In the courtyard, a red sandalwood box was filled with rare treasures.
Even for her, some of the spirit medicine and precious garments were extraordinary treasures.
The servant who delivered the items put them down without even glancing at Fang Linlin, and spoke directly to Fang Yun'er, whose face was tense.
"Miss Yun'er, this is the betrothal gift that our young master Fang Hong has sent to you."
His tone was arrogant, as if he were bestowing a reward.
The people next to him smiled and spoke up.
"Congratulations, Miss Yun'er, on becoming the second young master's second wife."
"Congratulations, Miss Yun'er!"
The servants who came to deliver the gifts all had smiles on their faces; not one of them thought the betrothal gifts would go unsent.
Everyone thought that Fang Yun'er had incredibly good luck and there was no way she could refuse.
After all, she had neither ability nor talent, yet she managed to catch the eye of the second young master of the main branch. What else could this be but a stroke of good fortune?
Who would refuse?
Only a fool would refuse!
The second young master of Fang Hong holds such a prestigious position that for many people, being able to marry him is fortuitous opportunity they would rather die for, especially for those from collateral branches of the family.
Someone like Fang Yun'er, from a collateral branch of the family, could only be secretly happy to have caught his eye.
Moreover, being able to settle in Azure Wave City and reside within the main lineage brings benefits far beyond simply enjoying the resources of the main lineage. Compared to the collateral branches, the change in status and position is qualitative.
Countless collateral relatives dream of becoming concubines of the main branch, as many remote collateral relatives struggle to even survive.
Fang Linlin's face turned ugly, and she gritted her teeth, immediately wanting to speak up for Fang Yun'er to refuse.
For her, it was not a good thing that her best friend married a member of the main family as a concubine.
To put it nicely, she was a concubine; to put it bluntly, she was a slave.
Over the years, she has heard and witnessed too many tragic stories of women marrying into the direct line of the family and then being expelled.
Yun'er, you absolutely cannot marry her!
However, before she could say anything, Fang Yu had already grabbed her arm.
Fang Linlin turned around abruptly, only to see Fang Yu's slightly lowered eyes and his head gently shaking at her.
She spoke softly, "Let Yun'er make her own decision."
"We can't help her with this."
"But..." Fang Linlin said anxiously.
But before she could even utter a word, Fang Yu interrupted her again, "No buts."
Facing the gazes of the crowd, Fang Yun'er took a deep breath and firmly shook her head.
Although she couldn't speak, her refusal was palpable.
She didn't even bother to glance at the things on display, decisively pointing to the precious resources without a trace of lingering affection, and then pointed to the door again.
The meaning is self-evident.
She didn't want the engagement.
She definitely didn't want the stuff!
This gesture stunned all the servants from the Fang Household who delivered the items. They were slightly bewildered, but after realizing Fang Yun'er's meaning, their expressions immediately changed.
"Miss Yun'er, are you saying you're refusing?"
"You need to think this through carefully. This is an extremely rare opportunity! Even if you achieve a good ranking in this competition, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll have the same prestigious status as the Second Madam."
At this point, the man paused, his eyes sweeping over Fang Yun'er, revealing a hint of disdain.
"Besides, with your talent..."
He didn't say the rest.
However, even if he didn't say it, everyone else clearly knew what he wanted to say.
Faced with such mockery, Fang Yun'er's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
Even so, she still firmly shook her head and refused again.
No.
Fang Yun'er, though of average talent, never considered marrying someone else to gain a better life.
Otherwise, she would have done it already, wouldn't she?
Although she was also afraid of the upcoming competition, she would never let that fear lead her to marry someone else.
Moreover...
She was still a concubine.
Her mother taught her that it is better to be a poor man's wife than a rich man's concubine.
"A-niang" was a concubine.
Fang Yun'er saw clearly the extent and humiliation she had endured.
And that's precisely why...
She would never betray her innocence.
Faced with such a stubborn attitude, the servant who brought the gift also showed no kindness.
He sneered, stared at Fang Yun'er for a long time, and after confirming that Fang Yun'er had no intention of taking back her words, he immediately turned cold and waved his hand.
"Alright, we've troubled you today."
Take your things with you.
"Miss Yun'er... Ah, Miss Yun'er, I only hope that you won't regret your choice in the future!"
"You have no idea what you've missed. Such luck, such opportunity—I'm afraid you'll never have this chance again in your life... Oh well, I shouldn't have been so talkative, ha!"
How did this group of people arrive, and how did they leave?
Before Fang Linlin could even breathe a sigh of relief, let alone go over to comfort Fang Yun'er, she saw a woman walk in, almost brushing past the group of people.
The woman had a gentle appearance, her hands placed in front of her lower abdomen, but her expression contained a hint of sarcasm.
Her gaze swept across the courtyard, locking onto Fang Yun'er with unerring accuracy. She took two steps forward, narrowing her eyes as she spoke.
"So you are Fang Yun'er?"
Fang Yun'er hadn't missed the gaze that had just fallen on the pile of betrothal gifts being carried away, but faced with the other party's questioning, she had no intention of denying it and simply nodded.
The man gave a cold laugh.
"I was originally going to teach you a lesson, but I didn't expect you to be so clever as to know how to refuse. You're smart enough to know what's good for you."
"However, even so, I must still convey my young lady's words."
She raised her chin, the curve of her lips mocking, radiating an extreme sense of superiority.
" Fang Yun'er, I'm giving you one day. Get out of Azure Wave City by tonight! Don't get in my way!"
"Don't even dream that you can climb the social ladder with just your pretty face! Do you even realize that someone like the Second Young Master is not someone you can possibly approach!"
She looked Fang Yun'er up and down with disdain, her eyes showing no respect whatsoever.
Yes, she was indeed just a maid.
But so what?
Fang Yun'er, a member of a collateral branch with neither strength nor talent, is even less capable than a maid like her!
It could even be said that, as the young lady's maid, she held a higher status than some Fang Household's collateral branches.
A Lineage can grow to an immense size and branch out, and some distant collateral branches are indeed less powerful than even the servants of the direct line.
And this talentless, useless pretty face thinks she can climb over their young lady to get ahead?
Don't even think about it!
If the other party hadn't been self-aware enough to know they weren't good enough for Young Master Fang Hong, she wouldn't hesitate to use some underhanded tactics.
Fang Yun'er's face turned extremely pale.
She was indeed gentle, like an ordinary sheep, but at this moment her eyes gradually turned cold.
What her master taught her was not just the Sword Dao, but also the importance of using the sword in her hand to measure the world.
She absolutely cannot marry anyone, not even the young master of the Fang Household family.
Although she was gentle by nature, she began to change subtly after meeting her master.
Not to mention, even clay figures have a bit of temper!
She took a deep breath and immediately began making hand gestures.
"I don't know you. I don't understand what you're talking about. This 'young master' and 'young lady' thing has nothing to do with me. Please don't bother me with these nonsensical matters."
"Moreover, I am a member of the Fang Household, and I will participate in the Fang Household's assessment. No one can stop me, and I will absolutely not leave!"