Bored, Xia Linyuan had originally wanted to tease Dai Huabin, that short-tempered, brainless little kitten, but remembered Xia Yanqing and Zou Yihan's warning before they left—not to cause trouble at the White Tiger Duke Mansion—so he could only behave himself and stay put.
It wasn't as if he had to do it right this moment. He'd have plenty of time to tease Dai Huabin later.
Aside from Xia Linyuan, who was idly fiddling with the tea set on the table, everyone else stared at one another, not even daring to breathe too loudly for fear of provoking the young master and becoming the target of his teasing if he got annoyed.
It was unbearably dull, but out of courtesy, he couldn't wander around the White Tiger Duke Mansion. So he spread his spiritual sense across the entire estate, intending to check on Huo Yuhao first.
After searching carefully several times, he found Huo Yuhao's mother, Huo Yun'er, but not Huo Yuhao himself.
Was he not here?
Xia Linyuan raised an eyebrow.
At the sight of Xia Linyuan raising his eyebrow, all the servants present tensed up. But when he didn't take his displeasure out on them, they breathed a sigh of relief.
He expanded the range of his spiritual sense again. This time, he found several little boys who matched the descriptions of Huo Yuhao in the original story. But since he had never seen what Huo Yuhao actually looked like, Xia Linyuan couldn't tell which one was him.
As for searching by Martial Soul traits, it wasn't the White Tiger Duke Mansion's Martial Soul Awakening Day yet, so that method wouldn't work.
Never mind. It wasn't urgent, and Huo Yuhao wasn't of any use to him at the moment anyway.
About an hour later, Xia Yanqing finally arrived, accompanied by two trusted aides.
With Xia Yanqing in charge, Xia Linyuan was finally allowed to look around the White Tiger Duke Mansion, though he wasn't permitted to wander too far. After all, he still had to meet his future concubine.
After strolling around the White Tiger Duke Mansion's courtyard, he heard someone say, "Miss Yun Jin, this way, please."
"Oh?" Xia Linyuan raised an interested eyebrow, then headed toward the sound.
A woman who looked like a housekeeper was leading Dai Yunjin this way. The girl had changed into a more elaborate outfit.
Dai Yunjin naturally saw Xia Linyuan too. For some reason, she couldn't help recalling what he had just said to her: "Why don't you marry me?" Her little face instantly flushed bright red, and she shrank behind the housekeeper.
The woman spotted Xia Linyuan and immediately recognized him as the son of the Duke of Molong. She respectfully greeted him, "Young Master Linyuan."
Xia Linyuan didn't even glance at her. His gaze seemed glued to Dai Yunjin as he said, "Is this scrawny little girl, who looks like she hasn't had a proper meal in days and is all bones, the candidate your Duchess wants to marry off as a concubine into the Molong Duke Mansion?"
Scrawny, looking like she hadn't had a proper meal in days, all bones...
The guards accompanying Xia Linyuan broke into a cold sweat when they heard their young master describe a little girl that way.
Their young master really didn't show anyone the slightest bit of mercy with his words.
Concubine? What was a concubine?
Dai Yunjin was furious at Xia Linyuan's description of her, but she was even more confused by what he had said. She stared blankly at the woman.
The woman replied awkwardly, "Yes, Young Master Linyuan. Miss Yunjin is indeed the Duchess's..."
Before she could finish, Xia Linyuan gave a cold laugh. "Is this the sincerity of the White Tiger Duke Mansion? You may all call this girl 'Miss' now, but don't tell me every child of the Duke of White Tiger is like her—dressed a little better than you, but eating even worse."
"Does the White Tiger Duke Mansion think that simply changing some little girl's surname to Dai will make her a true child of the White Tiger line, so you can fool the Molong Duke Mansion? What a clever switcheroo."
Hearing Xia Linyuan say this, several guards bristled with anger. Their eyes widened like bells, and an intimidating aura emanated from them, leaving the White Tiger Duke Mansion's servants before them utterly flustered.
"That's not it, Young Master Linyuan. We never meant to deceive your Duke Mansion." The woman hurriedly waved her hands. "Miss Yunjin truly is the Duke of White Tiger's child. It's just that she..."
She hesitated, apparently wondering whether she should tell the truth.
Though the woman hadn't explained things, Xia Linyuan already knew what was going on. Just as he had suspected, Dai Yunjin and her mother had both been mistreated by the Duchess, though they had it a tiny bit better than Huo Yuhao and his mother.
A mischievous idea came to Xia Linyuan.
In the reception hall, the Duchess was speaking with an ingratiating expression when two small figures suddenly entered the corner of her eye. She instinctively turned to look, and the ingratiating look on her face stiffened slightly.
Xia Linyuan was walking toward her, holding the hand of a little girl with a gaunt, sallow face.
The girl was none other than Dai Yunjin, the candidate the Duchess wanted to marry off to the Molong Duke Mansion to form an alliance!
Xia Linyuan walking hand in hand with Dai Yunjin meant that the marriage arrangement was more or less settled. It should have been cause for celebration, but for some reason, the Duchess couldn't bring herself to feel happy.
She had a feeling that something had gone wrong—that things had worked out despite her intentions.
Why had she deliberately lowered herself, willing even to marry Dai Yunjin off as a concubine to Xia Linyuan? Wasn't it to humiliate that shameless mother and daughter?
Yet when she saw Xia Linyuan approaching with Dai Yunjin's hand in his, a faint smile on his face, the Duchess felt as if she had eaten ten pounds of green-headed flies. She nearly threw up.
Why! Why had things turned out this way!
The Duchess was so furious she was on the verge of losing her mind. Her eyes seemed to shoot flames at Dai Yunjin.
Why did Heaven favor that shameless mother and daughter so much? First, that hussy had taken advantage of her husband being drunk to climb into his bed, then given birth to this little bastard!
Now, after she had finally managed to send that hussy's little bastard away under the lowest status possible, why had things turned out like this instead?!
I hate this! I hate it!
Seeing the Duchess on the verge of a breakdown, Xia Linyuan's lips curled slightly into an inscrutable smile. No one present noticed his strange expression except Dai Yunjin.
Don't think I don't know what you're scheming. So, I'll do as you wish and take this little girl in for a while, just to make you happy.
Seeing Dai Yunjin's gaunt, sallow appearance, Xia Yanqing frowned. He didn't seem very pleased with his future daughter-in-law.
He had indeed underestimated just how vicious Zhu Yu's jealousy was. She could be so cruel even to a child.
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