Chapter 1076: Post-Coronation Wedding
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Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Yu Shuangbai’s eyes turned red again. She snuggled into her Eldest Sister’s arms and choked. “Eldest Sister, don’t you blame me?”
“What’s there to blame you for?” Yu Youyao stroked her hair and smiled. “Have you done anything to let me down?”
“No.” Upon hearing this, Yu Shuangbai immediately panicked and quickly looked up from her Eldest Sister’s arms. “I won’t do anything to let my Eldest Sister down. It’s just that…”
“Isn’t that so?” Yu Youyao interrupted her and said gently, “Since you haven’t let me down, why should I blame you? The t.i.tle of the destined phoenix girl doesn’t belong to me to begin with. It was a trap set by Empress Ning for your mother to deal with Concubine Lan. What has it got to do with me?”
Yu Shuangbai immediately did not know what to say. Her eyes couldn’t help but turn red again, and she looked like she was about to cry.
The last time she accompanied her grandmother to the Precious Peace Temple, her grandmother had been feeling uneasy since she returned. Later, she went to the Precious Peace Temple again. It seemed that there were already clues about the phoenix fate at that time.
Her grandmother had kept it a secret. Clearly, she did not want her to bear the phoenix fate.
Furthermore, she did not want to take on this fate.
No matter how Madam Yao caused trouble, it was Madam’s Yao’s own business. It indeed had nothing to do with Yu Shuangbai. Yu Shuangbai could not replace her, let alone talk about whether this was right or wrong.
“Don’t cry anymore.” Yu Youyao pretended to have a headache and pinched her red nose. “You’ve liked to cry since you were young. Once you cry, there’s no end to it. You have to coax you for a long time every time. I was afraid that you would cry in the past. Don’t make things difficult for me.”
Yu Shuangbai did not know whether to cry or not. She looked at her pitifully, looking very comical.
Yu Youyao burst out laughing.
Yu Shuangbai refused. “Eldest Sister, you’re not allowed to cry about me.”
“Alright, alright, I won’t laugh at you.” Yu Youyao agreed readily, but the smile on her lips was still very obvious, making Yu Shuangbai furious.
“I really won’t laugh anymore.” As she said that, Yu Youyao couldn’t help but laugh again.
Yu Shuangbai puffed up her cheeks and pounced over, tickling her Eldest Sister.
The sisters immediately laughed.
After laughing, the two of them tidied their clothes and smiled at each other.
Yu Youyao suddenly said, “I’ve never blamed you. I just feel sorry for you.”
Yu Shuangbai’s eyes turned red again, and she shook her head. “Although life in the nunnery is a little bitter, the clan still takes good care of me. I’m not like my Third Sister, who is prevented from going out. I copy scriptures every day and pray for my Grandmother, my Father, and my Eldest Sister. My days aren’t difficult. Eldest Sister, don’t worry about me.”
However, a person’s life was so long, and Yu Shuangbai was still so young. She would repeat the same day every day. No one could take it.
Yu Youyao held her hand and said, “My merchant ship has already entered the capital. After the new year, when everything recovers, the merchant ship will go out to sea. If you don’t want to stay in the nunnery, I’ll arrange for you to go out to sea with the merchant ship. However, in this way, you’ll have to hide your ident.i.ty in the future and abandon your family…”
Yu Shuang’s eyes lit up, then dimmed. She shook her head. “Is this inappropriate?”
Her father had pa.s.sed away, and her mother could take care of her big brother and second brother. They each had their own futures. Meanwhile, she and her mother…
On careful thought, other than the inseparable relationship with her sisters when she was young, there was actually nothing much to miss in the Yu Residence.
However, even though they were sisters, she was in the clan and stayed in the nunnery. Her sisters were already married, and it would probably be difficult for her to continue staying here in the future.
Thinking of this, it didn’t seem like a big deal to hide her ident.i.ty and abandon her family.
However, her current status had offended her Eldest Sister, so the nunnery was the best place to stay.
She couldn’t harm her Eldest Sister.
“There’s nothing inappropriate. I’ll arrange the matters within the clan.” Yu Youyao held her hand tightly. “My maternal family is a kind family. If you leave the capital with the merchant ship, you can stay overseas for a year or two first and return after the matter pa.s.ses. From now on, you’ll be far away from the capital. The sky is blue and the sea is vast. You can go as you please. With them taking care of you, I’ll be more at ease.”
Yu Shuangbai’s heart was filled with bitterness. She opened her mouth and wanted to refuse. Actually, she had already thought it through. When she saw her Eldest Sister for the last time, she was prepared to lose her hair and devote herself to Buddhism for the rest of her life. However, when she saw her Eldest Sister looking at her eagerly, the meaning between the lines was all for her. She couldn’t refuse at all.
If she really devoted herself to Buddhism for the rest of her life, her Eldest Sister would probably feel terrible.
Yu Youyao continued, “The emperor won’t say much. Everything you’re worried about isn’t a big deal to me. We’re sisters. I hope you can live well.”
Yu Shuangbai closed her eyes, and tears flowed down her face. “Okay, I’ll listen to my Eldest Sister.”
Yu Youyao finally heaved a sigh of relief. “Listen to me…”
Before coming to the clan, she had already thought about how to settle Yu Shuangbai down. She had also thought about how to convince the Yu Clan to be fair and treat the clansmen more leniently. She thought that they would not reject her.
After instructing Yu Shuangbai, Yu Youyao looked for the elder to discuss this matter. After hearing this, the elder did not have any objections and agreed.
Yu Youyao was really shocked.
The old clan elder sighed softly. “Shuangbai is really pitiful. Before her father pa.s.sed away, he kept thinking about her and hoped that the clan would be more magnanimous and take care of her. She was not in the wrong, nor was she a convict. She should be taken care of by the clan. Now that the Eldest Princess has taken into account their sisterly relationship and arranged a better way for her, there’s no reason for the clan to disagree. Eldest Princess, don’t worry. I’ll tell the Clan Chief what to do next. We’ll cooperate.”
Yu Youyao stood up and bowed deeply.
On the 16th of the first month, on the day of the wedding.
The sky, which had been gloomy for more than a month, finally saw the sun. Orange-red sunlight seeped out of the layers of dark clouds and shone brightly, sweeping away the haze between the heavens and the earth and illuminating the world.
The rare good weather was seen as an auspicious sign, adding brilliance to the original post-coronation wedding.
Early in the morning, Elder Yu and the Minister of Rites acted as the official and deputy envoy respectively. Emperor Zhao Yong personally brought the officials to the Heaven and Earth altars to offer sacrifices to the heavens and bow in the Fengxian Hall.
The imperial guards placed the imperial carriage outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Meanwhile, they placed the empress’s carriage outside the palace gate.
Before dawn, Yu Youyao took a shower.
Just washing up took a full two hours. Even her hair smelled good.
Her grandmother entered the room with red eyes and combed her hair.
Her grandmother combed the brush from the top of her head down again and again. Her grandmother said in a hoa.r.s.e voice, “The first comb is for me to comb your hair to the end. The second comb is for the couple to grow old together. The third comb is for a hall full of descendants… The tenth comb is for the couple to grow old until your hair turns white. There is a start and an end. You will share your wealth in this life…”
Yu Youyao’s eyes couldn’t help but turn red, and large tears flowed out.
Auntie Xu quickly said, “A new wife will cry and bid farewell to her relatives. It’s a blessing to be able to marry into her husband’s family!”