âThank you, Father!â Yu Youyao felt as if she had received a treasure. She returned to the Jade Courtyard with the calligraphy her father had given her, then asked Chun Xiaoâs messenger to frame the calligraphy and hang them in the small study room.
After that, she took off the Tian-tsui on her head and handed it to Dong Mei. She said calmly, âKeep it!â
At this moment, Old Madam Yu also found out that Yu Qingning had caused a ruckus with Nanny Qian and had even beaten her up. Not only that, but Yu Qingning had also run to the front courtyard to complain to her father but was taught a lesson.
Old Madam Yu leaned against the couch and dozed off for a while. After a while, she said, âSheâs having a big attitude now. Sheâs causing trouble and is afraid that Iâll teach her a lesson, so she ignored me and went to look for her father.â
Nanny Liu held the massage hammer and massaged her legs.
Old Madam Yu tightened her grip on her prayer beads. âI know Eldest Sonâs personality very well. His heart is filled with his obsession with official matters, but he doesnât care about managing students, let alone teaching them. What good can Yu Qingning get from him? Since her father has already taught her a lesson, I canât be bothered to care about her.â
Seeing that Old Madam was angry, Nanny Liu could no longer pretend to be deaf and mute. âChildren have their own blessings. Fourth Miss canât understand your grandmotherâs kindness because sheâs not blessed. Eldest Miss is a good person.â
Old Madam Yuâs expression softened. âYou old thing, you only know how to use Yao Yao to fool me now.â
Nanny Liu smiled and did not speak.
Old Madam Yu waved her hand. âForget it. I canât control her anymore. Let her do as she pleases. Itâs just that Yao Yao cares about her relationship with her sister. With her muddle-headed personality, Iâm afraid sheâll hate Yao Yao.â
Nanny Liu also felt that way. Eldest Miss had asked Chun Xiao to pass on the message out of goodwill, but Fourth Miss was not someone who appreciated kindness.
Old Madam Yu sighed slightly. âThe nannies in the Education Department arenât easy to get along with. All of them are full of evil tricks. If Yu Qingning was willing to be disciplined, she would definitely be fine and could even learn some skills. However, after what sheâs done, Iâm afraid Nanny Qian will bear a grudge against her. Her future wonât be easy.â
Although she said that she wouldnât care anymore, she was still her granddaughter after all. How could she really not care?
Old Madam had a sharp tongue but a soft heart!
Old Madam Yu sighed again. âThatâs why Yao Yao asked Chun Xiao to go to the Hanlu Courtyard to pass on the message. She had good intentions, but Yao Yao is raised in her own home, so she doesnât know that those people are very sly. How can a young lady like her deal with them with just a few words?â
Nanny Liu nodded. All the nannies from the Education Department were greedy for money.
As expected, Old Madam Yu waved her hand. âGet someone to send 20 taels of silver and some expensive supplements over as compensation. At the same time, give them a few words of advice. After all, theyâre of the Yu familyâs bloodline. No matter how bad it is, they canât be mistreated by outsiders.â
Nanny Liu was not surprised.
Old Madam Yu frowned again. âCall Madam Yang over. Does she think that I wonât know about her underhanded methods behind my back?â
Nanny Liu quickly sent someone to call First Madam.
Not long after, Yang Shuwan rushed over. Her peach-colored makeup was embroidered with gold, and she looked radiant and beautiful. âMother, do you have any instructions?â
Old Madam Yu looked at her coldly. âEldest Sonâs injuries are almost healed. Come to my house tomorrow to continue making the rules.â
When Yang Shuwan heard this, she was thunderstruck. The smile on her face froze. âOld Madam, thisâ¦â
Old Madam Yuâs expression turned cold. âYou donât agree? Iâll get Eldest Son to tell you.â
âThat wonât do.â Yang Shuwanâs face turned pale. It was her duty to be filial to Old Madam. If Old Madam really spoke to Master, she would become nothing. She couldnât let Master think that she didnât know how to be filial to Old Madam.
No matter how unwilling she was, she could only pinch her handkerchief and reluctantly agree. âI have to abide by the rules. How can I not agree?!â
Old Madam Yu waved her hand.
Yang Shuwanâs face stiffened. âI wonât disturb Old Madamâs rest.â
As soon as she left the north courtyard, Yang Shuwan was furious. She thought about how she had finally managed to avoid setting the rules because of her masterâs injury. However, she was only happy for a few days before she had to go to Old Madamâs house to set the rules again!
This old thing couldnât stand to see her doing well!
Yang Shuwan was furious and aggrieved. Her eyes turned red. She had originally planned to return to the main courtyard, but then she remembered that she had suffered a huge grievance. Feeling indignant, she turned around and headed to the front courtyard.
During this period of time, she had been serving Yu Zongzheng inside and out, doing everything herself. Yu Zongzheng had also returned to his usual attitude towards her.
Unexpectedly, before she could speak, Yu Zongzheng said with a dark expression, âIf you hadnât come, I would have gone to look for you too.â
Yang Shuwan was stunned. She knew Yu Zongzheng well. Seeing that his expression wasnât good, she didnât dare to mention anything else and hurriedly asked, âWhatâs wrong with Master? Did something happen?â
Thinking about it carefully, other than the commotion that Yu Qingning had caused in the morning, she hadnât made any mistakes during this period of time. However, Yu Qingning couldnât be blamed for this matter. Even if something had happened, it wouldnât implicate her. She couldnât help but feel relieved.
Yu Zongzhengâs expression was serious. âLet me ask you, were you the one who gave Yao Yao the Tian-tsui?â
Yang Shuwan was stunned by the question. âI was the one who gave it to her. Yao Yao gave me a piece of cloth yesterday, so I picked out an exquisite Tian-tsui from my closet and gave it to her. Why are you suddenly asking about this?â
Yu Zongzhengâs expression darkened. âHow did you get the Tian-tsui?â
âI bought it from a jewelry store. I felt that it was rare, so I spent a lot of money on it!â Yang Shuwan also realized that something was amiss. How could she dare to say that she had ordered someone to capture the Kingfishers and hired an old craftsman to make it?
âBamââ Yu Zongzheng slapped the table, his expression turning even uglier. âNonsense!â
âM-Masterâ¦â Yang Shuwan was stunned after seeing him lose his temper. She had no idea how a Tian-tsui could make Master so angry.
Could it be that Yu Youyao, that little girl, had gossiped in front of Master?
She knew that in the past few days, Yu Youyao had been trying to curry favor with Master, but she was still inferior to Jia Jia. She was furious, but there was nothing she could do.
Since Master had benefited from Yu Youyao, he was even more satisfied with her. Just now, she had heard that Master had given Yu Youyao a calligraphy piece that he had personally written!
She cursed Yu Youyao in her heart!
Yu Zongzhengâs face was filled with anger. âA few years ago, the Marquisâs wife captured thousands of kingfishers and used them to make a beautiful feather dress for Imperial Consort Lu. The Imperial Court accused Marquis of Weiningâs Residence of currying favor and being arrogant and he was almost impeached. It was only because of Imperial Consort Luâs that this matter was suppressed and kept quiet.â
No wonder Master was so angry. Yang Shuwanâs eyes widened in shock.
Master was a member of the Imperial Inspection Institute, so he was definitely involved in the impeachment. However, she had secretly ordered someone to capture Kingfishers to make a Tian-tsui. Wouldnât that be a slap in Masterâs face?