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A Beautiful Duchess with a Dark Heart – Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Half-Cooked Rice

Walking into the room, the few seated were still whispering amongst themselves, as always, no one paid any attention to Wen Yu.

But she, unlike before, did not try to approach and strike up a conversation. Instead, she chose a seat by the door, sat down, and poured herself a cup of tea.

She took a sip, hmm, good tea, good water.

Not cold, not hot.

Just right!

She glanced around, Second Aunt was not there.

Fourth Aunt Liu Shi, hehe, was also not there!

From now on, she will never be here again, right?

This is truly delightful!

Second Uncle’s daughter, Jiao Jie’er, was her third younger sister. She sat there, with arrogance on her face. It seemed that she didn’t go out to watch the commotion last night and didn’t see her father streaking.

Hehe……

“Cousin!”

Someone actually came to talk to her?

She looked, it was her aunt’s daughter, Cousin Quan, “Cousin Quan!”

Her aunt was born of a concubine and married into the Yuan family early on, with abundant wealth.

She had two sons and a daughter, living a good life. Cousin Quan was staying at the Wen family for a while, her aunt probably wanted to rely on the Wen family to find her a husband from a prominent family.

A daughter of a concubine, being able to live like this, she must be very proud, when she came, she was very ostentatious!

However, this Cousin Quan……seemed to have a gentle nature.

Fourth younger sister Wen Wan came closer, “Did you hear? Hibiscus Pavilion caught fire last night!” Her eyes were sparkling……

Cousin Quan nodded.

Wen Yu also nodded.

“What happened? Eldest Sister, do you know what’s going on?”

“I don’t know, I heard the noise in my room and asked Hong Xing’er to go out and take a look, the fire was already out by then.”

“Me too, I sent my maid to check, but she ran into an older servant from mother’s room at the intersection and was sent back directly.”

“Oh, how scary! It’s good that no one was hurt.” Wen Yu said with lingering fear. But she sighed inwardly, it seems that no one was hurt, those two must be quite lucky……

“Fourth Aunt didn’t come today.”

Wen Yu turned her head and looked around, “She didn’t come? Second Aunt didn’t come either, could they be inside talking to Grandmother?”

“No! Mother is inside talking to Grandmother!”

✿✿✿

Old Madam Wen was listening to Wu Shi’s investigation results in the room.

The result was: no result.

“The fire seemed to have started from the window, but it’s unknown what caused it. After the fire was extinguished, the roof collapsed, smashing everything into a mess, it’s impossible to tell what the ignition source was.” Wu Shi said slowly with a solemn expression.

Old Madam Wen’s face was very grim, she listened silently.

“This is the first strange thing. What’s even stranger is……Husband saw the fire starting and was about to escape. But, the courtyard gate was actually locked from the outside! They……didn’t bring anyone with them when they went in, they just closed the door. No matter how you look at it, it seems like……someone did it on purpose.”

After hearing this, Old Madam Wen felt even more worried……This was an attempt to kill them!

But if it was really intentional, then the most likely culprit was Wu Shi!

She was in charge of the inner household and could be the first to discover the affair between Second Master and Liu Shi. Only she would be the most resentful about this matter and the most convenient to carry it out!

But……that’s impossible!

Firstly, she was obedient to Second Master.

Second Master had so many affairs, she was never seen to be jealous.

Moreover, their son’s wedding was imminent, even if she had hatred, she wouldn’t think of burning her husband to death or injury, ruining his reputation.

Wouldn’t that be ruining her son?

Wu Shi continued, “Master couldn’t figure it out either, he asked me to investigate, but he wasn’t willing to say more. So, there are no results for now.”

“Did you know about their affair before?” Old Madam Wen stared at her and asked.

“Mother, I didn’t know about this matter. Second Master hasn’t come back to sleep in our room for a while now. And, I’ve been very busy lately, I go to bed early every day……”

Old Madam Wen believed what she said, but she wondered, who would do such a thing? “Was there anything special about the lock?”

