Yun Family.
The death of Yun Anbang, Yun Yuan’s father, did not cause much chaos in this big family.
In fact, the Yun Family had already prepared all the funeral arrangements several days ago.
So when Yun Anbang finally breathed his last, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
However, these had nothing to do with Yun Yuan at this moment.
At this time, he was wearing mourning clothes, kneeling in front of the coffin, fulfilling his last duties as a son.
On the opposite side of him knelt a young man, also dressed in mourning clothes, whose facial features bore some resemblance to Yun Yuan.
But unlike Yun Yuan, who kept his head down and remained silent, this young man seemed restless and frequently looked around.
At this moment, Yun Yuan’s stepmother, Mrs. Yun, walked in carrying a bowl of soup.
"Hao, you’ve been kneeling for quite a while, take a break. This is lotus seed soup mom had someone prepare for you. While no one’s around, drink it quickly."
Yun Hao responded with a nod and started to drink it down.
Watching her son drink the lotus seed soup, Mrs. Yun’s eyes were filled with affection.
But when she turned her gaze to Yun Yuan, her expression changed.
It became full of malice.
"Hmph!" She snorted coldly.
The sound was not loud, but it was clearly heard within the Spirit Tent.
No one spoke.
Everyone knew Mrs. Yun was not to be trifled with, especially at this time, no one dared to provoke her.
Yun Yuan naturally heard it too.
However, he continued kneeling there without even lifting his head.
Yun Yuan knew very well that his stepmother must be racking her brains on how to deal with him.
The only thing he could do was remain steady and not be provoked by her.
Because the advantage was now on his side; as long as he could endure until his father was peacefully buried, he could logically inherit everything as the eldest son.
This was something Mrs. Yun could not change no matter how much she disapproved.
But the prerequisite was that he must not make mistakes, especially not be provoked by Mrs. Yun’s petty tricks, otherwise, any conflict could introduce many variables.
Holding onto this thought, Yun Yuan remained indifferent.
Mrs. Yun was annoyed by this but found herself at a loss.
Just then, shouting was heard from outside.
"The Sect Leader of the Iron Sword Sect has come to pay respects."
"The Sect Leader of the Red Deer Sect has come to pay respects."
"The Hall Master of the Profound Light Hall has come to pay respects."
With three shouts, the previously quiet Spirit Tent became restless.
Because these three were renowned figures in the Yan Capital City.
Yun Anbang had loved making friends with such local characters during his lifetime.
Now that he was dead, it was normal for them to come to pay respects.
For a moment, many of those in mourning, whether genuine or not, displayed grief on their faces and knelt down, crying bitterly.
Mrs. Yun showed a fleeting smile.
But that fleeting smile disappeared, and she sat on a chair next to the coffin, putting on an appearance of sorrow.
At this moment, the three leaders entered the Spirit Tent together.
They first offered incense in front of the coffin, then stepped forward to comfort the family kindly.
But they all deliberately ignored Yun Yuan, who was kneeling to the side, and gathered around Mrs. Yun.
"Sister-in-law, please accept our condolences!"
"Yes, Brother Anbang is gone, please don’t be too sad. You still have Yun Hao to raise, so you must hold on."
Mrs. Yun wiped nonexistent tears from the corners of her eyes and said in a low voice, "I know, thank you, brothers, it’s thoughtful of you."
The three of them also offered comforting words to Yun Hao before taking their leave.
Throughout the process, they did not look at Yun Yuan, who was also kneeling in front of the coffin, as if he did not exist.
Many people had noticed the peculiarity by this time, but no one dared to speak up.
Yun Yuan still knelt there calmly, revealing no emotions.
The atmosphere in the Spirit Tent became very oppressive.
Soon after, more people came to pay their respects, most of whom were Yun Anbang’s friends during his life.
But without exception, all of them only offered comfort to Mrs. Yun and Yun Hao, not paying any attention to Yun Yuan.
Despite trying to hide it, Mrs. Yun’s expression still revealed a sense of triumph.
This was something she had planned long ago to embarrass Yun Yuan.
After all, with so many people coming to pay respects, everyone acknowledged only us, the mother and son, completely ignoring you, the nominal eldest son.
This subtly expressed an attitude.
This attitude was precisely what Mrs. Yun wanted.
She hoped that through this way, the illusion that Yun Hao was the rightful heir would be created.
Even if it was just an illusion, Mrs. Yun felt that as long as everyone recognized it, it was no longer an illusion.
Yun Yuan naturally understood this as well.
At this moment, although he appeared calm, he was inwardly anxious.
He knew Mrs. Yun would definitely play tricks, but he didn’t expect that not a single one of the friends his father had made, whether in the court or among the common folk, would offer support to her and her son.
Yun Yuan knew this was surely caused by the Lin Family behind Mrs. Yun, otherwise, this wouldn’t have happened.
This clearly showed how important a strong matrilineal clan was.
But his maternal family was far away in Linhai County, out of reach; he was alone, how could he compete with the Lin Family whose stronghold was in the Yan Capital City?
As another wave of people arrived, Yun Yuan closed his eyes, listening to the words of praise for Yun Hao, contrasting them with the cold neglect he faced.