Chapter 007

Chapter 7: All the Favor and Honor Are Hers!

Madam Zheng’s smile stiffened for a heartbeat, then she said smoothly: “Something came up in the clan at the last moment. They went to handle it and will be back soon.”

Yu Zhi Yi looked as if she had just understood and asked: “Do you need Zi Heng’s help?”

Madam Zheng shook her head: “It is nothing serious.”

As she spoke, Minister Yu arrived with the five men of the Yu clan. Madam Zheng stepped forward and asked: “How did the clan matter go?”

Minister Yu took the hint and said: “It is already handled.”

He turned to Du Zi Heng and Yu Zhi Yi and added with a hearty smile: “Good son-in-law, Yi, I did not expect trouble to pop up like that. Please do not take it to heart.”

Du Zi Heng smiled without warmth and said: “No one wants trouble in the clan. How could I blame you, Father-in-law?”

Taken one way, it excused them. Turn it around and it said something else. Minister Yu had already dared to lie about his own clan in front of his ancestors; how could Du Zi Heng keep pressing? Minister Yu either did not hear the edge in it or pretended not to, and cheerfully led them into the house.

The men and women sat at separate banquets. On the men’s side, laughter flowed as a crowd toasted and flattered Du Zi Heng. On the women’s side, Yu Zhi Yi sat upright, the gorgeous red dress dazzling. Everyone forgot the wild story Yu Jiao Jiao had just told. If Young Master Du had bought such an expensive dress for Yu Zhi Yi, how could he not care for her?

Yu Jiao Jiao was almost blinded by Yu Zhi Yi’s glow. She dug her nails into her palm so hard she nearly broke the skin.

After the meal, Yu Jiao Jiao cornered Yu Zhi Yi at the far end of an empty corridor and snapped: “You imposter, what trick did you use to coax Du Zi Heng into coming back with you?”

Yu Zhi Yi looked puzzled as she said: “On the return day, the groom goes back with the bride to her parents’ home. Is that not only right?”

Yu Jiao Jiao felt pierced through the heart. [Only right, my foot.] In the last life, Du Zi Heng had not come back with her. Not only that, he had let that wretch You Bing Yue injure her and poison her with a drug that would kill without the antidote. For a long while she had not dared show her face, nor openly cause trouble for that woman again.

Yu Zhi Yi watched Yu Jiao Jiao’s shaken expression and laughed to herself. [I said it was only right. I did not say I used no methods. If she wants to read it wrong, that is on her.]

Yu Jiao Jiao finally calmed herself. Looking at Yu Zhi Yi’s bewitching face, jealousy and hatred flashed through her eyes. [Du Zi Heng must have been hooked by this fake’s looks. What “he only wants You Bing Yue”? He is just a two-timing scoundrel.]

Seeing Yu Zhi Yi smiling with gentle happiness, she gave a cold laugh and said: “Do you think him escorting you back means he really loves you? Don’t be dumb. He has already hidden a woman away. She is the one he truly keeps in his heart. And you are nothing but the decoration he married under Madam Du’s pressure.”

She leaned in and hissed: “It won’t take long before that woman climbs all over you. Then you will see how pathetic you are.”

Yu Zhi Yi’s smile grew brighter. Yu Jiao Jiao stared and asked: “Are you stupid? After all that, you can still smile?”

“I am touched,” Yu Zhi Yi answered with a soft laugh, “that before you have even cleaned up the flock of women around your husband, you worry about me. With such sisterly feeling, how could I not smile?”

Yu Jiao Jiao’s face froze. [Do not think I cannot hear you mocking me.]

Thinking of the messy pile of women in her own backyard, her temper rose again. Then she remembered the future she believed in and felt soothed. She looked at Yu Zhi Yi with pity and said: “My husband has great talent. Since our marriage, he has started to settle down. Soon he will deal with those women. His person, his heart, everything about him will be mine alone. If you run into trouble later, come ask me. For the sake of the past, I might give you a hand.”

Yu Zhi Yi touched a handkerchief to the tip of her nose and laughed lightly, saying: “Then I will bless you in advance. I hope you can make Brother-in-law settle down soon and live the life you want.”

She turned and left. Watching that vivid red back fade, Yu Jiao Jiao felt a breath stuck in her chest that could neither rise nor fall. She had wanted to tear off that woman’s mask of happiness and watch her sob, but the fake’s skin was too thick to pierce. Then she thought it through and decided this was fine. [Let the imposter think she is happy. The more pleased she is now, the more it will hurt when she learns the truth. Someone of such low birth should rot in the mud after her heart is broken.]

[As for me, heaven’s favored who was given a second chance, I will soar and live a happy, steady life.]

Yu Zhi Yi did not have to look back to know what Yu Jiao Jiao was thinking. [Those who try to steal another’s happy life think they are clever and hidden, smug in the dark. They do not know that fate has already marked each person’s worth. What is not yours will slip away like sand no matter how hard you grasp. Even if you hold it for a moment, you will lose it twice over in the end. I do not need to add any extra moves. Yu Jiao Jiao will pay for her own foolishness.]

In the north, on a return banquet, the newlyweds had to leave the bride’s home before noon. Yu Zhi Yi and Du Zi Heng stood by the carriage as Yu Manor’s servants loaded gifts one by one.

Madam Zheng held Yu Zhi Yi’s hand and urged: “Yi, take all these back. Do not be polite with your mother.”

She smiled warmly and added: “Live well with your husband. Come visit often when you can. The gates of Yu Manor will always be open to you.”

Yu Zhi Yi drew her hand back and said: “Mother, you make it sound as if once I am married, I am no longer of Yu Manor. Did you say the same to Sister when she wed?”

Madam Zheng’s smile froze.

Yu Zhi Yi did not pretend to refuse the cart full of gifts. The carriage rolled away and soon vanished from the Yu clan’s sight.

At last, the fifth son of the Yu clan could not hold back. He spat and said: “Did you see her? She only married the young master of Chancellor’s Manor, not the chancellor himself, yet she does not know her place.”

Second Brother Yu Ming Yu’s eyes went dark as he said: “That is how petty people act when they get a little power. She will need us someday. Then we will see if she can still swagger.”

The Yu clan all agreed. Marriage was not just about two people; most of the time it involved both families’ backgrounds. Yu Zhi Yi was only Yu Manor’s fake young miss. Chancellor’s Manor would not respect her like a true-born daughter. Once she realized that, she would crawl back to beg forgiveness.

In the carriage, Du Zi Heng had calmed down, but he still could not understand. He asked: “What kind of life did you live in that house, that even your return day meant nothing to them?”

He had not been fooled. Today’s “banquet” was no true banquet at all, only a spread patched together at the last minute.

Yu Zhi Yi smiled and said: “It has little to do with my place in Yu Manor. Even if they do not give me face, they must give you face. A self-important little mouse told Minister Yu and Madam Zheng what happened at Chancellor’s Manor, so they were sure I would not come back.”

Du Zi Heng fell silent. She was smiling, yet for some reason he felt guilty.