“You just need to wait here and cooperate well when the time comes. I’ve already arranged everything else,” Wu Yiyu continued, instructing when she saw Yun Wenfang remain silent.

“Oh? What have you arranged?” Yun Wenfang wore an expression of great interest.

Wu Yiyu, thinking that Yun Wenfang must also desire that Ren Yaoqi and wanting to explain clearly so he would cooperate properly, said smugly: “I’ve arranged for someone to bring her to Qiuhong Courtyard at the hour of You. After she arrives, you knock her unconscious, and what happens next is up to you. As long as the people I summon arrive, they see you two embracing, that will be enough. The Ren family will have no choice but to give her to you!”

Yun Wenfang raised an eyebrow: “Who’s bringing her here? Are they reliable? And who are these people you’re summoning to catch us in the act? You’d better explain clearly to this young master first – I don’t want to be tricked by you later.”

Wu Yiyu felt somewhat impatient but still answered: “Naturally, someone she trusts – one of her sisters. As for who catches us, it doesn’t matter. Quite a few people are staying in the west courtyards here. I’ve already made arrangements – when the time is right, I’ll lead people over. I’ve told you everything – surely there’s no problem now!”

Yun Wenfang stroked his chin thoughtfully, then looked at the maid beside Wu Yiyu: “How many people know about this? Will it leak out? This is Yanbei Prince’s territory after all.”

Wu Yiyu said, displeasedly: “I only brought this one maid, with two more keeping watch outside – all my trusted confidants who couldn’t possibly leak anything. The Yanbei Prince’s mansion doesn’t have just one master. I can still call the shots in a small courtyard like Qiuhong!”

Wu Yiyu thought that Yun Wenfang was wasting such a handsome face, acting so hesitant and lacking any masculine decisiveness. If not for Yun Wenting’s sake, given her temperament, she would have knocked him unconscious long ago rather than waste so many words on him.

Having grown up in the rough northwest frontier, she looked down on Yun Wenfang’s wishy-washy nature. Yun Wenting could only be called an exception.

Yun Wenfang nodded thoughtfully: “That’s good then!”

“So you agree?” She didn’t necessarily need Yun Wenfang specifically. Finding a man wasn’t difficult.

Yun Wenfang nodded, showing a lazy smile: “I agree. Why wouldn’t I?”

Wu Yiyu was satisfied and was about to say more when she suddenly felt pain at the back of her neck, and everything went black. Then she knew nothing more.

Yun Wenfang struck like lightning, knocking Wu Yiyu unconscious with one chop.

Wu Yiyu’s maid was stunned for a moment and was about to scream to attract people when Yun Wenfang grabbed her throat to prevent her from making a sound, chopping her unconscious just before she suffocated.

Master and servant fell to the ground one after the other.

Yun Wenfang flexed his fingers, thinking this move was quite useful indeed.

He looked down at the two people on the ground, then kicked Wu Yiyu’s face with his foot, revealing a somewhat wicked smile: “This young master’s woman is yours to touch? And you want to use this young master as a tool? Tsk… did a donkey kick your brain stupid?”

“…” After pausing, Yun Wenfang noticed his foot was still on Wu Yiyu’s face and nonchalantly withdrew it.

Yun Wenfang leaned against the tree trunk and thought for a moment, then stretched his arms, bent down to grab Wu Yiyu and the maid one in each hand, and dragged them directly to the west wing of Qiuhong Courtyard.

Though Qiuhong Courtyard was unoccupied, all the furniture and necessities from the main hall to the side rooms were fully equipped, with people cleaning morning and evening. If Wu Yiyu hadn’t dismissed all the people in Qiuhong Courtyard for convenience, there should have been two rough servant women guarding the courtyard.

Yun Wenfang dragged the two into the inner chamber and threw them onto the bed.

This time, he stared at Wu Yiyu, frowning for an even longer time, as if making a very difficult decision.

Finally, he still clicked his tongue and stepped forward to unfasten Wu Yiyu’s clothing buttons.

Yun Wenfang had been infatuated with Ren Yaoqi since his romantic awakening – no one else had caught his eye. Even when his grandmother and mother placed several gentle, beautiful maids in his room waiting for him to come of age so they could teach him about intimate matters, Yun Wenfang never touched them.

So this was Second Young Master Yun’s first time undressing a woman, making him inevitably clumsy. It took him a long time to get Wu Yiyu’s outer garment off, even breaking a gold-inlaid jade mandarin duck button in the process.

He managed to remove Wu Yiyu’s outer garment and half-loosen her undergarment, leaving only her bodice. Fortunately, though Second Young Master Yun lacked principles, he wasn’t a complete lecher – he didn’t touch Wu Yiyu’s skirt. But even so, Wu Yiyu, lying on the bed with disheveled hair and disarranged clothing, was enough to inspire wild imagination.

After dealing with Wu Yiyu, Yun Wenfang wasn’t as careful when facing Wu Yiyu’s maid. He directly tore the maid’s clothes, deliberately making them look pitiful, even using the maid’s handkerchief to tie her hands to the bedpost.

