Chapter - 23

Aside from Tao Hong, Liu Lu, and a few other servants in the courtyard, Yu Pinyan replaced all of them. He handed the indenture contracts to Yu Xiang and told her to take good care of them.

Yu Xiang loved to stick to Yu Pinyan even more than before. She wanted to see him for three meals a day. If she didn't see him, she wouldn't be able to eat or sleep well. Her temper became more and more disagreeable. Yu Pinyan did his best to satisfy all of his younger sister's requests. If there was anything good, he would just send it to her room.

His wisdom had matured long ago, and he had experienced many hardships. His heart had long been refined into a thousand-year-old cold iron under countless schemes and power struggles. There were so many people in the fu. In the past, he only valued the old madam. Now, he had added Yu Xiang. Yu Siyu, the Lin Clan, and his younger sister who lived outside were all considered outsiders.

The outside world's evaluation of Yu Pinyan as ruthless and cold-blooded was based on facts.

But no matter how the outside world criticized him, Yu Xiang liked this kind of Yu Pinyan. She liked him very much. Whenever she had nothing to do, she would take out the horsewhip he gave her and gently wave it while smiling with squinted eyes.

Today, after noon, Yu Pinyan still hadn't returned. She was really anxious. She used the horsewhip to hit the table and shouted, "Tao Hong, go to the front courtyard and see if my older brother has returned."

"Yes, this servant will go right away."

Tao Hong agreed outside the courtyard. He had just walked a few steps when he saw Mama Ma running over with an anxious expression. She panted heavily and said, "Tao Hong, Liu Lu, quickly push your master to the main courtyard. The Old Lady has an urgent matter! Hurry, hurry, hurry! "

Mama Ma had always been steady. This was the first time Tao Hong had seen her so anxious. He agreed while running into the room and pushing out his impatient master.

"What's going on?" Yu Xiang felt more and more anxious.

"Miss, you have to persuade Master Hou!" Mama Ma felt that Liu Lu was too weak, so she pushed her away and pushed the wheelchair herself. She explained in a low voice, "I don't know what's wrong with Master Hou, but he said that he wants to join the army. Tonight, he will pack up his things and live in the Agile Cavalry Battalion. That was the Agile Cavalry Battalion, the Agile Cavalry Battalion that was always at the forefront of every battle! The old Master Hou was once the Great General of Light Cavalry. In the end, he died on the battlefield and ended up being a corpse wrapped in horse hide. It was said that at the beginning of spring next year, the Emperor would go on a punitive expedition against Prince Yu. Master Hou was preparing to go to the northwest! Miss, Master Hou listens to you the most. You must stop him! "

Yu Xiang's face darkened when he heard this. He didn't reply, nor did he nod. All he did was grip his horse whip tightly.

As soon as he entered, he saw the old lady clutching her chest with one hand and pointing at the expressionless Yu Pinyan with the other, her lips trembling. She was so angry that she couldn't speak. When she saw Yu Xiang, she immediately shouted, "Xiang'er, you came just in time. Quickly persuade your brother! Of all the things he could do, he chose to join the army. Does he think that fighting is fun?! "

Yu Pinyan finally couldn't hold it in any longer. He frowned and said, "Old Ancestor, why did you call Xiang'er over? She's still young. There's no need for her to know about these things! "

"Why can't I know!" Yu Xiang had Mama Ma push him to Yu Pinyan's side and tightly held his arm. "You're not allowed to go! If you go, what will Old Ancestor and I do? "Before her voice fell, tears poured out.

Yu Pinyan couldn't bear to see her cry. He pulled her out of the wheelchair and sat her on his lap. He carefully wiped her tears and waited for her to calm down a bit before saying softly, "If I entered the government as a Hanlin Academy attendant, three years to become a Minister of the Office of Transmission, five years to become a Cabinet Scholar Attendant, ten years to become a Deputy Minister of the Office of Transmission, and three years to become a Minister of the Office of Transmission. In total, I would need at least twenty-one years to climb to the third-rank position. Twenty-one years later, you would be thirty-one years old, and I wouldn't be able to protect you. I also wouldn't be able to restore the Marquis Household to the glory of grandfather. I'm unwilling! "

The old lady's hands stopped shaking. She closed her eyes and twirled her prayer beads. When she heard the last sentence, she paused for a moment.

"But you're already the Marquis of Yongle." Yu Xiang sniffled.

"Silly girl, a title is different from an official position. No matter how high a title is, without real power, you'll still be trampled on. " Yu Pinyan blew her nose and continued, "A goal that can't be achieved in twenty-one years, I only need to go to the battlefield a few times. Xiang 'er, I want you and Old Ancestor to live better than now. "A mere Commandery Princess of Qinghe could bully him. This was not the life he wanted.

With a flip of his hand, he could summon clouds and rain with a flip of his hand, making it so that no one could casually trample on him or his family. The humiliation he endured when he was young, and every step he took was filled with trepidation. It was all for the sake of standing at a higher peak and looking at the scenery further away. Twenty-one years, how many twenty-one years could there be in a person's life? He couldn't wait, Old Ancestor couldn't wait, and Xiang 'er couldn't wait either.

Thinking of this, his gentle eyes slowly became firm.

The old lady opened her eyes and glanced at him, then closed them again. The prayer beads in her hands twirled quickly. A good man had ambitions. She always knew that her grandson was a man among men. He was even more outstanding than his brave and skilled grandfather. If he made up his mind, no one could stop him.

