Lord Yu stamped his feet and roared angrily, "You're so muddle - headed! You knew full well that according to the Empress Dowager's imperial edict, the County Mistress of Rong'an and Zixi are about to get married, yet you've done such a thing! Where can I put my old face? How can I have the nerve to meet the Emperor and the Empress Dowager?"
Lord Yu was naturally dissatisfied with this marriage. Yu Zixi had been fostered in the Yu Mansion since childhood. It was more like being under surveillance than being fostered. From the day Lord Yu brought this child back, he had left him in the courtyard, letting him fend for himself. After Yu Zixi's birth - mother, Lady He, was imprisoned in the Cold Palace, he became an even more useless and discarded pawn, not even worth using as a bargaining chip.
If it weren't for Lord Yu's kind - hearted mother, who couldn't bear to see this child she had watched grow up suffer and had protected him in every way, Lord Yu would have killed him long ago. How could he have let him live until now?
So, Lord Yu naturally didn't want Yu Zixi to have any connection with the He family. But the Empress Dowager's imperial edict put him in a difficult position. That submissive boy was extremely reluctant to marry the County Mistress of Rong'an. He stayed in the brothels every night and refused to come back. Lord Yu was too lazy to care. It was only when the Princess Jiaxin came to the mansion that Lord Yu had no choice but to take people to tie that boy back.
However, just when he was still worried yesterday that the rascal had sneaked away again, this happened today. Yu Xingze, who had always been Lord Yu's pride, had somehow slept with the County Mistress of Rong'an. What a mess!
The Emperor already disliked the He family. If the Yu family were to form a marriage alliance with the He family, the Yu family might be on the Emperor's guard from then on!
The more Lord Yu thought about it, the colder his heart became. He wished he could go up and kick this useless son to death. Why did you have to mess with someone from the He family? What should we do now?
Yu Xingze had no idea about Lord Yu's complicated thoughts. It was the first time he saw his father looking so ugly and getting so angry. He quickly kowtowed like a pounding garlic and said, "Father, the big mistake has been made and can't be undone. Son is willing to marry the County Mistress of Rong'an to give the He family an explanation!" As he said, he secretly raised his eyes to look at Lord Yu's face. He saw that his father's face turned even darker after hearing this.
On the eaves, Wei Dongling heard He Yao's shrill cries. She shook her head and whispered to Cui Huan, "Your scumbag is so insidious. How could he do such a thing to ruin a woman's reputation? She's even the daughter of his master!"
Cui Huan glanced at Wei Dongling and snorted, "Do you have any shame? He was your man when you traveled all the way to Hanzhong to look for him. Now he's my scumbag? I don't admit it! If you keep talking like this, I'll tell Brother Long and let him scold you!"
Wei Dongling rubbed her forehead and said with a smile, "Auntie, I'm wrong! I won't say it anymore!"
Inside the room, He Yao had been sobbing silently. Her cries made Lord Yu at a loss. He frowned and thought for a long time with a dark face. Then he asked the butler to call the concubine he had arranged beside Yu Zixi. He asked the concubine to go into the room to comfort the County Mistress of Rong'an.
But He Yao simply refused to open the door. Lord Yu looked at Yu Xingze kneeling on the ground and felt a splitting headache.
At this time, Yu Zixi helped the old lady of the Yu family in tremblingly.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Yu Zixi put on an innocent look and asked, "Father, do you know everything?"
Lord Yu looked over with a dark face and roared, "Where did you go last night?"
Yu Zixi trembled and replied, "Reporting to Father, I... I stayed at Lord Wang's house last night."
Wang Linfeng quickly nodded and said, "Uncle Yu, Zixi did stay at my humble abode last night."
The veins on Lord Yu's forehead popped out. Yu Zixi clearly knew about Yu Xingze's affair with He Yao. That's why he asked Wang Linfeng to bring him here early in the morning to catch the culprit. He even invited the old lady of the Yu Mansion, Lord Yu's mother, over. He was forcing Yu Xingze to marry He Yao!
The old lady of the Yu family was old. She leaned on her walking stick and pointed at Lord Yu's nose angrily, "How did you teach your son? How could he do such immoral things?"
Lord Yu was already in a complete mess. When he saw his mother, he just bowed and said, "Mother, since things have come to this, there's no other way. Son has to go to the palace quickly. I'll take Xingze to the He family later to ask for forgiveness. If the He family agrees, we'll discuss the marriage again. Please, Mother, comfort the County Mistress of Rong'an here. After all, it's our Yu family's fault."
Yu Xingze quickly turned to his grandmother and kowtowed, "Grandson knows his mistake. Whether it's a beating or a punishment, grandson is willing to accept whatever grandmother decides!"
Grandma Yu sighed repeatedly and waved her hand to tell Lord Yu to go to court quickly and not to delay the important business. Looking at Yu Xingze kneeling on the ground, she felt sad and heart - blocked. Her eldest grandson Zixi already had a bad reputation. Now, her younger grandson had done such a thing. She, an old woman in her seventies or eighties, had to come out to clean up the mess for her grandson. Just thinking about it made Grandma Yu extremely aggrieved.
Yu Zixi looked as if he had lost his parents. He held his grandmother's hand and comforted her, "Grandma, don't be sad. What's done is done. Blaming Xingze won't help. We'd better give the County Mistress of Rong'an an explanation as soon as possible!"
Grandma Yu held Yu Zixi's hand back. She looked at him with a sad look in her eyes and sighed, "I feel sorry for you!" This child had always been locked up in the Yu Mansion and was not liked. After growing up, he had learned bad things from a bunch of hooligans. His reputation in the capital was extremely bad. No decent family's daughter was willing to marry him. Grandma Yu also knew that her son would never choose a suitable marriage for Zixi. Now, finally, there was a County Mistress of Rong'an willing to marry into the family. They were well - matched. The He family only had this one daughter, so they would surely treat Zixi well. But that troublesome younger grandson had done such a disgraceful thing!
Grandma Yu had no idea that this was exactly what Yu Zixi had done. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She glared fiercely at Yu Xingze kneeling on the ground and then raised her hand to knock on the door.
Yu Xingze felt extremely wronged. Grandma was really being extremely partial!
By now, He Yao's voice had become hoarse from crying. She still ignored the knocking on the door.
Yu Zixi glanced at the two faintly visible figures on the distant eaves. He walked to the door and coughed lightly, "Yaoyao, my grandma has come to see you. Please open the door!"
Hearing Yu Zixi's voice, He Yao inside the room said through her sobs, "Brother Zixi, I'm too ashamed to face you anymore. Wuwuwu..."
Grandma Yu quickly stepped forward and said, "Good child, don't cry. Grandma will make the decision for you! If you're not happy with him, grandma will have someone beat him to death right away!" With that, she called the butler and asked him to beat Yu Xingze with a wooden board immediately.
Yu Xingze looked shocked. Even his father had never let anyone beat him, but grandma actually had someone hold him down on the bench and start beating him with the board, crackling.
Yu Zixi stepped forward shamelessly to stop them. He put on a show of brotherly love and protected Yu Xingze, shouting, "Xingze has always been delicate - skinned. How can he withstand such torture? If you want to beat someone, beat me instead. Don't beat my younger brother!" He shouted louder than anyone else, but all the blows of the board landed on Yu Xingze's buttocks. Yu Xingze grimaced in pain and let out mournful cries.