After You Xueming sat down, You Xuewu leaned closer to him and asked in a low voice, "Brother, when did you agree to Father's request? I didn't know that. You never mentioned this to me before."

You Xueming glanced at her and said, "Don't tell me you didn't know; I only found out last night."

"You just need to take care of your own affairs. As for national affairs, you're just a young girl, so don't get involved. Just don't cause trouble."

You Xuewu pointed to herself: "I caused trouble? When did I cause trouble?"

You Xueming didn't want to pay attention to her and gave her a look that said, "Don't you know what's going on?"

Seeing that You Xueming didn't want to talk to her, You Xuewu turned away angrily. Her brother had gone too far; he wasn't like this before. She would go back and complain to her mother about why her brother had become like this.

Seeing that You Xuewu was quiet, You Xueming immediately thought of the question she had just asked.

It wasn't that he promised his father to handle this matter; rather, his father had entrusted it to his cousin. Last night, his cousin then handed the matter over to him.

Thinking of what her cousin had said last night, You Xueming felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

Yesterday, his cousin brought two jugs of wine over, which surprised him a bit, as they rarely drank together despite being cousins. Later, as they chatted, You Xueming understood the purpose of his cousin's visit.

He had originally intended to mention how his cousin had pleaded for his sister before the Crown Prince of Shengyu Kingdom. Since his arrival coincided with this, the two began discussing the matter.

His cousin told him that he and Yunya had never thought of comparing themselves to him and Wu'er. They were family, so why compare themselves to each other? A family should love each other, but because of rumors, they were constantly comparing themselves to each other and making things difficult for each other, living like enemies.

If the younger generation doesn't get along, it naturally puts the adults in a difficult position. Fortunately, the Emperor and his aunt, who are siblings, have a very good relationship; otherwise, they might have really become enemies because of the younger generation.

Hearing his cousin's words, You Xueming also reminisced about the past. Whether it was because of the alcohol or because of the heartfelt conversation, You Xueming actually felt that the scene at that moment was the life he had longed for or yearned for.

Recalling the past, You Xueming felt extremely guilty. He was the eldest of the children, yet he always wanted to compare himself with his younger cousin. He was jealous of his cousin's title of "Young General," but he never considered that it was earned by him through countless merits on the battlefield.

He was jealous of his father's favoritism towards his cousin. Now that he thought about it, his father seemed to treat his cousin, himself, and his sisters Wu'er and Yun Ya equally, without deliberately showing favoritism to any one of them. It was just that his actions over the years had disappointed his father.

His own jealousy is now being projected onto Wu'er, who is now obsessed with comparing herself to Yun Ya, but Yun Ya doesn't care at all.

My cousin and my sister Yunya always do what they think is right at their age, but what about my Wu'er? She is completely blinded by jealousy and does many absurd things.

Wu'er is even worse than me now. Because Yun Ya married well, she wants to marry even better. She never thinks about what she has to give in order to get something better.

Alas, they ultimately took gains and losses and outcomes too seriously.

Last night, the two brothers drank and chatted until late into the night. You Xueming couldn't remember when his cousin left, only that before leaving, he told him about the four-nation peace agreement. He conveyed his father's desire for peace among the four nations, and said that as long as the agreement's contents were not detrimental to Youlan Kingdom, it could be agreed to.

After my cousin left, I sat in the yard for a long time, thinking about my ridiculous and absurd past, and the stupid things I had done over the years. Now it seemed that it was all wishful thinking on my part, and no one else cared at all.

He finally understood: it wasn't that others didn't care; in fact, they didn't take the outside opinions seriously at all, nor did they care that much about gains, losses, or outcomes.

That's why they can face fame and fortune so calmly.

So be it. Let bygones be bygones. Now he clearly understands what he should and shouldn't do. He will also strive to earn his father's respect again. From now on, he will dedicate himself solely to state affairs, nothing else.

Seeing that her brother remained silent, You Xuewu nudged his arm and said, "Brother, what are you thinking about? The banquet is over."

You Xueming shook her head: "It's alright. You can go back now that you're done. I still need to go to the Imperial Study later."

You Xuewu nodded and said nothing more. She always felt that her brother had changed.

After You Xuewu left, You Xueming followed the others and headed towards the Imperial Study.