Phoenix's Requiem

Chapter 131: Already Betrothed

Everyone stilled in shock when they heard Yun Moyuan’s words.

Yun Sen turned to his nephew. “What nonsense are you saying?”

“Uncle, I’m not speaking nonsense,” Yun Moyuan replied. “I’m an adopted child!”

“Who did you hear that from? That’s pure nonsense!”

Yun Moyuan glanced at Madam An before replying, “From Madam An!”

The crowd’s gaze then swiftly turned to the woman by Yun Lan’s side. Not expecting that Yun Moyuan would single her out like that, she hurriedly asked, “Moyuan, when did I ever say anything of the sort to you?”

“The day I went to visit you, Madam An, I unintentionally overheard your words to my cousins.”

“Oh! How could you eavesdrop on my conversations with your cousins!” Madam An pretended to be shocked. She glanced askance at Yun Lan, noticing that he was still looking at Yun Moyuan impassively, before turning to Yun Feng. “Zhu’er’s death anniversary is coming up, isn’t it? I was hoping to pay her a visit with my daughters, but I accidentally revealed too much—I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”

Zhu’er referred to Yun Feng’s wife, who had passed away early into their marriage.

Madam An both accepted responsibility for the disclosure while pushing much of the blame to Yun Moyuan for eavesdropping on her conversation. Even if Yun Feng was annoyed at her for her revelation, he could hardly reveal his displeasure.

After sighing, he replied, “Sister-in-law, you don’t have to blame yourself. I didn’t intend on keeping this from Moyuan forever, and it was you who helped me obtain this child in the first place. Now that he’s all grown up, it’s perfectly suitable for you to be the one to reveal the truth to him.”

“You mean, it’s true?” Yun Sen gaped as he listened to the conversation.

Only Madam An, Yun Lan, and Yun Feng knew about this entire affair.

“Yes, it’s true,” Yun Feng affirmed. “I’ve also promised Moyuan that, if he’s willing, he can go back to his birth parents’ home at any time.”

“Brother, how can that be?” Yun Sen stood up from his seat. “The Yun family raised Moyuan, so how can he just leave because he wants to?” Turning to Yun Moyuan, he continued, “Moyuan, are you so ungrateful that you’ll simply leave the family despite all the effort your father spent to raise you?”

“Third Uncle, I…” Yun Moyuan was stumped for words.

Even though he was already seventeen, he had been spoiled from birth. He only ever thought about his own feelings, never those of others, let alone of grand principles like equity and gratitude.

Only when Yun Sen brought up the matter did he realize how ungrateful his actions would seem to the family who had raised him from birth.

But when Yun Moyuan took a glance at Yun Ruoyan’s profile, he suddenly felt that nothing could be more important than she was. If he couldn’t enjoy spending time with the woman of his dreams, how would he ever be happy in this lifetime?

And if he weren’t happy, then everything would be meaningless.

What’s more, even if he decided not to be a descendant of the Yun family, wouldn’t he still be a husband by marriage? It would just be a change in his position in the family.

“Third Uncle, even if I do decide to find my birth parents, I won’t leave the Yun family,” Yun Moyuan concluded. “After I marry Sister Ruoyan, I’ll still be a member of the Yun family.”

“What?!” Yun Sen cried out in shock. “You’re going to marry your sister?!”

“That’s right,” Yun Moyuan responded seriously. “I’m only planning on meeting my birth parents in order to marry Sister Ruoyan.”

“Yun Moyuan, don’t you dare talk nonsense!” Yun Moxiao shouted, marching to his side. “Don’t think that I won’t hit you in front of everyone present!”

But Yun Moyuan only stuck out his chest and continued fearlessly, “Even if you beat me to death, my love for Ruoyan won’t change! I will marry her as my wife!”

“You brat, you’re asking for it!” Yun Moxiao looked as though he would go on a rampage, but Yun Sen stopped him in time.

“Moxiao, he’s still your brother, isn’t he? Don’t be rash!”

“Who wants to be his brother?!” Yun Moxiao thundered. “If he keeps saying such nonsense, I’ll give him a beating whenever I see him!”

“Brother,” Yun Moyuan called out to Yun Moxiao. “You’ve never fully loved someone before, so you don’t know how I feel. I love Sister Ruoyan, and I’ll marry her no matter what it takes!”

Yun Ruoyao’s mouth was agape. What was so good about this Yun Ruoyan to make even her insufferably arrogant cousin behave in this manner?

She looked toward Yun Ruoyan, who was standing quietly in the center of the hall. Her head was slightly lowered and her eyes vacant as she slowly ruminated on some thoughts in her mind. At any rate, she seemed to be completely uninvested in the affair.

