There were even some rumors that the new emperor valued sex over the matters of the country.
However, because of Eldest Princess Shaoyi’s reputation as a virtuous person and the new policies that had been issued one after another after the new emperor ascended the throne, these rumors were ultimately unfounded.
His daughter was valued by the new emperor, so there was no reason for her not to do him a favor.
The empress’s father did not have an official position and was only idle at home. It was not good for the empress’s reputation. As long as the new emperor cared about the dignity of the Eldest Princess, he would express something.
Which daughter in the palace did not seek power for her family?
It was only right.
Therefore, Yu Zongzheng sounded a little self-righteous when he mentioned this. “The new emperor is busy every day. Perhaps he forgot for a moment and only asked you to mention it. There’s no need to say anything to make things difficult for you…”
Yu Youyao couldn’t be bothered to say anything else. “In my opinion, it’s good for my Father to spend a lot of time cultivating at home. As the saying goes, only by cultivating one’s body and managing one’s family can one govern the country and bring peace to the world.”
Yu Zongzheng’s expression changed, and he couldn’t help but sound a little angry. “What do you mean?”
When Yu Youyao reached the door, she suddenly stopped in her tracks. With her back facing Yu Zongzheng, she asked softly, “All these years, have you ever repented for the deaths of my Mother and Grandmother?”
Yu Zongzheng’s eyes widened as he stared fixedly at her back, almost piercing through it.
Yu Youyao understood.
She actually knew.
She actually knew.
So after so many years, was the so-called “filial piety of a father and daughter” also an act?!
“I don’t think so!” Yu Zongzheng would only feel guilty and not repent. Yu Youyao chuckled. Her faint tone was as cold as a knife. “You didn’t repent in the past. From now on, you should repent. For the rest of your life, you’ll have a lot of time to repent for the evil things you’ve done in the past. The reason why people are different from animals is because if a person doesn’t cultivate his character, he’ll be no different from a beast.”
There was only a small difference between humans and beasts. If one did not cultivate their character, they were no different from beasts.
These words cut off Yu Zongzheng’s future.
“Yu Youyao—” Yu Zongzheng was like a furious lion as he roared loudly, “Unfilial daughter, you unfilial daughter…”
Yu Youyao turned to look at his incompetent and furious expression. She said word by word, “Ever since I was young, my Father has always called me an unfilial daughter and an evil creature. I’ve always been unconvinced in the past, but now, I feel that everyone in the world has their own fate. Everything is destined and can’t be forced. My Father really has foresight.”
The so-called affinity was caused by her previous life and took effect in this life.
It was destined that she was not close to anyone in this life.
She was stupid. It had taken her nearly ten years to understand this logic.
Yu Zongzheng was so angry that his eyes darkened. His blood rushed to his head. He clutched his chest and raised his hand, pointing at Yu Youyao with a trembling finger. “You…”
Yu Youyao bowed slightly. “Father, take care!”
With that, she turned around and left the academy. There was a crashing sound behind her. It seemed that Yu Zongzheng had smashed things quite happily.
After returning to the Jade Courtyard, Yu Youyao was a little tired.
Xia Tao moved a rocking chair to the corridor. Yu Youyao leaned against it and looked at the scenery in the courtyard, thinking of many things from the past.
Ever since she moved into the Jade Courtyard, all her memories were related to Yin Huaixi.
She fell asleep in a daze and even dreamed of Yin Huaixi.
In her dream, she had “pushed” Yu Jianjia, causing Yu Jianjia to have a fever, but she was completely fine. She was scolded harshly by Yu Zongzheng and grounded for a month.
After she was released from her grounding, she found out that a sickly cousin had come to Youzhou.
She was overjoyed. She quickly prepared a lot of expensive medicinal herbs and supplements and rushed to the Lotus House to visit her cousin.
Her cousin was very good-looking and treated others well, but he was very cold and distant. Cousin Zhou lived under someone else’s roof and caused a lot of gossip in the residence. Perhaps because they were in the same boat, she liked to run to the Lotus Courtyard.
Even though Cousin Zhou ignored her, she did not feel sad. Every day, she rambled on and said many miscellaneous things.
Cousin Zhou must be annoyed to death with her.
Sometimes, when Cousin Zhou was really annoyed by her, he would guide her in some studies and calligraphy so that she would shut up. Every time this happened, no matter how unwilling she was, she would pout and listen obediently, not daring to anger Cousin Zhou.
As time passed, she gradually became close to Cousin Zhou.
Of course, this was her wishful thinking.
Cousin Zhou’s health was deteriorating, and she was very anxious. She wrote many letters to Quanzhou and asked her grandfather to help find famous doctors, wonderful medicine, and supplements.
Her maternal grandfather had sent two Lingxi Bugs to the capital for her. She had learned to use the Lingxi Bug’s medicinal liquid as medicinal cuisine to nourish her body and help Cousin Zhou nourish his body.
However, even so, Cousin Zhou’s body was completely ruined in less than three years.
On the first day that Cousin Zhou left the capital, he had given her a box of brow powder that he had personally made. He had also taken an eyebrow pencil and carefully drew her eyebrows for her. The green brow powder spread out among her eyebrows, like a mountain that had just cleared after the rain. It made her pure eyes look bright and beautiful at night.
She sat in front of the mirror and bragged for a long time. “Cousin, your eyebrow makeup is really beautiful. I don’t care. In the future, when I run out of eyebrow makeup, you have to be responsible for making new ones for me.”
Cousin Zhou looked at her pure eyes carefully, and a pale smile appeared on his lips.
However, she, who was immersed in love, did not notice.
The next day, after she got up, she specially used the brow powder that her cousin had given her and happily went to the Lotus House to look for him. Only then did she find out that her cousin had already left the residence and returned to Youzhou before dawn.
Everyone in the residence knew that she was the only one who was kept in the dark. She was ignorant and still delusional, thinking that she would get her cousin to make brow powder in the future.
Yu Youyao broke down and ran out of the house, crying until her face was covered in snot and tears.
She had been knocked unconscious by a servant and brought back.
Perhaps it was because the scene in her dream was too painful, but Yu Youyao felt a sharp pain in her heart. She slowly woke up and turned around to see Yin Huaixi sitting beside her.
Thinking of the scene of separation in the nightmare, Yu Youyao couldn’t help but cry.
“Why are you crying?” Yin Huaixi frowned and gently wiped her tears.
He had only just arrived and saw that Yu Youyao had fallen asleep under the corridor with a smile on her lips. She looked pure, bright, and extremely beautiful. He guessed that she must have had a beautiful dream and couldn’t bear to disturb her.
Unexpectedly, she suddenly woke up.
Tears streamed down her face at the sight of him.
It made him a little flustered.
“I had a nightmare just now.” Yu Youyao threw herself into his arms. As she whimpered softly, she told him about the dream intermittently.
In her dream, she was as not close to Yin Huaixi as they were in reality.
Yin Huaixi was distant.
Her grandmother was bedridden. She had to attend to her grandmother’s illness, so she couldn’t keep pestering him.