Outside the Yu Residence.
The imperial edict had been read aloud.
For saving the Empress Dowager, Yu Sanqi had been granted the title of Commandery Princess Minghua. Yu Jing, having raised such a capable daughter, was promoted one rank and appointed Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, effective immediately. He was also awarded fertile farmland, fine jade, gold, and other generous rewards.
Yet after the edict was read, everyone from the Yu Family stood rooted to the spot, so stunned that they even forgot to receive it.
The onlookers began whispering among themselves.
The eunuch delivering the edict was puzzled. “Minister Yu, hurry and receive the edict. And where is Commandery Princess Minghua? Why hasn’t she come out?”
Yu Jing’s lips trembled, but he could not speak. Only after a long while did he manage to say shakily, “She—she was the one who saved the Empress Dowager? Wasn’t she the one who pushed Her Ladyship into the lake?”
“Minister, what are you talking about? Naturally, it was Commandery Princess Minghua who saved the Empress Dowager. Her Ladyship said so herself after waking up. She even said that she would summon Commandery Princess Minghua to the palace in a few days to personally thank her and bestow further rewards.”
Yu Jing’s eyes went vacant, while the rest of the Yu Family looked utterly disbelieving.
Were they insane? Or was the Empress Dowager insane?
How could Yu Sanqi possibly be the one who had saved someone?!
The Yu Family could not accept it. They even felt as though the sky were collapsing!
If Yu Sanqi were alive, she could be the Empress Dowager’s savior, and the rewards bestowed by His Majesty would become the Yu Family’s supreme honor.
But Yu Sanqi was dead now. The rewards bestowed by His Majesty were no longer blessings—they were death warrants!
Madam Yu, Liu Shi, let out a shriek and fainted.
The Eldest Brother, Yu Minwen, caught Liu Shi, panic flashing in his eyes.
Second Brother Yu Minwu stared blankly ahead, murmuring, “How could she be the one who saved her…”
Yu Tang’s hands and feet turned cold with anxiety. She stammered, “It’s all her fault. Why didn’t she explain herself sooner…”
Yu Tang’s words gave the Yu Family’s collapsing emotions an outlet.
That was right! It was all Yu Sanqi’s fault! Why hadn’t she made things clear? Why hadn’t she explained herself?
If she had explained everything, how could she have died?
She was dead already, so why did she have to drag the whole family down with her?
Even in death, she had to take them down as her backers. How could she be so vicious?!
The eunuch delivering the edict sensed that something was wrong. Then, hearing the murmurs among the people and catching the word “dead,” his expression changed drastically.
“Where is Commandery Princess Minghua?”
Yu Jing forced himself to pull together. The fact that Yu Sanqi was dead could not be concealed, but he absolutely could not allow her death to implicate the Yu Family.
He immediately covered his face and began to weep bitterly. “Our Sanqi was simply not blessed with good fortune. She—after returning home, she came down with a high fever that would not break, and she suddenly passed away not long ago…”
“She was simply too unfortunate…”
The eunuch delivering the edict was horrified.
The commoners who had watched the earlier spectacle looked strange. Hadn’t they previously said that Third Miss Yu had killed herself out of guilt? They had even thrown her corpse out. Why were they crying now?
“Is that so? So, in Father’s eyes, I’m already dead.”
A shriek suddenly erupted from within the crowd.
The girl’s clothes were soaked through. Though she looked utterly bedraggled, every step she took was firm and resolute.
Her pale face made her look like someone frozen in snow.
Only her eyes remained—dark, bright, and chillingly fierce.
Liu Shi had just regained consciousness. The moment she saw Yu Sanqi, she let out a scream.
“A ghost!”
Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted again.
The rest of the Yu Family was equally horrified. Some stumbled, while others collapsed, and when they met those pitch-black eyes, a chill shot straight to their crowns.
Yu Sanqi curled her lips into a smile. The bruised finger marks around her pale, slender neck were horrifyingly conspicuous.
“Father, Mother, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Fourth Younger Sister…”
Her gaze swept over them one by one.
Word by word, she said, “I’m back.”
Back to collect what you owe me.
Once they confirmed that Yu Sanqi was not dead and that the death warrant hanging over their heads had vanished, the Yu Family’s emotions rose and fell like a roller coaster.
