Yu Mingyue turned to Yu Zenning again. "Second Uncle,"
Yu Zenning sat up straighter, nodding repeatedly. "Yes, yes."
"Second Uncle, shouldn't a child's marriage be discussed with their wife first? Marriage has always been decided by parents. Second Aunt is Second Sister's legitimate mother. How could Second Uncle discuss Second Sister's marriage with a concubine? If Second Uncle respected his legitimate wife, would Second Aunt have made such a fuss with you?"
Zhao Shi's eyes reddened. Indeed, Yu Zenning never took her seriously.
"This... Second Uncle was wrong." Yu Zenning admitted his mistake.
"Second Aunt always puts on a tough act but has a soft heart. In the end, she just cares too much about Second Uncle. If Second Uncle cannot balance his household between his wife and concubines, how can he manage affairs at the yamen?"
"Now that Father is gone, Second Uncle should be the pillar of the Duke's mansion. But what have you done?"
Yu Zenning felt ashamed. Yes, how could he face his elder brother like this? His elder brother had even instructed him to take good care of Sixth Daughter before he left. He, as the elder, was making Sixth Daughter worry.
"Does Second Uncle still intend to divorce Second Aunt?" Yu Mingyue seized the opportunity to ask.
Yu Zenning glanced at Zhao Shi. She was disheveled, her hair unbound, her eyes swollen. Compared to her usual assertiveness, she looked pitiable.
In fact, Zhao Shi had been a beauty in her youth; otherwise, he wouldn't have been attracted to her.
"Forget it. A wife who has shared hardships should not be cast aside. As long as she doesn't act unreasonably in the future," Yu Zenning sighed.
"As the legitimate wife, Second Aunt should also consider the bigger picture. If such matters were to spread, not only Eldest Sister, but all the young ladies of the Duke's mansion would be subject to gossip."
"I... I was driven mad by anger. I won't do it again," Zhao Shi rubbed her handkerchief.
"Does Eldest Sister truly love that eldest son of the Li family? If she is determined to marry only him, let Second Uncle decide and arrange your marriage to the eldest son of the Li family, how about it?" Yu Mingyue looked at Yu Miaoyan, who was hiding behind Zhao Shi.
Yu Miaoyan's cheeks turned red with suppressed emotion. "Who wants to marry him!"
"If that's the case, why did you instigate Second Aunt and Second Uncle to quarrel? Is this the filial piety you should show as a child? Breaking up your parents' marriage and damaging the family's reputation, what good does it do you!" Yu Mingyue was no longer polite to Yu Miaoyan.
Ultimately, Yu Miaoyan had instigated this whole affair. Zhao Shi doted on her daughter too much, which led to this situation.
"I didn't expect it to turn out like this."
She thought that by causing such a scene, Second Daughter's marriage would be called off. She never expected her father to write a letter of divorce to dismiss her mother, and she was terrified.
"What is your brain for? Before you do anything, can you use your brain to consider the consequences? There are so many handsome young men outside. Don't just covet what your sisters have. What good comes from infighting among sisters? Aren't the precedents of the Yao family's eldest daughter and third daughter enough for you to learn from?"
Yu Miaoyan's face turned pale. No one knew better than her about the struggles between the Yao family's daughters.
"Think carefully. If you encounter difficulties, who can you turn to? Who will help you? The Yu family is one entity; we prosper together and suffer together. The family's glory is limited. Once it's depleted, it's gone, and the family will naturally cease to exist. From now on, under my watch, internal strife among siblings will absolutely not be tolerated. If there is a next time, I will not be lenient."
"I have said all I need to say. You should reflect on yourselves behind closed doors. Once you have figured things out, then come out. If you haven't, I will arrange for people to escort Second Uncle and Second Aunt back to their hometown."
After Yu Mingyue finished speaking, she rose from her seat. The three people in the room looked at each other, their expressions somewhat panicked, but no one dared to stop Yu Mingyue.
As Yu Mingyue stepped out, she saw Yu Erlang standing in the corridor. Yu Mingyue nodded slightly. "Second Brother."
"Thank you for your trouble today, Sixth Sister," Yu Mingchuan said, too ashamed to lift his head.