Chapter 12 - Funeral Procession

Loyalty was secondary. As long as there were benefits, who would go against money?

Yu Youyao’s actions seemed bold, but she was firmly in control of the hearts of the people. As long as the hearts of the people were in control and the interests were pursued, it was the greater picture. However, her mother did not understand.

Yu Jianjia pursed her lips and comforted her again. In the end, she gave Nanny Li a look.

Nanny Li understood and quickly leaned forward. “Madam, you have to think carefully. No matter how capable Eldest Miss is as a household manager, she will still get married in the future. Why are you angry with her?”

Hearing this, Yang Shuwan finally calmed down.

Two days later, Manager Sun from the Jinxiu Manor sent more clothes over. Yu Youyao checked them one by one. After confirming that there were no mistakes, she gave Manager Sun a reward and sent her out of the residence.

Then, she ordered someone to send the finished clothes to everyone.

Yu Jianjia also saw the “lanshan” that had caused trouble.

After the Jinxiu Manor had changed it, a pair of matching lapels had been added to the round collar. They were placed horizontally above the ankle bones, and there was a lotus leaf at the bottom. It looked both outstanding and eye-catching, but it did not make people associate it with a lanshan.

Yu Jianjia took a casual look and instructed Hui Xiang, “Put the clothes at the bottom of the box.”

She had no intention of wearing it again.

Hui Xiang didn’t dare say more.

Ever since she was taught a lesson by Eldest Miss last time, Third Miss told her to return to the courtyard to manage the clothes and accessories in her room. Her personal maidservant had also been changed to Ai Ye.

Recalling that she had yet to wear the plain brocade dress that Yu Youyao had given her, Yu Jianjia added, “I’ll wear the clothes that Big Sister gave me today.”

The incident with the lanshan had given her a reputation for not knowing the severity of ceremonial matters to her father. Although her grandmother had not said anything, the next day, Ms. Ye had told her about the Eight rows, which was like a fishbone stuck in her throat.

She did not want to wear thus plain dress.

However, it wouldn’t make sense if she didn’t wear it to show her sisterly affection.

Yu Wanwan looked out of the window. The maidservants who used to be lazy were now sweeping the floor. With Yu Youyao’s new rules, even the servants were doing their best.

Yu Jianjia’s face turned pale again.

Initially, she had thought that even with her grandmother’s support and Nanny Xu’s guidance, it would be difficult for Yu Youyao, who was only a child, to convince the masses. There would definitely be trouble in the residence.

Unexpectedly, in just a few days, Yu Youyao had managed the house in an orderly manner without any mistakes.

Her father had also been living a peaceful life these past few days. Compared to her mother, he looked at Yu Youyao in a new light and often praised her for having the demeanor of her grandmother.

The sky in the Yu Residence had completely changed!

Yu Jianjia’s throat itched, and she couldn’t help but cover it with her handkerchief and cough violently.

When Hui Xiang heard the cough, she quickly poured some hot tea. “Young Miss, why are you suddenly coughing so badly? Ever since you took Imperial Physician Hu’s medicine, you haven’t coughed so badly in a long time. I’ll go brew some medicine for you.”

As Yu You coughed, she also panicked.

Many things had happened at home, so she couldn’t recuperate in peace. It was probably because of this that her health was affected, and all of this was caused by Yu Youyao.

After working hard for a few days, Yu Youyao’s household management plan was on the right track. With Nanny Liu’s help, she finally had time to embroider the fan.

After Nanny Xu took a look, she smiled and praised, “Skill isn’t the most important thing when it comes to elegant things like bamboo orchids. The most important thing is the charm. I’ve already seen it for myself when I first learned the double-sided embroidery, but it’s still better than many people who have only learned it for three to five years.”

Yu Youyao had wisdom and intelligence, and her lazy and delicate personality could not be changed. However, she was pure and young, and she always did her best.

“It’s because Cousin’s drawing is good. I can’t embroider too badly.” Yu Youyao was very happy.

She had spent a lot of time and effort on this fan, but her embroidery had improved a lot compared to the sachet she had given her cousin previously.

At the very least, the stitches were smoother, and it didn’t look too shabby.

As the two of them were talking, Xia Tao ran over smartly. “Young Miss, Young Master is here. He’s in the courtyard.”

Yu Youyao was delighted to hear this. She picked up her skirt and ran out. “I’ll go find Cousin.”

Looking at her cheerful back view, Nanny Xu shook her head. No matter how good she was at etiquette, she had completely forgotten about it when she was happy.

When Yu Youyao ran into the courtyard, she saw her cousin sitting near the tree and looking up. “Cousin, the sun is bright outside. Why aren’t you coming in?”

Zhou Ling tilted his head. “The sun is shining brightly today. It’s suitable for cutting it down.”

Yu Youyao’s eyes lit up. “There’s a suitable time to cut down trees?”

Zhou Linghuai nodded. “It needs to be sunny. The wood on the Paulownia Tree that faces the sun is called Sun Paulownia. It’s an extremely rare piece of zither material, especially the Sun Paulownia that’s seven to eight hundred years old. It contains the essence of heaven and earth and can absorb the light of the sun and moon. It’s even rarer.”

Qing Wu could grow for a thousand years, but it was afraid of quails. Very few could live for so long.

Therefore, it was easy to obtain Paulownia wood, but difficult to find zither materials.

Yu Youyao looked up. The old tree was straight and shiny. “Which Paulownia tree branch do you plan to cut?”

The leaves of the Paulownia tree began to bud clearly, and in March, they began to grow. In April, the flowers bloomed, and in June, they bore fruit…

Next month, they would be able to see trees full of green leaves that looked like umbrellas covering the sky. They were majestic and grand. During summer and autumn, branches were intertwined to block the heat.

Zhou Linghuai chuckled. “Of course it’s the supreme sun wood at the top of the tree.”

At this moment, the tree leaves had all fallen. When new leaves grew, the ancient trees would be huge and reached into the sky, taking in the light of the sun. There was no better Paulownia tree.

Since he wanted to give her a zither, he naturally wanted to give her the best.

Even if the Yu Residence did not have this special wood, he would still have to think of a way to get it from elsewhere.

He turned to look at Chang An. “Go get it!”

Yu Youyao’s eyes widened as she looked at the top of the tree, feeling a little troubled. “It’s so high. How are we going to get it? There aren’t any wooden ladders in the residence that are so tall…”

Before she could finish speaking, Chang An suddenly jumped onto the tree and climbed up like an agile monkey. In a short while, he had already reached the top of the tree.

Yu Youyao was shocked and turned around. “Cousin, Chang An climbed so high. Is he really fine?” If he fell…

Zhou Linghuai shook his head. “Chang An practiced martial arts at the age of five. He’s agile and will be fine.”