Yun Ruoyao continued criticizing her mentally. Even if Yun Ruoyan weren’t possessed by a fox demon, she certainly knew how to charm men! Otherwise, how could she have so many men all fawning over her?

Pei Ziao was one such, and Li Qianxiao, and even the Slaughtering King Li Mo! This time, even her own cousin had fallen prey to her womanly charm.

“Moyuan,” Yun Feng finally spoke up, rebuking his son. “You might not be my son by blood, but you’ve lived with Ruoyao, Ruoyan, and the others for more than a decade. How can you possess such immoral feelings to a girl whom you’ve thought of as your sister for so long?”

“Father,” Yun Moyuan replied, inclining his head beseechingly, “if I were truly your son, and if the blood of the Yun family flowed through my veins, I would surely refrain from acting upon such desires. However, I’m not your son by blood, so why can’t I express my honest feelings? You often regale me with stories about your ardent feelings between you and Mother—about how you’re willing to remain single for the rest of your life in honor and respect for her. I’d like to follow in your footsteps and have such a deep, sincere relationship of my own.”

Yun Moyuan’s words truly seemed heartfelt. Almost everyone present was touched by his feelings, all except Yun Ruoyan.

With the experience born of two lives, Yun Ruoyan stalwartly refused to believe his so-called “deep, sincere relationship”. They hadn’t suffered together, nor had they survived any life-or-death situations. His claim was solely predicated on her beauty!

It was laughable that he was willing to give up his position as a member of the Yun family on just this impulse.

“Moyuan, are you sure that you truly love Ruoyan?” Yun Feng asked.

“Yes, Father, I’m sure.” Yun Moyuan turned to Yun Lan, who still hadn’t said a word. “Uncle, I know you must be infuriated with me, just like Brother Moxiao. I swear to you, if you betroth Ruoyan to me, I’ll certainly treat her well!”

Yun Lan finally turned to Yun Moyuan. He had watched him grow up, and he knew that Yun Moyuan’s personality was bossy, domineering, and selfish. His talent was average at best, and he was actually rather easy to manipulate.

There was, however, a quality of his that Yun Lan did appreciate: whenever he was truly fixated on something, he was willing to give up almost anything for it.

This was a trait that Yun Moxiao shared, and Yun Lan couldn’t help but think about how he’d displayed the same characteristic while he was pursuing Lin Yuemei. And in the end, he had indeed claimed her.

Yun Lan then looked toward Yun Ruoyan, who had maintained the same inscrutable posture ever since she had entered the hall. She was perfectly expressionless, as if nothing that was being discussed here would concern her.

What was she thinking? This was a question that suddenly appeared in Yun Lan’s mind, followed by shock.

Yun Lan was used to being able to predict everything. Even if he were in the emperor’s presence, he found it almost laughably easy to predict his plans and motives, and he’d never had to guess at his thoughts.

But although he could easily follow the emperor’s train of thought, was he unable to do so for his second daughter, only a young girl of thirteen? When had Yun Ruoyan completely extricated herself from his grasp?

Yun Lan had once held high hopes for Yun Ruoyan, believing that she would be able to help the Yun family prosper, anticipating that she could help improve relations between the Yun family and both the crown prince and the Slaughtering King.

Those beliefs, however, were made under the assumption that he could control her. However, it seemed as if Yun Ruoyan was gradually amassing power of her own and using that power to free herself from the constraints of the family.

Furthermore, she would soon be entering Kongming Academy. At that point, Yun Ruoyan would become yet another unknown factor in Yun Lan’s plans, making him feel quite uneasy.

Yun Lan’s dark eyes suddenly flashed as he thought of a trick. He looked at Yun Moyuan, his lips curling into a smile.

“Good, good!”

When Yun Moyuan heard Yun Lan’s words, his expression turned eager. “Uncle, you mean…!”

“I mean that you’d be a good match.” Yun Lan turned once more to Yun Ruoyan, continuing, “I’m assured that you’ll be a good husband to Ruoyan.”

“Father!” Yun Moxiao was the first to protest. “No, I refuse!”

“On what grounds?”

“Ruoyan’s about to enter Kongming Academy, so how can you plan her marriage right now? What’s more, Moyuan’s a far inferior cultivator—”

“Enough.” Yun Lan waved a hand, breaking off Yun Moxiao’s words. “My mind is set.”

Yun Moxiao turned to Yun Ruoyan, who seemed as unperturbed as ever. A mysterious smile defined her lips. “Father, you can’t promise me to another man, because I already have a marriage betrothal.”

As soon as Yun Ruoyan spoke, Yun Moxiao froze in shock.

Before he could react, Yun Ruoyan continued patiently, “Father, aren’t you aware that the emperor himself has betrothed me to the Slaughtering King during the empress’ flower-viewing party?”

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