Chapter 68 Xiaoyong and Xiaomei
"Your Majesty, I will write down my calculations and Madam Zhang's reaction on paper. You can compare what I have written with what I have written to see if what I have said is correct."
The emperor had no objection.
Before long, a palace servant brought paper and pen.
Yu Zhiyi used her wide sleeves to block the view of those around her, while writing furiously with her other hand.
She quickly put down her pen, blew the ink off the paper, folded the paper, and then handed it to the old man.
Meng looked disdainful.
To play tricks or deceive.
Yu Jiaojiao also showed an expression of watching a good show.
That idiot, even if she really did get lucky and guessed something right, as long as the Meng family doesn't admit it, who can prove that what she said is true?
As for the reaction of the Meng family, that's utter nonsense.
If she is really that powerful, why couldn't she defeat me when I was in the Yu family?
The emperor's expression shifted slightly upon seeing the words on the paper. He put the paper away when the empress looked over and said calmly, "I have seen it. Let's begin."
Yu Zhiyi nodded, looked at Madam Meng, then looked past her face and at the Duke of Yong beside her: "Does the Duke know how your sister died back then?"
The Duke of Yongguo was originally watching the show with an air of nonchalance, but he never expected that the flames of war would spread to him.
Moreover, it was this very topic that he considered taboo, and his face immediately darkened: "If you want to cause trouble, don't bring up the deceased."
A flicker of panic crossed Madam Meng's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and rebuked, "Young Madam Du, please watch your words!"
Ignoring the couple's attitude, Yu Zhiyi posed the question and then looked at the emperor: "Your Majesty, I am going to tell you a story."
"All the characters in the story are replaced with aliases."
"More than twenty years ago, there was a young nobleman named Xiaoyong. Although he had many brothers and sisters, he was the eldest son. So after his father passed away, he would inherit the family business, while his other brothers and sisters would only receive a portion of the money and property."
“Xiao Yong’s family is very wealthy and powerful. Every unmarried man and woman in the family is highly sought after by outsiders. Men want to marry Xiao Yong’s sisters to get close to Xiao Yong’s family, while women want to marry Xiao Yong himself and his brothers to become pampered ladies.”
"Xiaoyong has a full sister who is beautiful, kind, gentle and honest. Xiaoyong respects and loves his sister very much."
"The above is the background to the story I'm about to tell."
"After Xiaoyong came of age, there were countless women who wanted to marry him, but Xiaoyong's family was of high social standing, and Xiaoyong had high standards. Moreover, he had no interest in love, and after a while, he didn't take a fancy to any rich young ladies."
"In the city where Xiaoyong lives, there is a small family whose family background is incomparable to Xiaoyong's. It is a pipe dream for their daughter to marry into Xiaoyong's family."
"But this family has a daughter who is very purposeful and proactive. We'll call her Xiaomei."
"At first, Xiaomei didn't dare to hope that she could marry a man as outstanding as Xiaoyong, and she didn't even dare to dream about it. But God gave her the opportunity."
"One day, she accidentally picked up a scroll that had fallen from a servant walking ahead of her on the street. She wanted to return it to him, but he was walking too fast for her to keep up. So she went to the shop where the servant's master had just come out, wanting to ask him his name and return the painting."
"That's right, the young master whose painting was lost by the careless servant is Xiao Yong."
Meng slammed her hand on the table: "Nonsense! I never picked up any paintings, nor did I inquire about them!"
Although Yu Zhiyi used "Xiao Yong" and "Xiao Mei" throughout the text, anyone who isn't stupid can tell that the main characters are her and Duke Yong.
The Duke of Yong's expression was inscrutable; he neither said he believed nor disbelieved.
The emperor and those in the hall, however, were intrigued: "And then?"
Even Du Ziheng, who was still reeling from the shock and heartbreak of the fact that You Bingyue and Xiaoyao Wang had a relationship that went beyond friendship, was drawn in and eagerly awaited the next part of the story.
Yu Zhiyi smiled at Madam Meng: "Does Madam Zhang think that you have destroyed all the evidence of your deliberate attempts to get close to your sister-in-law, and that the shopkeeper from back then has passed away, so there is no way to verify the evidence?"
"I've said it before, I didn't! Don't make false accusations! My sister and I met by chance. We're not just sisters-in-law, but also best friends. Don't tarnish our relationship!"
That bitch was right. She only dared to deny it because she knew there was no way to prove it was true.
We cannot admit it either.
Yu Zhiyi smiled and took a breath: "Madam Zhang, even the most meticulous plans can have oversights. Although you tore up the secret letter that recorded the itinerary and habits of the Duke of Yong's sister, and eliminated those people from back then after you successfully took power, there is one piece of irrefutable evidence that has survived to this day because of your negligence."
She looked at the emperor and said, “Your Majesty, the Duchess of Yongguo has a private estate in the suburbs of the capital. In the storeroom of the estate, there is a row of cabinets. In the gap between the leftmost cabinet and the wall, there is a painting. This painting is the one she found back then.”
"It's a portrait, and the person in the painting is none other than the Duke's sister."
Duke Yong stood up jokingly: "Is what you said true?"
Of course he remembered that painting.
That was a painting he made himself for his sister! It was a seventeenth birthday gift he wanted to give her.
That year, his sister had just gotten engaged, and he felt very reluctant to part with her in the future.
That painting was created with all his emotions, which is why it remains so vivid in my memory!
The painting was never given away, and I still regret it to this day.
Meng was already a little flustered and wanted to say something, but Yu Zhiyi had already spoken: "Your Majesty, I have written down the location of that manor on a piece of paper. You can send people to search for it. They will definitely be able to find the painting."
"No..." Meng tried to stop him, but the Duke of Yong suddenly cast a cold glance at her.
Meng felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, and all the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat.
Duke Yong looked at Yu Zhiyi: "If what you said is true, then why didn't she return the painting?"
"Isn't it easier to approach me directly using that painting than to approach my sister?"
“No,” Yu Zhiyi said.
"When the Duke was young, he was only focused on the ideal of protecting his country and had no interest in love, so he drove away all the matchmakers who came to his door. At that time, this was considered a great tale in the capital."
"After learning your identity from the framing shop, Madam Zhang inquired about the identity of the woman in the painting from the shopkeeper. She learned that the woman in the painting was your sister and that the siblings had a very close relationship. She quickly concluded that it would be better to get close to your sister than to get close to you."
"And as it turns out, she succeeded."
"She deliberately arranged a 'beauty saves the beauty' scenario, gaining your sister's trust by claiming to be her savior. After that, she could legitimately come to the Duke of Yong's mansion and learn a lot about your preferences from your sister. For example, knowing that you were eager to go to the battlefield to fight, she forced herself to study military books."
Weren't you pleasantly surprised when you learned that she actually knew military strategy?
Duke Yong: "..."
It was quite a pleasant surprise.
He doesn't have high requirements for his future partner; he just wants someone he can share common interests with.
And the Meng family did just that.
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