The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 147: Bickering is a Form of Affection (1)

Xian Ge's lips twitched, "Young Master, what time is it? You're still bickering with Miss Yun..."

"Just say what I told you to say!" Rongjing commanded.

"Understood!" Xian Ge had no choice but to look at Yun Muhan, who was in Yun Qianyue's embrace, and saw her wearing an expression that seemed to revel in misfortune. It was no wonder that his Young Master wanted to strike back at her; her expression was clearly asking for it, and it made him want to retaliate too. He immediately used secret sound transmission to say to Yun Qianyue, "Miss Qianyue, my Young Master wants you to know that the only ones currently residing in Yun Wangfu are the direct descendants. So, compared to the Rong Wangfu, the number of people here is indeed less. However, the side branches of Yun Wangfu are many, like the flood of the Yangtze River. It's said that soon they will all move into Yun Wangfu. Since you want to manage Yun Wangfu, you'll have plenty of people to keep you busy. You'll certainly have your hands full."

The clear voice reached Yun Qianyue's ears. She abruptly stopped her mocking sounds. Angrily, she turned to look at Rongjing, cursing, "Heartless, liverless, lungless, gutless, and full of blackness; you're all bad all over. You're just a rotten person!"

"Thank you for the compliment!" Rongjing kept his eyes closed and spat out a few words.

Yun Qianyue felt her blood pressure rising. She thought about how hard she had worked to treat his stubborn illness; what a fool she had been! Just as she was about to scold him again, Yun Muhan lowered his voice, "Stop messing around, we've arrived!"

Yun Qianyue had to swallow her anger but couldn't help giving Rongjing a fierce glare before turning her head back, pondering that if what Rongjing said was true, then she was indeed better off than he was! Just how large were the side branches of Yun Wangfu? Her head began to ache.

"Miss!"
"Qianyue!"
"Young Master!"
"Brother!"
"..."

As Yun Muhan and Xian Ge steadied themselves, a chorus of voices suddenly erupted at the entrance of the courtyard, and the crowd rushed in, surrounding the two of them.

"Qianyue, how are you?" The Yun Wangfu patriarch stepped forward quickly, his gaze focused on Yun Qianyue, who was in Yun Muhan's arms.

Although Yun Qianyue felt indifferent towards this father of hers, she couldn't just ignore the warmth and concern reaching out to her, so she responded faintly, "I'm fine! Just very hungry!"

"Then let's prepare a meal!" The Yun Wangfu was overjoyed and quickly waved to Cai Lian and the others.

"Yes, I'll go right away!" Cai Lian immediately dashed into the courtyard, followed closely by Ting Xue and Ting Yu, who quickly disappeared from view.

"Miss Qianyue returning safely is a relief for the old patriarch; I'll go send word to him right away," Yun Meng said promptly.

"Sorry to worry Grandpa; I appreciate it, Meng Uncle," Yun Qianyue nodded at Yun Meng.

As Yun Muhan continued forward, holding Yun Qianyue, he took big strides toward the eastern wing of the courtyard.

The old patriarch of the Yun family took a few steps forward, then turned to look at Rongjing in Xian Ge's embrace, "Young Master Jing, how are you?"

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle Yun. I'm fine," Rongjing opened his eyes and nodded at the patriarch.

"I'll go see Qianyue first; I'll visit you later," the patriarch said, throwing down his words before quickly entering the eastern wing.

Rongjing glanced at the people surrounding him. His pale face was serene, revealing no emotion.

Rong Linglan stepped forward joyfully to look at Rongjing, "Brother, you've finally been rescued!"

"Young Master, the old patriarch has been worried about you. He wanted to come personally, but as soon as he heard you were missing and fell ill, he sent the second and third masters, their wives, and old servants to come with him," the chief steward of the Rong Wangfu said excitedly.

"Welcome back!" The second master showed an expression of satisfaction.

"Indeed, I said that Jing is destined to have good fortune," the third master also expressed his relief.

"Now that father can rest easy, we all can feel secure," the fourth master added, equally pleased.

"Exactly! When we got the news, it startled us all. Especially your grandfather, who fainted dead away. Now that you're back, we can all relax. If anything had happened to you and then your grandfather, the Rong Wangfu would have collapsed," the second madam chimed in, her expression full of joy and relief.

"That's right! I heard that you were trapped in the hidden chamber of the Buddhist hall for three days and nights trying to save Miss Qianyue from Yun Wangfu. You really didn't know how valuable your life is, to be so reckless. What if something had happened to you? What would happen to the Rong Wangfu?" the third madam's look of joy mingled with reproach.

"Exactly! You shouldn't have put yourself at risk to save that spoiled Miss Qianyue from Yun Wangfu. You're the only direct descendant of the Rong Wangfu; why don't you take better care of yourself?" the fourth madam joined in, also with a hint of blame.

"Yes, Young Master, even if you don't value yourself, you should at least care for us," one of the young men added.

"Exactly. When we heard you were in trouble, everyone was thrown into chaos. Your grandfather fainted right away! It would be best for you to avoid such things in the future..." another slightly older young man remarked.

"Everyone, stop it! The Young Master is back safe and sound," a young boy in his teens suddenly shouted angrily.

"Yes, everyone, just shut up!" Rong Linglan was also a bit annoyed.

Rongjing had been quietly listening to the cacophony around him, not interrupting or saying a word.

As soon as the boy and Rong Linglan finished speaking, those who were about to speak fell silent, all looking at Rongjing. At that moment, they suddenly remembered that the person in front of them was Rongjing, not their target for scolding. Even if he had done something wrong, it wasn't up to them to criticize him. Although they were his elders, Rongjing's status was vastly higher than theirs, to the extent that even the Emperor would have to treat him with respect. This time, they had overstepped. The three madams lowered their heads, and the several young men stepped back a bit. The courtyard entrance fell into a deep silence.

"You all should speak less. Now that Jing is back safely, that's all that matters," the second master glanced at everyone before turning back to Rongjing, "Your three aunts and brothers are only concerned for you. Don't take what they just said to heart."

"I won't!" Rongjing replied succinctly, his expression calm. He did not show any displeasure, addressing everyone, "Since I'm fine, you should all go back! Just leave Xian Ge here to take care of me. You returning will help reassure grandfather." After saying this, he no longer looked at them, closing his eyes and instructing Xian Ge, "I want to rest; aside from Master Lingyin, no one else is allowed to enter this courtyard."