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

Chapter 147 We Can't Go Back to the Past

It was the magistrate of Huangshan County who took over the mess left by the Duke's mansion.

Upon receiving the news, Yu Wenbin, after undergoing a rigorous check, was able to follow the officers and soldiers to Yu Wanran's car.

"Third sister, how are you? I heard you two..."

Carrying his bundle, Yu Wenbin eagerly climbed onto the carriage, wanting to check on his third sister. He was immediately embarrassed to find the Duchess and Granny Ding sitting inside. Halfway up the carriage, he was unsure whether to get on or off.

Zheng Peipei nodded demurely to him, then stood up and led Ding Mama out of the car, making room for her.

"Ranran is injured and is recovering. You two siblings can talk, but don't say too much and disturb her."

"Thank you, Duchess."

It was the first time Yu Wenbin had ever been so polite to someone, and he was quite uncomfortable with it, so he hurriedly got out of the car to make way for them.

Cheng Pei-pei glanced back at the car, concealing her melancholy, and then turned to another car.

Although she spent the last two days with her adopted daughter, the mother-daughter bond they once shared had vanished without a trace. Ranran seemed deeply wary of her, her tone both respectful and cautious.

I didn't think much of it before, but now that my mindset has changed, I'm inexplicably feeling sentimental.

They, mother and daughter, can never go back to what they were like before!

As soon as they left, Yu Wenbin hurriedly got into the car and climbed to the side of the seat.

Because Yu Wanran was injured and had to lie down, there wasn't much space left for anyone to sit. Yu Wenbin put down his large bundle and squatted down by the door. He looked worriedly at his sister's pale face and picked up a corner of the fallen bedding to put it back together.

After a while, Yu Wanran, who was still drowsy, opened her eyes and was pleasantly surprised to see her older brother standing beside her!

"Big brother! When did you arrive?"

Yu Wenbin forced a smile.

"We haven't been here long, we came with the soldiers from Huangshan County. Third Sister, why did you encounter such danger again on this trip to the capital? In the future... can we please not go to the capital anymore!"

He had been living in constant fear, watching his younger sister's every move. He was terrified that she would pass away while she was unconscious, and then... how could he face his parents?

He felt that no business or money was as important as his sister's life!

Yu Wanran smiled faintly, offering no explanation. The more her family knew about the Duke's mansion, the less safe they were. Besides, although she was injured while saving the Duke's wife, the benefits were obvious.

That is, the Duchess was grateful and promised to persuade the Duke not to cause her any more trouble.

Although the relationship between the Duke and Duchess was rather lukewarm, Zheng Peipei, as the Duchess, rarely asked her husband to do anything. If she did ask, the Duke would most likely give his wife some face.

Therefore, this act of betrayal earned her the Duke's trust, and they stopped pursuing her from then on—it was worth it!

"Brother, this attack was caused by the Duke's mansion being too ostentatious, which attracted the attention of bandits. If we stop traveling with the Duke's mansion in the future, we will avoid trouble."

Of course, there are always risks involved in trading, and they're extremely risky, with the constant threat of losing one's head. But these are risks she'll have to face in the future, and there's no need to tell her family.

Yu Wenbin's face tightened. He wasn't stupid; he had accompanied his sister to Beijing three times, and how could he not have foreseen the hardships and dangers of the journey?

But now he has a child again. His parents are getting old, and his younger brother is still unmarried. The heavy responsibility of supporting the second branch of the Yu family rests on his shoulders. He can't rely solely on his third sister's efforts; as a man, he also needs to stand firm.

Suppressing the tangled emotions in his heart, he bent down and pulled out a tightly wrapped bundle of dry rations from his luggage.

"Third Sister, when we left Huangshan County, Mother and Miss Zhong prepared two large bags of dry food for you and asked me to take them to you. Would you like something to eat now?"

Yu Wanran shook her head. She had lost too much blood and was thirsty, only wanting to drink water.

