Chapter 53 The Aroused Competitive Spirit
Yu Nian made a face at Chunyu Han's departing figure.
It's all so vague and I don't know what it means. If there's nothing serious, just stay home. What serious matters could a young lady like Yu Nian possibly have?
The betrothal gifts had only just been exchanged when Chunyu Han began to control her.
"Miss, I must have been seeing things. How come I saw Lord Chunyu come out of your room?"
Chun Tao stood blankly at the door of Yu Nian's boudoir, looking completely bewildered.
"You're not seeing things, it really is him."
"Isn't the master said to be very busy? How come he has time to come here..."
Chun Tao was full of questions, while Yu Nian pointed to the two loads of betrothal gifts on the ground.
"I've brought this."
When her gaze fell on the betrothal gifts, Yu Nian's mood improved again.
These two loads of betrothal gifts were not formally exchanged, meaning they could be put into Yu Nian's private savings as a reserve fund for emergencies.
Yu Nian suddenly realized that her previous "secret stash" for hiding money was not enough; such large betrothal gifts must have cost a lot of money.
"Wow, Lord Chunyu is really generous to Miss."
Chun Tao couldn't help but sigh, even feeling a little regretful. If the Regent hadn't been a eunuch, then he and Yu Nian would truly have been a perfect match.
"If he's not generous to me, who is he going to be? He's just a eunuch, with no relatives or friends. He'd rather use that money to make himself look good than let it go to waste."
Yu Nian rubbed her hands together, eagerly opening the box of betrothal gifts, wanting to see if it contained silver notes or some rare treasures, preferably something easy to sell, as she wanted to exchange them all for small gold bars.
Chun Tao also bent down to help Yu Nian tidy up.
The red lacquered wooden box lid was very heavy. Yu Nian and Chun Tao struggled to lift it. Chun Tao was also very curious. It must be a rare and precious item that Lord Chunyu had specially sent over.
The two opened the box with great anticipation, and both, master and servant, were stunned when they saw what was inside.
"What is this thing?"
Yu Nian turned around and reached in to pick up the things inside.
Upon opening the box, one finds neatly stacked dark blue booklets. On the cover of each booklet, two characters are written in upright script: "Women's Virtue."
Chun Tao also picked up a rather thick book. This one was slightly different from the one Yu Nian was holding, but the difference wasn't significant. It was called the "Women's Virtue Collection."
The remaining books all had similar titles, and their central theme revolved around female virtues, precepts, and teachings.
"Chuntao, have you ever heard of someone giving this as a betrothal gift?"
Yu Nian angrily threw the books into the box. Chunyu Han, that loser, is playing a joke, huh? All she did was say in front of everyone that she adhered to the virtues of women, and Chunyu Han made such a fuss to annoy her.
Chun Tao shook her head vigorously, like a rattle-drum. She had heard many things, but this one was truly new to her.
"Open this box too, it can't just be these things again..."
Yu Nian and Chun Tao opened the second load of boxes. The contents of this box were not exactly the same as the first box, but they were also books.
However, this box did not contain classic books, but rather some storybooks and other light reading materials.
But the book titles on the page made Yu Nian's face grow increasingly ashen.
"Advice for Women Lacking Morality," "Virtue is the Ladder to a Woman's Growth," "Good Discipline Leads to a Husband's Early Return"...
The two boxes of books that Chunyu Han gave to Yu Nian were not only meant to teach Yu Nian manners, but also to subtly tell her that she was bound to lose the bet with him.
His action not only failed to dampen Yu Nian's spirits, but also successfully aroused Yu Nian's rare competitive spirit.
"Chunyu Han, you want me to lose, huh? I'll beat you this time! I'll make him copy down the virtues of men a hundred times and send them to me."
Yu Nian kicked the betrothal gift box angrily, then sat back down in her chair with some disappointment.
If we sell these two boxes of things as waste paper, can we get a tael of silver?
"Miss, please calm down. Although I don't know what you and the Regent made a bet on, I really have never heard of a book on male virtue."
