All Hail Cousin Brother

Chapter 425: A Gentleman Has to Think

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

After seeing her elders, Old Madam Song waved her hand and said to Song Wanhui, “It’s your birthday today. Since the guests have come in, it’s your turn to entertain them. Go and play!”

Song Wanhui quickly agreed and immediately brought Yu Youyao and the others out of the Glorious Fortune Residence.

Yu Youyao finally heaved a sigh of relief.

The four branches of the Zhenguo Marquis Residence lived together. There were many people, and they were polite. Naturally, there were more rules. After this ordeal, it had actually been almost two hours.

It was not as comfortable as the Yu Residence.

The Zhenguo Marquis Residence was a five-way courtyard. It occupied a large area and was comparable to a prince’s residence. It was obvious that the ancestor of the Zhenguo Marquis Residence was glorious.

The residence was a headache to navigate, and it was also beautifully decorated. Scenes really changed with every step. It was unique. Compared to the quietness of the Yu Residence, it was a little more lively.

When they reached the side of the lake, Song Wanhui pointed at a strange stone in front of her. “That Mount Tai stone is in the shape of a book. It was transported back from the Wuda Mountain by our ancestor. It is engraved with the family rules of the Song family. Every descendant of the Zhenguo Marquis

Residence has to face the wall and read the family rules every morning after they turn seven.”

The ancestor of the Zhenguo Marquis Residence could only be the loyal and brave Marquis of Zhenguo who had contributed to helping the great ancestors conquer the world.

Yu Youyao looked up.

The Mount Tai stone that was as tall as a person was indeed huge. Its shape was like an open book. It was gray and hard. Even after hundreds of years of wind, rain, and snow, it still stood still.

Mount Tai stone was stable, heavy, and thick. It could ward off evil and protect the residence. It was also as stable as Wuda Mountain. It was a famous for being a fengshui stone.

Qi Sinian leaned closer to take a look and exclaimed, “There’s even a landscape on the mountain rock. The patterns naturally seep through. It’s simple, magnificent, bold, and strange. It’s actually beautiful.”

The value of the Mount Tai stone lay in its limited quality. This Mount Tai stone was majestic and very rare.

Tang Yunxi was also full of praise. “No wonder there’s an ancient poem that says that Dai Yue’s beauty is famous in the five continents. The thousand-year-old god said that he’s connected to the Great Wilderness. There are countless strange stones in China, and only the stone of Mount Tai can last after so long. I’ve learned something today.”

Yu Youyao was not interested in Mount Tai. Instead, she praised the words on it repeatedly. “The stone foundation of Mount Tai is very hard and is not easy to carve on. I’ve read the family motto above. It’s created by iron and silver hooks that penetrate the stone. Hard and soft together has a powerful aura. It’s even better than bronze. It must be personally carved by your ancestor!”

Song Wanhui nodded. “My ancestor is a Confucian general, so he’s proficient in calligraphy.”

It was also because of this that the Zhenguo Marquis Residence valued the

younger generation’s studies and focused on literature and martial arts. Most of their descendants joined the army, and many of them became officials.

For example, if his eldest brother did not show extraordinary talent in studying since he was young, he would be sent to the military camp at the age of twelve.

After walking for a while, they arrived at an arched bridge. Song Wanhui pointed at the courtyard in front of her. “That’s the Jiuzhao Pavilion where my eldest brother lives. My grandfather gave it the name. Confucius said, ‘A gentleman has nine thoughts. He sees wisdom, listens to wisdom, looks gentle, looks respectful, speaks with sincerity, thinks respectfully, questions things, thinks deeply and pursues righteousness!’”

A smile appeared on Yu Youyao’s lips, but it did not reach her eyes.

Song Mingzhao’s talent had long been famous in the world. Just now, in the “Glory and Fortune Residence”, he looked like a beautiful Kunlun jade, blooming with splendor and elegance.

Qi Sinian and Tang Yunxi said something about Song Mingzhao.

“Quick, look at that small bag.” Song Wanhui turned to look at Yu Youyao and smiled. “There were many flowers and trees planted there in the past. It was also during the Dragon Boat Festival that Yao Yao sent over bamboo juice. Eldest Brother and I made tea together. Eldest Brother felt that the bamboo juice tea tasted delicious, so he ordered someone to move all the flowers and trees on it and planted light bamboo. During the Dragon Boat Festival next year, if it rains, we can also get bamboo juice to make tea.”

Yu Youyao took a casual look. The bamboo had probably been transplanted from elsewhere. They were thick and strong, but they were not fullt grown yet. It would take a few years for them to naturally be beautiful.

The few of them walked and stopped. Suddenly, Yu Youyao saw an inconspicuous small courtyard not far away.

There was an osmanthus tree planted at the door. Just as the osmanthus fragrance was wafting in the air, there were strings of small golden flowers between the green leaves. It looked like a shy young girl with her face half-exposed but had an indescribable delicate charm.

Yu Youyao’s breathing stopped, as if her blood had been sucked dry. The blood on her face instantly faded, and she couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine. Her delicate figure couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

Coincidence. This had to be a coincidence!

Yu Youyao shook her head hard until she felt a little dizzy. Then, her eyes widened and she continued to look at the small courtyard. The similar scene made her dizzy and she broke out in a cold sweat.

Song Wanhui, who was standing at the side, noticed her abnormality and was immediately shocked. She quickly supported her swaying body. “Yao Yao, what’s wrong? You look so pale. Are you feeling unwell?”

Yu Youyao took a deep breath and calmed down a little.

She stabilized herself and shook her head. “I just suddenly felt a tightness in my chest and couldn’t recover for a moment. It’s probably because my blood flow isn’t smooth, so it’s fine.

With that, she raised her wrist and sniffed the cooling beads on it. The slightly bitter fragrance of the beads refreshed her mind and her expression improved a lot.

Qi Sinian was still a little worried. “If you’re not feeling well, just say it. Don’t hold it in.”

Tang Yunxi was also a little worried. “The weather is stuffy in August. It’s probably because of the heat. The sun is hot outside now. Hurry back to the house and sit down.”

Yu Youyao shook her head. “I’m fine. Don’t worry.” She pointed at the osmanthus tree not far away and changed the topic. She asked Song Wanhui, “What is that? The osmanthus flowers at the door are blooming really beautifully. I can smell their fragrance from afar.”

Seeing that her expression had returned to normal and she did not seem to feel any discomfort, Song Wanhui was finally relieved. She said, “That’s the Frost Residence. Before the Jiuzhao Pavilion was built, my eldest brother lived there. The osmanthus tree at the door was personally planted by my eldest brother when he was young. My eldest brother likes osmanthus cake. Every year, when the osmanthus flowers bloom, the family will pick the flowers to make osmanthus cake.”

Frost Residence…

Upon hearing this name, Yu Youyao felt as if she had been struck by lightning. In her nightmare, three months after her marriage, the older Yao Yao had been sent to the Frost Residence by Song Mingzhao because she was “worried about her grandmother’s illness.”

She was locked up in a simple and dilapidated courtyard. Day after day, she was fed all kinds of medicinal herbs and poisons by a medicine man. She was stabbed in the heart to extract blood and suffered all kinds of torture. Every year, when the fragrance of the cinnabar tree wafted into the room, the refreshing fragrance would already drift into the room to comfort her broken body.

So, the Zhenguo Marquis Residence really had a Frost Residence?

Yu Youyao felt that it was absurd and panicked.

When she first saw this small courtyard and the osmanthus tree, she thought that she had seen it wrongly.

She only had a nightmare!

To her, no matter how real it was, it did not really happen..