"There's a hidden compartment by the window with a water bag containing medicine. Pour out a lidful for me to drink."

The journey was inconvenient, and she often felt lethargic and drowsy. Therefore, Zheng Peipei tried her best to have someone fill a water bag with the prepared medicine and feed her a sip every now and then.

Upon hearing this, Yu Wenbin put down his dry rations and rummaged through the hidden compartment. Sure enough, he found a leather pouch, which was still warm to the touch. It seemed the people of the Duke's mansion were always attentive to changing the dressing.

He felt a little better, thinking that his third sister had risked her life to protect these people, and at least they knew how to be a little grateful.

He carefully poured out a capful of medicine, then, with his knees supporting Yu Wanran, he half-lifted and half-carried his third sister to drink the medicine.

Yu Wanran was in pain from the pulling on her wound, but she endured it without making a sound, drank her medicine, and went back to sleep.

Yu Wenbin was extremely worried: "Third sister, what did the doctor say about your injury?"

The caravan had to continue its journey. People from the Duke's mansion told him that the Duchess and her entourage had to arrive in the capital on time to pay their respects to the Emperor and offer birthday greetings. Therefore, they couldn't delay the journey simply because of Yu Wanran.

He felt very indignant. But even if he felt indignant, he couldn't fight against the powerful.

Yu Wanran said softly, "The injury isn't too serious, but you lost too much blood and need to rest more."

She didn't take the minor injury to heart. However, it did affect her mobility and was quite inconvenient.

Yu Wenbin felt distressed. Knowing that others in the carriage could hear, he couldn't say anything to complain about the Duke's mansion. He could only sit there blankly, focused on watching over his sister and waiting for orders.

To distract himself, Yu Wanran asked how the government was handling the attack on the Duke's mansion.

Yu Wenbin recalled what he had seen along the way and said, "It seems that the Duke's Mansion left some people to negotiate with the government, while the rest of the people went to the capital according to the original plan."

He didn't witness the horrific scene of the camp being attacked and corpses strewn everywhere; he simply joined the soldiers and caught up with the Duke's entourage, who had already set off. His emotions weren't overly affected; his only worry was Yu Wanran's injuries.

Yu Wanran nodded slightly and closed her eyes.

During her recovery, she spent almost the entire latter ten days or so in the carriage.

Fortunately, Zheng Peipei had people take meticulous care of them, bringing out all the best food and drink for the siblings. Yu Wanran's injuries healed remarkably quickly. By the time they arrived in the capital, she was almost able to get out of the carriage and walk around.

Before parting, Zheng Peipei came to find Yu Wanran: "Ranran, the Duke's Mansion has a residence in the capital. Since your injuries haven't healed, why don't you move in with us so that someone can take care of you?"

Yu Wanran glanced at Xiao Yao, who was hanging her head dejectedly among the servants at the back of the procession, eight zhang away from the Duchess, clearly marginalized. A smile appeared on her face.

"Thank you for your kindness, Madam. My brother and I have urgent business to attend to, so we won't disturb your esteemed household any longer! Madam, please take good care of yourself."

Zheng Peipei's eyes reddened at her resolute decision. She held her hand tightly for a long time, reluctant to let go.

After this parting, she had a premonition that the two would never see each other again. This mother-daughter bond, having weathered many storms, ultimately could not be maintained.

She didn't try to persuade Yu Wanran anymore, but just forced a smile and patted the back of Yu Wanran's hand: "Alright, Ranran, go live the life you want! Don't worry about the Duke, I'll talk to him."

Yu Wanran curtsied deeply to bid farewell to her adoptive mother, with whom she had a complicated relationship spanning two lifetimes.

When she's ruthless, she can break a person's leg, cripple most of their martial arts skills, and push them into an abyss. When she cares about you, she's incredibly careful and protective, even to the point of being humble.

They truly love someone so much they wish them to live, and hate someone so much they wish them to die!