All Hail Cousin Brother

Chapter 937: Born with a Phoenix Fate

Translator: Atlas Studios    Editor: Atlas Studios

Yu Youyao took a deep breath. “It’s a pair of jade ruyi.”

The jade ruyi was auspicious.

What did this mean?

When ordinary families looked at marriage, if they took a fancy to someone, to prevent offending the other party, they usually wouldn’t come directly. First, they would give them some expensive and dignified gifts to test them.

Every family raised their children, and the elders had also experienced it. When they saw this etiquette, they could roughly guess and give the appropriate reaction.

If it succeeded, everyone would naturally be happy.

If it didn’t work, it wouldn’t hurt their dignity and relationship.

The gifts were all gold and jade.

It meant that they were fated to be together.

There were also patterns on it, such as cloud patterns, ruyi patterns, and so on.

It further expressed the elders’ satisfaction with the woman.

The rarer and more expensive something was, the more sincerity it represented.

Not only had the Empress given her jade, but it was also a jade ruyi. It was a rare pair of jade ruyi. It meant that one was satisfactory.

Her thoughts were obvious.

Old Madam Xie continued, “This is also the Empress’s test for the Yu Clan and you.”

Yu Youyao frowned and thought to herself, “Eunuch Li has sent a reward over with great fanfare. I think in a few days, the Empress’s generous reward will spread throughout the world.”

How was this a test? Everyone knew what the Empress was thinking.

However, as the person involved, Yu Youyao did not even have any room to refuse. No matter if this matter succeeded or not, she would still be criticized.

Old Master Xie continued and explained the pros and cons to her. “Previously, because of the Flower Festival in the Marquis of Changxings Residence and the Duke Rong’s Residence, the Yu Residence, Concubine Lan, and Imperial Concubine Xu inevitably had conflicts. These conflicts were not related to interests, but to reputation. The Yu Clan is a scholarly family with a strong foundation. What they value is reputation. It’s because the Yu Residence is reasonable and did not suffer a loss that they calmed down. However, the conflicts are irreconcilable.’

Concubine Lan’s maiden family, the former Weining Marquis Residence, had been demoted to Ning Yuanbo. As they were implicated in the imperial examination fraud, they were still in jail. A decision was still being made.

The Marquis of Changxings Residence, which was on the same side as Ning Yuanbo’s Residence, was implicated in King Li of Zhou’s case and all their property had been confiscated.

Back then, at the Flower Festival in the Marquis of Changxings Residence, as Concubine Lan’s mother, the Marquis of Weinings wife even openly helped the Marquis of Changxings wife with the intention of ruining Little Yao’er’s reputation.

Imperial Concubine Xu had used the Flower Festival at Duke Rongs Residence to scheme against Little Yao’er’s reputation.

There was still room for negotiation in a conflict of interests.

There were no eternal enemies in the world, only eternal benefits.

However, the schemes of both sides involved the reputation of the family in public and even the elders. It was impossible for anyone to pretend that nothing had happened.

Yu Youyao did not understand for a moment.

Old Madam Xie also knew that without her mother’s guidance, she did not know enough about the pros and cons involved in marriage. “In other words, the Empress is using the status of the Fourth Prince’s princess consort to lure the Yu Clan and you.”

Yu Youyao instantly understood. “The emperor only has three princes.

Whether it’s the Second Prince or the Third Prince, it’s disadvantageous to the Yu Clan. The Yu Clan has just risen and its foundation in the court is not as good as some old nobles. If we want to improve further, we have to contribute to the dragon. On the surface, the Empress is rewarding me generously, but she’s actually using the identity of the Fourth Prince’s princess consort to probe and lure me. In the future, if the Fourth Prince… l…”

There had to be a conclusion.

The Yu Clan had already walked into a dead end. Whether it was for the sake of advancing further in the court or for the sake of the huge family, they had no choice but to continue establishing themselves in the court and passing down their legacy.

Yu Youyao felt her heart tremble.

Old Master Xie sighed softly. “The Yu Clan is currently at the peak of its power in the royal court. The Zhenguo Marquis Residence and the Qi Residence, who are on good terms with us, have also gained power in the court and can’t be underestimated. Meanwhile, you’re in Liaodong now and have a close relationship with King Yue Fei. If they rope you in, the Empress will definitely have a closer relationship with him. The benefits behind you are really too great.”

What he did not say was that not long after the Flower Festival in Duke Rongs Residence, Old Madam Yu had personally written a letter to him. In the letter, she had mentioned that the Six Wise Monks of the Precious Peace Temple,

Grandmaster Hui Neng, and Zen Master Hui Ji had written an order for Little Yao’er. She had even mentioned that Mr. Xian Yun had said something similar.

She was born with a phoenix’s fate—

If news of this spread, Little Yao’er would probably become the target of public criticism.

If she wanted to get something, she would rack her brains to scheme.

If she couldn’t get it, she would rack her brains to destroy it.

On such a hot day, Yu Youyao broke out in a cold sweat for no reason. Her entire body was cold. “In that case, it’s not just a rumor that the Empress will adopt the Fourth Prince as her heir. It’s very likely to succeed.”

Therefore, from the beginning, the Empress had already planned to drag her down.

She couldn’t help but continue to analyze what was going on.

With a legitimate heir in the court and the protection of the royal faction, it was a sure bet that the Fourth Prince would ascend to the throne. As the princess consort of the prince, Yu Youyao had the royal faction led by the Yu Clan behind her. There would be almost no suspense after she was conferred the title.

Now that there was an imperial consort in the family, the Yu Clan’s fame and fortune were yet to come.

There were probably not many people in the world who could withstand such a noble and supreme authority.

Even Yu Youyao couldn’t help but be stunned when she suddenly thought of all this.

She recalled the situation when she had entered the palace with her grandmother back then. At that time, she was crawling at the Empress Dowager’s feet, trembling and not even daring to breathe loudly. Above her head, there was a noble’s cold and scrutinizing gaze that observed her fearlessly. She was afraid that there would be a mistake in etiquette. Heaven and hell were only decided by the nobles.

When it came to such supreme nobility—

Yu Youyao’s heart skipped a beat, and even her face turned abnormally red.

Old Master Xie frowned. “Little Yao’er, what do you think?”

This was why he had refused to say it clearly previously.

As an elder, it wasn’t appropriate for him to mention the marriage between a man and a woman in front of Eldest Miss. He was also worried that there would be too many benefits behind this. If Little Yao’er was blindfolded…

Yu Youyao seemed to have woken up from a dream. She bit her lip and subconsciously lowered her head. In the end, she was a little embarrassed to say it. “King Yue Fei and l…”

Old Master Yu’s expression did not relax as he said in a low voice, “Although you have an engagement with King Yue Fei, you don’t have a parental order or a matchmaker. The marriage hasn’t been properly arranged, and both sides haven’t exchanged the token of engagement. It’s still not legitimate. Just in case it damages your reputation, it’s naturally not appropriate to announce it to the public.”

This was the reason on the surface.

Of course, there was a deeper layer. “The situation in the Imperial Court is very delicate now. There’s an engagement between you and King Yue Fei, but it’s not appropriate to make it public. You even have to pretend that this marriage doesn’t exist..”