Yu Xiang turned and looked towards Yu Si Yu, who was slumped on the steps. She said scornfully, “Look, this is the person you want to stay with, without a care to the scruples, he disobeyed Grandmother. He hasn’t yet married a diwife but he has already begun to think of taking in a concubine. He entered your boudoir in the middle of the night without any consideration for your reputation. If you marry him, you will suffer in the future, not to mention his terrible mess of a family!”
Yu Si Yu struggled to get up and bellowed, “Yu Xiang, you are shameless! You seduced Fang Zhi Chen behind my back! You are wanton, despicable, and shameless! You are the one who should be drowned in a ‘Pig Cage’!”
Yu Xiang’s face was expressionless as she listened to her hurling insults. When she finished yelling at her, she said, “Yu Si Yu, you should be glad that I can’t walk. Otherwise, I will dunk you into a water tank to wake up that brain of yours! The Fang family will be in decline soon. Do you think it is fun for the whole manor to be searched, possession confiscated and the entire family to be exterminated? If you want to die, don’t drag my brother down! If it wasn’t for the fact that you share the same ‘Yu’ surname as my elder brother, do you think I would care whether you live or die?”
Yu Si Yu raised her jaw in defiance, “Yu Xiang, you don’t have to deceive me. You are not doing it for my good, and you are afraid that if I married someone affluent, it will get in your way. Because you are a cripple and I am able-bodied, so you are jealous, you resent and target me everytime. If the Fang family were on the brink of extermination, the Emperor would not have chosen him as the third-place candidate[1] and he would have been disqualified from the Imperial Examination! The fact that he was appointed as third-place candidate shows that the Emperor still thinks highly of him and the Fang family. It is because you are aware of this that you are trying to ruin my marriage, isn’t it? You are so malicious!”
Yu Xiang was dumbfounded when she heard this, she covered her mouth and laughed for a while. The more she laughed, the louder her laughter was. It was fine if this person was stupid, but she thought she was very smart which could make one shake with laughter. What did the Emperor’s decision to make Fang Zhi Chen a third-place candidate have to do with the collapse of the Fang family?
Recalling back to the time when the Emperor was under attack of an assasination attempt on the hunting grounds, and was rescued by the imperial commander at that time. The Emperor first ordered fifty boards to the Commander for dereliction of duty and also stripped off his position. Later, when the Commander returned home, he was issued an Imperial Edict to reward him for his rescue work and his official position was reinstated. This come and go, up-and-down was enough to give a glimpse into the Emperor’s style of doing things. He was very fair in his dealings with the imperial court. He dealt with all matters according to the rules and regulations of the punishments and rewards in an impartial manner. Fang Zhi Chen’s talent had nothing to do with his family background, so he awarded him a scholarly honour. If the Fang family was really guilty, then Fang Zhi Chen would still be punished for his crime, demoted and dismissed from office, which would be according to the national law of the Han Dynasty.
However, Yu Xiang did not say these words to Yu Si Yu. Even if she told her, she would not believe and would use greatest malice to guess her intentions.
Yu Pin Yan was in a special position which led to him having numerous enemies within the imperial court. Over the years, Yu Xiang wished that she could cultivate herself into someone who was immune and invulnerable to all kinds of poisons just so she wouldn’t burden her elder brother. She didn’t have many friends and seldom spoke to anyone when she ventured out. Other than maintaining contacts with the Old Madam’s old acquaintances in Marquis Yongle manor, she hardly ever moved about in the Capital. She was slowly taking the Marquis Yongle manor down the path of a ‘lone minister’[2] because that was what the Emperor was happy to see. Even with her unreasonable and overbearing character, Yu Pin Yan’s unprincipled spoiling of her was something that made the Emperor satisfied. Yu Pin Yan needed a weakness, and not become someone who did everything appropriately and perfectly in all aspects.
She did everything she could to make it easier for Yu Pin Yan to go further. However, Yu Si Yu kept on committing stupid acts. First, she fawned on the daughters of the aristocratic families, and then tried to marry into a wealthy family. Why didn’t she give it more thoughts? With the special status as a Commander, how could the Emperor be pleased to see that Yu manor had joined hands with those old aristocratic families?
The Emperor’s intention destined Yu Si Yu to only be able to marry into an ordinary family and live a normal life. For this reason, the Old Madam refused many families that were more prominent than the Fang family just to put the Emperor’s mind at ease.
But, a mere salt transportation envoy would make Yu Si Yu lose her mind. If she knew that the Old Madam had refused many Duke and Marquis manor’s proposals of marriage, wouldn’t that make her hate the Old Madam to the bone?
As she thought about this, Yu Xiang was overcome with powerlessness. She waved her hand and said, “Lock her up in a room and wait for Old Madam to return to deal with her separately.” Then, she pointed to Qing Ya, “Let this maidservant be hit 30 times on the board, then shut her in the woodshed.”
Qiu Shi obliged and pushed Yu Si Yu into the room.
Yu Si Yu spat fiercely at Qiu Shi and yelled, “Yu Xiang, what kind of act are you putting up in front of me? Let me tell you, you are just an illegitimate…”
Before she could finish the second half of the sentence , her mouth was covered by Qiu Shi and she was escorted into the room with her hands tied up. Qiu Shi then found a piece of handkerchief in the sewing basket and used it to gag her, the yelling and cursing turned into a vague whimper.
Yu Xiang naturally understood the curses she was saying. She pursed her lips indifferently and left under the drizzling rain.
Qiu Shi was still holding Yu Si Yu in her arms. When everyone has left, she whispers, “My Eldest young miss, please stop! So what if Miss Xianger isn’t blood related to the Marquis manor? The Old Madam and Marquis feel that she is, then isn’t she so! You and her are incomparable, even if the real di daughter returns, she can’t be compared to her. The Old Madam and Marquis dote on her. What do you have to compete with her? It’s better if you quickly stop, if not, there will be less hope for you to get married.”
Yu Si Yu slowly calmed down. Her expression did not show it but her hatred for Yu Xiang became more profound.
Qiu Shi waited for a moment to let go of her. She immediately pulled off the handkerchief from her mouth, slapped Qiu Shi and scolded fiercely, “You old dog that lives off one person while secretly helping another! I will deal with you one day!”
Qiu Shi was originally sent by Lin Shi to monitor Yu Si Yu, so she was naturally clear about the pedigree of Yu Xiang. However, she was quick-witted and felt that there was no opportunity for advancement by following Lin Shi, so she quickly pledged allegiance to Yu Xiang.
She turned and walked out of the room while covering her face that was swollen and red. When she saw Qing Ya that was tied on the ground, she immediately kicked her a few times to vent her anger. She thought in her heart: What is the meaning of living off one person and secretly helping another? It should be a good bird choosing the right tree to live on. Just with how Marquis spoils Miss Xiang’er, Miss Xiang’er has the final say in the Yu manor. Just a fool like you, thinking of overpowering Miss Xiang’er in every aspect, dream on!