A single sentence from the Emperor had dissolved her predicament. The sight of Zheng Langzhong’s retreating, panicked figure was still fresh in her mind, and in an instant, Yu Yihe found her direction. It was as if a shroud had been torn away from her eyes, revealing a path shimmering with golden light before her.
Though this path had always been there—she had even stepped onto it once before—she had always viewed it as a dead end because others saw it that way. Now that the mist had cleared, how could the path before her be a dead end?
And even if this path were filled with a thousand perils and ten thousand dangers, it was still better than being lashed to the ship of the Yu family, liable to be manipulated or discarded at any moment. This path held treasures; with her own wit and intelligence, she could surely win something for herself.
Gentleness and submissiveness were merely her outward appearance; inside, she was resilient and unyielding. Yu Yihe looked up at the bright sun in the sky, and when she lowered her head again, her eyes were filled with nothing but firm resolve.
She wanted to become his consort. She wanted to become a high-ranking Imperial Consort.
If her younger sister could do it, why couldn’t she, the elder sister?
Since her sister could be so heartless, there was no need for the elder sister to repay grievances with kindness.
Yu Yihe was not the type to wallow in self-pity. Once she decided on a course of action, she naturally began to plan ahead. Having rejected that man once before, it would be seen as cheap if she were to regret it and throw herself at him now. She had to find a way to make him take the initiative.
She pondered as she walked back. By the time a general plan had formed in her mind, she was not far from the Yu family’s small courtyard. She looked up, stopped in her tracks, and gave an instruction to Qingshuang behind her.
“No matter what I do in a moment, do not be surprised.”
“This servant understands.”
Qingshuang knew that although her young miss had always been mild-mannered, she was a woman of firm internal conviction. She trusted her completely.
However, she hadn’t expected her miss to possess such guile. When she saw Yu Yihe enter the courtyard with reddened eyes, and saw her burst into silent tears the moment she encountered Madam Yu, Qingshuang stood dazed for a heartbeat.
The Beauty in purple stood with her back straight, her frame trembling slightly as tears fell from her eyes. With just one look, one could read the immense grievance and reproach within them.
Madam Yu had never seen her daughter like this. Her heart immediately filled with a sense of guilt. She hurried from beneath the eaves and used a handkerchief to wipe her daughter’s tears, asking with concern, “He’er, what is the matter? What grievance have you suffered?”
Her tone held quite a bit of heartache, but this was only on the premise that it did not touch the interests of Yu Yihe’s other sisters or her brother. Once there was a conflict, Yu Yihe would inevitably be the one forced to yield.
Yu Yihe only stared stubbornly at Madam Yu, tears falling drop by drop, looking utterly piteous as if demanding an explanation.
The guilt in Madam Yu’s heart finally welled up. She sighed and said, “Mother knows that Zheng Langzhong is a bit older, but older men know how to dote on people, and his other conditions are quite good. He’er, it’s not that Mother isn’t considering your well-being…”
Yu Yihe watched her mother’s earnest expression, yet noted how she didn’t mention a single word about the benefits her brother would gain from this match.
She found it laughable, but on the surface, she looked as though she were being swayed, her grievances pouring out. “Mother, do you know that Zheng Langzhong is not just old? He also looks…”
As if she were too upset to speak, Yu Yihe covered her face. Qingshuang stepped forward to speak for her: “Madam, you don’t know what that Zheng Langzhong looks like. He is as tall as the young miss but twice as wide. His hair is white, his eyes are as small as mung beans, and his nose is as large as an old hog’s… To even look at such a person is repulsive. How could the young miss spend the rest of her life with him?”
Hearing this description, the maidservants in the back couldn’t help but stifle their laughter. Madam Yu gave an embarrassed, forced smile. While she offered comfort, she didn’t take it too seriously; he was just a bit ugly, it wasn’t as if he would harm her.
“He’er, stop crying. Why are you acting like a child? Zheng Langzhong’s appearance might be a bit lacking, but he serves in the yamen all day; you won’t see him often after you marry. Even if he comes back at night, once the lamps are blown out, aren’t all men the same? What does it matter if he’s ugly or handsome?”
If Yu Yihe hadn’t been covering her face, she would have let her true expression show upon hearing this. He isn’t the one lying next to you, so of course you don’t care if he’s ugly or handsome!
“In Mother’s view, this Zheng Langzhong is truly a good choice. You didn’t just flatly refuse him just now, did you?”
Yu Yihe’s sensitive heart had long been tempered into something hard by her mother’s repeated favoritism. Hearing these words now, she felt only a sense of the absurd, no longer any pain.
She wiped away her tears and touched her cheek. The crimson at the corners of her eyes added a touch of charm to her face. “Mother, if it were just a matter of him being ugly, why would your daughter be like this?”
Yu Yihe lowered her head to hide the emotions in her eyes and informed her mother of the encounter with the Emperor, leaving out only the specific words she had said. Given that the Emperor had spoken, it was impossible for Madam Yu to go and confront Zheng Langzhong, nor would Zheng Langzhong dare to speak of the matter to others.
Madam Yu was greatly shocked. She hurriedly questioned her while also chiding her, “What? You say you met the Emperor? You child, why didn’t you mention such a critically important thing first? What did His Majesty say?”
Upon hearing that the Emperor had judged the two of them to be a poor match, Madam Yu subconsciously took a step back. She looked at Yu Yihe and asked solemnly, “Is this truly the case? Could it be that you, for the sake of…”
Yu Yihe perfectly displayed a flicker of grievance. “How would your daughter dare to lie about such a thing? His Majesty simply dropped that one sentence and left.”
Fortunately, Madam Yu had only asked out of urgency. She had always known her second daughter’s temperament; she would never lie to her. But the Emperor’s words were final; no matter what, this marriage could not proceed.
A look of confusion and regret inevitably appeared on Madam Yu’s face. Her eyes caught sight of her daughter wiping her tears, and a thought flickered in her mind before being suppressed. If that person had any intentions, he would have shown some sign just now.
After pondering for a long while to no avail, Madam Yu could only dismiss the matter as a whim of the Emperor and set it aside.
“If that is the case, then let this matter drop. Do not think on it further. Mother will find someone else for you…”
Perhaps realizing that this embarrassment had reached the Emperor’s ears, Madam Yu’s face showed a hint of shame. She hurriedly added, “Mother will certainly vet them personally first. I won’t choose anyone ugly again.”
Though she felt it unlikely they would meet again, if there were even a one-in-ten-thousand chance the Emperor saw her trying to pair her daughter with some bottom-of-the-barrel candidate again, Madam Yu felt she might as well climb into a coffin early.
This achieved part of Yu Yihe’s goal. Before she could walk that path, and while she was still unable to protect herself, she had to increase her value as much as possible. She could no longer allow herself to fall to the level of being matched with such people.
With that one sentence from the Emperor, at least within Qiqing Garden, Madam Yu would not dare to marry her off casually.
Having achieved her goal, she returned to her room. As soon as the door was closed, the sorrow on Yu Yihe’s face vanished instantly, replaced by not a single trace of sadness.
Seeing Qingshuang’s shocked expression, Yu Yihe smiled slightly, returning to her usual gentle and soft manner. She said quietly, “Qingshuang, you must remember—no matter what, I am still me.”
Hearing this, Qingshuang remained dazed for a long time, unsure for a moment whether she should feel joy or apprehension.