Chapter 628: Envied and Framed

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The peony cake was made of fresh peony petals and could only be eaten during the peony flower season every year.

Yu Youyao’s eyes lit up. On a small table, there was a plate of brown cakes, a bowl of milky white jade sea cucumber, and some exquisite snacks and fruits.

There were more than ten types.

Only then did Yu Youyao feel hungry. Her stomach growled a few times.

She couldn’t help but blush. Perhaps because she felt guilty, her voice subconsciously sounded delicate and angry. “I was worried about

Grandmother previously, so I didn’t have much of an appetite…”

Her delicate, sweet, and obedient voice was so gentle that Zhou Linghuai’s ears itched. He rubbed his ears hard, and they turned red.

Zhou Linghuai scooped a small bowl of white jade sea cucumber soup and placed it in front of her. “Have some soup to fill your stomach first.”

When it came to other people’s houses, everything was out of their control, so they naturally had to be more cautious. Anything that entered the door had to be checked when the elders were present.

At other times, she would try her best not to use them.

Not to mention that there were too many people at the banquet and there were many private matters. If she ate, she needed to consider if it was easy to change clothes. It would be more troublesome if she was alone.

Previously, in the Duke Rong’s Residence, Fifth Miss Yin had dared to scheme against her because she was alone.

Therefore, many families would bring some food themselves, and their maidservants would secretly bring it to their masters to eat.

However, after her grandmother fainted, the reception pavilion was in chaos. She did not have the chance, and she was worried about her grandmother. As a result, she did not have much of an appetite.

After finishing a bowl of white jade sea cucumber soup, Yu Youyao couldn’t wait to take a piece of peony cake and take a bite. The yellow peony filling was sweet and mellow.

Seeing that her eyes were curved as she ate, Zhou Linghuai smiled.

After eating some food, Yu Youyao was in the mood to ask, “Cousin, why did you come back with Grandmother?”

Perhaps because she was starving, the little girl’s pink lips were stained with powder. Zhou Linghuai took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and reached out to gently wipe her lips.

Yu Youyao blinked and did not move obediently.

Zhou Linghuai chuckled. “I knew that you were worried about Grandmother’s health, so I got someone to arrange for someone to enter the inner palace and wait at the palace gate to receive her.”

When the Yu Residence’s carriage entered the second palace gate, there was an eunuch specially waiting there to help Old Madam Yu send a message.

The news was also sent to the Longevity Palace immediately without any delay.

If it were anyone else, they would have to follow the rules and wait for more than an hour to send a message.

Yu Youyao smiled. “As expected, it’s easy to do things with someone in the palace. Otherwise, Grandmother would have suffered so much more.”

Zhou Linghuai smiled. Seeing that she had eaten three peony cakes in a row, he was worried that her mouth would be dry, so he scooped a small bowl of milky white jade sea and placed it in front of her.

Yu Youyao lowered her head and stirred the milky white soup in her bowl. “Cousin, do you know that the Duke Rong’s Residence and the Third Prince are in cahoots and want…

She bit her lip and her face turned a little pale.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t afraid that her reputation had almost been ruined. In fact, she couldn’t care less. Now that she thought about it) she was only a door away from the crepe myrtle garden. If Duke Rong’s Residence was more ruthless and sent a few burly old maids to guard there, as long as there was a commotion, it would be difficult for her to escape unscathed.

Zhou Linghuai raised her chin slightly, and the little girl was forced to raise her head. Her eyes trembled slightly, and a sparkling tear slid down her cheek and landed on his hand.

“Don’t cry.” Zhou Linghuai’s voice was hoarse Every time she cried, even his bones went limp. He couldn’t help but blame his father in the past. He was a dignified seven-foot-tall man who had been through hundreds of battles.

Even his bones had been tempered thousands of times. In front of his mother, he became soft. His pride as a man would be forgotten. “I didn’t mean to not tell you.”

Yu Youyao sniffed, and even her eyes turned red.

Zhou Linghuai quickly explained, “I originally planned to deal with such a despicable thing secretly, in case it dirtied your ears. It’s just that it’s easy to deal with Third Prince and Consort Xu, but it’s not easy to fool the Empress

Dowager.”

Yu Youyao was stunned when she heard this. Tears hung on her eyelashes, making her look even more delicate and gentle. She looked pitiful. “Why is the Empress Dowager involved?”

Zhou Linghuai felt pity for her, so he took a handkerchief and helped her wipe her tears. “In the past two years, disasters have been happening all over the country. The capital is peaceful) but actually, many people have starved to death. The Imperial Court has been unwilling to allocate money for disaster relief for a long time, and the local officials have also pretended to be deaf and mute, unwilling to release food relief. Why do you think that is?”

Yu Youyao’s mind exploded, and her expression turned ugly. “It’s because the treasury is empty.”

Everyone knew that the Xie Residence in Quanzhou was rich.

As her granddaughter, not only did she own a large number of her mother’s dowry businesses, but she also enjoyed all the connections under the Xie family and managed the businesses under her name well.

Under normal circumstances, the businesses under her name would pay a large sum of tax money to the Imperial Court every year. This was a win-win situation.

However, as they were in the middle of a drought and the treasury was empty, they envied her and wanted to take advantage of her.

“The Empress Dowager wanted to make you the fourth prince’s concubine?’ Zhou Linghuai’s shocking words made Yu Youyao tremble in fear.

Yu Youyao’s face turned pale.

This was why Zhou Linghuai hadn’t told her.

His heart ached, and he couldn’t bear to tell her.

Hui Ji’s orders could only block an open spear, not dodge a hidden arrow, let alone guard against someone like the Empress Dowager.

She was not iust talking about it.

Once the Empress Dowager opened her mouth, it would be useless even if Old

Madam Yu took out her life and said it was not appropriate for her to get engaged before the age of 14. This could only be said to normal families.

However, once the Empress Dowager opened her mouth, it was already done. It was impossible for the Yu Residence to disobey the Empress Dowager and help her find another marriage. Other families would not dare to get married to the Yu Residence because of the Empress Dowager.

When Yu Youyao turned 14, the Empress Dowager’s decree would be issued.

Zhou Linghuai pulled her into his arms. “Even the emperor has to submit to the Empress Dowager’s decision. Besides, the benefits of this marriage to the royal family are obvious, so he won’t give it up easily.”

Yu Youyao’s voice was hoarse. “It’s an ugly matter for brothers to fight for the same daughter in a family. It’s also a source of trouble. Only this can dispel the

Empress Dowager’s thoughts. So, Cousin was also involved in the matter at the Duke Rong’s Residence today?”

Zhou Linghuai shook his head. “Before you went to the crepe myrtle garden, I arranged for someone to lure another woman who was dressed like you to the crepe myrtle garden. There’s no need for everyone to know that the Third Prince covets the Eldest Miss of the Yu Residence. As long as the emperor and the Empress Dowager know, this matter will be settled.”

This concerned Yu Youyao’s reputation, so he did not plan to make a big deal out of it.

Unexpectedly, he had calculated everything, but he did not expect Yu Youyao to have grown up. She knew that Yin Jinwei had led her to the crepe myrtle garden and her actions were inappropriate. Not only did she not expose Fifth Miss Yin, but she also knocked Yin Jinwei unconscious and quietly arranged for Chun Xiao to push the Third Prince into the lake.

It made his plan a step too late.

However!

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