Chu Ruoyan was taken aback.
She had initially worried that the child might hold a grudge due to Yan Zheng's "background."
To her surprise, he was afraid Yan Zheng would abandon him...
She quickly ushered him inside, set down the food box, and asked earnestly, "Who told you that your Third Uncle would abandon you?"
Yan Wenjing's lips quivered, his face crumpling with even greater distress. "Everyone says so... That annoying Gu Hongzhi said it, even Teacher Tang said it. They all claim my Third Uncle is the Princess's child, and now that he's risen to prominence, he won’t return to the Yan Family..."
Chu Ruoyan couldn’t help but laugh. After all, he was still a child—when it came to someone he cared about, even his clever little mind stopped working.
"Is that so? Then did your Third Uncle return to the Yan Family today?"
Yan Wenjing froze, blinking in confusion.
Chu Ruoyan pulled him onto her lap. "Wenjing, no matter whose child your Third Uncle is, he will always be your Third Uncle. How he has treated you all these years—you know in your heart, don’t you?"
"But... but he treats me well because he’s brothers with my father!" Yan Wenjing protested anxiously.
Chu Ruoyan teased him, "But isn’t your Third Uncle’s father also General Yan? Aren’t they still brothers?"
"That’s different! It just... it just is!"
Unable to articulate why, the little dumpling puffed out his cheeks in frustration.
Chu Ruoyan chuckled. "Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Wenjing, your Third Uncle may have initially treated you well because of the heir’s position, but as time passed and you spent more time together, he genuinely grew fond of you. Unless... you doubt your own charm?"
Yan Wenjing paused, considering this. "Well... no. In his eyes, I’ve always been very, very well-behaved!"
"Then what are you still worried about?"
The little dumpling finally relaxed, throwing his arms around Chu Ruoyan’s neck and planting a loud kiss on her cheek. "Third Aunt, you’re amazing! But when are you going to marry Third Uncle again? The whole family is waiting for you to come back!"
Chu Ruoyan’s face flushed, and she was about to scold him for being such a little busybody—
When suddenly, a chill ran down her spine. She turned sharply and caught a glimpse of a shadow flitting past the window.
"Steward Fang! Madam Li!"
She scooped up Wenjing and rushed outside.
But the area outside the window was empty—no one was there.
Steward Fang and Madam Li hurried over at her call. Chu Ruoyan asked, "Did either of you see someone outside the window just now?"
They exchanged glances and shook their heads hesitantly.
Chu Ruoyan’s heart tightened, though she maintained a calm expression. "Ah, perhaps I imagined it. With the border conflicts and the unstable situation, Steward Fang, it might be wise to hire more guards and tighten security around the estate."
Steward Fang agreed, but she silently resolved to inform Yan Zheng upon his return.
Someone was targeting the Yan Family—and it seemed they were after Wenjing...
By the time she left the Yan Family and picked up Chu Ruolan at Tianyi Tavern, night had fully fallen.
Strangely, the streets were nearly empty, patrolled instead by an increased number of guards.
"Elder Sister, have you heard?" Chu Ruolan whispered, peering out through the carriage curtain. "Two hours ago, a man covered in blood rode into the capital on horseback. The people at the tavern said it was an urgent military dispatch—the southern barbarians have invaded again!"
Chu Ruoyan’s gaze sharpened.
Old Xu’s intelligence had been correct. No wonder there were so many patrols—a curfew would likely be imposed soon!
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than a soldier galloped out from the imperial city, waving a command flag. "By the Emperor’s decree—a curfew begins at dusk! All households are to remain indoors unless for urgent matters—"
His voice echoed through the nearly deserted streets, now completely emptied.
The coachman quickened their pace, but Chu Ruolan grew uneasy. "Father hasn’t been home these past few days... Could we really be going to war?"
For sheltered noblewomen like them, war and battlefields were distant concepts.
Chu Ruoyan thought of the sand table and meticulously marked maps in Yan Zheng’s study and sighed softly. "Even if war comes, it’s unlikely to reach the capital. Don’t worry."
The ones who would bear the brunt were families like the Yans—and the countless sons they sent to the front lines.
Just then, a troop of soldiers approached. Their leader called out, "Whose carriage is this?"
"The Duke of Chu’s Mansion!" the coachman answered hastily. "The eldest and third young misses are inside. We’re heading back now—please grant us passage..."
Hearing this, the soldier straightened. "Is County Princess Changle in the carriage?"
Chu Ruoyan confirmed, and the man immediately ordered his men to step aside. "Greetings, County Princess. The Five City Patrol has received word that southern barbarian spies have infiltrated the capital. Please return to your estate swiftly to avoid encountering any danger!"
Chu Ruoyan’s pulse quickened.
The southern barbarians had the audacity to send spies into the capital itself?
She thanked the soldiers and urged the coachman to hurry. But as they rounded a corner near an alley, the carriage curtain stirred—and a shadowy figure slipped inside!
"Agh—mmph!"
Chu Ruolan’s scream was cut short as a hand clamped over her mouth.
The glint of a dagger pressed against her throat as the intruder hissed, "Not a sound—or I slit her throat!"
The warning was directed at Chu Ruoyan.
Her brow twitched as she took in Chu Ruolan’s terrified expression—her forehead still bruised from earlier misfortunes.
This younger sister truly had the worst luck, encountering trouble twice in one day.
"County Princess, Third Young Miss—is everything alright in there?"
The coachman called out, having noticed the flicker of the curtain but unable to see clearly in the dark.
The intruder tightened his grip on the blade in warning.
Chu Ruolan’s eyes pleaded with her.
Chu Ruoyan replied calmly, "It’s nothing. But slow down—the jostling is giving me a headache."
The coachman eased their pace with relief.
The shadowy figure glared at Chu Ruoyan, brandishing the knife as if to remind her not to try anything.
But Chu Ruoyan ignored the threat, studying his silhouette instead. It bore an uncanny resemblance to the figure she’d glimpsed outside Wenjing’s window...
"So it was you."
Her quiet words startled the intruder. After a beat, he let out a low chuckle. "As expected of the Chu Family’s eldest daughter. Sharp eyes."
"Your Chinese is flawless—you don’t sound like a southern barbarian. Then why sneak into the Yan Family? What do you want?"
At the mention of the Yan Family, the man’s eyes blazed with sudden fury.
"What do I want? Ha! You ask me what I want?"
He spat the words through gritted teeth. Just then, the carriage passed a grand residence, its entrance illuminated by two bright red lanterns. In that fleeting glow, Chu Ruoyan saw it clearly—
The man’s eyes were phoenix-shaped, identical to Yan Zheng’s.
