All Hail Cousin Brother

Chapter 686: Final Mercy

Translator: Atlas Studios    Editor: Atlas Studios

She was hesitant to allow her eldest son to marry Yang Shuwan.

The kind of tricks that Yang Shuwan used to deceive men were nothing new. She had her ways to deal with such a thing.

She did not make a move because her son would remarry sooner or later.

Yang Shuwan was narrow-minded and had a weak family background.

Without a scheme to support her ambition, let alone a powerful maiden family, it was impossible for her to control Yao Yao.

Yang Shuwan and her son had an affair. After Yang Shuwan married into the Yu Residence, no matter how good she was at lying to men, she would always have something on her.

If she dared to harm Yao Yao, this would be enough to ruin her reputation.

She was sick and did not have that much energy to take care of her granddaughter. Instead of a second wife whose background she did not know, it was better to let him marry Madam Yang.

On this point, she and Madam Xie had reached a consensus.

After so many years, Madam Yang was just as she had expected. Although she had many schemes, she was still inferior.

She didn’t like Yao Yao either, but she didn’t dare to really attack her.

Madam Yang did some petty tricks but she let it slide as it could also be considered training for Yao Yao so that she would know to deal with schemes.

Before she dies, she was going to leave a letter and entrust it to someone she trusted. If Yang Shuwan dared to humiliate Yao Yao after her death, she would also ruin her reputation.

She had everything arranged.

So as to pave a good path for her granddaughter.

Even if she died, she wanted her granddaughter to live a carefree life.

Yang Shuwan and Yu Zongzheng himself created their own weakness.

If Yu Zongzheng did not marry Yang Shuwan, she would only be a romantic affair to him. As time passes by, even if someone exposed that he had slept with the daughter of a concubine, who would take it to heart?

However, if she married him, it would be different.

If an affair turned into a scandal, the Imperial Court’s impeachment would cause him to lose face and his future to be ruined.

In this world, no mother would be so ruthless as to scheme against her biological son.

It was Madam Xie’s death that had allowed her to see through Eldest Son’s heartlessness, causing her to subconsciously plan more in case of emergencies.

All these years, she had hidden her thoughts so well that even Nanny Liu had not guessed it.

She hoped that her schemes would never come to light.

This was also her last mercy to her son.

Yu Youyao couldn’t continue this topic, so she changed it. “Father specially brought Divine Physician Xie back from Zhejiang. It’s obvious that he still cares about Grandmother. I’ve also asked Imperial Physician Shi to take a look at Divine Physician Xie’s prescription. He said that it’s an excellent prescription. If Grandmother is worried about me, take your medicine and recuperate.”

Divine Physician Xie swore that as long as she took the medicine and rested well, her health would improve.

She did not refute those words. After all, it was her son’s filial piety, so she couldn’t refuse it. She didn’t expect there to be such a thing.

Imperial Physician Shi said that the prescription was good, so it should be effective.

At the thought of this, Old Madam Yu perked up. “Since it’s a good prescription, I’ll listen to you and eat it well for a while.”

Perhaps because she had been frightened by the dream just now, she was always worried that if she left, her son would treat her granddaughter badly, so she wanted to last as long as she could.

During this period of time, her grandmother’s every word seemed like she was planning for her funeral, making her very worried. Now that she saw that her grandmother’s eyes were lively, Yu Youyao was a little relieved.

Old Madam Yu continued, “This morning, your father entered the palace to make a report. The disaster relief matter in Zhejiang has come to an end. This time, your father did a good job and didn’t make any major mistakes. Next month, he probably still has to lead the disaster relief work in the North. His wish has finally been fulfilled.”

Every time there was a natural disaster, there would always be many troubles. There would be riots and outbreak of diseases.

Yu Zongzheng was also lucky. With the help of the Xie family and Yao Yao, he did not lack food or medicine. In addition, Ye Hanyuan could control the situation, so he could stop the riots and a large-scale epidemic.

Perhaps because her mentality had changed and she had switched to Divine Physician Xie’s new prescription, Old Madam Yu felt much better after taking the medicine for three days.

Yu Youyao felt relieved. If she could continue to recuperate like this, her grandmother’s health might really recover.

Yu Zongzheng had contributed to the disaster relief and had been praised by the Emperor. The palace rewarded him with many things.

The Empress Dowager did not forget Yu Youyao’s contribution and rewarded her.

The disaster relief matter finally came to an end.

Exterminating the pirates was even more urgent. Fortunately, after Ye Hanyuan took over the military affairs at the southeast coast, he quickly reorganized the navy and chased after the pirates. He broke through the pirates at Dragon Mountain and chased them all the way to Yanmen Ridge. Then, he supported Fujian and Guangzhou.

At the same time, it was even more urgent to deal with the governance of the southeast coast.

The Emperor ordered the River Censor to be an imperial envoy. He was to investigate many crimes including the Navys loss of the air force, embezzlement of the river repairment money, and invasion of the land of the commoners. He was to report on big and small matters.

The Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs, Yu Zongzheng, was involved in this matter.

After the floods and the pirate problem, there was another storm in Zhejiang.

Natural and man-made disasters were endless. Everyone in the court was spending money sparingly. The Mid-Autumn Festival was about to arrive, but the festive atmosphere in the capital was weak.

The big families were worried that if they were too extravagant, they would attract the attention of the Imperial Court.

The commoners did not even have enough to eat, so they were not in the mood to celebrate the holidays.

However, no matter what, the Mid-Autumn Festival was a reunion festival. They still had to celebrate it.

Even if it couldn’t be lively, there would be a few lanterns hanging to match the scene. Families would gather for a reunion meal. There would always be hope on this day.

When Yu Youyao heard the news from the court, she couldn’t help but sigh slightly. “Zhejiang has just suffered a water disaster, and the people have suffered a calamity. There have even been three riots previously. The Imperial Court should be benevolent and appease the people to further stabilize the situation in Zhejiang. They shouldn’t carry out the investigation on officials with great fanfare.”

Water could carry a boat, but it could also overturn it.

Everything should be done for the people.

Old Madam Yu agreed deeply. “The Emperor is still too anxious.”

The Zhejiang family had taken root in Zhejiang for generations.

Previously, the Emperor had used the water disaster to deal with a group of corrupt officials. It was a deliberate show of power as a warning so that the various officials in Zhejiang could also be obedient for the time being.

After the effects of the water disaster and pirates had passed and the situation in Zhejiang stabilized, it wouldn’t be too late to settle the problem.

In the past, with Xia Yansheng in charge of the cabinet, the Zhe family had political cover. Naturally, it was not easy for them to make a move.

Now, Ye Hanyuan had been promoted by the Emperor. Song Xiuwen’s matter had yet to be resolved, and he was still locked up in jail. There was still pure officials in Zhejiang, so why should he worry about not being able to improve Zhejiang?

Yu Youyao shook her head. “The treasury is empty, and the accounts of the six ministries are in varying degrees of deficit. Everyone in the court is thinking of ways to fill the deficit. The River Censor has dealt with a group of corrupt officials and confiscated a large sum of dirty money. The Emperor’s eyes are red with anxiety and is fixated on the money in Zhejiang. He no longer have any patience..”