(Come on, I'll let you guys have a good time. I beg for pink votes!)
"Wait, let go of her."
"Niang niang!" Duchess Jing looked at Imperial Consort Xue in disapproval.
Consort Shu also said, "Jiejie, how can this kind of person be allowed to attend the Gentlemen's Lotus Banquet?"
Imperial Consort Xue ignored them and waved her hand. The two eunuchs didn't dare to disobey and immediately let go of Yu Shu.
"From what you said just now, ben gong heard that you didn't have any regrets and didn't feel that you were wrong, right?"
Yu Shu first tidied up her wrinkled clothes, then lifted the hem of her skirt and knelt down. She raised her head and said,
"Yu Shu indeed doesn't feel that I was wrong."
Duchess Jing was enraged by her bold and confident manner. She was about to slam the table and scold her when Imperial Consort Xue intentionally or unintentionally cast a glance at her that froze her on the spot.
There was less indolence than before. At this moment, Imperial Consort Xue didn't have any amiable and approachable aura. Her every action carried the dignity of the mistress of the inner palace, making people not dare to easily overstep her boundaries.
Duchess Jing awkwardly put down her hand and Consort Shu imperceptibly furrowed her brows.
"Cui Xin," Imperial Consort Xue suddenly called out a name and turned her head to the other side of Rui Zizhu. Cui Xin was bowing and said,
"You heard her. She said that she doesn't feel that she was wrong. Tell her where she did wrong."
"Yes," Cui Xin obeyed and turned to look at Yu Shu kneeling on the ground. Her face was stern and she criticized without hesitation,
"The Ji family raised you, but you didn't feel grateful. Instead, you took advantage of benefits and took revenge, repaying kindness with evil. You accused Official Ji of favoritism and fraud. Although it was a righteous act, your birth mother was a concubine of the Ji family. You used to be half a servant of the Ji family. To act so pretentiously, you are a villain who betrays his master for glory. This is your first mistake!"
"When the Ji family was in trouble, you didn't go to visit them. You didn't help them in their hour of need, but instead, you hit them while they were down. You took advantage of the day when the Ji family's old master was holding a memorial service to kidnap your biological mother from the Ji Mansion. This kind of disregard for human relations is your second mistake!"
"You accused Ji Xingxuan of murdering someone, causing her to seek refuge in prison. She had a bright future ahead of her, yet you ended her life in anger. You didn't kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of you. Such a cold-blooded heart, heartless and unjust, is your third mistake!"
Cui Xin's eyebrows were stained with a layer of anger. It was obvious that she was grieving over her best friend's death. She spoke eloquently and scolded Yu Shu for three times in a row. She pointed at her and said,
"You've done so much wrong, and you still dare to say that you're not wrong!"
Betraying his master for glory, disregarding human relations, heartless and unjust!
If it was anyone else who was humiliated by Cui Xin like this, they would probably cover their face and run away in embarrassment. However, the one standing here right now was the stubborn and unmoved Yu Shu!
"Your Imperial Highness, please forgive Yu Shu for being impolite." Yu Shu bowed towards the waterside pavilion.
Noble Consort Xue looked at her with great interest and nodded in acknowledgment.
Yu Shu straightened her body from the ground, dusted her sleeves, and turned to face the furious Cui Xin. Her expression sank and she suddenly shouted,
"Your mother's spring and autumn bullshit!"
Everyone was stunned when they saw the white-clothed girl, who was as slender as a hibiscus, cursing as soon as she opened her mouth.
Even Cui Xin was stunned by her scolding.
"You're saying that I'm a betrayer for glory? Let me ask you, what kind of master is the Ji family to me? My, Yu Shu's, father was a county scholar with a clean family background. After my mother was widowed, she caught the eye of the greedy and lecherous Third Master of the Ji Family. She had no choice but to submit herself to him. My younger brother and I have always had the surname Yu. With our clean family background, just because we ate leftovers from the Ji Family for two years, we've become half servants in your words? "
At first, everyone had only heard Rui Zizhu and Cui Xin's side of the story. They said that the Ji Family was generous and that Yu Shu was a vile person. Who would have thought that the same story would come out of Yu Shu's mouth and sound completely different!
In the eyes of this group of capital nobles, a county scholar might not be worth mentioning, but at least he was a decent scholar. As the saying goes, it's better to be a humble servant than a vermillion dog. She was an innocent person who hadn't sold herself or changed her surname, yet she was called a servant. Anyone would be angry if they were in her shoes.