Only Yu Tang hated Yu Sanqi to the bone. And now that Yu Sanqi had just been granted a commandery princess’s title, Yu Tang hated her even more. Gnashing her teeth inwardly, she put on an expression of sisterly concern and said:
“Third Sister, you really frightened us half to death. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager woke up and revealed the truth. No matter how angry you are in the future, you must never treat your own innocence as a game!”
“You refused to explain yourself, so everyone thought you had harmed the Empress Dowager. Father and Mother were worried sick over you…”
Yu Tang’s words instantly gave the Yu Family another outlet for their pent-up tension.
“That’s right. You must never act out of spite again.”
“Look at the mess this misunderstanding caused…”
Seeing this, the bystanders also assumed that Yu Sanqi had refused to explain herself, causing her family to misunderstand her and nearly costing her her life.
They had heard long ago that the Third Miss of the Yu Family had been brought back from the countryside, that she had an eccentric temperament, and that she was always causing trouble. Given those circumstances, it was no wonder her family had misunderstood her. If she had refused to say anything herself, wasn’t she simply choosing to suffer in silence?
“Is that so?”
Yu Sanqi suddenly laughed.
How disgusting. It was so disgusting that she was about to vomit.
Her sharp gaze fixed on the members of the Yu Family.
Her voice was hoarse yet penetrating, like a rusted blade scraping away its own mottled rust to reveal its keen edge.
“When I said I was the one who saved her, did you believe me, Eldest Brother?”
“Or when Second Brother seized me by the throat and said I ought to atone with my life, did I fail to beg you for mercy?”
“Or perhaps you, Yu Tang.” Yu Sanqi let out a mocking laugh. “Weren’t you the one who went around proclaiming that I was jealous of you, resentful of you, and trying to drag the entire family down with me and murder the Empress Dowager just to get revenge on you?”
“Sanqi, don’t make wild accusations!” Yu Jing panicked. He glanced toward the eunuch delivering the edict and hurried to explain, “This child suffered a seizure after falling into the water. I’m afraid the fever has addled her mind…”
Yu Sanqi stared at him, her voice suddenly turning harsh. “Then who ordered my corpse to be left exposed in the streets, repeatedly declaring that I had dishonored the Yu Family, and removing me from the Yu clan registry?”
The surrounding commoners immediately began to chime in.
“That’s right! We heard it with our own ears!”
“At the time, the Yu Family said Third Miss had killed herself out of guilt and threw her out. It was Young General Yan who came to collect her corpse!”
“Hahaha! Could it be that Heaven really does have eyes? Perhaps it brought Third Miss back to life so she could expose this family’s false faces!”
The crowd burst into heated discussion. The Yu Family’s faces turned ashen, and they stared at her in horror.
They could not understand how Yu Sanqi dared to say such things in front of everyone—and in front of the eunuch delivering the imperial edict.
Wasn’t she exposing the family’s disgrace? What difference was there between that and accusing them of deceiving His Majesty?
Besides, when had she ever explained herself? Even if she had, why should anyone believe her based on just a few words?
She had clearly behaved disgracefully in the past, leaving behind one stain after another. How dare she blame them for not trusting her?
Why didn’t she look for the cause within herself? How dare she turn around and accuse them instead?!
The eunuch delivering the edict was no blind man. He could no longer suppress his anger.
“Minister Yu, how dare you treat the Empress Dowager’s savior—the Commandery Princess personally appointed by His Majesty—like this!”
“No! Eunuch Li, there is a misunderstanding!” Yu Jing was clearly flustered. His eyes swept hurriedly over the members of his family before landing on Yu Tang.
Yu Tang had always known how cold-hearted and ruthless her father could be.
Seeing that the situation was about to turn against them, she clenched her teeth and dropped to her knees, putting on a convincing display.
“Third Elder Sister, don’t do this. No matter how angry you are, you can’t slander Father, Mother, and our brothers…”
“If you have grievances or hatred, direct them at me, all right? I know you don’t like me. I’ll move out of the Yu Family. I’ll become a nun. I promise I’ll never get in your way again, all right…”
Even now, she still had not forgotten to add fuel to the fire.
Yu Sanqi stared at her, her pupils starkly black and white. Then she suddenly laughed.
“Fine. Then Fourth Younger Sister, you’d better keep your word.”
“Shave your head and become a nun right now, and I’ll immediately receive the edict and give thanks. How about it?”