Chapter 69: Conflict

  When Shu Yao was stunned, Wu Lanala had already made contact with Li Ziqing, and Shu Yao felt that Li Ziqing was envious of Wu Lanala's various expressions. The onlooker Shu Yao felt a chill in her back, wondering what kind of grudge would make Wu Lanala so hated. A thought occurred to her: since her cousin Li Ziqing knew history well, could it be that Wu Lanala was actually a famous historical figure? What had she done to provoke Li Ziqing's displeasure?

  Shu Yao really wants to know, Nian Bing, can't you be of some use for once? Shu Yao activates her ability scan function again, but apart from resentment, she can't find any reason. She gives up. Mother said that Li Qinger treats others like idiots. It's not hard to guess what she's thinking if one observes carefully. Her ability is useless, so Shu Yao starts observing Li Qinger. After a while, she gives up. What Li Qinger and Wu Lan La say is too difficult for her to understand. She loses interest. This skill of observing words and expressions should be left to Mother. Shu Yao has self-awareness; she's not cut out for this.

  As soon as I returned to the manor, I told Mother about Li Zhiqing's affairs. As long as Mother listened once, she could summarize Li Zhiqing's thoughts. Shu Yao smiled with curved eyes, "My ability is not good enough, but I have Mother, Heaven, you can't play me to death."

  Shu Yao was leisurely tasting tea, but she was the only one who didn't care. The people around her were all drawn to Li Zhiqing and others. In front of Gual Jia's family, Li Zhiqing wasn't impressive enough, but in front of outsiders, Li Zhiqing's skills in singing, reading, and martial arts weren't low, slightly gaining the upper hand. Shu Yao glanced at Ulanara's expression, which was vastly different from Li Zhiqing's smile when competing with her. Ulanara's expression showed disdain for competition, and in terms of status, Li Zhiqing couldn't surpass her. Status was Li Zhiqing's only weakness; otherwise, she wouldn't have planned to poison Yinzhen.

  The unpredictable superpower transmitted back to Li Zhiqing's mind, Shu Yao was startled and moved the embroidered pillow aside. She truly loved life and wanted to stay away from Li Zhiqing. She had been too obsessed with the Fourth Prince, Yin Zhen, and had given him medicine. Shu Yao thought to herself, could it be that... going to the pharmacy to buy medicine would leave a trail? Or perhaps Li Zhiqing's space could plant... what if it wasn't, was it a hallucinogenic drug?

  Shu Yao saw that Li Zhiqing was eager to give Yinyin medicine, but could her small body withstand it? Shu Yao took the opportunity to acknowledge that she was evil, and her cousin Li Zhiqing, even if she had developed better than her, was still under ten years old, belonging to the category of little girls. Yinyin's move on a girl under ten was molestation, and his character was rotten. Shu Yao had no good impression of Yinyin, and her previous interest in him had also been ruined by his molestation of little girls. Yinyin absolutely belonged to the type who would get shot even if he was lying down. If you know that Shu Yao's strange thoughts will shake her, how can you tell that I'm a molester? Am I not also a victim?

  "Jiāo xuán gé gé dào."

  Translation: "The plane has arrived."

  The voices in the house gradually faded away, and Shizi Fugui said: "Please ask Jiu Xuan Gege."

  Shu Yao raised her eyes to see a little girl in a fiery red cheongsam, about the same age as Shu Yao, with a face that was not inferior to Li Zhiqin's. The accessories she wore were all rubies that shone like fire, transparent and without any impurities. Shu Yao moved her gaze away, fearing that if she continued to look, she would get red-eye disease. She stood up with the others, "Princess Jiu Xuan."

  Xuan Gaoyao nodded, signaling the girls to get up. Shu Yao stood up and sat down again, showing no interest in Xuan Gaoyao's arrogance. Shu Yao didn't like people who looked down on others with their chin up. Her mother was proud, but it was a pride based on her own abilities. Xuan Gaoyao, on the other hand, was arrogant because of her identity and status, and her arrogance was superficial. She couldn't distinguish reality from fantasy, and her constant arrogance would ultimately lead to her downfall.

  What's the matter, Rui Jin? Another message from You Nuo was sent to Shu Yao, who looked up at Li Zhi Qing with a glance. She hoped that Ula Nara would be punished in various ways, but she had to protect Ju Xuan because Ju Xuan was the wife of the Eighth Prince. Shu Yao's beautiful face showed worry, and Li Zhi Qing's thoughts were something she could never quite understand. Shu Yao closed her mind-reading ability, and Li Zhi Qing came up with another idea, which made Shu Yao lose her appetite for even a snack. Investigating people's secrets was a bitter task.