No wonder Yu Shu was so angry that she scolded people. Everyone could understand why.
Cui Xin came back to her senses and thought, 'This is bad!' She thought that she had caught Yu Shu's weakness, but she didn't expect that she would be the one being held back. She blamed herself for not finding out that Yu Shu's biological father was actually a county scholar!
She calmed herself down and immediately retorted, "Even if you're not a servant, the Ji Family is indeed your benefactor. As the saying goes, a drop of water should be repaid with a spring of water. How did you repay the Ji Family? Did you force Lord Ji to die a tragic death in court?!"
"Haha!"
Yu Shu couldn't help but laugh as if she had heard something funny. Then, she coldly glanced at Cui Xin and said rudely,
"Did I force the Ji Family's master to die? Do you have the guts to say that again? The Supreme Court personally investigated him. It was obvious that he cheated in the Dayan Examination and stole the exam questions. That's why he got what he deserved! "
She saw Cui Xin's expression change and sneered again. She looked around, straightened her back and said,
"To tell the truth, I accidentally saw the former Right Judicial Judge bending the law for favoritism. That day, I was also very conflicted. If I reported him, I would be too cold-hearted. However, the Dayan Examination is a grand event of our dynasty. It is held once every three years. Many people have endured hardships just to fight for a place in the examination. The current emperor places great importance on it. That Right Judicial Judge Ji could betray the emperor for his own selfishness, but I, Yu Shu, can't let him get away scot-free just because of a wrong decision!"
At this moment, a cool breeze swept by and the crystals and pearls around Yu Shu fluttered. The light and shadow swayed. It could be seen that the space between her eyebrows was red and her face was full of righteousness.
"I lost my father when I was young and didn't receive much education. However, I've read a few books of sages. I know that eating the emperor's salary and being loyal to him is the reason why the world is peaceful. It's because we have a wise emperor. I'm just a commoner. I can't share the emperor's worries, but I'm also very righteous. I can't tolerate a villain who goes against the emperor!"
"If I abandon righteousness for a small favor, that would be wrong!"
"And I, for the sake of righteousness, became a villain in other people's eyes. I really don't know if they have no loyalty in their hearts, or if they're pretending to be benevolent and righteous!"
Yu Shu's words hit the nail on the head. She looked at Cui Xin and Rui Zizhu coldly and mocked in her heart: If they want to pour dirty shit on me, then they should be prepared to be pushed into the latrine pit by me!
They are far from the ability to call a deer a horse and say that the underworld is white!
When she finished speaking, Cui Xin and Rui Zizhu's faces turned pale. They looked back and saw that in the waterside pavilion, Noble Consort Xue's face was cold.
At this moment, the topic had risen to loyalty and righteousness. Duchess Jing and Consort Shu didn't dare to say anything. They were afraid that they would be pinned with a big hat and attract a lot of trouble.
"For the sake of righteousness, abandon a small favor?" Noble Consort Xue slowly nodded. This action revealed her satisfaction with Yu Shu.
"Cui family's girl, are you disloyal to your ruler or are you pretending to be benevolent and righteous?"
Cui Xin knelt down with a thud and bowed her head to apologize.
"Your Highness, please forgive me. This lowly girl made a slip of the tongue. It was just a moment of anger and an unintentional mistake. I would never dare to offend my superior."
In the crowd, Xi Wen's eyes were gloomy when she saw the situation change. There was a touch of worry and annoyance in them. She looked at Cui Xin's figure, not knowing what she was thinking.
"It's good that you know that you made a slip of the tongue." Noble Consort Xue glanced at Cui Xin, then paused on the trembling Rui Zizhu. She shook her head inwardly. She then shifted her gaze to the unyielding Yu Shu. She felt that she was even more pleasing to the eye.
"It's good that you know what righteousness is and what trifles are. This is good. However, they said that you kidnapped your mother from the Ji fu. Is this true? "
When Noble Consort Xue asked, Yu Shu immediately revealed an angry expression. She gritted her teeth and said,
"Your Highness, the Ji family bore a grudge against me because I reported Ji Huaishan. Because they didn't dare to arrest me, they took out their anger on my mother. They locked her in the woodshed and beat and scolded her all day. When I went to the Ji fu to visit, I saw that my mother was being tortured to the point of death. I had no choice but to save my mother from the Ji family's fiery pit and secretly take her out of the fu. If you say that this was wrong, I can't admit it. Could it be that I should watch as my mother was tortured to death and not care about it? Was that the right thing to do?"
