At this point, Yuxiu choked up, gripping Heyue's hand even tighter: "Since I was little, my cousin has always been very kind to me. She was such a gentle person, never doing anything evil to anyone. I just can't believe she's gone like this. Mother said... that my cousin was murdered. Who could be so vicious as to not tolerate my cousin and want to kill her like this?"
Heyue held her hand, trying to comfort her, but couldn't say anything.
My condolences? I couldn't bring myself to say it. How could such sorrow be so easily soothed with just a simple "please accept my condolences"?
From Yuxiu's words, Heyue roughly learned what kind of person her cousin was.
In such an era, weakness only leads to being bullied. Apart from family, no one will sympathize with you. She thought that Yuxiu's cousin was too weak, which is why she had been suppressed and suffocated for so many years. Her current fate was also due to her personality.
Women in ancient times were always passive. Even in modern societies with gender equality, there are still many women like this, let alone here.
In ancient times, once a woman got married, her fate depended entirely on herself; no one could be relied upon forever.
Men? They're nothing but opportunists. They side with whichever woman they like, and other women don't receive a shred of pity from them.
Even though the kind and gentle father was a good husband and a good father, it was only towards his mother and his children. As for those he didn't love, such as Aunt Sun and Aunt Bei, he only gave them a good life. The love and care they wanted were never given to them by the father.
Could Heyue say that her father was a bad man? Of course not, this is the best father in Heyue's heart.
The real difference between Ama and those scumbags is that even if Ama didn't like Aunt Sun and Aunt Bei, he would still provide them with a good material life, and wouldn't deprive them of food and clothing, nor would he show favoritism towards his own children.
If my mother didn't have such a strong personality, but was a gentle and weak woman like Yuxiu's cousin, even with my father's love and Yuexiang, my mother would still find it difficult to live a comfortable life.
Because Mother never relied entirely on Father, she controlled the entire inner courtyard with her own abilities and treated Father's children equally. Even when she occasionally suppressed the concubines, it was always within acceptable limits. In private, Mother never really made things difficult for Concubine Sun and Concubine Bei.
Therefore, the fact that my mother has lived to this day and has become a good woman respected by her children and loved by her father is entirely due to her own efforts.
A mother will love her father wholeheartedly, but she will never place all her hopes on him. A woman must know how to protect herself in order to survive in harsh environments and not be harmed by the outside world.
In that case, Heyue wouldn't say it to Yuxiu at this moment. For families of their status, these kinds of things are commonplace, and Heyue believed that Yuxiu would understand.
Even if you understand something in your heart, there are some things you just can't accept emotionally when it comes to someone you care about.
"No matter who it is, I believe your cousin won't have died in vain. Someone will stand up for her." He Yue couldn't bring herself to say that the person was already gone and there was no way to bring her back.
She believes in the principle of "treating others with respect, and showing them even greater respect." If there were something going on behind the scenes with a family like Ma Qi, they wouldn't just let it go like that.
Yuxiu was still in low spirits, but she nodded. Suddenly, she looked up and stared intently at Heyue: "Heyue, do you think we'll encounter this situation after we get married in the future?"
He Yue met Yu Xiu's anxious eyes and suddenly understood.
Yuxiu was not only saddened by her cousin's departure, but also felt a sense of shared sorrow for her cousin's passing.
If it were Zhaojia and Yue in the past, they would definitely have worried like Yuxiu, but Yue is different; she never worries about these things.
With a status like Yu Xiu's, she is destined to enter the palace or marry into the royal family in the future. Even if Ma Qi holds a high position and great power, he cannot control the royal family.
Therefore, Yuxiu's future is indeed worrying. In such an era, even as the primary consort, it is impossible to guarantee a good life.
“These things are still far from us. Your mother loves you so much, she will definitely choose a suitable family for you and will never let you suffer any injustice. So why are you worried? Just like my sixth sister and me, in the future, our father and mother will definitely choose a suitable marriage for us.” Heyue teased Yuxiu with a smile.
"You little devil, how dare you say such nonsense? Aren't you ashamed!" Yuxiu laughed through her tears, glared at her, and then sighed, "Besides, how can we decide the selection of concubines? Isn't it up to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager? I've heard a lot about the royal family's affairs. Which household is clean? Once you enter such a place, who can remain innocent? I'm really worried that if I enter that place of trouble in the future, I will become like my mother and father's concubines, fighting to the death every day, and gradually become unlike myself. I'm afraid I will become like them."
Yu Xiu's worries were understandable to Yue. If she herself did not want to fall into that kind of life, and if Yue were to be forced to live that kind of life at that time, she would have a way to protect herself. But Yu Xiu was different.
Even though Yuxiu had witnessed some filth in such an environment, she always maintained her inner kindness and refused to become one of those wicked people.
It's perfectly normal for her to have such concerns.
"You don't need to worry too much. Not every household is like that. Even princes are not all like your cousin's husband. Precisely because they have the status of princes, they cherish their reputation more and would never do something like favoring a concubine over one's wife. As long as your father finds you someone with decent character, fewer women in the household, and who can respect his wife, you'll have no trouble making a living."
Heyue spoke in a serious tone, completely forgetting that she was just a ten-year-old girl. When she finished speaking, Yuxiu poked her forehead hard, and she came back to her senses, looking at Yuxiu with a puzzled expression, her face flushed and she was both amused and exasperated.
"Where did you learn these words? 'Fewer women,' 'favoring concubines over wives,' you're getting increasingly audacious. Do you think you can just make up stories about princes?"
Heyue chuckled, finally realizing she had gone too far. She stuck out her tongue and smiled awkwardly, "I heard it from Mother and Granny Wang. You know, my sixth sister will be participating in the imperial concubine selection in two years. Mother is worried about her. I saw you looking so worried, so I told you. You mustn't tell anyone else."
She breathed a long sigh of relief, thinking how close she had come to disaster. Luckily, she had reacted quickly. These were not words that someone her age should be saying. Even Yuxiu seemed to be hearing these words for the first time. Her face turned bright red, but she tried to remain calm, feeling both ashamed and embarrassed.
"Alright, alright, don't say these things again. This is in front of me. If outsiders hear this, you'll be in big trouble!" Yu Xiu scolded, her face flushed, but her mood had improved considerably.
He Yue nodded like a chick pecking at rice. She didn't know who Yu Xiu would marry in the future, but Ma Qi only had this one legitimate daughter, so he probably wouldn't wrong Yu Xiu and would definitely make good plans.
With Ma Qi's status, even if he couldn't escape the fate of Yu Xiu marrying into the royal family, finding a decent prince would still be more than enough.
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