  "Li Ziqing, we've been waiting for you for a long time." Xuan Gege pulled Li Ziqing up, "I'll show you something good, come with me."

  "Wait a minute, Rouli..." Li Ziqing's face showed difficulty, "My sisters are all here, and my paternal grandmother asked me to take care of them."

  She swept her gaze over Shu Yao and the others, "Are they your cousins?"

  Shu Jing actively introduced Xuan Xuan, "Ge Ge hasn't seen her." Shu Jing pointed to Shu Yao, "She is the legitimate daughter of my second uncle Shu Mu Lu Zhiyuan, named Shu Yao."

  "Rouyun Gege is the most favored gege in Anqing Wangfu." Shu Jing lowered her voice and said, "Sixth sister, she's so spoiled that it's unbearable. The emperor dotes on Rouyun Gege a lot and often summons her to the palace. Rouyun Gege and her cousin are familiar with each other, their relationship is very close."

  "Hmm." Shu Yao nodded at Ju Xuan, acknowledging their acquaintance. She didn't care about Ju Xuan's identity, but since Emperor Kangxi favored her, Shu Yao had a wicked thought - was the emperor also a pedophile?

  "Is your mother Shu Mu Lu Zhi Yuan?"

  "Yes."

  "I know him, he fell into the water with Yu Chenglong."

  The plum blossoms between Shu Yao's eyebrows seemed to be blown by the wind, and Ju Xuan's words were unpleasant to hear. Shu Yao asked back: "What do you mean?"

  Perhaps no one was as blunt as Shu Yao, Xuanxuan slightly stunned, "I think it's quite interesting, a river governor and an imperial envoy both fell into the river, and there is still no news until now. The Qing Empire has never had officials of this rank fall into the water."

  Xuan's smile fell into Shu Yao's eyes, making them sting. Shu Yao smiled lightly: "It's not interesting, but it explains the problem."

  "What's the problem?"

  "For many years since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, there has never been an official of the same rank as Ama and Yu Chenglong who fell into the water. It means that Ama and others are worried about national affairs, regardless of personal safety, preventing troubles before they happen, going to inspect the dam, not falling into the water, the Emperor said I am loyal to the country."

  Shu Yao said solemnly, having also participated in several patriotic education sessions in her past life. Some terms Shu Yao remembered, and what she meant to say was that Zhiyuan and Yu Chenglong were worried about the great Qing dynasty falling, while those who didn't fall into the water were fugitives who escaped to a safe place, being unloyal and unfilial, and treacherous officials.

  Ji Xuan said: "The Yellow River has burst its banks, the Emperor is very worried. If Shu Mu Lu Zhi Yuan was as loyal and patriotic as you say, the Yellow River would not have burst its banks."

  Shu Yao said: "You think so wrongly, my Ama went to inspect the river dike, not repair the river dike, understand?"

  She Huan said she understood, and Shu Yao continued: "Inspecting the river embankment is to find out the problem and report it to the emperor. Ama personally inspecting the river embankment is being loyal to her duty, it's doing her job conscientiously. The breach of the river embankment was due to improper construction, Ama discovered the problem, but before she could rush to solve it, she...she fell into the water. Isn't this a great loyal minister?"

  After nodding, she felt something was off. She admitted that Shu Mu Lu Zhiyuan was a great contributor, wasn't it her who just laughed at the contributor? Wasn't it saying that she shouldn't have laughed, Ji Xuan couldn't take it, "Someone, bring me the whip."

  Li Ziqing hastily said: "Xuan Gege, calm down, Sixth Sister didn't mean you, spare her for my sake."

  Xiu Yao didn't know, but Li Ziqing and the people in the house remembered that Xuan had slapped the daughter of a minor official for speaking out of turn. Li Ziqing gave Xiu Yao a signal with her eyes: "Sixth sister, quickly admit your mistake, admit it."

  Shu Yao stood up, looking straight at Ju Xuan, "My mother never taught me to be humble and yield, nor to distort the truth. The fact is just that, you mocking someone who has been recognized by the Emperor for their loyalty to the country is wrong, why should I admit my mistake?"

