“The dowry your mother left behind, of course, belongs to you and Hao’er. As for what I gave you, just take it as a gift and accept it. I have been close to your father since childhood, closer than ordinary brothers. I just didn’t expect that he would… and didn’t expect that you had been living under someone else’s roof for so many years. If I had known it earlier, I would have sent someone to pick you up!”

Shao Jing sighed and felt even more guilty.

“Second Uncle… No one wanted that to happen!” Shao Wanru said softly, biting her lip, as if she didn’t want to talk anymore, since dwelling on the past would only bring her more grief.

“I’m so sorry for what I have done to you and your father. I should have made up for it. Originally, I entrusted my wife to handle the affairs of the inner courtyard, and I thought that she would handle them very well but in the end… Wanru, I’m so sorry!” Shao Jing said with a sadder voice.

Did he mean that what his wife had done before had nothing to do with him? Shao Wanru’s heart skipped a beat and she suppressed the displeasure in her heart.

She looked up and shook her head before saying sincerely, “Uncle, I know these have nothing to do with you.”

“I’m glad you think so. Though you grew up without your parents by your side, you are the same as your father in nature. Different from Ru’er, you are outstanding. She only has herself to blame for what she suffered,” Shao Jing said.

It was extremely candid of him to give such a comment on his daughter.

If Shao Wanru hadn’t been reborn, framed by Duke Xing, or ended up in a miserable situation in her last life, she would almost believe him and consider her hypocritical uncle a nice person with good character, and would think that what his wife and daughter had done had nothing to do with him and that he didn’t have any bad intentions against her.

A great man would inevitably have a wicked wife and unfilial children. Instead of blaming him, people would sympathize with him.

However, in the last life, did her shrewd uncle really not know it? His wife and daughter all knew it, but only he, the family leader, did not. Wasn’t it too lame?

Shao Wanru guessed that her uncle not only knew what his wife and daughter were doing but also was helping them. Now he stood up for her just because there was no one who supported him.

The truth came out, and it had to!

“Yanru is now in the imperial palace. I wonder how she is going!” Shao Wanru asked softly, pretending not to catch what Shao Jing meant.

“She… Alas…” Shao Jing sighed mildly again. He didn’t know how to answer. After a long while, he said, “Wanru, I ask you for nothing, except that when you meet Ru’er in the palace afterwards, talk to her in a nicer way. Otherwise, she may be misunderstood and bullied by people in the palace.”

He did not request Shao Wanru to take care of Shao Yanru but just asked her to be a little kinder when she met Shao Yanru in the palace afterwards, so that the people in the palace would not look down on Shao Yanru. He had made a concession.

This request was not too much. No matter how much Shao Yanru had hurt Shao Wanru, she had fallen into such a miserable situation now. Moreover, for Shao Jing’s sake, Shao Wanru should not swear at Shao Yanru when she saw her in the palace.

But after thinking carefully, she found what her uncle said was meaningless and boring.

Shao Wanru certainly would not have any harsh words for Shao Yanru. Otherwise, she would also be reprimanded. Unlike other places, there were many Noble Ladies. Maybe even the Empress was more than willing to caught something on her.

The Empress would definitely punish her if Shao Wanru really treated her sister that way.

So Shao Wanru wouldn’t speak ill of Shao Yanru in front of the others for her own sake.

She was still brooding over what Shao Jing said since she didn’t understand what he meant. He said in an extremely trivial and submissive way, but still said nothing meaningful.

“Don’t worry, uncle. I will!” Shao Wanru said, in an increasingly soft voice. She looked delicate and petite, sitting there with slightly tearful eyes. She must have been moved.

“Well, let’s forget those painful things. There is nothing I can do now to help them. After all, they had brought it upon themselves. It would be best if things on their sides would get better, and if they don’t, just let it be,” Shao Jing said. Then a hint of relief and sadness appeared on his face before he looked like he had let it go.

“Yes,” Shao Wanru nodded and replied.

“When your father left, he took away some items from the mansion. I didn’t care about it at first, but I found that a private seal belonging to your grandfather in the mansion was missing these days, and some calligraphy works written by your grandfather were missing as well. Have you seen them in your father’s relics?”

Shao Wanru looked at Shao Jing blankly, as if she didn’t understand what he meant. She frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said, “I didn’t see them.”

“But I asked the servants present at that time. They all said that your father took them away. It’s just a private seal and some calligraphy and paintings your grandfather left, and if you have them, please show them to me. I won’t take them away, and I will make another seal,” Shao Jing said more tactfully.