Upon hearing this, the crowd once again began to whisper amongst themselves. Their impression of the already declined Ji Clan was no longer as sympathetic as before.
"Ai, I pity your filial piety." Noble Consort Xue sighed. She turned her head to ask Duchess Jing, "The old furen is someone who values filial piety the most. In your opinion, is it wrong for this child to smuggle her mother away?"
If Duchess Jing shook her head, she would go against her filial piety. However, if she nodded, she would reverse her previous attitude and correct Yu Shu's name.
The old furen had an embarrassed expression. After hesitating for a while, she gave in in front of Noble Consort Xue and said,
"Filial piety is the most important of all virtues. It seems that I wronged this child earlier."
Noble Consort Xue nodded and accepted the cup of tea that a palace maid brought to her side. She took a shallow sip to moisten her throat before speaking again.
"Since the old furen has said so, ben gong will make the decision tonight. Your mother was originally a concubine of the Ji family. It's not proper for her to be secretly taken away by you. In any case, the Ji family is in a terrible state now. It's not good for your mother to go back. It's better to drop the matter. Tomorrow, go to the local yamen and take ben gong's words to remove your mother's registration. "
Yu Shu had always been vexed by the awkwardness of Aunt Cui's identity. She couldn't think of a solution. As long as the Ji family didn't relent, her birth mother couldn't see the light of day. In the future, it would become a stain on her.
This vexation was easily resolved by Noble Consort Xue's words. It was as if Yu Shu had picked up a gold ingot empty-handed. She was pleasantly surprised and quickly kowtowed. She didn't care if it looked good or not. She gave a solid kowtow.
"Many thanks, niang niang, for your grace. Yu Shu thanks on behalf of my mother."
Noble Consort Xue smiled and said to the two sides, "Looking at her like this, I can see that she's even more filial."
The people in the pavilion didn't dare to say anything and all responded to her words.
Not long ago, Yu Shu had been looked down upon and regarded as a shameless villain. In the blink of an eye, she had become a loyal and filial child!
Yu Shu didn't feel guilty at all. She climbed up from the ground without a blush on her face and didn't even gasp for breath. She spoke and cut off the voices inside —
"Miss Cui said that I made three mistakes. I've already proven two of them. The last one is that Ji Xingxuan died because of me. I still want to prove it to her. Niang niang, please allow me to do so."
Noble Consort Xue agreed.
At this time, the one kneeling on the ground was Cui Xin. The one standing and looking down at her was Yu Shu.
"Miss Cui said that I didn't kill Boren, but Boren died because of me. You only care about blaming me for pointing out that she committed the murder. Do you know why I'm biting her so hard?"
"…" Cui Xin's face was taut and she didn't say anything.
She knew everything about Ji Xingxuan's crime from Xi Wen. Originally, she just wanted to use this incident to add another crime to Yu Shu so as to make the previous two more serious. She didn't expect that she would underestimate her enemy and fail to use morality to suppress Yu Shu. Instead, she took drastic measures to overturn her previous words.
She raised her eyes slightly and looked at where Xi Wen was in the crowd. Seeing that Xi Wen didn't move, she secretly heaved a sigh of relief. However, there was something unfathomable in her eyes.
Yu Shu sneered and said, "If you don't want to say it, then I'll say it. That day, the Ninth Prince held a banquet in the Xuanchun Garden. I was wandering in the garden and saw Ji Xingxuan trying to kill Miss Xin. She wanted to push her down from a tall building. Xin Liu and I were good friends and we were very close. I saw her being attacked and almost lost her life. I was so angry that I couldn't bear it. Do you think I'm stupid for not pointing her out?"
"That's right. What do you know? You only know how to listen to hearsay and wrongly accuse a good person!"