It must be said that though Second Young Master Yun hadn’t properly experienced intimate affairs, he wasn’t unfamiliar with visiting pleasure quarters when socializing with school friends. In such places, even wine pots and tea cups couldn’t wait to be painted with lewd spring palace illustrations.

Second Young Master Yun remembered one time when drinking with Qiu Yun and others, a maid beside him used a fan painted with scenes of two women playing together. He had looked a few extra times out of curiosity, so Second Young Master Yun could be said to be applying his learning.

After arranging the two women, Yun Wenfang left the west wing satisfied.

He estimated the time – it was probably still half an hour until the hour of You. Voices could already be heard from courtyards not far away; those attending the Thousand Gold Banquet should have returned.

Yun Wenfang thought that since things had already reached this point, he might as well solve all troubles at once.

He walked outside Qiuhong Courtyard and effortlessly found the two maids Wu Yiyu had left to keep watch, instructing one: “Your young miss wants you to bring Miss Jiang Eight here.”

The maid hesitated: “Where is Sister Shuangxi, who stays by our young miss’s side? Why is Young Master giving instructions?”

Yun Wenfang said impatiently, “She has other urgent matters. Just bring the person here. When they arrive, say your young miss has business to discuss with her. Don’t let other idle people enter.” Without waiting for the two maids to say more, he went straight back to Qiuhong Courtyard.

The two maids looked at each other, thinking that since their young miss was still in the courtyard and hadn’t come out, this must be her instruction. Knowing Wu Yiyu’s temperament and not daring to delay further, they immediately went to fetch the person.

After returning from the peach grove, Jiang Yuanniang had just finished bathing and was planning to accept Yun Qiuchen’s invitation to visit the Yun family’s quarters. This time, Yun Qiuchen had only invited her alone, not asking her to bring Guo Yujiao and Qiu Hong. Thinking of what the nanny sent by her grandmother had said, Jiang Yuanniang somewhat understood the Yun family’s intentions.

When Wu Yiyu’s maid came to find her, Jiang Yuanniang was quite surprised. She had no private relationship with Wu Yiyu and didn’t know what this haughty young miss wanted with her, though the maid before her was indeed Wu Yiyu’s maid.

Though Jiang Yuanniang didn’t want any involvement with Wu Yiyu, she also didn’t want to offend her. If Wu Yiyu sent a maid to invite her and she made excuses not to go, she would inevitably offend this granddaughter of the Dowager Princess Consort.

Thinking that Qiuhong Courtyard wasn’t too far away, after considering for a moment, Jiang Yuanniang still followed Wu Yiyu’s maid.

When they reached the entrance of Qiuhong Courtyard, Wu Yiyu’s maid stopped the two personal maids following behind her.

“Miss Jiang, our young miss doesn’t like idle people around. Could your maids wait outside for now?”

Jiang Yuanniang was somewhat surprised. Being a careful person, she immediately said somewhat shyly: “Could I bring just one maid in? I’m not used to being without attendants – it wouldn’t be convenient.”

Wu Yiyu’s maid frowned: “What’s inconvenient about it? There are people to serve in this courtyard. Are you afraid our young miss will eat you alive in broad daylight?”

Jiang Yuanniang thought about it and felt it made sense. The nanny beside her knew Wu Yiyu had invited her over, and they had encountered several people on the way. Though the Jiang family couldn’t compare to the Wu, Yun, or Xiao families, they were still among Yanbei’s top families. Having no grievances with Wu Yiyu, there was no reason for Wu Yiyu to harm her.

However, Jiang Yuanniang still felt something odd, so she gave her maid a meaningful look while smiling at Wu Yiyu’s maid: “I didn’t mean that. In that case, I’ll go in alone.”

Jiang Yuanniang’s maid had served her since childhood and understood her meaning, nodding imperceptibly.

Only then did Jiang Yuanniang enter the courtyard with peace of mind.

The courtyard was quiet with no one around. Jiang Yuanniang frowned and was about to go out to call the maid to take her to find Wu Yiyu when, just as she turned around, everything went black and she fainted.

Yun Wenfang, now skilled at this, knocked Jiang Yuanniang unconscious and instinctively looked down at her, then clicked his tongue and didn’t look a second time.

After dragging Jiang Yuanniang to the west wing as well, Yun Wenfang used the same trick to remove her clothes. Thinking that the elders disregarded his wishes and wanted this woman to be his legitimate wife, Yun Wenfang sneered mockingly and maliciously removed both Jiang Yuanniang’s upper jacket and lower skirt, exposing large areas of snow-white skin.

Though Jiang Yuanniang’s appearance was ordinary, her skin was so tender it seemed ready to drip water, clearly well-maintained daily. Yun Wenfang accidentally left some red marks on her arm.

Just then, Jiang Yuanniang’s eyelashes fluttered as she frowned and opened her eyes. When Jiang Yuanniang’s gaze met Yun Wenfang’s, she was stunned. When she realized what Yun Wenfang was doing, Jiang Yuanniang was so frightened she wanted to scream, but Yun Wenfang knocked her unconscious again with another chop.