Chapter 485: Return to Court

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

In the afternoon, Yu Zongshen left the government office early and came to the main house.

The three of them closed their doors and discussed political matters for two hours, temporarily settling the rules of Song Xiuwen’s case.

Yu Zongzheng knew very well that Song Xiuwen’s case concerned his future. After that, he had a discussion with his aides to fill in the gaps. After that, he even looked for Yu Youyao, planning to hear her opinion.

Yu Youyao’s sharpness in the matters of the royal court made Yu Zongzheng, who already valued her very much and did not treat her as a child, even more afraid to underestimate her.

The upbringing of aristocratic families was never based on age. When their descendants became successful, they would try their best to give them more opportunities to train and perform, even for women.

The men and women of the aristocratic families each had their own duties. The men had taught them meticulously to bring glory to their ancestors.

Women were nurtured diligently also for the glory of the family and the clan.

The difference between men and women was that men oversaw public matters, and women ran the household- both carries different importance.

The Wang family of Langya had raised dozens of empresses. It was impossible for them to teach their children to be both virtuous and talented without tight reins on them.

“A woman’s lack of talent was virtue”. This sentence is very subjective, and depends on a person’s perspective. But what it really meant was that women should value morals over talent. There is no conflict between morals and talent. Talent and virtue were the epitome of model women from aristocratic families.

It was impossible for tbe legacy of a narrow-minded family to be passed down.

After Yu Youyao saw it, she roughly did not miss anything. She reminded,

“Father, after you go south, why don’t you interact more with the Zhejiang navy in private? This should be a breakthrough.”

She remembered that among the crimes that Duke Ningyuan had reported to Song Xiuwen, there was the crime of embezzling money from the army.

How could a soldier be greedy? It would definitely be deducted from the soldiers’ salary.

When Yu Zongzheng heard this, his entire body trembled. “Song Xiuwen is in charge of the navy. Isn’t he afraid of implicating too many people?”

He had only consulted his eldest daughter on a whim, but he did not expect her to really give him a surprise.

Yu Youyao nodded and continued, “If Song Xiuwen’s corruption is confirmed, Father, don’t step in. Just instigate the soldiers to cause trouble. If the matter blows up, it has nothing to do with you. At that time, someone will naturally contact you in secret. Father has suggested at the right time about Song Xiuwen’s corruption, and someone will naturally prepare a large sum of money for you to report to the emperor.”

Although they had used those soldiers, those soldiers had been treated unfairly all year round. If they did not blow things up and make the officials of

Zhejiang wary, even if they dealt with Song Xiuwen, there would still be Li

Xiuwen and Zhao Xiuwen.

Yu Zongzheng looked at Yu Youyao deeply and said nothing.

Yu Youyao sighed slightly. She understood Yu Zongzheng’s gaze, but what should she do?

Humans died for wealth, and birds died for food!

The Great Zhou Dynasty had already rotted into its bones. Even Prince You, who was a member of the royal family, was actually persecuted to death by the faction behind the interests of the north.

Since ancient times, Jiangnan had been rich. How many people could go crazy over it?

Once the benefits behind them were touched, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He could only do his best to seek justice for the Zhejiang navy. This way, his trip south would not be in vain. He had not let down the emperor and had a clear conscience.

Her grandmother had taught her “mind tricks”. The first thing she had to learn was to weigh the pros and cons.

Three days later, Yu Zongzheng set off south, and Song Mingzhao followed quietly.

The Imperial Court issued a decree, ordering the general of the east, Yin Huaixi, to lead 100,000 troops and escort Li Qiguang and the remaining members of the clan in Shandong back to the capital.

Yu Youyao counted the days one by one.

Seven days later, the Great General of the East, Yin Huaixi, handed a document to the Imperial Court and said that the army was stationed in the camp in the suburbs of Tongzhou to seek instructions from the Imperial Court.

The emperor was overjoyed. He immediately asked the Ministry of Rites to prepare to receive them and hold a banquet to invite the meritorious officials. The next day, the Minister of Rites brought a group of officials to the suburbs of the capital to welcome them.

When the commoners received the news that the army had returned to the capital, they were even more excited. They ran to the suburbs of the capital early in the morning to welcome them.

It was rare for Old Madam Yu to bring her family to a restaurant on Chang’an Street. “It’s usually lively, so there’s no need to join in. However, we can’t miss the grand event of the Great General of the East returning to the court. We should bring you out to see the world and broaden your horizons. You should understand that this peaceful and prosperous world isn’t easy to come by. As humans, we should do something.”

Yu Shanyan and the others were also taught a lesson.

The Great General of the East, Yin Huaixi, was also 15 or 16 years old this year. He was not much older than them, but the story about him could be called a “legend”. They couldn’t help but admire him.

As it was still early, Old Madam Yu and Madam Yao sat together and drank tea and chatted.

Yu Youyao pulled Yu Lianyu to play chess with her. Yu Lianyu couldn’t refuse. She had a bitter expression and felt a little hopeless.

Yu Fangfei watched from the side and couldn’t help but laugh secretly.

Eldest Sister was good at everything, but her chess skills were not good. She even liked to play chess with others. Her siblings at home were afraid to play chess with her.

Yu Shuangbai crawled in front of the window on the second floor and looked at the lively street below. She pointed at the old uncle selling candied hawthorns by the roadside. “Second Brother, look. There are candied hawthorns on the street. Hurry down and buy a few sticks for me.”

Yu Shanxin leaned over and took a look. “Alright, just you wait!”

With that) he flipped through the window and crawled onto the street like a monkey. He stuffed an ingot of silver into the old man’s hand and swaggered back with the candied hawthorn.

Madam Yao frowned. “Brother Xin is too ridiculous.”

It was fine if she tasted the food outside fresh, but how could she eat too much? What if she ate something bad?

However, Old Madam Yu was overjoyed. She waved her hand. “It’s rare for them to come out, so we don’t have to keep them around. They can eat whatever they want and play whatever they want. Whether it’s good or bad, we have to taste it ourselves to know.”

Alright, since Old Madam had already sent it to her, Madam Yao couldn’t say anything else.

The few of them liked candied hawthorn very much. When it was their turn, Yu

Shanyan shook his head. “I don’t like sweet food. Give it to my sisters!”

Yu Shanli couldn’t refuse, so he could only take the candied hawthorn that Yu Shanxin had stuffed into his hands.

At noon, cheers and applause came from Chang!an Street, and the sound of bells and drums was mostly drowned out by the enthusiasm of the commoners.

Yu Youyao and the others quickly moved to the window and stuck their heads out.

After a while, they saw a team of armored men riding tall horses on Chang’an Street. The leader was Chang Ningbo.

In the middle of the team, there were polite officials carrying etiquette and music. They were wearing black clothes and a majestic crown. They held feathers in one hand and a short knife in the other. It was a lively and prosperous scene.

Yu Youyao took a closer look. “The etiquette and music standards prepared by the Ministry of Rites are six lines and six columns. There are a total of 36 people It’s a six-sided martial dance. The Great Zhou Dynasty uses eight for etiquette and music, six for the imperial grandsons, and four for the dukes and marquises. This is the highest etiquette of the Great Zhou Dynasty’s officials..”

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