That accursed woman. To forge letters in Lady Su’s name and send them to Shen Zixuan, tarnishing her reputation… a hundred deaths would be too merciful. It was sheer luck that Nanny Li had found the letters today and brought them to him. Had they been made public, the consequences would have been unimaginable. And that scoundrel Shen Zixuan. Still pining for Lady Su after all these years, so easily bewitched by any letter bearing her name. What a blind fool. To think they had grown up together, childhood sweethearts, and he still couldn’t recognize her handwriting. Qiao Manrou’s script was a clumsy scrawl compared to Lady Su’s elegant hand. He hadn’t wanted to distress Lady Su and had tried to hide the letters, but she had insisted on seeing them. He found he couldn’t bring himself to deny her, and so he reluctantly handed them over. "My lady, a word of caution. Look if you must, but do not let this filth poison your mood." Lady Su didn’t answer. She scanned the pages, her expression hardening, before her shoulders began to tremble. She lifted a handkerchief to her lips, and a soft sob escaped. It was partly an act, but not without a core of genuine sorrow. Seeing the words with her own eyes, she finally understood the depths of her cousin’s determination to ruin her. To have poured out her heart in affection, only to welcome a wolf into her home. The betrayal was so calculated, so cruel. It was a tragic realization. The sight of her tear-streaked face was a knife in Yun Zheng’s heart. He rushed to her side, pulling her into a gentle embrace and whispering soothingly. "Hush now, my love, don’t cry. You’ve only just given birth. Such tears will harm your eyes." "As for that heartless Qiao Manrou, I will make her pay. I will see that you have your justice. Don’t trouble yourself with such a vile creature." "Husband," Lady Su murmured, lifting her head to look at him with pitiful, tear-filled eyes. "Don't you suspect, even for a moment, that I might have written them?" A low chuckle rumbled in Yun Zheng’s chest as he tenderly wiped a tear from her cheek. "I know the kind of person you are. You are the woman I chose. To doubt you would be to doubt my own judgment." He had absolute confidence in his own appeal. Only an incompetent man would live in constant suspicion of his wife. "Oh, you…" Comforted, Lady Su felt a warmth like honey spread through her heart. A coquettish smile touched her lips, and she nudged him playfully. The next day. Early that morning, Yun Wanye and Yun Wanyao were granted leave to return home. The two were fraternal twins, sharing similarly exquisite features, though Yun Wanyao’s were noticeably softer and more delicate. "Mother, we're back! I heard I have a little sister! Where is she? Let me hold her!" The sweet voice preceded them. A moment later, two lively figures burst into the room—a handsome boy and a girl so stunning she hardly seemed real. A vein throbbed in Yun Zheng’s temple. He reached out and cuffed the tall boy on the back of the head. "Ow! Father, what was that for? I expect this in the barracks, but you’re hitting me the moment I walk in the door? Mother, look at him!" Yun Wanye dodged nimbly as Yun Zheng aimed a half-hearted kick in his direction. "Your mother is recovering. She needs quiet. And you two come crashing in here shouting. Who else am I supposed to hit?" What kind of logic was that? Yun Wanye nearly choked on his indignation. "But you just said Yun Wanyao was the loud one! Why do I get hit for it?" Yun Wanyao covered her mouth, a soft giggle escaping. Laugh, go on, laugh yourself to death, Yun Wanye thought, glaring at his sister. "You're the older brother. You should have stopped your sister. And you have the nerve to argue?" Yun Wanye took a deep, steadying breath. "You want to talk reason, Father? Is it reasonable to blame me for Yun Wanyao's mistake?" "Waaahhh~" [What’s going on? Who’s making all that racket while I’m trying to sleep? So noisy.] Su Mengyao had been sleeping peacefully, but the commotion startled her awake. She felt a surge of irritation and meant to complain, but all that came out was a frustrated wail. Yun Wanye: "???" Yun Wanyao: "???" Did… did their newborn sister just talk? No, that was impossible. They had to be hearing things. A newborn couldn’t possibly speak. Seeing the perfectly normal expressions on their father’s and Yun Wanyao’s faces, Yun Wanye decided he must have misheard and didn't dare ask. Likewise, seeing no change in her father or brother, Yun Wanyao dismissed the voice as a figment of her own imagination. In some ways, the twins’ tacit understanding was truly uncanny. "You two, really. You’ve woken Xiao Si," Lady Su chided the father and son. "There, there, don't cry. Mother will rock you back to sleep." The baby's cries made Yun Zheng’s heart ache. He rubbed his nose and shot a glare at Yun Wanye, his voice low. "See what you did? You woke Xiao Si. We’ll be having words about this later." Yun Wanye rolled his eyes, whispering back just as quietly. "I wasn't the only one! You and Yun Wanyao were just as loud! Why am I the only one getting blamed? Father, have you no conscience? Such blatant favoritism!" [Oh? Yun Wanyao? Isn't that the name of the original female lead, the one whose fortune was stolen? That's my sister!] [So she's back? I have to see her. I've lived two lives and I've never met a real, live female lead before.] [Oh, right. I almost forgot. This is a transmigration novel. Once the new female lead arrived, my sister was relegated to being a side character.] At the mention of Yun Wanyao's name, Su Mengyao's mind snapped into focus, her drowsiness vanishing. This time, there was no mistaking it. The twins’ eyes widened in unison, a silent shock passing between them. They had heard their baby sister's voice. Who else would call Yun Wanyao ‘sister’? Whose voice could be so young and infantile? But how could a newborn possibly speak? More perplexing still, their mother and father showed no sign of surprise. What was going on? Both Yun Wanye and Yun Wanyao were clever. They chose not to reveal what they’d heard, pretending everything was normal while discreetly gauging each other’s reactions. As they watched, they replayed the baby’s words in their minds. What did ‘original female lead whose fortune was stolen’ mean? What was a ‘transmigration novel’? And why would the arrival of a new female lead make Yun Wanyao—the original one—a side character? The twins were not the only ones pondering these questions. Yun Zheng and his wife were just as baffled, but even their worldly wisdom offered no explanation. The terms were completely alien to them; it would never occur to them that their entire world might be the setting of a novel. "Ah, is Xiao Si not sleepy anymore? Since you’re awake, you should greet your brother and sister. They haven't had a chance to meet you properly." Lady Su was the first to regain her composure. She silently filed away the strange phrases, gently adjusted Su Mengyao’s position in her arms, and smiled at her older children.

Chapter 5: A Calculated Betrayal