“How could Yan’er dare to deceive Miss? Not only that, ever since Miss entered the palace, Master has learned from her that she made a mistake and was punished. Every time he returns home, he sighs and laments, unable to eat or sleep properly. Fearing that Madam would worry, he always lied and said it was because of his duties in the palace. It was only because Yan’er kept asking Master about Miss’s situation that Master had no choice but to tell Yan’er the truth. Miss, do you know that in this mansion, Master actually loves you the most?”
"Then why, why is Father always so cold towards me?" After hearing Yan'er's words, Yi Shangyun's mood became heavy again, and he lowered his head and murmured in confusion.
Suddenly, she reached out and lightly touched the tumor on her face, frowning as if she had a guess, and whispered to Yan'er, "Could it be... that this red birthmark on my face makes Father feel ashamed, and that's why he's cold towards me?"
Yan'er continued her skillful massage while replying, "I have no idea about that, but Miss, you could try to ease the tension between father and daughter. Judging from how much Master cares for you, he's not truly estranged from you. After all, he bears some responsibility for the birthmark on your face."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun immediately sat up from the couch, took Yan'er's hand, stared intently at her, and asked, "What do you mean by saying that this birthmark is also partly his responsibility? What exactly does that mean?"
Yan'er realized she had let something slip and was instantly terrified, not daring to look up at her questioning eyes.
"Tell me quickly!" Under Yi Shangyun's repeated urging and questioning, she had no choice but to look around and lower her voice before saying, "Miss, Yan'er overheard this by accident. Please keep it a secret."
“Just say it, I know what I’m doing,” Yi Shangyun agreed.
So, Yan'er bit her lip and recalled for a moment before saying, "On the day that Young Master Lu from Xiqin Academy came to break off the engagement, Yan'er was going to deliver the Ruyi hairpin that she had ordered a few days ago to Madam. But Master was also in the room. Yan'er was about to leave when she vaguely heard Master and Madam arguing, saying... saying that the birthmark on Miss's face was caused by someone deliberately poisoning her when she was born?"
"Poisoning? Do you know who did it?" Yi Shangyun exclaimed in surprise.
Yan'er pursed her lips and shook her head. "The master and madam were speaking very softly inside the room. Yan'er only heard fragments of their voices and didn't hear the name of the person who poisoned them. Yan'er guesses that it must be because one of the reasons Young Master Lu came to annul the engagement that day was because of the red birthmark on Miss's face, which is why the master and madam suddenly brought it up."
Yi Shangyun muttered to himself, puzzled, "If that's really the case, why would this person do such a terrible thing to a newborn baby? Moreover, the original owner's parents witnessed the poisoning, so why didn't they stop it?"
“Miss, so in Yan’er’s opinion, it’s all the fault of Master and Madam for not taking good care of you, which led to you being poisoned by villains and having your appearance damaged. They are certainly to blame, aren’t they?” Yan’er said angrily.
However, Yi Shangyun didn't listen to her. She only pressed her for details with a somewhat probing tone, asking, "Is there anyone else in the manor who knows about this? For example... Aunt Lan or some of the older people in the Yi household?"
Yan'er turned her gaze to the side, thought for a moment without blinking, and then replied, "No one else should know. I overheard it by accident. I've never heard anyone in the manor mention this before..."
Suddenly, Yan'er paused for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "Oh... Yan'er remembers! I think I vaguely heard Madam mention that someone gave Miss a jade bracelet."
After hearing this, Yi Shangyun pondered for a moment, then raised one of her hands, parted her sleeve, and asked, "Is it this jade bracelet?"
Yi Shangyun excitedly showed off the seven-colored gold and jade bracelet on her wrist, but Yan'er could only shake her head when she saw it. "Miss, Yan'er really doesn't know what kind of bracelet it is?"
Seeing that Yi Shangyun was extremely disappointed and frowned, lost in troubled thought, Yan'er quickly said, "Alright, stop thinking about it. Miss just returned to the manor tonight, so please rest well first. We can make plans for these things later."
As she spoke, she helped Yi Shangyun lie down again, covered her with the brocade quilt, and then slowly lowered the light purple curtains. After tidying up her things, she gently closed the door and left.
Lying on the bed, quietly watching everything before her, Yi Shangyun suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity and warmth, whether it was her own consciousness or that of the original owner.
But after a moment, she couldn't help but ponder: it turned out that the original owner's parents already knew that the birthmark on her face wasn't a birthmark at all, but rather a result of poisoning. Now it seemed that the only way to find out the secret was to ask the original owner's parents themselves.
However, just as Yan'er had said, the original owner's parents had kept this topic a secret for years, so much so that even Aunt Lan was unaware of it. She was certain that this was a huge secret, and it must be related to the person who gave her the jade bracelet. That person had poisoned her face, yet gave her such a valuable jade bracelet—a piece of jewelry that even Aunt Lan and her precious daughter didn't possess, yet only she had it. Why was that?
