As much as Yu Si Yu was previously fond of Yu Miao Qi, it was equivalent to how much she hated her right now. She was not like Yu Xiang, who would flare up when she was mad. Instead, she would bury it in her heart and contemplate on how to plot against her, and then find a way to exact her revenge with no one the wiser. Even after gaining revenge, she would still want the other person to be moved to tears from gratitude.
To put it bluntly, this method of handling approach was called 'acting like a b*tch but still wants a monument set up to one's chastity'[1]. Yu Miao Qi was a b*tch, a total b*tch!
When Yu Si Yu recalled the intimate sister-like relationship they had, she almost vomited out last night's dinner in disgust. When she looked at Yu Xiang's arrogant and bossy face, it wasn't as annoying as it used to be.
She stopped crying and was about to get up to take her leave. However, she paused and asked in exasperation, "No! If you know about her schemes, why didn't you stop them earlier? If you were willing to help, how could I have ended up where I am today?"
Great! She almost got away with it! Turns out this one is no good either! Yu Si Yu was furious to the point of trembling from head to toe. Moreover, the little bit of goodwill she had for Yu Xiang vanished into dust.
As if she had heard a great joke, Yu Xiang covered her mouth as she was overcome with hilarity. Seeing Yu Si Yu's face turn blue to purple, and her nose was bent because of her anger, she spoke slowly, "You and Yu Miao Qi are responsible for all of this. Let me ask you, if we were to trade places, would you help me? I'm afraid that not only will you not help, but you will also make me even more miserable."
Yu Si Yu was stumped by this question and lowered her head with a guilty conscience. Indeed, not only would she not help Yu Xiang, but she would even step on her a few times and watch her struggle in pain and despair. Even if she refused to admit this, Yu Xiang knew this clearly in her heart.
"In Buddhism, there is a cycle of karma and retribution; whatever you sowed in the past, you will get the same treatment. The way you treat me would be the way I treat you. You should be thankful to me if I didn't take the opportunity to hit you when you are down and send you to prison. Who gives you the right to blame me?" Yu Xiang slowly leaned back on the soft couch and lifted her white and slender fingers to admire the freshly applied nailart[2]under the sunlight.
What she had said made so much sense that Yu Si Yu was unable to refute. Not only that, she also actually felt a tinge of gratitude toward her for not taking advantage of the disadvantaged position. Now, it seemed that apart from her sharp tongue, Yu Xiang was in fact an exceptionally good person, who never plotted against anyone behind their backs. If she had been in good terms with her before, she would not be in this state now.
Yu Si Yu's remorse filled her heart to the brim, but she still put up a front and asked another question, "Even if you don't help me, you have to think about the reputation of the Marquis manor, right? If the Marquis manor's reputation is ruined, which one of us would be able to gain an advantage? Do you know the basic principle of 'when the nest is overturned, no egg is left upset[3]'?"
Yu Xiang snickered and chuckled, "What does it matter to me whether the Marquis manor's reputation is good or bad? Not to mention that I don't plan to get married, even my Elder Brother wouldn't care. The only people in this manor who will still think about the family's reputation is Grandmother." Because of Elder Brother's extraordinary position, there wouldn't be enough (dirty water) to defile the Marquis manor. How could he attain such a good reputation? As your reputation improved, you would make more acquaintances, becoming more powerful, what else would the Emperor want from you? In the blink of an eye, the butcher's knife would hang over Marquis Yongle manor.
As she recalled back to that time when Elder Brother massacred an entire clan , Yu Si Yu was dumbstruck and unable to reply. In front of Yu Xiang, her tongue had become a complete decoration.
Yu Xiang flicked her fingernails and continued, "You have been taught a lesson, so I will teach you to be obedient. In the future, do not look at people only on the surface. The Buddha said, 'Lying, frivolous speech, divisive speech, malicious language, killing without showing a trace[4], slandering.' You can see for yourself what kind of person Yu Miao Qi is by comparing how many of these apply to her. I really admire your courage to be so intimate with her."
