Phoniex Requiem
Chapter 94: Something More Powerful

Chapter 94: Something More Powerful

As soon as she finished her report, Madam An left the place of matriarch Yun. However, when he heard the sound of laughter sounding, he could not help but stop once more.

He was truly a demon, capable of gaining the generosity even from someone as ingenious as the old mistress. Wasn't he okay before? What a good and obedient child. How did the devil finally possess her? We can't let this continue! Madam An sighed, even starting to feel sorry for the old Yun Ruoyan. Who knows what happened to his soul? Even if we forcefully banished that demon from his body, he might already be an idiot by now. At least it will save us all from trouble!

"Mrs, am I okay?" Madam An's maid, Hong Yu, asked her anxiously. Madam An suddenly stopped moving and her face loosened. However, suddenly, his lips curved into a smile. A very strange change made Hong Yu afraid of her mistress.

Madam An walked out of her daydream, waved at Hong Yu, and walked back. As he did so, he wondered, "It has been a few days since I gave Ling Lan the real wine, so why hasn't Yun Ruoyan shown any reaction?"

“Call Ling Lan. I have some questions for him.”

Not long after Madam An left, Yun Ruoyan noticed that her grandmother looked a bit tired, so she said goodbye.

Matriarch Yun gestured for her servant to take out the sandalwood box, which she handed over to Yun Ruoyan. Matriarch Yun opened it in front of her, revealing some ornaments and jewelry, as well as some taels of silver.

The jewelry was not as beautiful or precious as Lin Yuemei had left it to her, but it was still precious. There were about a hundred taels of silver, not too many but also not too few. Although the Lin family still had some money, Yun Ruoyan did not want to beg her grandfather unless absolutely necessary. This hundred taels of silver would be enough to handle his urgent financial needs.

“Ruoyan,” matriarch Yun started, “During this, I didn't give you much. Take a box of this stuff and buy some nice dresses.”

Yun Ruoyan thanked her grandmother before leaving with the box.

When she reached the door, as if she had suddenly thought of something, she turned around and asked, "Grandmother, is my sister going back for your birthday?"

Matriarch Yun was already lying on her bed, and her servant was covering her prone body with a thin blanket. When he heard Yun Ruoyan's question, he opened his eyes for a moment and said, "I've already told your father to send a letter to the barracks, but I haven't got an answer."

"Oh, so?" Yun Ruoyan looked a little sad, but she quickly comforted. “Grandma, happy resting. Tomorrow, if I'm free, I'll play cards with you again.”

Matriarch Yun's servant, Xiao Lan, sent Yun Ruoyan out the door. As he turned around to wait for matriarch Yun once more, Yun Ruoyan called out to him back.

"Xiao Lan," Yun Ruoyan smiled as she withdrew her hand.

Xiao Lan turned around and looked back at Yun Ruoyan. Her dark and thick hair, her starry smile, and pretty face really made her look pleasing to the eye.

"Miss Ruoyan, is there anything else I can do for you?"

Yun Ruoyan took out a jade bracelet from her sleeve and placed it on Xiao Lan's wrist.

"Miss, I can't accept this!" Xiao Lan tried to remove the bracelet, but Yun Ruoyan held her hand as she said, “This is just my thanks for the design of the phoenix orchid that you have shown Xi Lan. He had already embroidered it on my pillow, and I wanted to ask for a smaller design of the same kind for my sandals. Xiao Lan, do you have time to make me such a picture?”

Therefore as a thank you for his efforts, Xiao Lan could not refuse the gift. He immediately agreed to make a picture of Yun Ruoyan as quickly as possible. When he returned to the matriarch's place, Xiao Lan showed him her jade bracelet. The matriarch nodded and gestured for Xiao Lan to keep the gift.

"This kid, he's been waiting all this time to ask that question, isn't he?" Matriarch Yun's eyes closed, but she did not feel as sleepy as before. “Brothers since birth, but there is no way to communicate with each other.”.

Xiao Lan interrupted, “I think Miss Ruoyan is a bit pathetic. He obviously missed his older brother, but did not dare to ask directly about him. Madam, did you see how sad she was when you told her that there was no news?"

Matriarch Yun sighed. “Xiao'er is basically stubborn, and very protective of her sister. Three years ago, when he returned for a vacation, he seriously injured his cousin Moyuan. If he found out that Ruoyan was expelled from the family academy, he would definitely make a big fuss.”

"But won't the young master find out when he comes back?" Xiao Lan asked worriedly.

