Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 287: Duke Uncle Yun Turns Out to Be Such a Villain!

Chapter 287: Chapter 287: Duke Uncle Yun Turns Out to Be Such a Villain!

Murong Jiu then went on to recount numerous other wicked deeds committed by the Yun Family.

As Jun Yuyan listened, he sat up straighter, his brow furrowed tightly.

Once Murong Jiu finished, he rubbed her hair and said to her, "The Yun Family has committed so many evils; they cannot be allowed to remain. I will make arrangements now and strive to topple them at the earliest opportunity."

"Mmm, you go ahead. Don’t forget to come back for dinner."

Jun Yuyan smiled, placed a kiss on her forehead, then strode out.

The study next door was his workspace, but if he had anything to discuss with aides or the Hidden Guard, he would go to the courtyard nearby—close enough for convenience but far enough not to disturb Murong Jiu and the children.

Through the newly made colored glaze window, Murong Jiu watched as Jun Yuyan hurried away. The snow beneath the bamboo grove had not yet melted, and Kai Xuan was frolicking about, his body completely dusted with snow.

She glanced at the dimming sky. Although this year was a bitter winter, the snow had stopped, and it was unlikely to fall again, but due to the low temperature, the snow did not thaw. After a few more days, the snow under the bamboo would harden and clump together; Kai Xuan would then no longer be able to play so joyfully.

She wondered what the scene would be like in court when spring came and warmed the earth.

"Princess Consort, Princess Consort! The corn has just been boiled! You should try it while it’s hot!"

Chun Tao ran in excitedly, carrying a food box. As soon as she opened it, the rich aroma of corn wafted out.

Murong Jiu perked up as well; corn from the Glazed Greenhouse has matured several times over already, but it hadn’t grown well, with only a few kernels on each cob.

However, the corn that had matured these past few days was a later crop, which fared better than the previous ones. She had already tried it twice—it was fragrant and pleasantly crisp, a flavor she had never tasted before.

Moreover, there were two types of corn: one type was crunchy and could even be eaten raw, while the other had a soft and sticky texture when boiled. Her master enjoyed that texture very much, praising its taste endlessly, while she preferred the crispy kind, with its unique corn aroma that was a delight in the cold winter days.

Chun Tao brought her the tender corn. Murong Jiu skillfully peeled back the husks and silk, revealing the lustrous, translucent kernels that steamed warmly.

Murong Jiu thought to herself that it was no wonder the first people in Great Yan to see it named it ’corn,’ as the kernels filled each cob like jade stones—unknowingly, one might even mistake it for a rare jade carving.

After Murong Jiu finished one cob of corn, she let Chun Tao and Hong Yi share the rest.

Without her instructions, everyone—including her master and her father and brothers—got a share of the corn from the Glazed Pavilion. However, everyone dared not eat too much of the well-grown corn, which they needed to reserve for seed so that planting could commence on the soil of Great Yan around April or May this year.

The temperature inside the Glazed Pavilion was appropriate, regardless of the season, but the cost of making such a pavilion was too high to be widespread among the common people. Ultimately, these crops had to be planted according to the seasonal cycle.

"Peasant Official Kang said that when the corn matures and dries up in a while, some will be used for seeds, and some will be ground into cornmeal for you to try, Princess Consort," said Chun Tao.

Murong Jiu nodded with a smile, "Good, I also would like to know how much corn can make a pound of cornmeal. But don’t grind too much; keep more for seeds."

"Rest assured, Peasant Official Kang, Lady Jing, and others are so eager, they wish they could cultivate new sprouts and plant every day to get more seeds before sowing in the open fields!"

"They really work so hard. Chun Tao, you and Hong Yi should go and help me check on them more often and ensure that they strike a balance between labor and rest. They don’t need to do everything themselves; they can delegate some work to those below."

Chun Tao and Hong Yi responded with laughter.

Recently, Murong Jiu often let them go for walks in the outer court. In reality, she had an ulterior motive, Chun Tao and Hong Yi had both reached the age suitable for matchmaking, but neither of them wanted to leave Prince Mansion, so the only option was to find someone within the mansion.

However, she also felt that leaving it to fate would be best, and she didn’t actively arrange anything.

After all, she couldn’t keep them cooped up in her courtyard forever, without going out to meet people, how would they ever find the right one?

During the conversation, Kai Xuan nudged open the door with its head and came in.

It had already shaken off the snow on its body before entering, but its fur was a bit damp. Murong Jiu took a towel and dried it off, and then it comfortably lay down on the carpet, soon starting to snore.

Murong Jiu chuckled, after drying it, she used a wooden comb to groom its fur. After finishing up, she heard crying from next door – a sound she was all too familiar with. It was the two children, hungry, searching for food.

The crying soon stopped, and not long after, the two little ones, full and satisfied, were brought over by their wet nurse.

It was time for bonding with the children. Murong Jiu smiled and played with the two little darlings, her maternal love overflowing. She kissed them over and over, not daring to kiss their faces, only their foreheads, and the tops of their heads where their hair was growing lushly, which was commented on by several wet nurses who said they had never seen infants with such great hair.

They had grown a bit bigger, and stayed awake longer than before, and their eyes could now focus on things farther away.

The second day of the second month, the day when dragons raise their heads.

It marked the transition from cold to warm and the revival of all living things, the time when agricultural work began. In Great Yan, there was a tradition of brewing wine for sacrificial offerings to the god Shang Mang, praying for a bountiful harvest.

Fortune smiled on them, that morning, a drizzle started to fall from the sky, as if dragons were extending their power to bring rain to Great Yan—a sign of favorable weather for the crops, promising a plentiful harvest.

Xiao Jin and Xiaoyu also took advantage of this day to get a lucky haircut, as the day when dragons raise their heads is an auspicious time thought to protect children’s healthy growth.

However, they only trimmed a bit symbolically and did not shave their heads to be completely bald.

The Prince Mansion was filled with happiness due to the festival, yet the event that occurred outside was like a bolt of lightning, causing a stir and astonishment among the citizens of Capital City.

The cause was that this morning, when Duke Uncle Yun stepped out of his home, suddenly a man rushed out and used a kitchen knife to chop off Duke Uncle Yun’s genitals, loudly cursing him for massacring his family to snatch his wife while he, the merchant, was away and had fallen off a cliff after being attacked by mountain bandits, barely escaping with his life.

At that time there were many people near Yun Residence, and by coincidence, the military police were patrolling nearby. Before the Yun Family’s servants could react, the man was subdued and taken into custody.

This incident spread across Capital City within half an hour, with everyone discussing the truth of the matter, feeling that Duke Uncle Yun didn’t seem like that kind of person. Just then, someone whispered in the crowd,

"Of course it’s true. Duke Uncle Yun may look like the embodiment of virtue, but in reality, he has twenty or thirty women in his inner court, and more than half were taken by force, just like that man said. They were abducted directly, their family members killed, and their houses set ablaze, leaving the woman with nowhere to go but to follow him. Some with stronger wills entered Yun Residence and took their own lives by slitting their throats. If you don’t believe it, go and see how many corpses are buried in the back courtyard of Yun Residence!"

"What! Is this really true?"

"No wonder there have been frequent fire tragedies in recent years, with entire families burned to death at night. They weren’t accidents but the doings of Duke Uncle Yun?"

"I just remembered hearing that the flowers in Yun Residence bloom exceptionally vibrant. Could it really be that they’re using corpses as fertilizer? Too horrifying!"

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