“The lock was a very ordinary one, we checked everywhere, nothing was missing.”

“This matter is no small thing! Someone in the family wants Second Master dead!”

Wu Shi also felt a sense of relief after surviving a disaster.

“I will continue to investigate.”

“You also need to investigate who he has offended at home lately! Who would be jealous enough to do this!” Old Madam Wen said, exasperated. This wretched creature was both romantic and good-looking, it was possible he had offended some bold and jealous maid or young mistress.

“Yes.”

If the door hadn’t been locked from the outside, Old Madam Wen would have definitely thought that those two scoundrels had gone too far in their games……

✿✿✿

Old Madam Wen came out, Wen Yu saw the worry on her face.

✿✿✿

This grandmother, in terms of appearance, could only be considered proper. After years of fighting and discord with her husband, there were faint frown lines between her brows.

She didn’t move much on a daily basis and had become somewhat plump. However, her eyes were pitch black, penetrating when she looked at someone, making her appear rather domineering.

After years of fighting with Grandfather, she had a slight upper hand, and Grandfather retreated to Plum Garden. Now, because of Father’s success, her dominant position was solidified.

She wore a brown dress embroidered with flower clusters, simple yet elegant. Her hair was graying, and she didn’t wear much jewelry. She loved jade the most, the pieces on her head and wrists were all oily green.

Seeing her arrive in the main hall, everyone stood up, calling out Mother and Grandmother.

Old Madam Wen nodded and sat down in the main seat, constantly pondering things in her mind, she couldn’t help but look at the few seated.

When her eyes swept past Wen Yu, she froze for a moment, her gaze fixed.

This is……Wen Yu?

Why does she seem like a completely different person?

She sat there, shoulders relaxed, neck straight, chin slightly tucked, eyelids lowered. One hand rested on her lap, the other on the armrest, her posture was perfectly proper and upright, but her demeanor was incredibly natural! As if after years of training, it had become ingrained in her bones.

Thinking back to her fake smile and restlessness before……such a big change in such a short time?! Suspicion arose in her heart……

Wen Yu felt Old Madam Wen’s gaze, turned her head, looked at her grandmother with pure eyes, and a faint smile.

Old Madam Wen involuntarily looked away, her thoughts racing……Her father would be back soon. This time, she would finalize her marriage.

Get rid of her early, finish it early, lest something unexpected happen.

She said in a deep voice, “Last night, there was a fire in the house. It almost turned into a major disaster! Feng Ge’er’s wedding is just around the corner, we can’t let this news spread. Go back and question everyone in your courtyards. If anything seems amiss, report to Grandmother immediately!”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Be careful with fire and candles these days!”

Everyone nodded repeatedly.

“Many relatives and friends will be coming to our house these days, you must be cautious in your words and actions, don’t make us a laughingstock!”

The young ladies all stood up, “Yes!”

“Alright, go and attend to your duties!”

“……Yu Jie’er, you stay.” Old Madam Wen said.

The younger sisters were surprised to see Old Madam Wen keeping Eldest Sister behind, this was a rare occurrence, they turned back to look at her before dispersing.

Wen Yu waited until everyone had left before standing up and walking to Old Madam Wen, curtseying.

“Grandmother!” She had a smile on her face, but Old Madam Wen seemed to have a hint of mockery in her eyes.

This expression……The strange feeling in Old Madam Wen’s heart deepened.

Without time to think further, she said, “Hmm. Your father will be back in two days. But he won’t be able to stay long, after your elder brother’s wedding, he has to leave for the capital city immediately……”

She waited, but Wen Yu just listened attentively, showing no intention of speaking.

She continued, “Originally, he planned to come back a few months earlier, stay at home for a while, and then go to the capital. He wrote to Grandmother, saying that he would hold your coming-of-age ceremony when he returned. But unexpectedly, he had too much work on his hands and couldn’t make it back.”

Wen Yu smiled and nodded, but didn’t speak.

