Chapter 668 Causing Trouble

Chapter 668: Causing Trouble

Zhao Yaoniang gulped and scrambled toward Yu Yonghuai, desperate to cling to his leg.

"General," she sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "No matter what, I saved your life. I just need somewhere to belong. Didn’t you promise to repay me and let me into your household?"

Wei Pozi and Li Chunhua both realized—there was no "mutual affection" between Zhao Yaoniang and Yu Yonghuai, as she had claimed.

Yu Yonghuai’s face was like stone. "Yes! You did save me! I can repay you, even help you find a place to settle down! But you meant to harm my wife and daughter—to risk their lives!"

He shook off Zhao Yaoniang violently, ready to strike her down then and there.

Tilting her head back, Zhao Yaoniang let tears roll down her slender neck. With her delicate and refined features, she exuded a wounded beauty. "General, Yaoniang never intended such things. I ask only to remain by your side..."

She looked pitiful beyond words, the picture of sorrow.

Yet Yu Yonghuai remained unmoved, even letting out a mocking laugh. "You never intended it? Your actions speak for themselves—your thoughts mean nothing now! Zhao Yaoniang, you saved me, but that doesn’t let you harm my family without consequence!"

Zhao Yaoniang wept harder. "General, I didn’t... I just wanted to stay with you... Is that too much to ask?"

No matter how she pleaded, Yu Yonghuai stood firm.

Wei Pozi huffed in contempt. "Even as my grandson’s savior, our family won’t tolerate your malice! My son’s wife is with child, yet you flaunt Huai Geer’s undergarments to torment her? Pah! You’ll never set foot in the Yu household while I live!"

Zhao Yaoniang was driven out, still wailing.

After her departure, Wei Pozi and Li Chunhua remained cold toward Yu Yonghuai.

Li Chunhua grumbled under her breath, "How did someone like that ever save you?"

Yu Yonghuai sighed heavily. "...During training, I fell from a cliff rescuing a soldier. She found me while herb-gathering and fetched a doctor. The undergarments were left during treatment... Later, I’d help out when passing her home. My injuries were minor, so I kept it from the family to spare them worry." He raked a hand through his hair. "I never imagined she’d take those undergarments to Yue Yi, then summon Yue Yi while I delivered goods—leading Yue Yi to believe I’d stayed overnight... Had anything happened to her, I’d have loathed myself."

Wei Pozi and Li Chunhua were speechless.

Wei Pozi frowned. "Enough. Send her silver and cut ties."

Li Chunhua seethed. "Right! I’ll pay! Just thinking how she nearly killed my daughter-in-law and granddaughter makes me see red!... Eldest, give her the money and be done with her."

Yu Yonghuai’s expression darkened. "...I already gave her five hundred taels. I thought a few more favors would settle it, but..."

Instead, it had made Zhao Yaoniang greedier.

Xingxing seemed deep in thought.

"Enough!" Li Chunhua was fed up with her son. Had he handled this better, none of it would’ve happened.

But he was still her granddaughter’s father.

She pushed him toward the door. "Go to Yue Yi. She’s fragile after childbirth and will wake soon."

Eager to go, Yu Yonghuai dashed out in a flash, nearly tearing the curtain.

Li Chunhua pointed after him. "That idiot!"

Yet with the rumors debunked and her son cleared of wrongdoing, her heart lightened.

After years of hoping for a granddaughter among her sisters-in-law, her daughter-in-law had given her one. Soon, she’d cradle the soft little girl outdoors—the thought made her heart swell.

"Come, Mother! Let’s see the baby!" Li Chunhua urged Wei Pozi, unable to wait.

Here is the improved translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Wei Pozi chuckled heartily and agreed at once, "Let's go, let's go. Xingxing, come with us to see your niece!"

Xingxing temporarily pushed the matter of Zhao Yaoniang to the back of her mind and cheerfully agreed, "Okay, okay!"

Three generations of Yus—grandmother, parents, and children—all went to the baby girl's room.

The little girl's room was right next to the childbirth chamber. The nanny had already been arranged and was holding her while feeding her.

