Yun Yue nodded and tossed her up a little higher. "As you wish, you will be called Su Youran, and you won't change your surname! You are my daughter, Yun Yue's daughter, and I will protect you!"

"Thank you, Daddy!" Little Youran looked at her father, who had been so good to her in both her lives, with bright, sparkling eyes. "Put me up high again!"

Yun Yue laughed and tossed her up a few more times.

Looking into her daughter's longing eyes, Madam Su felt a pang of sadness.

Jiang Mingyi has never spent time with his child, let alone held him.

Little Youran giggled and played for a while before Yun Yue handed her over to Granny Li, saying, "Take her out to play. Your mother and I have something to say."

Xiao Youran nodded obediently.

While patting her chest, which was almost bursting with laughter, Madam Yun scolded, "You rascal! You're a Duke now, how dare you be so bold? Weren't you in the palace? Why did you rush back? Are you afraid that your mother will mistreat your daughter?"

Little Youran was carried out by Granny Li. Hearing the voices behind her, she felt relieved.

Now that my mother has achieved her wish of being with her beloved and enjoying the company of her great-aunt, she will surely live a peaceful and worry-free life.

Upon closer inspection, Yun Yue noticed that Madam Su's eyes were only slightly red, but her face held a contented smile. Hearing her mother mention "her own daughter," he immediately felt relieved.

He immediately stepped forward, took Su's hand, and led him to kneel down respectfully before Old Madam Yun, kowtowing and saying, "Thank you, Mother, for your kindness."

Madam Yun laughed again, "For the past ten years or so, you've spent most of your time away from home guarding the border. Don't you secretly resent this old woman?"

Yun Yue raised his head and quickly shook his head, "Your son wouldn't dare."

Madam Yun sighed, "Get up quickly. If I had known you two would eventually become husband and wife, why would I have played the villain for nothing more than 10 years ago?"

Yun Yue led Su Shi by the hand, first helping her to sit down on a chair, and then he himself lifted his robe and sat down next to Su Shi.

Looking at his cautious manner, Madam Yun smiled and said, "Very well, now that you are husband and wife, there are some things I no longer want to hide from you. Perhaps knowing will be more beneficial to the Yun family."

Yun Yue and Madam Su exchanged a glance, both understanding the meaning behind their mother's words.

After hesitating for a moment, Madam Su asked, "Mother, could there be another story behind what happened back then?"

Madam Yun nodded, took a sip of tea, and then sighed, saying, "You were not even 13 years old that year. Normally, marriage wouldn't happen so quickly. Although you were adopted by the Su family, you grew up under my care and were childhood sweethearts with Yue'er. I originally wanted to keep you by my side as my eldest daughter-in-law to fulfill the bond between my daughter and me. But that year... your eldest uncle suddenly sent me a letter."

Yun Yue asked in surprise, "Uncle? The head of the Su family?"

As far as he knew, the head of the Su family had almost no contact with his mother since she got married.

Madam Yun nodded. "You must know that I severed ties with the head of the Su family when I got married. But you would never guess that this was all an act we put on."

Yun Yue was even more surprised, "A play?"

"The Su family controlled almost the entire grain supply and cloth trade in Dingzhou, making them the richest family in the region. But wealth is a powerful motivator, and the border general of Dingzhou had long coveted our Su family's wealth. When I married Lord Yun, he was only a fifth-rank general. My father foresaw the potential danger facing the Su family and secretly entrusted me with half of their fortune, instructing me to smuggle it out of the Su family under the guise of my dowry. He also orchestrated a scene with my elder brother, having him publicly humiliate me on my wedding day, mocking me relentlessly, so that I would sever all ties with him and vow never to accept a single needle or thread, a single grain of rice, from the Su family again. From that moment on, I would cut off all financial ties with the Su family."

He glanced at Madam Su. "Later, a few days later, the old master sent you to my side, actually just to use the excuse of having a niece so that the two families could have some normal correspondence. You were my elder brother's nominal adopted daughter, and it was actually my sister-in-law who corresponded with me. You became my only excuse to contact my maternal family, so naturally I was happy. Therefore, I devoted myself to teaching you and raising you, treating you as my own daughter along with Yue'er and the others. I had four sons but no daughters, so naturally I truly regarded you as my daughter, wishing you could truly become our family. If I hadn't received that letter from my elder brother later, how could I have had the heart to tear you and Yue'er, this loving couple, apart?"

Yun Yue grew increasingly anxious as he listened, "Mother, what exactly did my uncle write in his letter?"

Madam Yun took a deep breath and lowered her voice, "Your maternal uncle has found out Ya Rong's true background."

Su's heart skipped a beat.

Madam Yun dipped her finger in the tea and wrote the character "Di" on the table.

Yun Yue's eyes widened.

Were the Su family members from the Northern Di?

Su looked at the word in disbelief.

Madam Yun wiped the water stains off the table. "At that time, your father had just taken over the Dingzhou army and received the title of Marquis of Pingyuan. He had also fought fiercely with the Northern Di people for decades, making them mortal enemies. He simply could not accept a Northern Di woman as his eldest daughter-in-law. Moreover, as a general guarding the border, if he had a Northern Di woman as his wife, and if outsiders found out, he would inevitably be impeached by the court, and in serious cases, he would be suspected of treason. At that time, Yue'er was already 16 years old and had made initial achievements in the army, with a bright future ahead of him. For the safety of the Marquis's mansion and for Yue'er's future, I had no choice but to send Ya Rong back to the Su family in Dingzhou before you two could express your feelings for each other. I also quickly arranged for Yue'er to marry a daughter from the Zhou family."

Madam Su looked at Old Madam Yun in shock. So that's how it is!

She always thought that Madam Yun had seen through her little scheme and that her aunt couldn't accept a woman she had always regarded as her daughter marrying her son, which was why she sent her back to Dingzhou.

“But…now…my background…” Su was so shocked that she could only utter a few words intermittently.

Madam Yun understood her meaning and smiled, "Now that the old man is gone, and Yue'er has made great contributions and become a Duke, no one will be able to hinder his future. At the same time, the Yun family no longer holds the Dingzhou army and is fighting against the Western barbarians in Liaozhou. You are also deeply trusted by the Emperor. Even if your background is exposed, it will not be possible for our Yun family to be charged with treason."