All Hail Cousin Brother

Marquis Heir Song Mingzhao

Yu Qingning pursed her lips, not seeming to believe her.

Yu swallowed the fruit and pressed a handkerchief to her mouth. “I’ve shed a lot of baby fat this time, so that’s why I’ve lost so much weight. When you’re my age, you should also lose your baby weight to grow taller.”

Ever since that dream she had, it seemed like everything became clear to her.

Yu Jianjia had a heart disease, but only her grandmother, father, and Yang Shuwan knew about it. Everyone else thought that her body was just a little weak as she was born prematurely and had some congenital defects.

In the nightmare, she had only found out about this after she was married into the Marquis Residence and was used as a medicine source.

Yu Jianjia would occasionally suffer from chest tightness and dizziness. In serious cases, she would suffer from chest pain and have difficulty breathing. She had been managing her health with the best medicines, so that she never appeared that sickly.

“I see!” Yu Qingning scratched the tip of her nose and rolled her eyes. “Eldest Sis, Cousin has just entered the residence today, yet you have already punished the old maids and created so much ruckus by bringing so many things from your room over to The Green House. You’re showing too much concern for him. I’ve never seen you so attentive to Eldest Brother and Second Brother.”

She had heard that the tables, chairs, and ornaments in The Green House, and even the antique calligraphy, paintings, and literary supplies, were all from Yu Youyao’s own private collection.

Everything was magnificent and valuable.

Eldest Sis hadn’t shared any of these precious items with her own sister, yet she had passed it all to this outsider—that was too much!

Hearing the jealousy in Yu Qingning’s tone, Yu Youyao did not even bother to glance at her. “Grandmother misses Grandaunt and feels sorry for Cousin who has suffered all these years. If you put in more effort, you can also try to compete with Grandaunt for Grandmother’s affection.”

Yu Youyao had thrown out such a beautiful retort that even Old Madam Yu couldn’t help but look at her in a different light.

Yao Yao had really turned it around with just a line.

Although Old Madam Yu was happy to see Yao Yao getting close to her cousin, she had also been a little concerned.

But after hearing what Yao Yao said, even Old Madam Yu felt that it made sense. This was how it should be. Even if outsiders heard it, they would praise her for being so loyal and kind.

She would get the credit, though Yao Yao was the one who did everything.

Yu Qingning was stunned for a moment before she understood. Without her grandmother’s permission, how would Yu Youyao have dared to create so much trouble for everyone?

She had embarrassed herself and was momentarily speechless. Quickly, she turned around and approached Yu Lianyu, the fifth daughter of the second house, to chat with her.

Yu Shuangbai puffed up her cheeks and glanced at Yu Qingning. She snorted and said to Yu Youyao, “What a troublemaker. She thinks everyone else is a fool. If she dares to use my big brother and second brother’s names as cannon fodder again, I’ll tear her mouth apart.”

Yu Youyao agreed wholeheartedly.

However, in her heart, she felt that although she was close to her eldest brother and second brother and did like them, they were still from separate houses after all.

In her dream, she was locked up in the small courtyard by Song Mingzhao, being tortured and tormented while her father hadn’t bothered about her at all. Her second uncle, eldest brother, and second brother hadn’t seemed to care about her either.

But her cousin was different. There was no one in his family anymore. From now on, he would be a member of the main house, so of course they had to be closer. With a man in the main house who could take charge, the Marquis Residence would not dare to do as they pleased.

Yu Shuangbai took a bite out of a piece of sweet fruit before she changed the topic. “Ever since your recovery, you’ve stopped looking for me to play together. The last time I wanted to go feed the fish in the lotus pond together, you didn’t agree.”

There was a lotus pond which had all kinds of koi fish in it. By throwing some bait in, a large group of colorful koi would swim over to snatch the food. In the past, the both of them often climbed onto the rocks by the pond and counted the number of koi fish.

Yu Youyao was a little annoyed. “The lotus pond clashes with my Four Pillars of

Destiny

. I won’t play at the lotus pond anymore. Don’t call me there in the future. I won’t go even if you call me.”

Yu Shuangbai rolled her eyes. “Fine, I guess it’s once bitten, twice shy for you. Do you really have to avoid the pond like that?”

She had just compared Yang Shuwan and Yu Jianjia to sly, vicious snakes who had “bitten” Yu Youyao. Although the two of them had been whispering between themselves, it was still heard by the others nearby.

Yu Jianjia felt an itch in her throat. She covered her mouth with her handkerchief and coughed lightly.

Yang Shuwan held her breath and turned to look at Madam Yao. Seeing Madam Yao sitting calmly and sipping on her tea, as if not hearing Yu Shuangbai’s insolent remark, she was furious.

This Madam Yao couldn’t even raise her daughter to be well-mannered, yet she has the cheek to talk about being a noble daughter from a scholarly family. What a joke.

Yang Shuwan did not hide her glaring. Madam Yao saw it but didn’t take it seriously.

It was not a big deal for the young ladies to chatter and gossip a little with each other. Madam Yang only felt offended because she had a guilty conscience.

If she were to stop the children from talking, that would only make things more awkward for Madam Yang.

Concubine He pushed a bowl of pear paste dessert to Yu Jianjia and was all smiles as she said, “Jianjia, you were fine just a while ago. Why are you suddenly coughing again? Are you feeling unwell again? Quick, have some pear paste dessert to smoothen your throat. I heard that Eldest Miss had specially instructed that this pear paste had to be prepared for tonight.”

Her every line seemed to be showing concern, but upon deeper thought, every word hit a nerve. Yu Jianjia’s face was pale. She lowered the handkerchief from her mouth and thanked Concubine He gently, but had no intention of actually eating the pear paste dessert.

At this moment, Madam Yao put down her teacup and she said with a smile, “The Spring Quarter Examinations are in a few days. There are many students in our clan who are participating in the entrance examination. I wonder how many of them will succeed.”

The Yu Clan was a large family. In addition to their family living in the capital, there were also many others who were living with the Tongzhou clan.

As early as last month, some younger generations of the clan who were going to participate in the Spring Quarter Examinations had already been sent to the capital and placed in the Yu Clan’s accommodations in the capital.

Old Madam took this very seriously. She had personally gone to take a look last month and had even sent a lot of literary supplies over. She had instructed the servants stationed there to take care of them meticulously.

At this moment, Old Madam Yu was twirling her prayer beads. She was indeed interested in this topic. “There seem to be a few who are not bad. I’m hopeful. However, they are all young, so it’s not a big deal. They can take it as an experience. There is still much time for them ahead.”

Madam Yao smiled and added, “Mother is right.”

Yang Shuwan, who hadn’t been able to join the conversation, finally found an opportunity. “Last year, in the township examination, the heir of the Marquis Residence, Song Mingzhao, took the first place and became a Top Scorer, really making many others envious. I wonder if he will take part in the Spring Quarter Examinations this year.”

Meanwhile, Yu Youyao’s heart jumped when she heard this name.

Her grandmother and the Marquis’s wife had personal connections. Her aunt, Yu Mengxiang, had married the eldest son of the Marquis’s third wife, Song Wenshu.

The Yu family had a close relationship with the Marquis Residence, but Yu Youyao and Song Mingzhao were five years apart. They weren’t familiar with each other and could even be considered strangers.

However, in her dream, her grandmother had taken a fancy to Song Mingzhao, and that’s when she had started to help arrange for her to settle into the Marquis Residence.

1. This refers to Chinese astrology