An old woman, supported by two young women, stood in the middle of the road, forcing the coachman to stop the carriage.
When Yu Yuanzheng saw the carriage suddenly stop and lifted the curtain, she saw the old lady of the former Yong'an Earl's Mansion walking towards the carriage with the help of her two granddaughters-in-law, leaning on a cane.
Shangguan Ziqi and Yu Yunzhi also had to stop their horses and watch them approach.
"My dear, I finally waited for you to come back.
Do you know that our Yong'an Earl's Mansion no longer exists?
The title that our Yu family had inherited for more than ten years was taken back by the Emperor.
Now our family has no place to live.
Now that you are finally back, we have a place to stay." Old Madam Yu said sadly.
She was wiping away tears as she spoke.
Yu Yuanzheng rolled her eyes. How thick-skinned must one be to stop people on the street? She wanted to expose the Yu family's trivial matters to everyone in public and let public opinion put pressure on her father.
Do you want to use filial piety to pressure others just because you are the biological mother?
Yu Yuanzheng sneered in her heart but did not show it on her face. She just watched Madam Yu's performance calmly.
Then he whispered to the driver, "Don't worry about it, just keep going."
The driver was a little hesitant. After all, the one standing in front of the carriage was the old lady of the Yu family. If he forced her to drive, he might cause criticism.
This driver was brought to the post by Yu Yunzhi. As an elder in the Yu family, he must be very clear about the family's affairs.
Yu Yuanzheng saw his concerns and said firmly, "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."
The driver then nodded, raised his whip, and prepared to drive forward.
When Mrs. Yu saw that the coachman was about to whip the horses to drive them away, she immediately became anxious.
Leaning on a cane, he quickly stepped forward and blocked Yu Yunzhi's horse, saying in a sharp voice: "Old man, are you so cruel that you don't even recognize your stepmother?
If our Yu family falls into trouble, as a descendant of the Yu family, are you going to watch us wander the streets?"
Her voice was so loud that people around her stopped and watched.
Yu Yunzhi frowned and his face suddenly darkened.
He dismounted and walked to Old Madam Yu, his tone calm but with a hint of coldness: "Old Madam, what do you mean?"
He didn't even want to call her mother, but when he was in Yu Mansion, he had to call her mother.
Now that he was confident, he only needed to say a word to the old lady and no one would say anything.
When Mrs. Yu saw Yu Yun dismount, she was delighted.
Thinking that her plan had worked, she wiped her tears and said, "My dear, I apologize to you in front of everyone in this city. I was wrong before, and I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have blocked your future.
If the Yong'an Earl's Mansion lost its title and its property was confiscated, it would not even have a place to stay.
You are the granddaughter of the Emperor, the father-in-law of the Crown Prince of Rong Palace, and a seventh-rank county magistrate. You will be favored by the Emperor when you return to the capital this time. We can't let your stepmother and nephews live on the streets, can we?
And your eldest brother has been in a daze, depressed and decadent all day long, and is no longer a human being.
Please help your elder brother and nephews for the sake of your parents. I don't mind if I have to sleep on the street, but I can't watch your elder brother and two grandchildren suffer. As a member of the Yu family, you can't just stand by and watch."
The old lady is really a good singer and composer.
This caused a lot of discussion among passers-by.
Passerby A: "The emperor governs the country with filial piety, and this illegitimate son must also respect his mother. Since he has the ability, he should really help her. He can't just care about his own happiness and ignore his relatives."
Passerby B: "That being said, do you know whose house this is?"
Passerby A: "Tell me, which shop is this?"
Passerby B: "This is the biological father of the Zhenguo who just returned to Beijing. He used to be the master of Yong'an Earl's Mansion, but he was just a concubine's son. My family lives next door to where they used to live, so I know him well.
Originally, Master Yu was a good student, but the old lady of the Bo's Mansion did not allow him to study and only gave him the chores of the mansion to do, and he did this for ten years.
It was later revealed that the eldest daughter of the Yu family was plotted to be married off to the eldest son of Prince Rong's mansion. After returning home, she used this as a threat to split up the family.
It is said that the two families have no contact with each other.
Not long ago, the Third Prince was implicated in an affair that involved the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion, and his title was taken away, and his property was confiscated.
However, the emperor did not sentence them to death for the sake of the country's defense, but only reduced them to ordinary people. Now they don't know the evil and actually come to harass Master Yu."
Passerby A: "I see. But which legitimate mother doesn't suppress her illegitimate son in this way? This is not surprising."
Passerby B: "You are right, but this old lady Yu threatened to kill herself to the old uncle. This is a bit too much. Moreover, the state guardian has made such a great contribution to our Great Wei. The emperor thinks of him so highly, why should he suffer such humiliation?"
Yu Yunzhi listened to the discussions of passers-by and looked coldly at his stepmother in front of him.
It was this old woman who caused him to have only a chance to pursue his own career when he was in his thirties.
If his daughter had not suddenly become strong, he might still be enslaved by them.
"Old Madam, you may have forgotten that our first branch has long since separated from the Bo's Mansion and established its own family. The rise and fall of the Bo's Mansion has nothing to do with us."
When Mrs. Yu heard this, her face suddenly changed and her voice became sharp: "Old man, what are you talking about? So what if we split up the family? You have the blood of the Yu family. If we are in trouble, as your eldest brother's younger brother, are you going to watch him die?"
Yu Yunzhi remained unmoved, and her tone remained calm: "Old Madam, when the family was divided, you and my eldest brother did not consider our first branch as your own family. When the first uncle's mansion fell into trouble, you thought of us. Unfortunately, our first branch has already drawn a clear line with the uncle's mansion, you should find another way."
Old Madam Yu was so angry that she was shaking all over. She pointed at Yu Yunzhi's nose and cursed, "How dare you, an unfilial son, treat your stepmother like this. Aren't you afraid of being cursed by the world?"
Yu Yuanzheng heard it clearly in the carriage and sneered in his heart.
I think my parents are not good at quarreling. Let her do it, she is not afraid of being criticized.
How can such a small contradiction destroy her status in the hearts of the people?
She opened the carriage curtain, slowly stepped down from the carriage, stood beside her mother, and looked at Old Madam Yu with cold eyes.
“Old Madam, you keep saying that your parents are unfilial, but our family has already split up. When we split up, we said that each of us should live our own lives. During the New Year and other festivals, my father only needs to go to the uncle’s house to kowtow to his grandfather and ancestors and burn incense.
Although my father was not in Beijing during these three years, my younger brother never fell behind and fulfilled his filial duty on behalf of his father.
It has always been said that a mother is kind and a son is filial. You were not kind to my father at the beginning, so why do you want my father to be filial?"
Old Madam Yu was choked by Yu Yuanzheng's words and didn't know how to refute for a moment.
Seeing this, her eldest granddaughter-in-law behind her hurried forward to smooth things over: "Uncle, sister, the old lady is old and was anxious at the moment, so she spoke a little too radically.
Don't take it personally. We are truly desperate, so please help us, uncle, as we are all members of the Yu family."
Yu Yuanzheng sneered, "Oh, are you missing an arm or a leg?
There are tens of thousands of people with the surname Zhou in the world, which one of them doesn’t live a good life?
Can we only live a life of wealth and luxury?
You all have hands and feet, can't you find a job? Even if you go to the docks to carry bags, you can still support your family."
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