The little girl was extremely well-behaved, snuggled like a kitten in the nanny's arms as she drank her milk.

Wei Pozi, Li Chunhua, and Xingxing each found a spot, circling around the nanny to watch the little girl feed.

"Oh my, that nose—it's just like your sister-in-law's. She'll definitely grow up to be a beauty," Li Chunhua exclaimed excitedly, sharing her observation.

"Yes, yes! Auntie, look—doesn't the baby's mouth resemble yours?"

"It does, it really does!"

After confirming that Yu Yonghuai had not wronged Cen Yueyi, the gloomy atmosphere in the Yu household vanished completely, replaced by joyous celebration for the family's first baby girl besides Xingxing.

After Cen Yueyi and Yu Yonghuai resolved their misunderstanding, she looked much healthier and brighter.

In the end, the precious baby Cen Yueyi had given birth to was named "Miao," a suggestion from Xingxing, amid the family's enthusiastic participation in choosing a name.

On Miao Miao's third-day purification ceremony, Empress Nie, upon learning that the Yu family finally had another baby girl, specially gifted a golden ruyi-shaped lock (symbolizing good fortune) for the occasion.

The entire Yu family treasured Miao Miao dearly, cherishing her immensely.

This being her first time as an aunt, Xingxing was incredibly excited. She even wrote a letter to Wei Shiyan mentioning the news and drew a small portrait of Miao Miao sleeping, sending it along with the letter.

As a first-time aunt, and with Miao Miao being so beautiful and adorable, Xingxing was very serious about her new role. She didn't want anything to go wrong, so she secretly had someone follow Zhao Yaoniang for a while.

After all, according to her big brother, he had previously given Zhao Yaoniang a small fortune of five hundred taels. That sum was more than enough for a family to live comfortably. Yet Zhao Yaoniang still insisted on entering the Yu household—there might be some overlooked issue behind this.

The person Xingxing sent out kept watch for several days and indeed uncovered something.

It turned out that Zhao Yaoniang's parents had passed away long ago, and she had a younger brother who had developed a gambling addiction. The five hundred taels had already been squandered completely.

Worse still, the gambling-addicted brother had even targeted Zhao Yaoniang, planning to sell her to a pleasure house for money.

Zhao Yaoniang was desperate, which was why she wanted to enter the Yu family.

It sounded pitiful, but Xingxing felt not a shred of sympathy for her.

After all, Cen Yueyi's birth had been so dangerous—she had nearly lost both her and the baby!

Xingxing might have lost her sister-in-law and her adorable little niece forever!

Just because Zhao Yaoniang was pitiful, did that give her the right to harm another woman?

Her sister-in-law and little niece Miao Miao were completely innocent!

Xingxing truly couldn't muster any sympathy for someone like Zhao Yaoniang.

Sure enough, when Zhao Yaoniang's brother, Zhao Caisheng, tried to sell her off for money, Zhao Yaoniang once again ran to the Yu family's gate, hammering at the gates and wailing that during her supposed rescue of Yu Yonghuai, she had seen his body, compromising her virtue, and demanded that the Yu family do right by her!

Fortunately, Xingxing had already arranged for someone to follow Zhao Yaoniang and was prepared. Xingxing emerged from the manor with Zhao Ying, regarding Zhao Yaoniang coldly.

Zhao Yaoniang dropped to her knees with a thud before Xingxing: "Princess, please be my advocate! I'm also a daughter from a respectable family. Having seen your brother's bare skin, how could I marry anyone else? If your Yu family won't accept me, I'll have to hang myself from your gate with a rope!"

Xingxing looked at Zhao Yaoniang, her face expressionless.

Did Zhao Yaoniang deserve pity?

With such a brother, she did deserve pity.

But she could have openly sought the Yu family's help as their benefactor to overcome her troubles. Instead, she chose to do so by hurting others.

Xingxing would never help Zhao Yaoniang harm her sister-in-law.

Facing Zhao Yaoniang's tearful begging and bowing, Xingxing spoke calmly: "Fifty taels at Anxin Gambling House, one hundred at Qingfeng, eighty at Qichuan... am I right?"