In the quiet winter night, fine snowflakes began to fall from the sky again.
So much has happened in just a few short months since she traveled through time, it's like a dream. She crossed a thousand years to arrive, but her fate has been so unpredictable. With no hope of returning home, she longs for a peaceful place to settle down, yet she is always destined to wander aimlessly.
She clearly arrived with a divine artifact, capable of manipulating events in this ancient kingdom, but unexpectedly, this artifact turned out to be a beautiful but useless gold and jade bracelet, truly deserving of its name.
If, as Yan'er said, this jade bracelet was indeed a gift from that mysterious person, then it seems to be involved in another great secret.
She had initially thought that this seven-colored jade bracelet with gold threads came from the 21st century as her only way to remember Wei Mingxuan. But now it seems that it has truly become another miracle existing in this parallel universe.
Yi Shangyun suddenly felt a sense of irony about her life, and unconsciously began to stroke the gold and jade bracelet on her wrist. At this moment, however, all she could think about was Wei Mingxuan, and she couldn't help but let out a long sigh, "Sigh..."
The long night eventually turned into a night of heavy snowfall.
By daybreak, the snow had quietly stopped. All things in the world were utterly silent.
Not far from the Yi Mansion in the northwest corner of the city, there is Baicao Valley, a medicinal valley that is already full of mystery. The snow that fell that night seemed to cover it with a thin white veil, adding to its white tranquility.
Inside the Xiaoyao Pavilion, Yi Junhao got up early to get dressed.
At this moment, he was standing in front of a bronze mirror, bending down. Looking at himself in the mirror, he would sometimes raise his chin and sometimes lower it; sometimes turn his face to the left and sometimes to the right, carefully examining his well-maintained and carefully valued face.
She checked her makeup and her half-tied black hair and was fairly satisfied. Finally, she gently smoothed the few strands of hair that fell from her temples, revealing her thick eyebrows and a pair of captivating peach blossom eyes that were as enchanting as the spring equinox. Only then did she show a radiant smile in the bronze mirror.
He then strolled to another corner, picked up a thick, purplish-red cloak that exuded nobility and allure, put it on, and then held a rarely used but seemingly very precious longsword, gazing at it intently for a while before hurriedly leaving.
Just as he reached the entrance of Baicao Valley, he saw two familiar figures, different from usual, who, like him, were holding swords.
He looked up at the two of them in surprise and exclaimed, "Zisu, Baizhi...you two..."
The two women, seeing this, hurriedly came to Yi Junhao's side.
"What are you two doing so early in the morning?" Yi Junhao asked, looking at their posture.
Zisu seemed to harbor some resentment, but still said to him with a helpless expression, "Since Third Young Master has decided to disregard everything and go get that medicine, how can we stand idly by?" Baizhi also frowned and nodded frantically beside her.
Yi Junhao, however, glared at the two and angrily said, "Nonsense! You two are truly making a fool of yourselves! What does this matter have to do with you? I, the Valley Master, have instructed you to simply do what I tell you to do; you have no need to worry about anything else."
Zisu retorted without backing down, "Then let me ask you, what is the relationship between that ugly girl and the Third Young Master? How could the Third Young Master be so reckless and disregard his own life?"
"Shut up! I, the Valley Master, will not allow you to speak ill of that girl!" Yi Junhao was clearly losing his patience.
"It's not worth it for Third Young Master to do this. Third Young Master has an incomparably noble status and could live a carefree and unrestrained life. Let's go back, okay? The three of us can drink and chat like before, oblivious to worldly affairs, alright?" Zisu grabbed Yi Junhao's sleeve and tried her best to plead one last time.
Yi Junhao forcefully flung her hand away, turning to her and scoffing, "Hmph, if this girl can't live a peaceful and happy life, what good is it for me, the Third Young Master Yi, to possess the entire Lingkong Continent and live a life of unbridled indulgence? You two don't need to persuade me anymore. Once I've made a decision, I never look back. You two should hurry back and prepare for the things I've instructed you to do. I will definitely return safely. I still need to heal that girl's leg ailment."
After saying that, he didn't even glance at the two of them, and hurriedly stepped forward.
Suddenly, Zisu swiftly drew her long sword from its sheath behind him and held it against her swan-like neck.
Bai Zhi was startled and cried out, "Zi Su!"
Upon hearing this, Yi Junhao immediately stopped and turned around, his face filled with astonishment. "What are you trying to do? Are you threatening me, the Valley Master?"
Zisu's heart was pounding and her breathing was quickening rapidly. She clenched her teeth tightly, her eyes filled with pleading.
Seeing her remain silent, Yi Junhao remained calm and resolute, saying, "Fine, let me tell you this: even if the sky were to fall today, my mind is made up, and I will stick to my decision."
"Zisu, what are you trying to do? Don't scare me! Put the sword down and talk to the Valley Master properly. Please put it down!" Bai Zhi cried out in fear, clinging tightly to Zisu's arm.
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