Yu Mingyue sat on the chair, her expression clearly unhappy. Did Brother Jiayan think she had done something wrong?
She hadn't intended to show off. If someone bullied her, was she supposed to just take it?
The Prime Minister's thinking was truly… unfathomable.
The next day, before they set off back to the capital, a eunuch from the imperial court came to deliver a message: the Sage summoned her.
Yu Mingyue had clearly not anticipated this. She thought that the matter of the Sage ordering the Feng family to compensate for the horse before he left yesterday was already settled.
Chi Dan was a little worried. Would there be any trouble with the Sage summoning her alone?
Yu Mingyue gave everyone a reassuring look. She couldn't refuse the summons, and besides, it might not be a bad thing.
"Your humble subject greets the Sage," Yu Mingyue bowed respectfully to the Sage.
Today, Yu Mingyue wore a layered skirt of cherry blossom green, and her hair was adorned with a flower bud tied with a ribbon of the same color, exuding a child's innocence and freshness.
"Rise," the Sage said in a deep voice, his emotions unreadable.
"Your humble subject thanks the Sage."
Yu Mingyue rose from the ground. The Sage remained silent, and she stood quietly, possessing a composure that could withstand the collapse of Mount Tai.
"You threw the horse's corpse before the Feng family's tent. If I hadn't happened to pass by and not intervened on your behalf, what would have been your plan?" The Sage's expression seemed relaxed, but his gaze was sharp.
"Replying to the Sage, your humble subject would have slain one of the Feng family's horses," Yu Mingyue replied without a hint of hesitation.
"Slay a horse?"
"My horse was a gift from my maternal uncle on my birthday. I cherished it dearly. I was innocent, and my horse was even more innocent. Naturally, I would slay one of the Feng family's horses to vent my anger." Yu Mingyue's young face was filled with righteous indignation, appearing to genuinely love her horse.
"But all of this was the fault of Madam Feng. Do you not blame her?"
Yu Mingyue pouted. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I do blame her. However, as the Analects say, 'The superior man is at ease; the mean man is perpetually uneasy.' Your humble subject wishes to emulate the Sage, but my horse is innocent, and I must seek justice for it."
Yu Mingyue's small face was furrowed, her expression extremely serious. Seeking justice for a horse was even more childish.
"The horse is indeed innocent!" The Sage laughed heartily, seemingly in good spirits. "Then, Sixth Daughter, do you think I punished them too harshly?"
Yu Mingyue's heart skipped a beat, but she dared not show it. Alas, the Sage was truly skilled at setting traps. She was just a child, after all.
"No, Your Majesty. My father says that all blessings, whether thunder or rain, come from the imperial grace, and whatever the Sage does is right. Moreover, Lord Feng should be grateful for the Sage's guidance. It's like my teacher; he doesn't teach just anyone. He values me, so he is willing to teach me. I believe the Sage has the same sentiment as my teacher." Yu Mingyue replied with a serious expression.
Hahaha!
The Sage's laughter grew louder. "Sixth Daughter speaks wisely!"
Seeing the Sage laugh, Yu Mingyue also began to smile, her two dimples becoming even more endearing.
The Sage was in a good mood and bestowed many gifts upon Yu Mingyue when she departed.
Although the Yu family was not lacking in such things, gifts from the imperial court were different.
Eunuch Zhang, seeing the Sage's good mood, dared to step forward and speak, "It has been a long time since we have all laughed like this."
"The Duke of Dingguo certainly knows how to raise his daughter," the Sage was very amiable at this moment.
"Sixth Daughter is indeed intelligent."
The Sage raised an eyebrow. "She is, after all, still a child."
Although the Sage said this, there was no hint of regret on his face.
"Yes!" Eunuch Zhang, having served the Sage for many years, could easily guess his thoughts.
To offend a general commanding military power over a single horse seemed like a bad deal. However, if it was a deliberate act to guess the Sage's intentions, then it was another matter entirely.
Fortunately, it was just a lucky guess. Otherwise, if a child were so intelligent as to fathom the Sage's mind, and could not be married into the imperial family… then her life would be in danger.