Chapter 103: The Debate Among the Yus
This novel is translated and hosted only on Bcatranslation
Yu Jiao Jiao was upstairs on the second floor of the restaurant…
Behind walls, no less.
For Yu Zhi Yi to have harmed her from a distance, causing her to fall—how much skill would that have required?
It was pure slander.
Brazen slander, at that, conducted openly before so many onlookers, twisting facts with such audacity it was akin to calling a deer a horse.
Unless everyone present at the time had suddenly gone blind, it was entirely implausible for anyone to believe such a far-fetched accusation.
Yu Zhi Yi, however, provided a crucial piece of information. The Yu family had intentionally pretended not to see through Yu Jiao Jiao’s petty scheme, tacitly allowing her to frame and defame others. This explanation, in fact, made sense.
After all, what respectable family would favor an adopted daughter so blatantly while standing idly by as their true daughter was bullied?
Since such a scenario was beyond reason, the people spreading these rumors must have harbored truly malicious intentions.
Once this logic dawned on them, many began to express their apologies to the so-called “fake daughter.” In her younger years, Yu Zhi Yi had been merely a little girl of ten or so. Yet, without conducting any investigation, they had unleashed verbal abuse upon her, a powerless child, as though intent on nailing her to a figurative pillar of shame.
Still, there were those who firmly believed that her very existence as a “fake daughter” was an original sin. To them, she was not innocent in the least and deserved every bit of the maltreatment she had suffered.
Neither side could persuade the other, leading to an extensive debate that turned quite grandiose.
…
Unaware of these developments, Yu Zhi Yi had already returned to the Du Mansion. Li Rou, eager to serve, offered to help her change out of her garments, but Yu Zhi Yi declined.
Only the hem of her skirt had been stained with a bit of dirty water. By contrast, Li Rou’s entire shoulder was soiled, and the spot was unfortunately close to her mouth and nose. Anyone with a functioning nose would find the stench unbearable.
After Li Rou departed, Yu Zhi Yi changed into a simple dress herself and reclined in a lounge chair set under the courtyard’s parasol tree. Closing her eyes, she let herself relax.
This lounge chair was custom-made at her request. Beneath the dense canopy of the tree, the summer shade it provided was exceptionally cool and refreshing. Lying beneath it, the air carried the scent of fresh grass and leaves, making the atmosphere both tranquil and pleasant.
Though it wasn’t the height of summer yet, the afternoon still held some heat. For Yu Zhi Yi, whose cultivation protected her from extreme temperatures, the shade was more about personal enjoyment. Often, as she gazed at the shifting clouds by day or the glittering stars by night, she found her mind and spirit soothed. At times, this serenity even led to breakthroughs in her cultivation.
…
Suddenly, Zhang Xiang’s voice rang out. “Greetings, Young Master.”
Yu Zhi Yi opened her eyes to see Du Zi Heng walking into the courtyard. Spotting her lounging there, he paused, his gaze briefly flickering to the verdant tree and the inviting lounge chair beneath it. He seemed to ponder something.
“What brings you here?”
Detecting the lack of welcome in her tone, Du Zi Heng smiled wryly. Gesturing for Zhang Xiang to bring him a chair, he sat down beside Yu Zhi Yi, his eyes lighting up. “It’s really cool here.”
Yu Zhi Yi’s expression turned wary. “You have trees in your own courtyard. If you want shade, go back there.”
Du Zi Heng shook his head. “It’s different. Somehow, this place feels cooler.”
“One Spring-Warm-Summer-Cool Talisman costs five hundred taels.”
Du Zi Heng blinked in surprise. “A Spring-Warm-Summer-Cool Talisman? Such a thing exists?”
Yu Zhi Yi gave him a puzzled look. “You’ve seen life-saving talismans. Why wouldn’t you believe in one that regulates temperature?”
Intrigued, Du Zi Heng leaned forward. “Besides defensive talismans and these temperature-regulating ones, what other types of talismans are there?”
Yu Zhi Yi was in no mood to educate him. “What exactly did you come here for, Young Master?”
“…I heard about the incident on the street, so I stopped by the Yu Mansion on the way. I managed to retrieve fifty taels of silver for you.”
Yu Zhi Yi raised an eyebrow. “Fifty taels? For what?”
“Compensation for your skirt,” Du Zi Heng replied, a hint of regret in his tone. “I initially aimed for more, but Minister Yu has been dismissed from office. For them, money is now a priority, and expecting eight hundred or a thousand taels was out of the question. Even fifty felt like wringing water from a stone.”
He had intended to demand a thousand taels. The Yu family, however, refused to part with a single copper coin, arguing that the skirt could simply be washed and reused. Why should they pay?
Thus began his verbal duel with the Yus.
Despite facing the collective arguments of everyone except Yu Lao San, Du Zi Heng emerged victorious in debate. Yet convincing them to hand over a thousand taels was impossible. In the end, both parties compromised, settling on fifty taels.
Frankly, fifty taels was no small sum.
For a family like theirs, it could easily cover a month’s expenses as long as they refrained from daily indulgences in tea houses, restaurants, or brothels and avoided extravagant purchases at embroidery shops and treasure pavilions.
Yu Zhi Yi stared, stunned. This man had actually gone to the trouble of confronting the Yu family over a mere skirt?
She furrowed her brows. “You didn’t need to do that.”
Du Zi Heng pressed his lips together. Toying with the silver ingot in his hand, he said, “You saw my parents’ attitude. In their generation, they’d rather be widowed than divorced. If there had been any way to convince them otherwise, we wouldn’t have married in the first place.
“Now that things are as they are, and an immediate separation is unrealistic, you and I are family for the time being.
“When family is wronged, it’s only natural to seek justice for them.”
Yu Zhi Yi’s smile turned icy. “And what if the one wronging me is you?”
Du Zi Heng flushed. He knew she was referring to their wedding night. That night, he had abandoned her to visit You Bing Yue. At the time, he thought himself noble, defying the world for his beloved.
But lately, he’d come to realize how absurd his actions had been. They felt alien to the principles he had always upheld. Raised on a steady diet of propriety and ethics, he would have logically chosen to endure an unpleasant wedding night in a separate room rather than…
What he had done.
There was no undoing the past. All he could say now was, “I’m sorry.”
Yu Zhi Yi’s response was curt. “Your apology is accepted, but I’m not about to say it’s okay.”
Du Zi Heng’s lips twitched in a wry smile. “Fair enough.”
He sighed, shaking his head. “My mother adores you. From now on, I’ll treat you as family. Even if we can’t be husband and wife, we can at least be siblings. I’m a year older than you. If you don’t mind, you can consider me an older brother…”
“I have no brothers,” Yu Zhi Yi interrupted coldly.
Du Zi Heng’s face stiffened.
Realizing his misstep, he quickly apologized. “I’m sorry… In any case, we’re family now. Don’t hesitate to approach me if you need anything.”
What was this?
Husband turned brother?
Yu Zhi Yi found it laughable.
Her gaze shifted to the silver ingot beside her lounge chair.
She thought to herself, “If this man weren’t so blinded by romance, he’d actually be a decent person.”
Too bad she had no interest in such an absurd arrangement.
Straightening her clothes, she decided to seek out Madam Yao.