“Now different.” Matriarch Yun started to smile. “Ruoyan fought hard and managed to get into Kongming Academy based on his own determination. With her intelligence, she would definitely not complain to him.”

Returning to Madam An's residence, Hong Yu finally found Ling Lan and took her. At the moment she did, Madam An impatiently tapped her finger on her tea table. "Why did you two come back after all this time?" he asked coldly.

Ling Lan was her usual trembling self.

“Mistress An, Xi Lan insisted on dragging me into the main kitchen to help make Miss Ruoyan a little soup while the cooks were napping. He told me to help start the fire, and only after a full hour was I free enough to go.”

Madam An looked at Hong Yu, who nodded confirming Ling Lan's words. Only then did his face soften, and he continued, "Did you put what I gave you into the soup?"

"Hm." Madam An nodded and thought for a moment before she concluded, “Continue doing what you've been doing all this time. You can come back.”

At this point, Ling Lan was so anxious that her heart would jump out of her mouth. This was the first time he had lied to Madam An. Fortunately, he always seemed to be afraid of something or another, so he didn't need to hide how nervous he was.

When Madam An finally fired her, she was greatly relieved. He turned around and was about to leave when he was called back.

"Here, here's to you." Madam An handed a bag of fragmented silver taels to Hong Yu, who then gave the bag to Ling Lan.

“Keep working hard for Madame An, and she won't take care of you,” Hong Yu added.

Ling Lan took the money bag in gratitude, bowing once and again, before Madam An finally dispersed it once more.

In Yun Ruoyan's hut, Peony and Xi Lan were embroidering.

Ling Lan held a handkerchief in her hand as she sat gracefully on the bamboo bench. Imitating Madame An, she parroted, “How is Ruoyan? You should keep an eye on him and his servants if they do anything unwanted. Make sure you are not caught!”

"Ehem." Ling Lan coughed, changed her posture, and raised her wrist. "Here, here's your present."

...----------------...

At this moment, Peony and Xi Lan had long since removed their needles and rubbed their stomachs as they tried to stop laughing.

“Yeah, Ling Lan, you really are something!” Xi Lan gripped her stomach as she pointed a trembling finger at him. "I thought you were an honest girl, but you are even more cunning than me!"

"Oh, you," Peony smiled at Xi Lan. “That's all because you've taught him the wrong thing!”

When Yun Ruoyan walked back with the red wooden box, the first thing she noticed was that her three servants were all laughing like crazy women.

“You share what's funny?” Yun Ruoyan smiled as she walked over.

Xi Lan immediately jumped up and repeated Ling Lan's movements. Ling Lan had long since stood up from the bench and stood respectfully to the side, her head bowed and her cheeks reddened.

Suddenly, Ling Lan raised her head and took out a bag of silver, which she handed to Yun Ruoyan. "Miss, here's Mrs An's gift to me."

Yun Ruoyan switched from the silver in her hands to her body. The servants of the Yun family had different uniforms based on their rank. Ling Lan was a third-rate servant, and she wore hemp. Her clothes were rather neat, but a third-rate maid had to have her own footwear. Ling Lan's sandals were worn out and had been patched up many times.

“Because he gave it to you, you have to keep it. Get a good pair of sandals for yourself, ”instruction Yun Ruoyan.

'Miss even cares about her sandals?' Ling Lan's heart warmed, and she almost started crying.

Meanwhile, in Madam An's room, Madam An had called Yun Ruoyao, Yun Ruoyu, and Yi Qianying. "We really can't let this demon do what it wants" Madam An began. "Even the old madam has been fully brought to his side!"

Yi Qianying added, “First, it was the crown prince, then the matriarch Yun. Next, is it Dad? Once everyone was bewitched by him, he would control the entire family!”

“Then.... Then, what should we do?!” Yun Ruoyu started to panic. Everyone present hated Yun Ruoyan, but only she and Yi Qianying hated her with bitter hatred.

“Mother, didn't you have someone put real wine in her food? Why does it not affect?” Yun Ruoyao asked.

“It is possible that the cultivation of this demon is so high that even ordinary realgar wine will have no effect,” Madam An replied with weight.

“Mother, what are we going to do?! You have to find the solution! We can't let him keep doing what he wants!” Yun Ruoyu called out.

Madam An looked at her suspiciously, unhappy with her commotion.

"If ordinary realgar wine doesn't work, then we just need to use something more potent." Madam An's smile is cynical.

Yun Ruoyao, Yun Ruoyu, and Yi Qianying were excited simultaneously. "What's that?"