Chuntao poured tea and water for Yu Nian, patted her back, and helped her catch her breath.
"No? Then I'll write one for him myself."
Yu Nian snorted indignantly. She seriously suspected that when Chunyu Han couldn't sleep, he was thinking about these dirty tricks to bully people.
"Who angered Xiao Wu so much?"
There was a soft knock on the door, and a gentle voice drifted in from outside.
Her gentle voice was like a spring breeze, soothing and dispelling Yu Nian's anger.
She could tell at a glance that it was her fourth brother. Ever since the incident involving the Imperial Concubine, her fourth brother had been very busy, but he actually had time to come see her today.
"Nobody's here. Chun Tao and I were just joking around. Come in, Fourth Brother."
As Yu Nian spoke, she and Chun Tao took out a cover sheet and covered the two loads of betrothal gifts. It wasn't that she was afraid Yu Jing would see them, but rather that Yu Nian couldn't bear the shame if others saw them.
Yu Jing gently pushed open the door; he had always been like this, treating everything around him with gentleness.
Yu Nian smiled and looked at Yu Jing. Apart from some bloodshot eyes, which made him look like he hadn't rested well, everything else about him was normal.
There seemed to be absolutely no indication from the system that it was about to turn evil.
"Xiao Wu, there's no one else here. Tell your fourth brother, do you really want to marry Chunyu Han?"
Yu Jingchang practiced medicine in the palace, and his only contact with Chunyu Han was when Yu Nian was poisoned.
Yu Nian smiled bitterly. She really wanted to say something false, but the atmosphere had already reached this point, and it wouldn't be right not to marry him.
"Come here, Xiao Wu. Let me take your pulse and see if the root of the problem has really been damaged."
Yu Jing knew the location of the stab wound, but he was in a hurry to detoxify Yu Nian at the time and didn't examine it closely. Later, some other things happened that left him exhausted, and when he received the news that Yu Nian was infertile, he was unsure of the situation.
"No need, Fourth Brother. I know my body. It's fine. It will also save me from the pain of childbirth. It's good."
Yu Nian dared not let Yu Jing know the truth. If it got out to Yu Huaifeng, things would turn upside down. Yu Nian had barely managed to stabilize the situation; she couldn't afford any more complications.
“My eldest brother is training in the army, my second brother is away on a merchant caravan and hasn’t returned, and my third brother is always cooped up in the workshop and doesn’t care about the world. My fourth brother is the only one who is often at home. If there’s anything you can’t tell Father, you can tell me. If you don’t want to get married this time, my fourth brother has ways to prevent him from marrying you.”
Yu Nianyue said it was nothing, but Yu Jingyue felt that Yu Nianyue was so sensible that it broke his heart.
"I'm willing, Fourth Brother. Lord Chunyu treats me very well."
Yu Nian looked at Yu Jing earnestly, thinking to herself, "Please, please don't lay a hand on Chunyu Han. If anything really happens to Chunyu Han, I'm the one who won't be able to live."
Hearing Yu Jing say this, Yu Nian finally understood the whereabouts of her brothers. No wonder the Prime Minister's mansion was so empty; it turned out that none of the little villains were there.
"Alright, whatever your decision is, I'll support you. If you encounter any problems, don't keep them to yourself, just tell me, and I'll do my best to help you solve them."
Yu Jing was a gentle and refined gentleman. When he spoke, his eyes and tone of voice had a comforting quality, like a gentle breeze.
Yu Nian felt very touched and warmed to have such an unconditionally supportive older brother by her side.
"Thank you, Fourth Brother, I definitely will. But just like before, if you encounter any problems, you can tell me. There's strength in numbers, don't try to shoulder everything alone."
Yu Nian took the opportunity to voice her doubts, wanting to test Yu Jing's attitude.
Yu Jing must have encountered something very serious right now, which is the key to his descent into darkness.
Yu Nian was a little uneasy; she wasn't sure if Yu Jing would tell her.
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