Zhao Yaoniang shuddered violently.

The sums Xingxing named matched exactly what her brother owed those gambling dens!

She... she knew everything?!

Zhao Yaoniang hardened her resolve and wailed, "Princess, these debts aren't mine. I only wish to serve the general. Otherwise I'll die—"

Noticing the growing crowd, Zhao Yaoniang pretended to rush toward the stone lion at the Yu residence's gate, acting as if she meant to kill herself to prove her devotion!

Xingxing had positioned guards who immediately restrained her.

"I gave you a chance," Xingxing said, staring at Zhao Yaoniang. "Your brother's debts are a bottomless pit. I understand wanting escape. But your method is wrong."

Zhao Yaoniang shivered slightly but remained evasive. Her gaze darted as she lowered her head, sobbing, "Since you know, why not grant my wish? Let me enter your household to serve the general. You'd be saving my life. Where's the harm in that?"

Where's the harm in that?

Xingxing sneered.

As suspected, Zhao Yaoniang had no regard for her sister-in-law.

She assumed the Yu family would bow to her wishes.

Did she care who got hurt?

Not at all.

She was utterly selfish, concerned only with herself.

Xingxing felt completely cold toward her.

Meanwhile, onlookers who didn't know the whole truth saw Zhao Yaoniang's pretty face streaked with tears and took pity. They began urging: "Princess, this poor girl saved the Western Garrison General. Why not let him take her as a concubine?"

"Exactly! She's so beautiful—the general wouldn't be worse off!"

Amid the clamor, Zhao Yaoniang maintained her delicate weeping, but a glint of triumph showed in her eyes.

As if certain of victory.

Xingxing remained composed. She raised her hands toward the crowd: "True, this woman saved my brother. But his wounds were on his shoulder, arm, and calf. For her to claim she's now unmarriageable undervalues her own chastity. My brother's troops drill bare-chested every day. By her logic, any woman who happens to glance at them must wed them? If we allow this, what chaos would follow!"

The crowd thought about it—she had a point. If this were so, couldn't someone bare their chest and demand marriage from any witness?

That would mean complete chaos!

They certainly didn't want their own sisters or daughters to be tricked away so easily!

No, absolutely not!

Seeing the crowd fall silent, Xingxing spoke up clearly, "I know you all have good intentions, believing our family should repay Miss Zhao for saving my Big Brother's life. But what you may not know is that my Big Brother already gave Miss Zhao five hundred silver taels."

Five hundred taels!

The crowd gasped at the sum.

Well... the General of the Western Garrison was quite generous, wasn't he?

If this Miss Zhao had refused the money and insisted on marrying the general, that might have been understandable.

But to take the silver and still demand marriage... To put it bluntly, you can't have your cake and eat it too, can you?

The crowd's expressions toward Zhao Yaoniang turned displeased.

Zhao Yaoniang panicked and stammered, "No, I... that money, it... it never reached my hands..."

Xingxing nodded. "I know. The moment my Big Brother gave it to you, your gambling-addict brother took it, didn't he?"

Zhao Yaoniang's face paled.

The crowd murmured as understanding dawned.

Xingxing sighed, "But regardless, my Big Brother did give you that sum, correct? Your brother gambling it away is your family's affair. You can't seriously expect my Big Brother to guarantee that only your personal spending of that silver counts?"

The crowd burst into laughter.

Zhao Yaoniang was left speechless, her expression darkening.

Xingxing pressed on, "Moreover, you deliberately spread rumors to my late-term pregnant sister-in-law, triggering early labor that nearly killed both mother and child—a matter I've yet to settle with you. Now you show up threatening to kill yourself on our doorstep unless my Big Brother takes you in. Miss Zhao, do you think saving my Big Brother once means our Yu family owes you forever?"

As Xingxing spoke, the crowd started putting it together.

"Tsk tsk... Ohhh, now I get it!" someone called out. "There's a term for this—what was it? Oh yes, 'leveraging kindness for gain,' right?"