  The Crown Prince's consort, Bolhazi Zhitai, had good intentions towards Shu Yao due to what happened earlier and was about to speak up to stop Jiu Xuan. However, she was pulled back by Li Nian, who still kept her head down. Li Nian remembered the prestige of Guwalgiya Shi, and Shu Yao was Guwalgiya Shi's only daughter. Earlier, Li Nian also saw that Shu Yao couldn't compare to Guwalgiya Shi in terms of ruthlessness, but she had learned from Guwalgiya Shi's seven successful marriages. Jiu Xuan Gege was very favored in the Anqin Wangfu and often helped others, but she didn't hesitate to cause trouble for Bolhazi Zhitai. If Jiu Xuan were to provoke Shu Yao, it would be like stirring up a hornet's nest. Shu Yao wasn't just the daughter of some minor official; she had a fierce mother, Guwalgiya Shi. Li Nian was certain that if Shu Yao were hurt, Guwalgiya Shi would find Anqin Wang and teach Jiu Xuan a lesson.

  Since being taught a lesson by Guwalgiya, Li Mama's mind was clear and she secretly practiced her quarreling skills. She didn't dare think about taking revenge on Guwalgiya, but rather waited for an opportunity to provoke her again. Li Mama thought that after Shu Yao got hurt, Guwalgiya would probably not only come to the Anqing Palace but also... Li Mama took a deep breath and saw Guwalgiya's cold yet smiling face in front of her. She leaned back slightly and looked at Xuan Gege with a hint of sympathy: "You dare to whip me now, but there will be a time when you'll cry."

  "Let it go, just for my sake, spare Shu Yao." Li Ziqing didn't give up pleading for Shu Yao, "Shu Yao is my cousin, if you hurt her, how can I explain it when I return to the manor?"

  Xuan Yang raised her whip and pointed at Shu Yao, "Kneel down and admit your mistake, I won't whip you if you kneel down."

  Shu Yao's eyes were cold and clear, "Respecting your identity, I'll call you Gege. Do you have a title conferred by the imperial court? Do you have a rank bestowed by the Emperor? You and I are both daughters of the Eight Banners, what makes you think I should kneel down and admit my mistake?"

  "You...you..." Xiangyun was so angry that she couldn't speak, "How dare you...how dare you..."

  She didn't have a title, and Shu Yao wasn't wrong. The Crown Prince's consort sighed and shook her head, no wonder Li Mama was so fearful of Guwalgiya, advising herself not to provoke Guwalgiya for her sake. Just looking at how Guwalgiya had taught Shu Yao, one could see how formidable she was. The Crown Prince's consort couldn't help but think of befriending Guwalgiya.

  "You are so presumptuous! I am the daughter of a third-grade official, and even a low-ranking princess dares to whip me? Just because I told the truth, Xuan, you can still be saved if you admit your own presumptuousness."

  “...”

  She spun around in anger, pushed away Li Zhiqing and shouted: "I'm going to whip you, what can you do about it? Make a fuss all the way to the Emperor, let's see who the Emperor believes!"

  Shu Yao dodged nimbly, always mindful of her surroundings, as her mother had taught her. In a heated argument, one must also be aware of their environment; there were too many people who would lash out in anger when they couldn't get the better of an argument. If necessary, one should dodge and avoid getting hit for no reason - only fools would stand still and take a beating. Shu Yao believed that even if she wasn't a genius, she shouldn't be foolish either; her mother's words were absolute truth.

  "How dare you hide?" Ju Xuan lashed out with her whip, "You actually dare to hide?"

  "How refreshing! You don't dare to hide, do you? Mother didn't teach me to suffer losses." Shu Yao dodged the whip, and Ju Xuan chased after her, whipping her. Shu Yao deliberately went to where there were many people, anyway, she didn't get hit by a single whip, but the little girls in the house suffered, they had never experienced this before, and when they were stunned, they were whipped, crying and wiping away tears, Shu Yao was delighted, Mother, they are all foolish people.

  When Shu Yao rushed out, there happened to be someone walking in from outside, and Shu Yao directly rushed into his arms.

  Afterwards, I'll update before 4 pm. Xiao Zui overestimated her typing speed earlier. Please support Xiao Zui, she has two fears when writing: one is that no one will read it, and the other is that people will read pirated versions. Everyone, please continue to support Xiao Zui, with your support, even if typing is tiring, Xiao Zui will be happy.