Expelled from the Duke's mansion, the fake heiress is richer than a country.

Chapter 139 Yan Bai is dead

She searched most of the mass grave, scaring away two or three packs of wild dogs, until Yan Bai emerged from behind a large tree, clutching his chest wound, and sat down unsteadily on the ground, calling her softly.

"master!"

Yu Wanran stepped forward, bent down to check on him. Finding that the wound had stopped bleeding, she tossed him a medicine bottle and tightened her expression.

"Speak, why did you suddenly attempt to assassinate Duke Xiao? Duke, did you really kill your family?"

Her swordsmanship is very accurate.

The spot where the needle pierced Yan Bai's skin looked like the heart, but it was actually several centimeters off. Even the degree to which it penetrated the flesh was precisely controlled.

Yan Bai had followed her since childhood and knew her every move like the back of his hand.

As the sword tip pierced his body and he lay on the ground still conscious, he understood that his master intended to save him. Therefore, he immediately cooperated perfectly, feigning death when the guards checked his breathing.

Although it was extremely risky, they did succeed.

At this moment, Yan Bai was filled with regret and shame. He had been provoked and couldn't control himself, which not only almost cost him his life but also nearly implicated his master.

When his master thrust his sword at him, he felt more relief than anything else. He thought that dying at his master's hands, after years of following him, was a unique kind of fulfillment.

Unexpectedly, his master was willing to take a huge risk to save him!

He lowered his head, hiding his reddened eyes: "Someone took my mother's belongings and told me that Xiao Wang sent people to kill my family. In order to... snatch me from my swaddling clothes."

Yu Wanran's face was ashen.

"You believe such nonsense?"

Yan Bai hesitated for a moment, then answered in a low voice, "I believed it before, but now that I think about it, it doesn't seem very reliable?"

As Xiao Wang said, he wasn't some extraordinary genius. Why would the other party lower themselves to harm his family just to take him away?

If we're talking about prodigies, our master could be considered one. But after the incident involving the fake heiress, wasn't he also ruthlessly expelled from the Duke's mansion?

It is clear that Xiao Wang would not do anything unreasonable out of a desire to cherish talent.

But when the person who came brought out the belongings, they were indeed his mother's. How do you explain that?

Either that person knows his family, or their influence is unimaginably vast...

Who told you about this?

Yu Wanran pressed on with a cold voice.

She suspected that the person who instigated Yan Bai to assassinate the Duke was actually trying to harm her!

If it weren't for the sliver of affection the Duke and Duchess still held for her; if it weren't for her past life's trials that honed her skills in disguise, allowing her to grovel before them, she might not have even made it out of Tongcheng!

Family members far away in Huangshan County will also be implicated.

Yu Wanran was filled with vigilance and anger towards this scheming person!

"It's... Granny Fan, who serves Xiao Yao!"

Yan Bai looked up and saw his master's surprised expression.

"When she came to Huangshan County to find me, I didn't know who she was. However, when I failed in my assassination attempt on the Duke and was captured, I inadvertently saw her following Xiao Yao!"

As a result, his hatred for Xiao Wang began to waver.

"Master, is it Xiao Yao...?"

"You still acknowledge me as your master?"

Yu Wanran looked at him expressionlessly.

"Yanbai, out of consideration for the years you've followed me, I'll save your life. Now, leave as soon as possible, and never appear in public again!"

"Master, you gave me my life, please give me another chance!"

Yan Bai suddenly knelt down: "From now on, I am willing to abandon everything to follow you!"

Yu Wanran frowned: "Isn't the Duke's Mansion your enemy? I am also an adopted daughter of the Duke's Mansion. Do you think I would tolerate you?"

Yan Bai's face paled for a moment, but his posture remained unshaken as he stubbornly knelt before her. He even reached out and grabbed the hem of her clothes, fearing she might leave.

"Yan Bai is dead, and the past is buried with him! Master, now before you is only a loyal follower who has sworn to follow you for life!"

Yu Wanran remained silent.

Yan Bai silently lowered his hands, kneeling motionless, waiting for his master to make the final judgment.

After a long silence, Yu Wanran spoke slowly.

"What...what do you plan to call yourself from now on?"

Yan Bai couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes: "Please bestow a name upon me, Master!"

Yu Wanran raised an eyebrow.

Forget your worries! I hope you can forget all your sorrows from now on!

Keeping the other party alive was certainly very risky. But she needed subordinates who were absolutely loyal to her. Yan Bai, a secret guard who had completely broken with the Duke's mansion, was perfect for her.

"Thank you for the name, Master!"

His face, free from worries, was filled with joy.

His once gloomy face was now free of its gloom, revealing a radiant smile, and he prostrated himself deeply in reverence.

Yu Wanran told him to get up, and handed him twenty taels of silver and a bag of dry food.

"Hide for two days, and when your injuries have almost healed, go to Decheng to find Yanqing."

With the Duchess and Xiao Yao present, her situation in the capital was delicate, and she couldn't bring two bodyguards. She could only temporarily arrange for them to stay in De City, where they could help look after Chengya Inkstone Manor.

"I obey my orders!"

Wangyou respectfully bowed.

Watching his master mount his horse and leave, he took a breath, clutched his throbbing wound, and slowly sat back down behind the grave mound, where he began to wolf down his dry rations and drink water.

Yu Wanran went straight back to Qingping Village.

It was midday, and the fields were filled with farmers resting after a long day's work. A rider suddenly appeared, but before they could even see who it was, the rider was already gone.

However, the smarter ones, after discerning the direction the knight was rushing, guessed it was related to the second branch of the Yu family. In the entire Qingping Village, only the second branch of the Yu family had suddenly prospered.

It is said that apart from Yu Lao Er, his family members have moved to an unknown location.

Ignoring the villagers' gossip behind her back, Yu Wanran returned to the old house and, finding Yu Man absent, guessed that he had gone to the fields.

Except for the master bedroom, the several mud houses were covered with a thick layer of dust. Even the kitchen was cluttered with pots, pans, and stoves.

There are no women in the house, and even the hardworking Yu Man doesn't have the energy to clean the house after returning from farming.

Yu Wanran put down her luggage, tied the horses to the yard, and fed them some hay and water. Then she rolled up her sleeves, tied on her apron, cleaned her room, and laid out her bedding.

Finally, I went into the kitchen to see what was available and prepared a simple dinner.

She couldn't wait for her father to come back and do these things.

However, as soon as the fire was lit, Yu Man hurriedly ran back with a hoe on his shoulder. He was both surprised and anxious to see her.

"Ranran, you're back? You don't need to do these chores! Go and rest, let Dad cook."

In his memory, his daughter was a pampered young lady who had returned from the Duke's mansion. Although she was clever and capable, how could she possibly do this kind of kitchen work? He didn't want her to end up like Yanqing, almost setting the house on fire!

Yu Wanran rarely had the opportunity to enter the kitchen. Even during those years of uncertainty, she would at most throw whatever she found or stole into the campfire and cook it until it was half-cooked. In both her lives, she ate mostly dry rations.

When her father came over to argue with her, she readily gave up the head chef position and sat down to help prepare the vegetables and tend the fire.

The father and daughter cooked and talked about their final arrangements, and they got along very well.

"Father, how is the red velvet grass growing?"

Our next stop is Beijing, which is something we need to focus on. Yu Wanran exchanged a few words of concern and steered the conversation to the main point.

Yu Man stirred the cured meat cooking in the pot with a large ladle and answered happily.

"Ranran, thankfully your suggestion worked! The red velvet grass is growing well, and I estimate it will be ready for harvest in a few months?"