As long as anything had to do with his future prospects, he was able to think clearly and properly. Old Madam Yu sneered. “I’ve seen clearly now that you and Yao Yao aren’t fated to be father and daughter, so I won’t force it upon you anymore. In the future, you no longer have to interfere in Yao Yao’s matters. Whether Yao Yao is doing well or not, I’ll be the one to be concerned for her, as her grandmother. Since you don’t have the heart of a loving father nor the sense of duty to teach her, you might as well stay out of it completely.”

Yu Zongzheng was horrified. “Mother!”

Old Madam Yu rubbed her forehead, looking exhausted. “Alright, go back to where you came from. Don’t come here, to Jade Courtyard anymore. I can’t even take it anymore, so just imagine how Yao Yao must feel.”

As she spoke, Old Madam Yu couldn’t help but cough a few times, her face turning as pale as a sheet.

Looking at his mother’s dejected and weary face, how could Yu Zongzheng not understand that he had really angered his mother badly today? He felt awful and worried. “Mother, I was wrong…”

“Just remember what I said.” With that, Old Madam Yu stood up and let Nanny Liu help her into the inner room. She planned to go upstairs to see Yao Yao.

After crying for a long time, Yu Youyao was tired and hungry. Nanny Xu brought over some light appetizing food and a bowl of medicinal cuisine. Just as she was eating, her grandmother came in.

Yu Youyao stopped eating and threw herself into her grandmother’s arms, calling out softly, “Grandmother.”

Seeing that she still had the appetite to eat, Old Madam Yu felt both relieved and heartbroken. “Come, sit down and eat.”

“Grandmother, have you eaten?” Earlier, her father had arrived at the Jade Courtyard just in time for dinner. Since her grandmother had rushed over, Yu Youyao wondered if she had eaten.

Old Madam Yu smiled widely. “Yes, yes. I’m old, so I usually eat early dinners. Otherwise, it won’t be easy to digest the food at night.”

Yu Youyao was relieved and continued to eat. Not long after, she finished the entire bowl. Yu Youyao set her chopsticks down, and Chun Xiao asked the maidservant to clear the table.

The grandmother and granddaughter pair sat together and chatted. Yu Youyao did not mention anything about being slapped. She only said, “Grandmother, can you tell me more about my mother?”

It had been a long time since Yao Yao had asked about her biological mother, so Old Madam Yu was a little taken aback when she suddenly asked this time. However, since Madam Xie was a good person, and they had a good relationship after she had married into the family, Old Madam Yu was happy to tell Yao Yao all about it.

After a while, Nanny Xu brought over a bowl of calming soup. Yu Youyao looked at the bowl of black soup and frowned. She didn’t want to drink it. “Grandmother, I’m fine. I don’t want the bitter medicine.”

Yao Yao was still a child after all, and this was the first time her father had hit her so hard, so she must have been startled badly, and it was better for her to take the medicine. Old Madam Yu shook her head. “That won’t do.”

With that, she took the bowl of medicine from Nanny Xu and personally fed it to Yu Youyao.

Pinching her little nose, Yu Youyao finished the medicine. It was so bitter that her tongue twisted into a knot. Nanny Xu fed her a piece of jujube cake and the bitterness in her mouth cleared a little.

Seeing how lovely Yao Yao was behaving, Old Madam Yu felt a pang of heartache for her.

This little girl had been beaten and wronged, yet she wasn’t whining, complaining, or crying even while her grandmother was accompanying her by her side. This made Old Madam Yu’s heart wrench even more for her.

Old Madam Yu stroked her soft hair. “What happened today was your father’s fault. I’ve already reprimanded him, and he won’t do anything to you again. Yao Yao, your father doesn’t know anything about how the household is managed, nor does he know much about the things that happen in this household. This allowed him to be fooled and misled by Madam Yang and her daughter. Don’t blame him.”

Yu Youyao nodded. “Grandmother, Father is busy with court affairs all day long, yet he still worries about me neglecting my studies. That’s why… I don’t blame Father. You shouldn’t be angry either, as it’ll hurt your health.”

Her head drooped slowly, and her voice was a little sad.

Old Madam Yu’s eyes welled up. She hurriedly pinched her handkerchief and pressed it against her eyes. “Look at you. Usually, you’re like a mischievous monkey. If anyone dares to bully you, you won’t stop until you’ve created mayhem for them. But why is it that whenever you’re in the presence of your father, you become so tame and obedient? When your father hits you or reprimands you, why do you just stand there and accept it? Don’t you know how to run away, or cry, or throw a fit?”

Yu Youyao hugged her grandmother. “Father always says that I’m naughty and spoiled. If I don’t accept his criticism obediently, he’ll scold me for being disrespectful and unfilial. Wouldn’t that be exactly what Madam Yang wants? I won’t fall for it. I’m his daughter after all, so he’ll just scold me a little and vent his anger, then everything will be over.”

When Old Madam Yu heard this, she was both angry and amused. At the same time, her heart hurt. She poked her daughter’s forehead with her finger. “You think so well with your little head, but didn’t you still get slapped”

Yu Youyao lowered her head and said nothing.

Old Madam Yu felt even worse. The young girl clearly knew everything. She knew that her father didn’t like her, so she was always worried that she would anger him, and she endured everything silently in front of her father, never daring to resist.

There was a moment of silence in the room. Yu Youyao looked up and hugged her grandmother’s arm. “Grandmother, can you promise me something?”

Old Madam Yu eyed her and asked, “What is it?”

Yu Youyao shrank back. “Promise you won’t scold me when I tell you?”

Old Madam Yu wanted to give her little head a knock. “If you don’t tell me now, I will really start scolding you.”

Yu Youyao did not dare to delay any further and quickly said, “Grandmother, today, Father kept saying that I don’t abide by the rules. After some serious reflection, I feel that it’s because I had learned from a bad example. Mother has been in the family for nine years but doesn’t follow any rules seriously. Grandmother, shouldn’t you set rules for Mother and let her be a role model in the family, so that I can learn from her?”

When Old Madam Yu heard this, she was instantly astounded. She scolded jokingly, “You sly little thing, to think that you could come up with such an idea. It seems like I really shouldn’t have taunted you just now.”

Seeing that her grandmother wasn’t really angry, Yu Youyao became bolder. “I’m not the kind of person who will allow myself to be bullied for nothing.”

Once again, Old Madam Yu was both angry and amused. “It’s easy for you to say, but I’ll have to become the bad guy for you.”

“Grandmother, I know you dote on me.” Yu Youyao threw herself into her grandmother’s arms and wheedled.

Old Madam Yu smiled. She also felt that Yao Yao’s idea was not bad.

All these years, Madam Yang had indeed become more and more outrageous.

Old Madam Yu felt that she should also learn from her old friend at the Marquis of Zhen’s Residence, and put on the airs of a mother-in-law. She should establish some strict rules so that her daughter-in-law could learn who’s boss. Otherwise, she would continue to cause trouble and strife at home.

Usually, in prominent families, when the evil mothers-in-law wanted to torment their daughters-in-law, they would set strict rules and standards. The men in the family would feel that it was only right for their wives to be filial to their mothers-in-law, so they often wouldn’t raise any concerns about it.

After being reprimanded, Yu Zongzheng left the Jade Courtyard dejectedly and was about to head to the main courtyard.

However, when he thought about the way his mother had given him such a scolding, he couldn’t help but feel vexed. After all, although it wasn’t entirely Madam Yang’s fault in this issue, she was the one who had started it.

Moreover, after careful thought, she was indeed in the wrong in this matter.