All Hail Cousin Brother

305 Old Bastard

Indeed!

Old Madam Yu took out a small booklet from the treasure box. “This is a list of the various families that the Yu Residence has interacted with in the capital. There are some relations on the surface and some in the dark. It looks like a small booklet, but the relationships inside are complicated. It involves the family, the clan, the government, and the henchmen. If we’re not careful, we can cause a huge disaster.”

“Grandmother…” Yu Youyao was a little surprised. She opened her mouth, wanting to ask why her grandmother suddenly told her this.

Old Madam Yu patted her hand and continued, “You have to be clear about this before you know how to manage relationships, how to grasp the limits, how to weigh the severity of the situation, and how to weigh the pros and cons. You will understand that everything has its limits. This is called mind power, and it’s also something I want to teach you.”

Yu Youyao’s heart skipped a beat again. Then, she recalled what her cousin had said to her previously and felt a little uneasy.

To put it bluntly, what her grandmother wanted to teach was the power of the Yu Residence in the royal court.

Old Madam Yu only taught her for an hour before she felt a little tired and did not continue. The words “mind games” sounded simple, but it involved the Yu Residence, the Yu Clan, diplomacy, court affairs, and strife. It was a very huge matter concerning almost the entire imperial court. It was not easy to learn, and it still had to be learned step by step.

Yu Youyao roughly remembered what her grandmother had taught her and returned to the Jade Courtyard in a daze.

Ever since the Flower Festival in the Marquis of Changxing’s Residence, many things had changed. Her cousin had mentioned the matters of the royal court to her without hiding anything. He had even said that the vassal lords would definitely rebel, and it was time for the royal court and the world to be in chaos.

Meanwhile, her grandmother had also forcefully perked up and taught her the “mind games”. This was a method of inducing change.

She couldn’t bear to think about what it all meant.

The only thing she could do was to learn what her grandmother had taught her.

Yu Youyao forced herself to perk up. Then, she thought of how Madam Yang had handed over the butler’s key. It had been a few days since the palace examination, so it was time for Yu Shansi to move into the courtyard.

Thinking of Yu Shansi, Yu Youyao called Xia Tao over. “When will the Songtao Courtyard be repaired?”

This matter was left to Xia Tao.

Xia Tao explained the situation in the Songtao Courtyard and said, “Master takes the Songtao Courtyard very seriously. Just now, after leaving the government office, he specially went over to take a look and made some requests. I reckon it will take another three to five days to finish repairing.”

Yu Youyao frowned. This was taking longer than she had expected.

At this rate, the Songtao Courtyard would be ready when the Dragon Boat Festival started. Her father clearly wanted Yu Shansi to move in before the festival.

However, as time passed, it was inevitable that trouble would arise.

Yu Shansi was her father’s only legitimate son. From the moment he was born, Madam Yang had been watching him closely, afraid that something would happen to him.

Yu Youyao and Yu Shansi did not have much interaction and usually avoided each other. They rarely met in the same residence.

However, there were too many people in the residence, and she had Xia Tao by her side, so she more or less knew that Yu Shansi had been pampered since he was young. Even though he was young, he was not easy to get along with. Previously, because the palace examination was imminent, Madam Yang and Yu Jianjia also knew the severity of the matter, so they naturally did not dare to let him cause trouble.

But now that the palace examination had passed, the matter of moving courtyards probably wouldn’t be so smooth.

Yu Shansi naturally did not dare to cause trouble in front of his father.

But that might not be the case for her!

If he really caused a commotion, the people involved would be the only legitimate son they valued and the eldest daughter of the first wife whom they did not dote on much. Everyone knew what was important and what was not.

Yu Youyao had a headache. “Keep an eye on Fourth Young Master these few days.”

At this moment, the fourth brother that Yu Youyao was talking about, Yu Shansi, had been slapped by the teacher again. In front of the teacher, he smashed all the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on the ground and ran back to the main courtyard.

After handing over the butler’s key, Madam Yang was deep in thought. She didn’t know when she would be able to get it back. From now on, the household would be under Yu Youyao’s control. She felt uncomfortable and stayed in her room.

Nanny Li was worried that Madam would have a headache, so she did not dare to mention this matter. She sent someone to look for Third Miss. Although Fourth Young Master was arrogant, he was willing to listen to Third Miss.

Previously, Eldest Master had asked Fourth Young Master to move into the courtyard. When Fourth Young Master received the news, he cried and wanted to look for Eldest Master.

Seeing that the palace examination was imminent, there was nothing more serious than this. How could she let Fourth Young Master cause a commotion? If Eldest Master found out, he would definitely reprimand First Madam for not knowing how to raise her children.

First Madam was also shocked. She tugged at Fourth Young Master and tried her best to persuade him, but to no avail.

In the end, it was Third Miss who persuaded her.

Hence, she stopped for a while.

Once the habit of smashing things was developed, it became an addiction. Every time he was angry, he had to smash things.

As soon as Yu Shansi returned to the house, he started smashing things.

As soon as Yu Jianjia walked into the house, she heard banging sounds coming from the inner room. There was also Yu Shansi cursing “old man” and “old bastard.”

Although they were in the main courtyard, Old Madam and Yu Youyao were now managing the household together. If anyone heard this…

Yu Jianjia hurriedly called out, “Fourth Brother,” then lifted the curtain and entered the room.

The room was in a mess. Yu Shansi’s personal servant, Mo Cai, covered his swollen face and stood at the side with his head lowered, not even daring to breathe loudly.

After all, she was a six-year-old child. After throwing a tantrum, Yu Shansi felt a little better. When he saw his sister coming over, his eyes lit up. “Sister, you haven’t recovered from your sprained ankle. Why are you still here to visit me?”

As he spoke, he had already leaned over.

“I’m much better. I can walk a few steps now. It’s nothing important.” Yu Jianjia smiled and stroked her brother’s head. “Who made Fourth Young Master angry again?”

At the mention of this, the smile on Yu Shansi’s face disappeared, and he looked furious. “It was Teacher Li. He asked me to memorize the text. When I memorized a few things wrong, he wanted to hit my hand. He had already received Mother’s money, so why should he hit my hand? How dare he?”

Yu Jianjia stroked her brother’s hair from time to time with a gentle smile on her face. “Father values Fourth Brother’s homework, so he thinks that if Teacher Li is more rigid and strict, he can better enlighten Fourth Brother and fulfill his responsibilities as a teacher. That’s why he invited Teacher Li into the residence to enlighten Fourth Brother.”

Fourth Brother was pampered by his mother. Only his father could shock him in this residence.

As expected, after hearing his sister’s words, Yu Shansi’s face fell. He was no longer angry, but he was still indignant. “That old man relied on the fact that Father invited him over, so I didn’t dare to do anything to him. He just treated me like a tyrant. I’m Father’s only legitimate son. How can I be punished by him every other day?”