The more Yu Si Yu reflected on her words, the more she felt creeped out. She thought to herself that Grandmother always said that Yu Xiang was unusually insightful and discerning. But it turned out not to be an exaggeration. If she had some of her insight, she wouldn't have been fooled by that little bitch Yu Miao Qi!
With her anger and hatred stirred to the extreme, she raised her head and asked, "Yu Miao Qi has plotted against me, but she is also using your name."
Yu Xiang squinted her feline-like eyes and indifferently said, "I don't need to deal with her. When my elder brother returns, he will naturally cause trouble for her. If you want to clear your name, think of a solution yourself and don't use me as a tool."
Yu Si Yu was flushed with embarrassment and spent half a day trying to persuade her, but she saw that she (YX) didn't budge. In the end, she left resentfully. Her face didn't have the same animosity and hatred as before, instead it was shame.
Qiu Shi followed her out as she softly explained along the way back, "Eldest Young Miss, this servant went to report you because I was afraid you would make a big mistake, so please don't hold a grudge against me. Although Third Young Miss has a bit of poisonous mouth, it is all for your own good. Therefore, listen to her advice and don't be stubborn. When the Marquis returns later, you should put yourself in a decadent state and beg him. He is your elder brother at least. How could he ignore you?"
Although Third Young Miss had a poisonous tongue, it is for your own good... This was something Qiu Shi had said countless times before, and Yu Si Yu had always scoffed at her. However, only until today, she could see that Yu Xiang had indeed never planned to harm her, but was making arrangements for her. She could only blame herself for realizing it too late.
She was too ashamed to speak or respond as she strode away.
When the master and servant walked away, Liu Lu couldn't help speaking up, "Young Miss, the Eldest Young Miss is right. If you have made a move earlier, how would Second Young Miss be hopping around now?"
Yu Xiang shook her head and sighed, "Do you think I don't want to make a move? She had harmed others but thrown the blame on me. How I wish I could strangle her! But not yet, she is holding my 'weakness' in her hands, a deadly weakness!"
That was right, Yu Miao Qi's pedigree was her biggest secret concern, and it was also the same for Yu Xiang. It was not to say that she would be estranged from Yu Pin Yan after the secret of her pedigree was revealed. However, every single servant in the house would drown her with a mouthful of spit. When Lin Shi insisted on sending her away, she wouldn't have the face to stick around.
The identity of the di daughter of the Yu manor was her greatest advantage, and she naturally wanted to hold onto it tightly. If she pushed Yu Miao Qi too hard, she would reveal their pedigree and injure thousands of her enemies, and Yu Xiang would be caught up in a very awkward situation. Therefore, it would be best to be able to do so without any bloodshed.
Since it was a deadly secret, Liu Lu didn't dare to ask more questions, and Tao Hong covered her mouth in fear.
The master and servants remained quiet for some time before they started chatting again. However, at this time, a young maidservant entered and reported softly, "Third Young Miss, Qiu Shi asked this servant to convey to you a message. The Eldest Young Miss had sent someone to the countryside to catch Jiang Xue, and the matter was so big that it must have alarmed the main courtyard."
If the main courtyard was disturbed, it would naturally destroy the evidence. Jin Momo's second son-in-law was very good at handling matters, and when he went to Yangzhou, he disguised himself throughout the journey. No one knew his face and he hired a vagrant to get in touch with the mother and son of the Fang family. Then, the thug was sent away after the task was completed. Yu Xiang ordered people to search for the thug, but they were too late. The thug had disappeared and was last seen at the Yangtze river in the town of Guangzhou. It was 90% likely that he was killed and dumped in the river.
Because Jin Momo's son-in-law used to be a soldier, he was very ruthless and this time he used the excuse of injuring his leg to recover at home. When he came back from Yangzhou, he broke his own leg. Meanwhile, his brother pretended to be him, lying in bed moaning, and his neighbours were all witnesses.
Therefore, Jiang Xue had become the weakest link.