He looked kind and plump with a big smile on his round face, but not treacherous at all.

However, the implication in his words was cunning.

Shao Wanru thought for a longer time. Shao Jing didn’t press her to reply this time. After a long while, she shook her head again and said with certainty, “Second Uncle, I really haven’t seen them.”

“Your father probably had them! Wanru, show me his relics. Maybe you are not clear about it. Don’t worry, I won’t really take the seal away!” Shao Jing urged again.

This time, he appeared to be a little impatient. If Shao Wanru had not been observing him secretly, she would not have noticed this tiny change.

It seemed that this was the real purpose of her hypocritical uncle.

She was relieved. What she feared most was not other people’s conspiracies, but when they were made secretly! Although she had gone through a lot and been reborn as a provident girl, she couldn’t always foresee what would happen and get prepared. It was already very great of her to anticipate something.

“You still have father’s relics?” asked Shao Jing.

Shao Wanru shook her head and said, “He left nothing to me except for a seal which could prove our relationship, and my mother only left me a glass.”

That was true. These were the two relics Shao Wanru had seen at the beginning, which served as the main proof of their relationship. Actually, Old Madam Qin had a parcel delivered to her later. Some of the things inside were now at Shao Wanru’s place. However, she would not let Shao Jing see them, so she didn’t tell him everything.

Even if Shao Jing looked into it, he would not find out the truth. Old Madam Qin had told her very few people knew about it, and even Mrs. Di didn’t know it.

Except for a few showy ones that attracted Mrs. Di’s attention at that time, the rest were not very impressive, which saved her snooping.

Shao Jing’s gaze fell on Shao Wanru’s face. He carefully examined her, as if to see if she had lied, and then slowly said, “Never mind. I’ll look for them somewhere else in the mansion!”

“All right!” Shao Wanru nodded her head.

“If you need anything, just tell me. Although I’m not very capable, I’ll definitely help you if I can. We’re a family, so we can’t be estranged because of others!” Shao Jing reminded her. From this aspect, he really looked like a loving old father, who could make people feel good about him.

“Thank you, I will!” Shao Wanru said in an increasingly gentler tone.

“Then you can go back first!” Shao Jing said with a smile.

Shao Wanru stood up, bowed deeply to Shao Jing, and then turned to leave. Shao Jing looked at her back, and the smile on his face was replaced with a gloomy look. “Am I wrong? Does she really not have them? But if she does, where did that calligraphy work come from?” he wondered.

He reached out and rubbed his eyebrows. Of course, the more calligraphy works he had, the better it would be, and the more chips he would obtain. He hadn’t thought of it before, but now since he did, he must conduct a thorough investigation. He wouldn’t give up halfway until he saw the relics of his elder brother.

“Or maybe they are at the Ningyuan Army General’s Mansion? After all, at that time, she was just a child who knew nothing and couldn’t even remember her origins!”

Thinking of this, he had made up his mind and said coldly, “Someone, go invite Ningyuan Army General over!” He pulling a long face made people feel a kind of inexplicable chill.

Shao Wanru didn’t see Shao Jing’s expression change, nor did she know that Qin Huaiyong was going to meet Shao Jing at his mansion. She was now looking at the young man in front of her with surprise.

She was so shocked that she couldn’t utter a word. That person turned out to be Yan Xi.

When Shao Wanru was just reborn, she hated Yan Xi. But when she finally realized that she might have misunderstood him, his family had declined.

He was different from Wang Shengxue, who was said to have lived an excellent life.

“They both framed me. Why did they end so differently?” Shao Wanru thought. Before seeing Yan Xi, Shao Wanru didn’t want to think too much about other people’s affairs. However, on seeing Yan Xi that day, she recalled some things. Later, she was surprised to find that he was the son of Shao Jing’s old friend.

However, Yan Xi was in front of her at present. It was really an unexpected surprise.

The expression on her face turned from surprise to coldness, and then to indifference. She edged past Yan Xi to avoid his bow and curtsied sideways before greeting him.

They almost bumped into each other at the intersection.

It was a narrow path, and the rockery at the intersection blocked their sight, so they didn’t see each other. Yan Xi had a heavy heart on his way to see Duke Xing and walked rapidly as this was the outer court where he thought he wouldn’t bump into any female members of the family. Unexpectedly, he almost bumped into a lady of the mansion.

If he hadn’t reacted quickly enough, he would have bumped into Shao Wanru…