Yu Youyao returned to the Jade Courtyard and picked out a navy blue brocade from her box. She planned to embroider a seven-treasure brocade for her grandmother with a symbolic pattern, which was even simpler than the green bamboo pattern. With the experience of embroidering the green bamboo patterns, her embroidery this time indeed went much more smoothly.

Chun Xiao lifted the curtain and entered. She poured a cup of tea and handed it to Yu Youyao. “Fourth Miss is here to see you. She’s waiting in the reception pavilion.”

Yu Youyao put down her embroidery tool and gingerly pointed at her face with her finger. “She’s probably here to see my face. Look how badly I’ve been slapped by my father. I’m the eldest daughter of the first wife, but in the eyes of our father, I’m not even as favored as she is. She’s always been very smug about that.”

Chun Xiao’s expression didn’t look too good. “I’ll send her away.”

Yu Youyao laughed coldly. “In the past, I never bothered to argue with her. But today, she just had to provoke me when I happened to be feeling annoyed. Go, get a portrait of my mother.”

Chun Xiao did not understand what was going on, but she still turned around and went into the side room. She opened a wooden box, which was full of paintings of Madam Xie.

When she was young, Eldest Miss had cried for her mother constantly and couldn’t be coaxed no matter what. Old Madam had no choice but to get Second Madam, who was good at calligraphy, to draw many portraits of Madam Xie. Every time Eldest Miss looked at these portraits, she stopped crying. Even when she slept at night, the portraits had to be placed beside her pillow so that she could sleep soundly.

When she got older, Eldest Miss no longer cried and begged for her mother as much, but every time she missed her mother, she would look at them.

This box of portrait paintings was her most precious possession.

After taking one from the box, Chun Xiao returned.

Yu Youyao unfolded the scroll. In the painting, there was only a table and a chair. Madam Xie was dressed in a silver and red peony dress. She held a teacup and sat on the chair. Her long eyebrows were as beautiful as art, while her hair was long and thick. She looked elegant and charming.

Yu Youyao resembled her mother, but her eyes looked a little different.

Madam Xie’s phoenix eyes were longer and narrower, exuding elegance and a hint of shrewdness. On the other hand, Yu Youyao’s phoenix eyes were gentle and expressive, making her look even more charming.

Yu Youyao handed the portrait to Chun Xiao and instructed, “Hang it on the wall.”

Chun Xiao muttered to herself in confusion but did as she was told. Then, she heard Eldest Miss say evenly, “Go and invite Fourth Miss in.”

Chun Xiao was a little hesitant. “Young Mistress, Fourth Miss is up to no good. Just send her away. Why invite her into the house?”

Yu Youyao said calmly, “Do as I say.”

Chun Xiao had no choice but to agree. She turned and left the room. Yu Youyao asked Xia Tao to put away the embroidery basket. Although she had learned the double-sided embroidery technique, her embroidery skills were still too crass. It just wasn’t presentable, so it wouldn’t be good for Yu Qingning, who had exquisite embroidery skills, to see it. Otherwise, she would no doubt have to put up with condescension and mockery once again.

“Big Sis, you’ve been busy learning from Nanny Xu, so I haven’t seen you in a few days.” As soon as Yu Qingning entered the house, her gaze landed on Yu Youyao’s swollen face. The gloating in her eyes could not be concealed.

Nanny Liu had specially warned against spreading of the incidents in the residence yesterday, so it was kept hushed very well. Still, there was no way to have kept it from Concubine He.

Big Sister had indeed been slapped by her father.

Before Yu Youyao could speak, Yu Qingning exclaimed, “Big Sister, why is your face so red and swollen? What happened?”

As she spoke, Yu Qingning’s eyes gradually turned red. Soon, tears welled up in her eyes, as if she was the one who had been hit.

Large drops of tears flowed out of Yu Youyao’s eyes, streaming down her cheeks and to her sharp chin. Her fragile and helpless appearance looked heart-wrenching even to someone with a heart of stone.

It was rare for her to cry so pitifully, so Yu Qingning almost laughed aloud on the spot. She quickly covered the smile on her face with a handkerchief. “Big Sister, don’t cry. Father has always been strict with us sisters. He didn’t mean to hit you. In the future, you have to attend classes with us. Father will definitely forgive you…”

When Yu Youyao heard this, she raised her tear-stained face and looked at Yu Qingning. Word by word, she asked, “How do you know I was slapped by Father?”

Yu Qingning was stunned for a moment before she stammered, “I-I just happened to hear from a servant and I was worried about you, so I specially came to visit.”

Yu Youyao laughed grimly as she continued to tear. “The servants had been dismissed when Father came to the Jade Courtyard. Which servant did you hear this from?”

Yu Qingning was stumped for words, and did not know how to answer.

The Jade Courtyard was under Nanny Xu’s strict supervision, so it wasn’t easy to get information or news about the place. Furthermore, what happened yesterday was even more tightly kept under wraps.

It was just that her mother had heard a little about it from their father last night.

Yu Youyao’s eyelashes were wet with tears, and her gaze was cold. “I had indeed been slapped by Father, but it was just a misunderstanding and he had hit me by mistake. Seeing as how you started talking about this the moment you came over, I’m afraid you’re not here to visit me, but to laugh at me!”

As soon as she heard this, Yu Qingning knew she was in trouble. “Big Sis, I-I was just worried about you, so I came to see you. I didn’t mean anything else…”

In the past, her father often lectured and scolded Yu Youyao. She naturally believed that Yu Youyao had done something wrong and angered her father again, which was why she had been hit. Who would have known that it was a wrongful slap?

Yu Qingning was in disbelief!

Immediately, Yu Youyao slammed her teacup down and covered her face as she wailed. She pointed at the portrait on the wall. “It’s true that I don’t have a mother, but that doesn’t mean everyone can step over my head. Go and kowtow three times to my mother’s portrait.”

Yu Qingning glanced at the wall and saw Madam Xie’s sharp brows. Instantly, she was frightened and instinctively took a step back.

Yu Youyao was crying so hard that she was out of breath. Then, she lost her temper. “Y-you, why are you still standing there? My mother was Father’s first wife, and she’s your legitimate First Mother. Is it wrong to ask you to kowtow to her? Could it be that you feel wronged having to kowtow to her? Yu Qingning, do you have no regard for her anymore? I’m going to tell Grandmother that you don’t honor my mother and that you’ve been disrespectful to her.”

At this point, Yu Qinging had no choice even if she was unwilling. If she really ended up with the reputation of disrespecting her late First Mother, she would have to bear severe consequences.

She gritted her teeth angrily and went forward to kneel on the ground. She kowtowed three times perfunctorily, but just as she was about to get up, she heard Yu Youyao say coldly, “Although my mother is dead, I won’t allow a concubine’s daughter to patronize her. Do it again.”

Yu Qingning’s eyes turned red with anger. “Yu Youyao, don’t push it.”

Yu Youyao stopped crying. A teardrop that looked like it was about to fall hung onto her lower eyelid. She said icily, “You’re the one being disrespectful. How dare you talk about being reasonable. Why don’t we go to Grandmother’s house and ask for her opinion on this?”