Xin Liu, who had been held back by Miss Ning, finally couldn't hold back her anger. She stood up straight and didn't forget to salute to the waterside pavilion. She glared fiercely at Cui Rui and said,
"That day, in order to save me, Lotus Fang didn't hesitate to take risks and almost fell down the building with me. Why can't our lives be compared to Ji Xingxuan's? She had bad intentions, so she committed murder. Sooner or later, she would have been sentenced to death, so she committed suicide in prison to escape punishment. How can you blame Lotus Fang? Don't tell me that Lotus Fang forced her to kill people! "
"Although I haven't known Lotus Fang for a long time, I know her character better than you irrelevant people. When my life was hanging by a thread, she was willing to sacrifice her life for me, a friend. You claim that you are on good terms with Ji Xingxuan, but when the Ji family was in trouble and Ji Xingxuan was in prison, where were you? When the person is dead, then you come to gossip. What are you thinking! "
Xin Liu was used to being a sharp-tongued person, and she was born with more loyalty than others. She put herself in Yu Shu's shoes and felt that she should treat her with sincerity. Whoever went against Yu Shu was going against her!
This was also a lucky hit. Yu Shu praised herself ten times, but it couldn't compare to someone praising her once. Xin Liu had a good relationship with people in Anling City. As soon as she spoke, people believed most of her words.
Therefore, in addition to loyalty and filial piety, Yu Shu also had a strong sense of brotherhood.
Yu Shu looked at the angry Xin Liu and laughed secretly, "Good Liu 'er, I didn't love you for nothing!"
Rui Zizhu's face turned red and white. Faced with a group of people pointing at her, she was full of regret. At this moment, she came to her senses and knew that Xi Wen was deliberately provoking her. She couldn't help but hate herself for being hot-headed and agreeing to help Yu Shu.
Cui Xin was like a block of wood. She knelt on the ground and let Xin Liu shout at her. On the surface, she seemed to accept it, but no one knew what she was thinking.
Noble Consort Xue saw Xin Liu pecking randomly like a rooster and found it funny. Although she didn't want to scold her, she still put on a stern face and scolded her,
"Alright, why are you making such a fuss? You can leave."
Xin Liu pouted unwillingly. She threw a few sharp glances at Cui Zizhu and Rui Zizhu before standing to the side. Miss Ning quickly grabbed her to prevent her from causing trouble.
"I've asked clearly. It was all a misunderstanding. In my opinion, such a loyal and filial child is not bad."
Noble Consort Xue's words set the tone. She smiled and said to the crowd,
"You wasted so much effort. I'll teach you to remember this. Behave properly and sit properly. If you are upright, you won't have to worry about your shadow being crooked. Don't try to stir up trouble for no reason. As a woman, you must remember not to talk too much."
Although she didn't point out names, her eyes clearly swept over Rui Zizhu, Cui Xin, and Zhan Xueyuan, who had his head lowered and was pretending to be ignorant.
As for Xi Wen, the mastermind, although she tried her best to hide it, her eyes revealed some anger.
Seeing that they were in such a sorry state and that a hidden danger was removed, Yu Shu's anger was half gone, but the other half was still there. After listening to Noble Consort Xue's words, she asked again,
"Imperial Concubine, I still have a matter to discuss with that female official who just called me a 'dog shit life'."
Noble Consort Xue seemed to be in a good mood. Facing Yu Shu's continuous requests, she didn't feel annoyed. She waved her hand again and agreed.
"If you have something to say, say it quickly."
"Yes."
Yu Shu nodded obediently. She turned around and walked toward Xi Wen expressionlessly.
Xi Wen looked at Yu Shu who was walking toward her. She wasn't afraid of her, but she was curious about what she was going to do. However, she saw Yu Shu stare at her, raised her hand, and rolled up her sleeves.
Zhan Xueyuan, who was standing half a step behind Xi Wen, suddenly remembered something. His eyelids twitched and he couldn't help but shiver.
The next moment, there was a crisp sound. Xi Wen and Zhan Xueyuan's vision blurred. When they came back to their senses, Yu Shu's loud slap had already landed on Zhan Xueyuan's face!
"Slap!"
Xi Wen was taken aback. Her eyes widened and her mouth agape. Before she could react, Yu Shu had already delivered another slap to her face.
"Slap!"
"Slap!"
After three slaps, Zhan Xueyuan screamed and covered his face.
It was dead silent around the waterside pavilion.
Xi Wen stared blankly at Yu Shu's eyes, which had been staring at her from the beginning to the end. She lowered her head and moved closer to her and Zhan Xueyuan. To outsiders, it seemed that Yu Shu was whispering to Zhan Xueyuan, who was being slapped. However, the low voice of laughter was clearly heard by Xi Wen —
"I want the Golden Jade Hibiscus."
Looking at Xi Wen's stiff face, Yu Shu laughed in her heart.
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