Yu Xiang knew Yu Pinyan as well as the old lady. She saw the ambition in the young man's dark eyes and only felt a sense of defeat. This person was an eagle that wanted to spread its wings and soar, not a parrot tied to a golden frame for amusement. If she continued to dissuade him, she would only disappoint and disgust him.

She closed her eyes and knew that this matter was a foregone conclusion. She said word by word, "Brother, if you have an accident on the battlefield, have you thought about what will happen to Old Ancestor and me? Although those uncles have been frightened by you, they still have hatred in their hearts. When the time comes, won't they swarm us and swallow us whole? Old Ancestor is old and can't take any provocation. I can't walk properly and can't help. You are our backbone. Without you, we can't survive. "

The old lady felt her heart and the corners of her eyes became slightly wet. When she thought that her granddaughter was going to persuade her grandson with emotion, she changed the topic and said firmly, "So you must come back alive. If something happens to you, I will die with you! In any case, I'm a cripple. There's no meaning in living in this world. "

As she said this, she actually smiled, but more tears welled up in her eyes.

Yu Pinyan pulled her into his arms and was silent for a long time before he said hoarsely, "Don't worry. Brother will definitely come back safely. Don't talk about death or life again in the future! "

"Okay, I won't talk about it anymore." Yu Xiang smeared her tears on his lapel and then moved back slightly. She used the horsewhip to lightly whip his arm and said angrily, "You came to tell Old Ancestor and me after you made your decision. Who told you to act on your own and be disobedient!" After whipping him twice, she threw herself into his arms and wiped her tears. Her intention to take revenge was very obvious.

The horsewhip didn't hit his body, but his heart, leaving a trace that couldn't be erased. There was some pain, some touching, and a lot of joy. Yu Pinyan's sadness disappeared in an instant. He hugged his sister and rubbed her. He didn't mind that she was dirty and used his fingertips to wipe away her tears and snot. Then he took the horsewhip from her hand and handed it to the matriarch, "Old Ancestor, please whip your grandson a few times too. It's your grandson's fault for not being able to stay by your side. "

The matriarch's heart had already softened, but she didn't show it on her face. She took the horsewhip and really whipped it a few times. It sounded very loud, but in fact, it hit the surface of his clothes like scratching an itch. She only stopped when she saw her grandson frown and pretend to be in pain. She said unhappily, "Okay, stop pretending. Quickly go back and pack your things. Remember, you must come back safely! "

Yu Pinyan nodded. He picked up Yu Xiang and was about to leave. Just as he stepped out of the door, he heard the matriarch reluctantly add, "Go and see your mother. Although she doesn't know how to act, her status is still there. Don't let others have something to say."

Yu Pinyan nodded in silence. He walked to the fork in the road and looked at his sister in his arms, "Xiang'er, are you going to see Mother?"

"She doesn't want to see me, and I don't want to see her. It's better if we don't have anything to do with each other. Older Brother, you can go by yourself. "Yu Xiang refused without hesitation. In her previous life, she didn't have extravagant hopes for a mother's love. In this life, she wouldn't have the slightest bit of hope. The Lin Clan was nothing more than a stranger to her. Even if she found the parents of this body in the future, she might not be able to feel any kinship with them.

These words were somewhat rebellious and extremely cold. However, Yu Pinyan seemed to have heard something interesting and laughed quietly. He put her in the wheelchair and rubbed her head. He stood in place and watched her leave before he walked back to the main room. How could Yu Xiang not be his blood-related sister? Her temperament was clearly the same as his. They were both direct and efficient, had the same clear distinction between love and hate, and also didn't recognize her own family.

No, it wasn't that she didn't recognize her own family. It was just that there were too few people who could gain her approval. In the entire fu, other than himself, she probably didn't even care about the matriarch. Her temperament was too cold.

Although he thought this, Yu Pinyan didn't feel that there was anything wrong with it. Instead, he felt a subtle sense of satisfaction.

Because Mama Ma had burned a lot of things last time, the Lin Clan's room was much more spacious. However, the light was still dim and the smell of candles and fragrant oil floated in the air. It wasn't a bad smell, but it made people feel oppressed for no reason.

In the middle of the hall, the memorial tablet of the late Marquis Yongle, Junjie Yu, was placed on the table. Because it had been rubbed by people all year round, it was very smooth. The two words "Deceased Husband" were still as dark red as before. It was as if they had been redrawn with cinnabar many times.

Yu Pinyan only glanced at it once before turning his head away and staring at the ground.

The Lin Clan was focused on flipping through a stack of paper. The smile at the corner of her mouth was a bit absent-minded. Presumably, she was immersed in the sweet memories of the past and was unable to extricate herself. After Yu Pinyan's voice fell for a while, she seemed to wake up from a dream. She lightly waved her hand and said, "Go. Take good care of yourself."

As expected, this was her reaction. Yu Pinyan's eyes were slightly cold. When he thought of Xiang 'er's crying face and the Old Ancestor's anxious and furious expression, he smiled unconcernedly. Whatever, he would protect the people he cared about. He couldn't care less about the other miscellaneous things.

There was nothing else to say. Yu Pinyan got up and left. However, he was unexpectedly stopped by the Lin Clan. "Did you find your sister? Why hasn't there been any news after half a year? Did you use your heart or not? "

With his back to the Lin Clan, Yu Pinyan's handsome face was covered in a layer of frost. He said in a low voice, "Your son naturally used his heart. However, the sea of people is vast. How could it be that easy to search through the Great Han Empire in a few months? Mother, don't be impatient. As long as she's still alive, we'll find her one day. "