All Hail Cousin Brother

281 Empress Dowager

Aunt Shen lowered her head and listened. “There’s no one more meticulous than Aunt Xu.”

As she spoke, the Empress Dowager sighed again. “I originally didn’t plan to let her out of the palace, but the Marquis of Changxing’s family kept asking for Nanny Xu and wanted her to help teach Seventh Miss in the family. I didn’t agree, so she begged Concubine Zhuang. Concubine Zhuang also begged the person from Zhaoyang Palace to come to me to discuss it. If I refused again, I’m afraid even the emperor would be alerted.”

Aunt Shen lowered her head and stared at the tip of her shoe.

The “person from Zhaoyang Palace” that the Empress Dowager was talking about was Imperial Consort Lu, who lived in Zhaoyang Palace.

The Empress Dowager changed the topic. “You’re still pretending that I don’t know. This matter was instigated by that person from Zhaoyang Palace. She saw that I had asked Auntie Xu to help Li Yang recuperate earlier, so she was also worried that I would give Auntie Xu to Liyang and add a powerful person by her side. Her schemes are really impressive.”

When she said this, her tone was very ordinary, and there was no emotion on her face.

Aunt Shen did not dare to reply and only lowered her head to listen.

The Empress had been sick for a long time, and the Yi Kun Palace was closed. Aunt Xu was good at helping people recuperate. If Aunt Xu went to Princess Liyang’s side, it would be equivalent to going to the Empress’s side.

The Empress Dowager was silent for a moment, and the hall immediately fell silent. Only the calming incense in the phoenix head incense burner was tirelessly spewing out a fragrance.

“After serving me for so many years, I couldn’t let her fall into a fire pit, so I simply let her out of the palace. In the future, her future will be entirely up to her. She’s also a sensible person, and the Yu family isn’t a bad place to go. When the previous emperor was around, he appreciated Old Master Yu very much. When I was young, I often summoned Old Madam Yu into the palace to talk.”

Aunt Shen smiled and said, “I still remember that back then, the Empress Dowager obtained a thousand-year-old agarwood and made two prayer beads. She sent one to the Precious Peace Temple for three years, and one of them remained in Your Highness’s hands.”

As she spoke, Aunt Shen glanced at the prayer beads wrapped around the Empress Dowager’s wrist. She had probably been wearing them for a long time and they did not leave her body. The prayer beads were extremely bright.

The Empress Dowager also recalled this matter. “I heard that Old Madam Yu pays respects to Buddha like me, and the other was to reward her.”

Aunt Shen laughed along.

The Empress Dowager changed the topic and continued, “The Eldest Miss of the Yu Residence seems to be from Censor Yu’s first wife, Madam Xie. Madam Xie is from the Xie Residence in Quanzhou. Previously, when Xie Sanlang entered the capital, he sent many strange things to the palace. It’s really eye-opening.”

Aunt Shen lowered her eyes and said nothing.

At the mention of Madam Xie, the Empress Dowager thought of another past matter. “I remember that one summer, at a palace banquet, all the married women entered the palace. One of them fainted from the heat. All the madams present watched helplessly. Only one madam rushed over and helped that madam up. She took a pill from her sachet and fed it to that woman. Later, I specially summoned her. When I asked, I found out that she was Censor Yu’s first wife, Madam Xie. She’s really a warm-hearted and bright person. What a pity.”

As she spoke, the Empress Dowager thought of something and saw the little palace maid kneeling on the ground. “What’s the name of Madam Xie’s daughter, the Eldest Miss of the Yu Residence?”

The little palace maid hurriedly said, “Your Highness, her name is Youyao.”

The Empress Dowager laughed when she heard this. “Her name shows that she’s young and pure. She’s also good looking when she smiles and is kind and graceful. She’s youthful and fresh and this means that she’s clean and incorruptible. She is beautiful, incorruptible, kind and virtuous.” At this point, she paused for a moment and continued, “She’s indeed worthy of her name. Old Madam Yu really raised her to have some morals.”

There were as many young misses in the capital as fish in a river. There were probably only a few who could be remembered by the nobles in the palace and taken seriously. Eldest Miss Yu was one of them.

The Empress Dowager first mentioned her master-servant relationship with Nanny Xu. After Nanny Xu entered the Yu Residence, it was inevitable that she would mention her young friendship with Old Madam Yu. Hence, when she mentioned Eldest Madam Xie, who had already passed away in the Yu Residence, it was inevitable that she would mention the Xie Residence in Quanzhou. The Xie Residence was an imperial merchant. In this dynasty, merchants were not allowed to bestow officials, but the relationship between the Xie Residence and the palace was very close.

In the end, she mentioned Eldest Miss Yu.

It was as if they were just gossiping, but no one present really thought so. With the Empress Dowager’s status, every word she said carried a deeper meaning.

All of them understood.

The Imperial Concubine Lu, Concubine Zhuang, the Marquis of Changxing’s Residence, and the Yu Residence… It was terrifying to hear.

The Empress Dowager smiled. “Go to the Internal Affairs Department tomorrow to pick a beautiful palace token and send it to Eldest Miss Yu. There’s no need for her to enter the palace to thank her. When she’s a little older, we’ll be able to see her at the palace banquet.”

The head palace maid quickly agreed.

Eldest Miss Yu had already received a huge honor from the Empress Dowager. If she was summoned by the Empress Dowager, it would indeed be too eye-catching for her.

As the saying went, when the tree is outstanding in the forest, the wind will definitely blow at it.

With her age, she couldn’t afford to be in the limelight.

The Empress Dowager smiled, and her expression darkened. “Marquis of Changxing’s wife, Seventh Miss Cao, should enter the palace.”

—-

After Yu Zongzheng and Yang Shuwan left, An Shou Hall fell silent.

Old Madam Yu sat upright on the couch, looking down and twirling her prayer beads. As she often pinched the agarwood prayer beads, they were yellow in color. Mixed with the honey fat, they looked even more solid and jade-like.

Nanny Liu remembered that she had been rewarded with this string of prayer beads by the Empress Dowager back then.

All these years, Old Madam often wore it on her.

Old Madam Yu thought about what had happened at the flower festival. After a long while, she sighed softly. “It’s probably because I’m old. Recently, I’ve often thought of the past.”

Nanny Liu said nothing.

Old Madam Yu stopped reciting. “In the past, I was too scheming and schemed for Second Brother’s future. Second Brother was successful, but he was separated from me. Eldest Brother also left me.”

Nanny Liu hesitated and said, “Old Master passed away early. You’re the one supporting the huge family business. You’re a widow, so you naturally have more schemes than others. Otherwise, how could you protect the Yu family’s hundred year reputation?”

Old Madam Yu shook her head. “Back then, Eldest Son was fooling around with Madam Yang, and the root of the trouble was me. The Yu Residence was a scholarly family, and they had gained their reputation through their ancestors. However, I married Eldest Son to a businesswoman. He resented me and held it in. He was dissatisfied with his wife’s background and wanted to marry that scholarly woman, which was why he committed such a mistake. Wasn’t it also his resistance to me? It was originally our resentment, but it harmed Madam Xie’s life.”

She had allowed Eldest Son to marry Madam Xie because she had selfish motives and schemes. She had too many trade-offs. Although she also cared about Eldest Son’s future, she was still biased towards Second Son. She had failed to settle the score, which caused Eldest Son’s resentment.