Even though it could not be said that the job was not done perfectly, it could be regarded as done beautifully. If it wasn't for the fact that Yu Xiang had already sent people to monitor every move of the main courtyard, she really wouldn't have been able to get a hold of Yu Miao Qi. It was a good thing that she was able to screw up, even though all of Yu Xiang's detrimental information was given to Yu Si Yu, she could still ruin it. It could be said that she was very stupid.
Yu Xiang willed back the veins bulging at the corner of her forehead one by one. She gritted her teeth and said, "Stupid teammate[1]! There is no other more screwed up teammate than Yu Si Yu! You don't even know how to capture someone quietly, you have to make so much fuss! If a person runs away, how can she clear her name?"
"Young Miss, calm down. She just screwed up. Can the Marquis blame it on you? Don't you know Marquis' personality?" Liu Lu quickly stepped forward to pat her back. Tao Hong quickly served a cup of honey tea.
When Yu Miao Qi heard that Yu Si Yu had sent someone to capture Jiang Xue, she didn't panic at all, but covered her lips and smiled wryly. The second trap that she laid was Jiang Xue; a while ago, she had sent someone to write a statement that Jiang Xue had stolen things and stuffed it into Yu Si Yu's trousseau. When Yu Si Yu would suddenly be caught in a difficult situation, she would take it as a sign that the other person had seen the note, and would not extrapolate from Yu Xiang.
Yu Si Yu sent someone to grab her while guarding the second gate. She saw the tall figure of Yu Pin Yan emerging from the light and immediately knelt down to kowtow.
"Don't kowtow," Yu Pin Yan walked straight past her into the study and spoke softly, "I don't care if you ruin the reputation of the Marquis manor. I only know that my Yu Pin Yan's younger sister can not marry that kind of scoundrel."
Yu Pin Yan's words were few, but if he made a promise, he would carry it out. Yu Si Yu was moved to tears, and she increasingly felt that she had previously been completely blinded by lard. How could she think that her elder brother had treated her badly? While for herself, she had distanced herself away from him because of those rumours outside the manor, to the point where she only nodded her head to greet him.
However, Yu Xiang was not affected at all, and no matter how strong the stench of blood was when he returned, she would happily and excitedly jump into her elder brother's arms and chatter non-stop. Every time that happened, Elder brother's face would reveal an unspeakable tenderness.
He treats Yu Xiang well is probably because Yu Xiang's sincerity, right?
Yu Si Yu suddenly felt that the past sixteen years of her life had been in vain, and it was only now that she had really opened her eyes to the world, no less than the confused state of Lin Shi.
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The Fang family's mother and son hurriedly fled from Marquis Yongle manor and found a restaurant on the street. They ordered a table of delicious food, purchased a lot of fabrics, pastries and liquor and wandered back to Bai Hua Jing Alley.
The courtyard they rented was not large, nor was it elaborately decorated. If it was in the past, this would be utterly atrocious, but now, it was like living in heaven. If Yu Si Yu married into their family and with Marquis Yongle as a backing, it wouldn't be a delusion for them to regain their lost honor.
The mother and son were drinking and letting their imagination about the future run wild. They had completely forgotten the words of the man who had ran away after he told them to marry Yu Si Yu.
When he drank until he was half-sober, Fang Zhi Chen burped and stood up as he headed out of the door, "Mother, I am going to rest, so you should go to bed early. Who knows that the people from Yu Manor would send someone to discuss the marriage tomorrow morning."
"Alright. Go ahead." Pei Shi waved her hand and slowly dropped her head on the table.
Fang Zhi Chen walked back to his room unsteadily. When he was about to roll onto the bed, he suddenly saw two shadows sitting at the edge of the table and shrieked in fear.
Pei Shi had already fallen asleep on the table, and there were no servants hired for the courtyard. Hence, the scream did not attract anyone's attention.
[1] 猪队友(zhū duìyǒu)- Stupid teammate. The literal meaning of the words are 'pig teammate'. It refers to teammate that is as stupid as a pig.