Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Yu Jianjia lowered her eyes and said gently, âIt turns out that Mother is seriously ill, and all the family matters are reliant on Eldest Sister. Sheâs not much older than me, but sheâs busy every day. Iâm very worried) so Iâm not in the mood to go to the manor to recuperate.â
At this point, she sighed faintly, looking a little ashamed.
âThird Miss, donât let your imagination run wild. Everyone at home is looking forward to seeing you well.â Although she said that, Seventh Aunt agreed deeply. Previously, Yu Jianjiaâs illness was serious, so she had gone to the manor to recuperate. It could be said that she had no choice.
However, now that her health had improved a little, Old Madam was old. As her granddaughter, she had to be filial to her.
Her mother was seriously ill. Although she couldnât sit by the side and attend to her illness, she should go over every now and then to take a look and show her concern.
It was also difficult for Eldest Sister to manage the family. As her younger sister, even if she couldnât help much, she should do what she could.
Only filial piety, virtue, respect, and deference could truly show everyoneâs upbringing.
However, Yu Jianjia did a good job.
Although Second Madam Yao had not asked her to interfere in the banquet in the residence earlier, Yu Jianjia was good at tending to flowers and plants. She had also brought along the maidservants and old maids in the courtyard to arrange the flowers in the residence.
At the banquet, she received a lot of praise from the madams.
Later on, Second Madam Yao and Old Madam Yu were also very satisfied.
Yu Jianjia forced herself to perk up and smiled. âI know that Grandmother and
Eldest Sister dote on me, but I canât help but feel a little ashamed. Fortunately, Concubine Qiu is pregnant and helped Eldest Sister manage the household, so Iâm much more at ease. Itâs just that there are too many people in the capital, so itâs more peaceful to raise flowers in the manor.â
Her words were very beautiful, but there was a faint sarcasm in them that only she knew.
After the imperial examination, all the families in the capital were holding banquets. Yu Youyao and Madam Yao attended some of close families that valued etiquette.
The other banquets were all held by Concubine Qiu. She used the excuse that Eldest Madam Yu was seriously ill and Old Madam Yu was too old to attend.
She thought of her mother, the first wife, being locked up in Tranquil Heart Residence. She was a concubine who was not presentable, but she was pregnant and was stepping on her motherâs face to call the shots in the Yu Residence!
How dignified and glorious!
Recently, Concubine Qiu preferred sour and spicy. There were rumors in the residence that
âConcubine Qiuâs child is definitely a male. Old Madam values Concubine Qiu so much. If Concubine Qiu really gives birth to a boy, she might even be able to become a noble concubine!â
âAlthough she will still be a concubine, her status is much higher. When the time comes, itâll be more logical for her to manage the family and go out.â
âConcubine Qiuâs status will be high because of her son. Her glorious days are yet to comeâ¦â
ââ¦â
Hearing these rumors, Yu Jianjia made an excuse to visit Yu Shansi and said a few words.
Initially, she had also felt that in the past, Yu Shansi was her fatherâs only son and had obtained all his fatherâs love. Now that there was another person to share her fatherâs attention, no matter who it was, they would probably feel the difference.
Unexpectedly, Yu Shansi said, âGrandmother told me that Iâm Fatherâs only legitimate son and the eldest. No one can surpass me. However, as the legitimate son, I should take on the responsibility of prospering the family like Big Brother. I should also show the demeanor of the legitimate wife like Eldest Sister.â
Yu Jianjia felt a lump in her throat and understood how powerful Old Madam was.
Her mother was locked up in the Tranquil Heart Residence. It was her father and Old Madam who were raising Yu Shansi.
Yu Shansi had just turned seven years old and was at the age of being influenced. He treated his eldersâ words as the truth, so it was impossible for him to be on her side anymore.
Yu Shansi thought that Third Sister was worried about him, so he came over to comfort him. âThird Sister, donât worry. No matter if Concubine Qiuâs child is a boy or a girl, sheâs still my sister. Iâll also do my job as an elder brother. Donât worry about me. Just take care of yourself.â
These words were simply heart-wrenching. Yu Jianjiaâs expression changed and she said, âIn that case, study hard. I wonât disturb you anymore.â
Since they couldnât be united, she shouldnât embarrass herself in the future.
Fortunately, she and Yu Shansi were from the same mother, so in terms of relationship, they were closer than the others in the residence. As long as Yu Shansiâs title as the legitimate son lasted, her future as his sister would not be bad.
In the future, if Yu Shansi became successful, the benefits of being his sister would also come.
However, just the thought of watching a concubine dance and show off in the residence all day made her feel disgusted!!
Yu Jianjia did not want to stay in this disgusting place for a moment.
Since Yu Shansi couldnât be on her side, there was no need for her to stay in the residence anymore.
As she thought about it, Yu Jianjia continued, âAlthough itâs not very appropriate for a young miss like me to always live in the manor, Imperial
Physician Hu said that the younger I am, the easier it is for me to recover from my illness. I thought that since Iâm still young, I should quickly recuperate so that the family wonât always worry. In the future, when my body recovers, I can often be filial to my elders and share Eldest Sisterâs burden.â
These words were said righteously and well-mannered.
Anyone who heard this would think that she was sensible and considerate.
âSince youâve made up your mind, Iâll go look for Old Madam later and mention it to her. How to convince her will depend on you.â
Seventh Aunt did not persuade her. Her body was hers. How she recuperated depended on herself.
Although she used the title of a clan aunt to take care of Yu Jianjiaâs daily life and would usually teach her some principles of managing the household and handling matters, she would not interfere with Yu Jianjiaâs decisions.
Old Madam Yu did not want Yu Jianjia to blame her in the future.
As an aunt who was a few branches away, she was even more unwilling.
Yu Youyao had also heard some rumors about Concubine Qiu in the residence.
This matter concerned children. This matter was neither big nor small. Concubine Qiu had gained power in the residence as a concubine, so it was inevitable that the servants would think they were smart by currying favor.
Yu Youyao thought for a moment before going to An Shou Hall to talk to her grandmother.
When Old Madam Yu heard this, her expression darkened. âI knew it. A concubine is a concubine. If word gets out that a concubine is helping to manage the household, people will think that our family has gone crazy. They would think we would promote a concubine to not be suspected of pampering her and ignoring a wife.â
Yu Youyao held her teacup and said nothing. This was the reason why she had mentioned this to her grandmother.
Old Madam Yu turned to look at Nanny Liu and said word by word, âTell Concubine Qiu that a true aristocratic family doesnât have such messy things as noble concubines and equal wives. Concubines are only capable of helping a family that has lost their morals. Tell her not to use them as a tool to test me anymore..â