264 Her Scheme Was Not In Vain
Madam Yao was furious when she heard all the madams talking at once.
The Marquis of Changxing had been guarding Youzhou for three years, but he had already become arrogant. After winning the battle, he had already become arrogant before the reward from the Imperial Court was even given.
Yu Shuangbai couldn’t take it anymore and said angrily, “It’s clearly Seventh Miss Cao who bullied her. Eldest Sister and Sixth Sister Qi were playing chess in the octagonal pavilion, while Third Sister Song and I were watching from the side.” As she spoke, she glared fiercely at Yu Jianjia, who was standing at the side with her eyes lowered, as if this person didn’t exist. “Third Sister inexplicably brought Fifth Miss Lu and Seventh Miss Cao over to get to know each other. Eldest Sister bowed to them, but all of them had their eyes wide open and didn’t even return the greeting. It’s as if my Eldest Sister was in a hurry to befriend them.”
Yu Jianjia felt dizzy, and her thin body trembled. Even her eyes turned red. “I-I didn’t mean anything else. I just wanted to introduce…”
Madam Yao glanced at her coldly.
Second Aunt’s gaze was terrifyingly sharp. Yu Jianjia was shocked and did not dare to continue. There was no need to!
Even if Yu Shuangbai jumped out to stand up for Yu Youyao, what was the use?
The person Yu Youyao had offended was Seventh Miss Cao. If the Marquis of Changxing’s wife wanted to teach Yu Youyao a lesson and avenge her daughter, how could Yu Youyao hide?
This way, her ankle wouldn’t have been twisted in vain!
Yang Shuwan pulled Yu Jianjia behind her and hurriedly said, “Jia Jia has a gentle and kind personality. She’s just being kind…”
Yu Jianjia was caught off guard and staggered. Her feet hurt, and she almost fell again. Fortunately, Hui Xiang caught her and stabilized her. However, her feet hurt so much that she couldn’t even stand steadily. She could only lean against Hui Xiang and hold back her cries.
Yu Shuangbai started crying. “Seventh Miss Cao wanted to hold a poetry recital and asked Eldest Sister to join her. Eldest Sister repeatedly said that she wasn’t proficient in poetry, but Seventh Miss Cao refused to give in and forced Eldest Sister to join her. She said that Eldest Sister had no mother since she was young and was taught by a servant. As a result, she was different from them and couldn’t compare to them.”
Madam Yao gasped. It was really serious.
The other madams also took a deep breath.
She turned to look at Eldest Miss Yu. She was a young lady and a skinny little girl. She stood alone at the side. Even when she cried, she only whimpered softly. Her small shoulders trembled, but she was extremely sad.
She was unlike the other daughters who would definitely cry in front of their elders when they had suffered a little.
She looked really sad.
The Marquis of Changxing’s wife knew that something was amiss. She glanced coldly at Cao Yingxue, who was standing beside her. Seeing that she had lowered her head and shrunk her neck, she knew that Second Miss Yu was not lying.
Yu Shuangbai glared at Cao Yingxue angrily. “Also, Seventh Miss Cao fell down on her own just now. How can you blame it on my big sister…”
“You.” Cao Yingxue stomped her foot and stretched out a fair finger, pointing at her arrogantly and angrily. “That Yu Youyao splashed tea on my face. That’s the truth, right?!”
Yu Shuangbai wanted to say, “You deserved it!”
However, she was pulled back by Yu Youyao. Yu Youyao cried and said, “Seventh Miss Cao, you don’t know this. I’ve never had a mother since I was young. Every time someone mentions this, I feel terrible. For a moment, I was in a daze and accidentally spilled the tea. I didn’t know that it was splashed on Seventh Miss Cao’s face. I’ve really let you down…”
It was so quiet that one could hear the ground—
The young misses of wealthy families had been taught from a young age not to scold others or expose others’ shortcomings. This was the upbringing that noble ladies should have.
However, Cao Yingxue did both.
First Madam Xie was a deceased person and an elder. How could juniors like them insult her? She had even humiliated Yu Youyao’s mother.
It was also a fact that Yu Youyao had lost her mother.
However, she was invited by the Marquis of Changxing’s Residence. How could she humiliate her like this? Cao Yingxue exposing her shortcomings in front of everyone was unreasonable to anyone. It would definitely make people feel that she was unruly, ill-mannered, and rude.
Even if someone splashed tea on her face, she deserved it.
How could the Marquis of Changxing’s wife have expected that this matter would also take a turn? She quickly said, “Yingxue has been pampered by me since she was young, and she speaks without holding back. She didn’t mean to offend Eldest Miss Yu. Eldest Madam Yu, look, the Eldest Miss of your residence has been frightened. Why don’t you get someone to bring her down to wash up first? We can talk later.”
Anything that involved upbringing was not a small matter. She could not continue to cause trouble in public, lest she lost the dignity and face of the Marquis of Changxing’s Residence, making others feel that the Marquis of Changxing’s Residence was rude.
The residence had spent a lot of effort organizing today’s flower festival. They couldn’t let others cause trouble.
Madam Yao did not say anything and stroked Yu Youyao’s back.
“The Marquis of Changxing’s wife is right.” Yang Shuwan rolled her eyes and moved closer to Yu Youyao. “Yao Yao, don’t cry. You’ll hurt your eyes if you cry. Look at your sorry state…”
As she spoke, she wanted to hold Yu Youyao’s hand.
Yu Jianjia’s feet hurt so much that she gasped and glanced at the Marquis of Changxing’s wife.
So what if Seventh Miss Cao was in the wrong?
It was fine as long as the Marquis of Changxing’s wife insisted that the quarrel between the sisters was just a misunderstanding and Seventh Miss Cao did not mean it. She was determined to pursue the matter of Yu Youyao splashing Seventh Miss Cao’s tea and causing her to fall. What else could Yu Youyao do?
Even if she was eloquent, so what?
It was just a dying struggle.
Her scheme was not in vain.
Yu Youyao avoided Yang Shuwan’s outstretched hand and walked up to the Marquis of Changxing’s wife. She bowed and said in a hoarse voice—
“I didn’t have a mother since I was young. It was Grandmother who pitied me. I wasn’t even a month old when Grandmother brought me to her side to raise me. The Yu Residence is also a scholarly family. My grandmother was a respected madam, and her talent and virtue were praised by the previous Emperor. Seventh Miss Cao insisted that I didn’t have good upbringing because I had no mother since I was young, but I refused to acknowledge it.”
When the madams present heard this, their expressions immediately turned serious.
When Old Master Yu was still alive, he was a second-rank Imperial Censor of the Imperial Court. The previous emperor valued him very much. Every time he hired someone, he had to invite Old Master Yu into the palace to discuss and ask for advice.
Old Master Yu did not enter the cabinet, but he was a close confidant of the emperor.
When Old Master Yu asked for a conferment for his wife, the former emperor praised, “My beloved minister, you are upright and strict. You have a virtuous wife in the family to manage the house. She is a virtuous person who helps you to be loyal and serve the emperor. She shares the emperor’s burdens and contributes to assisting the country.”
He was conferred a third-grade title.
This matter was widely spread in the capital.
After Old Master Yu passed away early, Old Madam Yu raised both her sons into important ministers in the court. After her second son, Yu Zongshen, entered the cabinet, he praised Old Madam Yu’s talent and virtue. “Your mother’s virtue is clear. She’s a model wife.”
She had also made an exception and mentioned that Old Madam Yu had received a second-grade promotion. Even the Marquis of Weining’s wife had received a second-grade promotion.