Chapter 11: Storybook

It wasn't entirely surprising that Lord Qingyun wanted to punish someone. Grace had suspected something like this would happen after seeing him stomp off and make several trips to the palace. Sure enough, he was venting his anger on someone.

In a society like Da Liang, where even female protagonists who traveled through time had to break free from layers of familial constraints, having a female tutor and female bodyguards wasn't such a remarkable thing. Empress Dowager Lu had female guards, and even a young lady like Grace was allowed a female bodyguard.

"Hurry and lead the way!"

Since it had come to this, of course, she had to go see for herself. Grace got up, walked through the door, and followed Xiaolan out of the courtyard.

The Marquis' residence was enormous, housing not only Lord Qingyun's immediate family but also the extended family in separate compounds, forming a vast estate that took up half of Ji'an Square.

Lord Qingyun stood at the center of a crowd in the courtyard, his dark expression making everyone too scared to breathe.

Someone must have quickly reported Grace's arrival because the crowd parted, making way for her to see Lord Qingyun standing with his hands behind his back, and she easily spotted Yun Xiangyi standing under a tree, along with Hua Xiangrong, who was hanging from the tree like a sack, swaying back and forth.

—Indeed, their names indicated they were not the same as those named after flowers, so it was clear that the original owner hadn't named them.

Hearing the commotion, both of them widened their eyes and looked over.

Grace refused to believe that Lord Qingyun, who helped the late emperor secure the kingdom, hadn't investigated the day's events. If he knew the details and still wanted to punish someone, he was being unreasonable!

"Father, please release Guard Hua."

Lord Qingyun replied, "One of them was responsible for teaching you etiquette, yet you haven't learned it. The other was responsible for your safety, yet they failed, allowing you to act recklessly. How can I release them? Today, I must clean up the people around you!"

"Marquis! Marquis, have mercy! Please...," came the cowardly plea from Hua Xiangrong hanging from the tree.

Beside her, Yun Xiangyi, who had been standing with her head lowered, also looked up with a tear-streaked face, weeping like a pear blossom in the rain: "Marquis, please see reason. I have been diligently teaching the young lady for three years without a single mistake. Today's incident was an accident, truly an accident!"

Of course, it was unjust! Who could outwit the Empress Dowager?

However, Yun Xiaohua's performance was a bit too dramatic.

Seeing them being bullied, Grace felt as if she was seeing her former female colleagues being dismissed by an unfair boss. Since this situation was due to the original owner's actions, she couldn't bear it: "Father, please let them go. This has nothing to do with them. If you're really angry, take it out on me."

Lord Qingyun gave her a surprised look.

Grace had thought about her indifferent attitude before. She couldn't say whose fault it was, but she certainly wasn't completely innocent.

She said, "Aren't you looking to remarry? As long as you let them go, everything is negotiable. If you really want to remarry, I have no objections."

This statement was like a bombshell. Lord Qingyun froze, and even the previously sorrowful Yun Xiangyi and Hua Xiangrong looked at her in shock.

Taking advantage of Lord Qingyun's moment of confusion, Grace glanced at Hua Xiangrong's height and then directed Xiaolan to intervene. Xiaolan immediately called for the servants to release them.

The process went smoothly, making Grace suspect that Lord Qingyun had never intended to truly punish them.

The group quickly returned to Qiyu Courtyard. As soon as they arrived, Hua Xiangrong, still massaging her arms, knelt down and kowtowed to Grace.

"Thank you, young lady, for your great kindness and virtue!"

Grace jumped up: "What are you doing?!"

Hua Xiangrong, on the verge of tears, said, "The young lady agreed to the Marquis' remarriage against her will to save us. I must thank you for your kindness!"

"No need!" Grace said, "If it wasn't for this situation, I would have agreed to his remarriage sooner or later."

She did it to save them, but it was also beneficial to her.

Since remarrying was a thorn in Lord Qingyun's side, Grace decided to agree, preventing him from finding other excuses to trouble her in the future.

Moreover, the situation with Empress Dowager Lu was still tricky. She couldn't afford to lose Lord Qingyun as a backup. Although she didn't understand why the original owner was at odds with her father, she believed that as long as she agreed to his remarriage, Lord Qingyun wouldn't deliberately harm her.

When it came to dealing with Empress Dowager Lu, having her father's support would be invaluable—even if they had no emotional bond, Lord Qingyun would still care about his reputation, right?

Life is hard, and she had to find ways to save herself!

Hua Xiangrong, nose twitching, exchanged a glance with Yun Xiangyi. Instead of getting up, they both clung to Grace's legs: "The young lady would never have thought this way before! She must have compromised to save us! We can never repay your kindness!"

Yun Xiangyi also clung to her other leg, weeping again.

Grace was speechless: "Hua Guard, it's fine if you kneel, but Mr. Yun, why are you kneeling? You're my tutor!"

Hearing the word "tutor," Yun Xiangyi stopped crying and looked at her strangely: "You consider me your 'tutor'?"

Grace felt ashamed. Although Lord Qingyun had hired a female tutor for her, she had only been a decoration.

"Why be so formal among ourselves?" Yun Xiangyi wiped her face and stood up, "I never actually taught you anything. You know, my textbooks are covered in dust. Most of the time, I'm just reading storybooks! Whether I'm your tutor or not, you can decide! But since you saved me, you deserved that bow."

"...Storybooks?"

Was this really her tutor?

Yun Xiangyi sat down and rubbed her knees, her watery eyes fixed on Grace. She poked Grace's arm with a blood-red fingernail: "I totally underestimated you. I didn't see this heroic side of you before. That sense of responsibility moved me. To repay you, I'll bring you some rare books tonight!"

Grace almost choked: "Shouldn't you be reforming yourself and teaching me proper etiquette and morals?"

She's supposed to be my tutor, yet she's offering to bring me storybooks!

"What's the point of teaching?" Yun Xiangyi giggled softly, like a seductive enchantress, "Every time I try, I get scolded, so I stopped. Getting paid without doing work? It's perfect! Why make trouble for myself?"

"Who scolds you?"

Yun Xiangyi paused: "You don't know?"