All Hail Cousin Brother

Eldest Aunt for mediating the situation for me. Please accept Yao Yao’s bow.”

Madam Wang quickly got up and helped her up. “We’re all family. We can’t be outsiders. The ground is cold. Get up quickly.”

Old Madam Xie also said, “Don’t kneel for no reason. Our Xie family doesn’t have so many rules. Come over quickly and sit beside Grandmother.”

Yu Youyao quickly sat down beside her grandmother.

Old Master Xie stroked his short beard. “Your grandmother’s funeral will last for 21 days. We can’t stay in the capital for long. We plan to return to

Quanzhou the day after tomorrow. Jingliu will stay. After your grandmother’s funeral, well send someone to PICK you up. At that time, you’ll return to Quanzhou with your third cousin and Cousin Zhou.”

Yu Youyao nodded in agreement.

Old Madam Xie instructed, “The people who need to be brought over have also been arranged in advance. Don’t be flustered when the time comes. Your grandmother’s seventh day is over, and there will be fewer people paying their respects later. Take care of yourself.” As she spoke, her eyes turned red again.

“l see that you’ve lost a little more weight recently.”

Yu Youyao quickly said, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll take good care of myself.”

Thinking about how Old Madam Yu really doted on Little Yao’er, Old Madam

Xie became a little more concerned about her funeral. “The seventh day is over. What should we do next?”

Yu Youyao said, “Cousin stepped in and invited Master Hui Ji and Master Hui Ci from the Precious Peace Temple, as well as the Daoists from the Clear Void Temple outside the city to perform a ritual on the 14th day. The Buddhist teachings and Dao techniques take turns to happen during the day and night without stopping. We’re still welcoming guests in the mourning hall during the day, and the uncles will take turns keeping watch at night.”

Due to the fact that the court was not peaceful inside and out, it was not appropriate for the funeral to be too extravagant. This meant that the funeral period could be shortened, but the procedures had to be carried out as much as possible.

Inviting two wise monks from the Precious Peace Temple in a row was already very eye-catching.

It was all because of Yin Huaixi.

The Daoist masters of the Clear Void Temple outside the city were not inferior to the two wise monks of the Precious Peace Temple. As the emperor cared about Daoism, the Daoist masters of the Clear Void Temple often entered the palace to preach to the emperor.

It was also because of Yin Huaixi.

Old Madam Xie sighed. “This cousin of yours is a capable person. He’s efficient and handsome. He’s better than everyone else in the Yu Residence.”

Yu Youyao pursed her lips and chuckled. “Cousin has learned Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism at the same time. He has discussed karma with the masters of the Precious Peace Temple and the Daoists of the Clear Void Temple. He also knows about the Daoist principles of fate. This time, it can be considered as resolving the karma.”

It wasn’t until it was dark that the people from the Xie Residence bade farewell and left.

After a long day, Yu Youyao was so tired that she had no appetite. She only ate a few mouthfuls of the dinner prepared by the main kitchen before returning to the Jade Courtyard.

When a parent passed away, a child had to mourn for 27 months.

Every day, she ate simple tea and rice. She did not eat meat or drink alcohol. She did not sleep with any wives and concubines. She could not visit her relatives or friends or participate in banquets. She stopped all etiquette and music. She did not paste couplets on holidays or wear new clothes. Everything was simple.

The filial son who was mourning still needed to build a straw shed near his parents’ grave and sleep on a straw mat. He could not be clean for three years. He could not trim his hair, fix his appearance and so on.

Yu Youyao was her granddaughter, so she didn’t have to follow the rules so closely. However, she couldn’t be careless with all the rules during mourning.

Therefore, everyone in the Jade Courtyard kept the brightly colored items, and some expensive furnishings were replaced.

Nanny Xu was worried that Yu Youyao’s body wouldn’t be able to take it, so she prepared a foot bath and let Yu Youyao soak her feet to relieve her fatigue.

Her feet were liberated from her shoes. As soon as they soaked in the hot medicinal bath, they immediately felt sore and swollen. It stimulated her feet all the way to her calves, as if there were countless ants biting them.

Xia Tao leaned over and said, “This afternoon, the government sent over the corpses of Hui Xiang and Old Madam Lai. They even looked for Eldest Master for questioning.”

Yu Youyao was in a daze. After her grandmother passed away, she had been so focused on managing her grandmother’s funeral that she had forgotten about the two of them. However, the outcome of the two of them was already decided, so there was nothing to think about.

They were destined to die, so why should she dirty her hands personally?

Seeing that Young Miss was listening, Xia Tao continued, “I heard that they encountered refugees after leaving the city. 1 don’t know where they escaped from. After snatching their things, they saw that they were maidservants from wealthy families, so they simply killed them. Hui Xiang was… ruined.”

She had seen Hui Xiang and Old Madam Lai’s corpses with her own eyes. Hui Xiang was completely naked, and there was no good flesh on her body.

“Old Madam Lai’s eyes were wide open and she didn’t die in peace. Her corpse was hidden in the nearby mountains. It wasn’t discovered until yesterday. After an autopsy in the government office and her identity was confirmed, she was only brought to the residence today.”

Yu Youyao’s eyes flickered. “1 heard that on the day Old Madam Lai left the residence, Yu Jianjia rewarded her with a lot of things and even borrowed a carriage to send them off.”

Xia Tao’s eyes widened.

There had been a drought in the north for more than half a year, and there were many refugees outside the city. When the refugees couldn’t live anymore, they would do some pilfering and philandering. There were also cases of them robbing passers-by’s supplies.

After all, this was an important place in the capital. There were soldiers patrolling the suburbs, and small fights were common.

Old Madam Lai and Hui Xiang were a farmer’s wife and a servant. They were not eye-catching and were not worth killing for. Only wealth would attract fierce refugees.

Yu Youyao changed the topic. “Where are Old Madam Lai and Hui Xiang placed?”

Xia Tao quickly said, “l was worried that they would offend Matriarch’s funeral, so I placed them in the storeroom in the front courtyard first. I plan to drag the corpses to the mass grave at night.”

Both of them died in an unseemly manner, especially Hui Xiang. She was really very dirty. Even if she was part of the residence, it was not easy to bury her here, so they could only be dragged to the mass grave.

Yu Youyao said calmly, “Hui Xiang has been serving Yu Jianjia since she was young. They have a deep relationship. Although Old Madam Lai doesn’t serve in the residence, Yu Jianjia treats her very well. Get Old Madam Sun to arrange for her to bring Yu Jianjia to see Hui Xiang and Old Madam Lai for the last time. It can be considered the last meeting in their relationship between master and servant.’

She could kill someone with a nod. She wondered what Yu Jianjia would think after seeing Hui Xiang and Old Madam Lai’s miserable state.

After soaking for an incense stick, Yu Youyao felt much more relaxed.

Nanny Xu brought over some more food. “You can’t eat meat or fish during the mourning period. I’ve prepared light medicinal porridge that can nourish your mind..