lord snorted. "Since she came to find you, how did you manage to come out?"

Yun Qianyue pouted, thinking that after all, the side consort Feng was her stepmother and a woman of rank; what she had done was somewhat tricky. She chuckled and stepped forward to help the old lord fasten his remaining buttons, whispering, "I had Mo Li throw her into the lake..."

"Ah..." Before she could finish, a sharp knock landed on her head. The pain made her smile instantly turn into tears. Did this old man need to hit her so hard? Holding her head, she looked at the old lord with grievance. "Grandfather, you said that if someone bullies me, I should fight back. Why are you hitting me?"

"Look at your lack of progress! I gave you my hidden guards for you to waste like this? You actually had him throw a woman into the lake? That's such a waste of talent!" The old lord's face was filled with anger as he glared at Yun Qianyue, filled with disappointment. "I should have hit you!"

"I..." Yun Qianyue recalled Mo Li's strange look at that moment and suddenly fell silent. It was indeed a waste of talent.

"What are you saying? Just throwing a woman into the lake? You needed a hidden guard for that? Silly girl! You treat a treasure like a weed. I doubt you're really my granddaughter!" The old lord shook his head in exasperation, ready to poke her forehead.

Yun Qianyue felt frustrated. How was she supposed to know? She wasn't really Yun Qianyue. Everyone used to praise her intelligence and talent, saying she was the most talented in her generation and always completed tasks flawlessly. How was she to know that in this new life, she would be scolded for being foolish so many times? She felt speechless. Lowering her head, she took on a contrite attitude. "I didn't know! I won't do it again. If I'd known I could have thrown that woman myself, I wouldn't have had Mo Li do it... Ah..."

Before she could finish, she received another hit on her head. Angered, she shielded her head and backed away. "I've already admitted my mistake. Why do you keep hitting me? Are you addicted to it?"

The old lord huffed. "I hit you to make you realize that you're more precious than he is. Your status and skills mean that you shouldn't be the one to get your hands dirty. You are the legitimate daughter of the Yun Prince's residence; no woman in the entire Heavenly Saint Dynasty is as precious as you. Besides, the Phoenix Scripture I passed on to you isn't meant for throwing a woman into the lake! Nonsense!"

"Phoenix Scripture?" Is that my martial arts? Yun Qianyue was taken aback. Could it be powerful?

From the old lord's expression and words, it seemed the Phoenix Scripture was quite impressive. However, she had easily been captured by the fourth prince, unable to break free, and those women said she had weak martial arts. She felt something wasn't quite right. Was it really that impressive?

"Stupid girl! What kind of look is that?" The old lord glared at her with wide eyes.

Yun Qianyue immediately collected her thoughts. If it truly was powerful, wouldn't she be in luck? Once she figured it out, who would dare to bully her? Thinking of this, she no longer felt annoyed. Smiling brightly, she said, "What you said is correct! I shouldn't have done it myself, nor should I have let Mo Li do it. I should have forced the side consort Feng's subordinates to throw her into the lake! Our involvement would have been elevating her status!"

The old lord huffed again, signaling his approval.

Yun Qianyue rubbed her nose, wiping away a layer of dust. This should be considered passing the test, right? At least if the prince or anyone else came to settle accounts with her, they would have to get past the old lord first.

"You silly girl, what other ideas are you plotting? Do you think just because I'm backing you, everything will be fine? Hmph! Don't even think about it. You have to resolve this matter yourself. I'm too busy to deal with you!" The old lord went back to scolding Yun Qianyue.