TFWYH – Chapter 718 Yuanyuan’s Farewell

More importantly, once she took charge of the household, no one would dare bully Ronglan anymore.

Thinking of this, Jiang Shi gradually calmed herself down. She picked up one of the account books and began flipping through it, while instructing,

“Go prepare a bowl of white fungus soup and send it to Second Prince. I noticed he ate quite a bit of spicy food just now. It should help cool the internal heat.”

“Yes, this servant will go right away!”

Aunt Qiuwen was overjoyed and left with a smile.

As a daughter of a prominent family, and since Prime Minister Gu had always intended for both sisters to marry into prestigious households, they had naturally been taught how to manage a noble family’s household affairs.

Jiang Shi only gave the ledgers a brief review before discovering numerous problems.

She marked each one down, already planning a series of reforms.

She wasn’t the only one with such ideas.

Huangfu Yi did too.

Working together as husband and wife, in less than three days they had replaced nearly all the servants in the Second Prince’s residence.

The people secretly watching from the shadows were utterly bewildered.

What in the world is going on?

It was Huangfu Que who, believing himself quite clever, said,

“I think Second Brother has finally realized his residence was practically about to become the Gu family’s property. Now he’s finally freeing up his hands to clean house.”

“…”

That… actually made a lot of sense.

Regardless, after the husband and wife carried out their overhaul…

The entire Second Prince’s residence was transformed.

All the dark, underhanded schemes that had once festered there were rooted out by the two of them.

Along with them went the spies planted by every influential family.

The Second Prince’s residence had become remarkably harmonious.

Even Huangfu Yi found it pleasing to look at.

In the past, he had rarely come home.

Now, he returned punctually every single day.

Whenever he came back, he would first visit Jiang Shi’s quarters to chat with her for a while before taking her to the waterside pavilion in the imperial garden, where they would dine together with Huangfu Ronglan.

The family lived together happily, comfortably, and peacefully.

So… this is what a home is supposed to feel like.

Huangfu Yi sighed inwardly.

The more he looked at Jiang Shi, the more agreeable she seemed.

He had even forgotten all about Yuanyuan.

It wasn’t until one day, after he and Jiang Shi had finished dining with Huangfu Ronglan and he escorted Jiang Shi back to her quarters before returning to his study, that he found Yuanyuan standing outside the study carrying a travel bundle.

Only then did he remember she existed.

“Yuanyuan?”

Huangfu Yi was startled for a moment before hurrying over.

His eyes fell on the bundle she carried.

“What are you doing?”

Yuanyuan smiled gracefully and curtsied.

“I’m here to bid Your Highness farewell.”

Huangfu Yi froze.

Coming back to his senses, he quickly said,

“Why are you saying goodbye? Is it because I’ve neglected you these past few days? I’m sorry. Lately I’ve…”

“Your Highness.”

Yuanyuan gently interrupted him, smiling as she shook her head.

“This servant understands everything. I don’t blame Your Highness at all. At this point, I don’t wish to keep the truth from you any longer.”

Huangfu Yi frowned.

“Keep the truth? What do you mean?”

Yuanyuan decided to tell him everything honestly.

Otherwise, Huangfu Yi would never let her leave.

She still had things she needed to do.

She couldn’t remain here forever.

Pressing her lips together, she spoke softly,

“Actually… after we parted last time, I shouldn’t have come to see Your Highness again. The reasons I sought you out were, first, because I pitied Your Highness… and second, because Young Master Yu asked me to secretly look after the eldest young lady.”

Huangfu Yi: ???

Huangfu Yi: …

His mind went completely blank.

After a long while, he finally recovered.

Looking at Yuanyuan as though she were a heartless lover who had deceived him, he asked,

“So when you said you admired me… that was all a lie? You came to see me only because of Ronglan?”

Yuanyuan shook her head.

Her beautiful eyes gazed at him with deep affection.

“When Young Master Yu came to find me, he offered me a generous sum and entrusted the eldest young lady to my care.”

“I truly sympathized with the eldest young lady…”

“But I pitied Your Highness even more—for being deceived by villains for decades…”

At this point, Yuanyuan forced tears into her eyes, and her voice became choked with emotion.

“How… how could she treat you so terribly? You’re a prince… Heaven’s favored son. That woman was simply… simply far too cruel…”