“As a result, it was missed. This time, he’s coming back on the eve of your elder brother’s wedding……I don’t know how many days he can stay, hmm……Otherwise, how about we wait until he comes back, and Grandmother will discuss it with him again?”

Wen Yu obediently nodded, smiled again, and then looked at Old Madam Wen with infinite trust, “Yu’er will listen to Grandmother and Father’s arrangements.”

“……” Old Madam Wen’s heart skipped a beat, eh? Why did this girl suddenly become so beautiful?

But she……Why didn’t she play along?

In the past, she would have definitely said: Father works hard and has important matters in the capital. With Elder Brother’s wedding at home, everyone is busy. Granddaughter doesn’t want the elders to be too tired. It doesn’t matter whether the coming-of-age ceremony is held or not……

If she had said that, she could just send a piece of jewelry to her room later, and the matter would be settled. Now……

Not getting the desired response, Old Madam Wen’s face darkened, looking displeased. She said arrogantly, “Hmm. We’ll talk about it then! You may leave.”

Wen Yu still obediently nodded, curtseyed, and turned to leave.

Her small but steady steps, the way she lifted her skirt when crossing the threshold……there was actually a hint of grace and elegance……

She had truly matured, she was different from before!

Ah!

Such a well-behaved legitimate eldest daughter, if it weren’t for that scoundrel……For a moment, Old Madam Wen felt a pang of regret.

The rice was half-cooked!

She should have gotten rid of her completely back then!

Or else, over the years, she should have cherished her, focused on nurturing her.

With her outstanding appearance, the family could have at least benefited from her.

But now……Ah……


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(🇨🇳)A Beautiful Duchess with a Dark Heart

🇨🇳)A Beautiful Duchess with a Dark Heart

国公夫人她人美心黑
Score 8.6
Status: Ongoing Author: Released: 2023 Native Language: Chinese
In the capital's elite social circles, rumors abound about Wen Yu's ruthlessness. Even the Emperor, upon hearing these tales, has repeatedly nodded in agreement! Wen Yu, upon learning of this, responded with a cold smile: From a young age, her mother was murdered, her grandmother showed no affection, and her father offered no love. She was the target of envy and constantly schemed against. After much hardship, she finally secured a good husband, only to find her marital home a chaotic mess! Should she play the innocent fool? If so, would a husband of exceptional talent and beauty, intelligent and considerate children, a devoted mother-in-law, and the title of Duchess simply fall from the sky?! In her past life, the Duchess met a miserable end! Our protagonist first sets her sights on the male lead, unceremoniously claiming him as her own. After marriage, she employs every tactic imaginable: throwing herself into his arms, playing hard to get, alternating between gentle affection and playful dominance, expressing care while subtly tormenting… From then on, the exceptionally handsome, ruthless, yet capable Fifth Young Master Qi, whose emotional intelligence borders on naive innocence, is repeatedly berated by the Emperor, who points a finger at him and scolds, "You spineless fool! What kind of life is this?! Divorce her immediately! Don't be afraid, I will support you!" Fifth Young Master Qi blushes slightly: Actually, this life… isn't so bad… This story portrays a strong female lead who makes every effort to achieve happiness. *** Overlooked and undervalued, Wen Yu, the legitimate daughter of the Wen family, endures a life of quiet suffering. On her fifteenth birthday, tragedy strikes, setting in motion a chain of events that culminates in her agonizing death. Miraculously reborn, Wen Yu returns to the day it all began, armed with the bitter memories of her past life and a steely resolve to change her fate. This time, she won't be a pawn in her family's games. She will reclaim what is rightfully hers, expose the hypocrisy and cruelty of those who wronged her, and forge a new path for herself. But as she navigates the treacherous landscape of family politics and builds her own power, she must confront not only her past enemies but also the unexpected attention of powerful figures who see her as a valuable asset in their own games. Will Wen Yu succumb to her thirst for revenge, or can she find a way to break free from the cycle of pain and create a different future for herself?

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