Chapter 117 Seven Concubines
After Yu Jing left, Yu Huaifeng let out a heavy sigh, as if all his strength had been drained away, and slumped into the armchair.
Yu Nian noticed that there seemed to be a few more silver strands at his temples. Upon closer reflection, she realized that Yu Huaifeng was well past the age of fifty.
"Dad, calm down and have a cup of tea."
Yu Nian poured tea for Yu Huaifeng and patted his shoulder to help him catch his breath.
“My Niannian is the best, unlike your brothers, each one of them is more trouble than the last.”
Yu Huaifeng took the teacup, his brows and eyes relaxing slightly.
These words made Yu Nian feel somewhat guilty. If she were to reveal the purpose of her return, she wondered if Yu Huaifeng would still say the same thing.
"Fourth Brother isn't unreasonable, so don't take his words too seriously."
Yu Nian wanted to take the opportunity to say a few more words to persuade Yu Huaifeng not to take this marriage too seriously, but he forcibly changed the subject.
"How has Chunyu Han treated you? Has he really not bullied you?"
Yu Huaifeng was known as a master of political maneuvering, and he couldn't possibly be unaware of Yu Nian's little schemes. He clearly didn't want to say anything more about Yu Jing's matter.
He disagreed with Yu Jing marrying Lu Mingzhu, and his stance was as firm as a rock.
"He didn't..." That's absurd!
Yu Nian really wanted to tell the truth: Chunyu Han felt uncomfortable if he didn't bully her for a moment.
And now he's not only bullying her, he's going to bully you too!
"However, my daughter heard about something concerning disaster relief in Jiangbei."
Yu Nian wanted to sound out her father first. It was possible that her father had embezzled the disaster relief funds, but Yu Nian needed to confirm whether this was true or not.
How did you hear that?
Aside from raising an eyebrow slightly, Yu Huaifeng didn't show any other reaction.
Yu Nian lowered her eyes, took a deep breath, and knew that it was time to test her acting skills again.
Yu Nian lowered her voice nervously and leaned closer to Yu Huaifeng.
"My daughter overheard it outside Chunyu Han's study. There was a secret memorial submitted, accusing you of embezzling disaster relief funds. Originally, we wanted the Eastern Depot to handle this matter. However, the Emperor issued an edict ordering the Eastern Depot to recuse itself, and in the last two days, the case has been transferred to the Court of Judicial Review for investigation."
After observing Yu Huaifeng's micro-expressions up close, I noticed that when Yu Nian uttered the words "embezzlement," Yu Huaifeng's jawline visibly tightened.
Yu Nian had the answer in her heart, but she couldn't say it out loud.
“This matter is quite detailed and proper. I was worried that Father might be implicated, so I rushed back to tell you when no one was looking, so that you could be prepared.”
Throughout her speech, Yu Nian neither accused Yu Huaifeng of being corrupt nor denied his innocence, maintaining a neutral stance to avoid arousing suspicion from her father.
"Dad always says that daughters are the most thoughtful. Even after getting married, they still think of their father in every way. I've done my best to love you."
Yu Huaifeng looked at Yu Nian with great satisfaction and stroked his beard.
"But don't worry, even if they investigate me, they won't find anything, and the silver isn't in our Prime Minister's residence."
Yu Huaifeng looked confident and composed, proving he was a seasoned veteran at this kind of thing.
Yu Nian pondered that the disaster relief funds had been in place for several days, so it was normal for Yu Huaifeng to have transferred the money.
Yu Nian spoke cautiously, as if she were worried about Yu Huaifeng.
"Is it safe to leave such a large sum of money outside? Won't it be taken advantage of by someone with malicious intent?"
There are no secrets in the world that stay hidden forever. What Yu Huaifeng thought was watertight was already being watched by Chunyu Han long ago.
When Yu Huaifeng brought up this matter, he gave a mysterious smile.
“You are my own daughter, and this matter is related to you, so I won’t hide it from you anymore. Come closer.”
When Yu Huaifeng mentioned that this matter was related to Yu Nian, Yu Nian's heart tightened.
As she turned her head, she heard Yu Huaifeng whisper something in her ear.
"Those silver coins, Father got the approval numbers and put them away..."
...
Yu Nian's feelings were extremely complicated after learning where the silver had gone.
All she could think was that her father was a genius for thinking of putting money in that kind of place.
After exchanging a few casual pleasantries, Yu Nian hurried to Yu Jing's courtyard.
"Fourth Brother, what exactly happened today? Why did things escalate to this point with Father?"
Yu Jing looked preoccupied and somewhat haggard.
"You probably haven't heard that the Lu family is going to betroth Mingzhu to a tea merchant, have you?"
"Tea merchant..."
Yu Nian had never heard of this before. The Lu family was really quick to act. Mingzhu had only been home for two days, and they were already scheming to get rid of her.
"If that person were a good person, that would be fine, but that tea merchant already has seven concubines. How can Mingzhu be happy marrying someone like that?"
Even a noblewoman from a concubine's family wouldn't be so hasty in marrying off to a merchant. The Lu family is just trying to exchange the pearl for a dowry.
How could someone like Lu Baishi genuinely choose a good family for Lu Mingzhu?
Yu Nian understood after hearing this. Although the Lu family's actions were inhumane, they also gave Yu Jing a push, otherwise he might never have been willing to face his own conscience.
The fact that Yu Jing and Yu Huaifeng, who are usually gentle, refined, and self-disciplined, could say those words shows how much Yu Jing cares about Lu Mingzhu.
"Fourth Brother, don't be anxious. Let me go to the Lu residence to sound things out. There will always be a good solution. You know what kind of person Father is. Don't force things."
After such a major incident, Lu Mingzhu's current situation is probably not very good.
"The Lu residence must be heavily guarded right now, how could you possibly see Mingzhu?"
Yu Jing even considered taking Lu Mingzhu away, but now he can't even see her.
"Don't worry, I have a good plan. Just be patient and I will come back to discuss the strategy with you by tomorrow morning at the latest."
Yu Nian comforted Yu Jing, telling him not to act rashly or get stuck in a rut.
Then he rushed to Minister Lu's residence without stopping.
Yu Jing was right. To ensure that Lu Mingzhu could get married smoothly, there were patrolling servants at the entrance of the Lu Minister's mansion.
It seems that we have no choice but to resort to some tricks.
Yu Nian put on a veil, turned to the alley entrance, and used some silver to hire more than a dozen beggars to dress in mourning clothes and pretend to be distant relatives of Lu Baishi, so that they could cause trouble at the gate of Minister Lu's mansion.
Since ancient times, weddings and funerals have always been the most eye-catching events. After a large number of people gathered at the gate to watch the excitement, and after Madam Lu Bai came out of the mansion, Yu Nian seized an opportunity to climb over the wall from the backyard and enter the Minister's mansion.
Yu Nian wasn't always this skilled at scaling walls; she only became proficient because she went to the Regent's Mansion to find Chunyu Han, which honed her skills.
Lu Mingzhu lived in a very remote and secluded place. Yu Nian had been there once and had some impression of it.
The door to the already dilapidated room was locked with a large padlock, and all the windows were blocked.
There were signs that something had been broken at the door, indicating that Mingzhu had been vehemently resisting after learning that she was to marry that kind of person.
With great effort, Yu Nian moved the wooden stick blocking the back window and opened it. A damp, musty smell wafted out.
In the dimly lit room, a white silk ribbon hung from the ceiling beam...
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