Yu Mingyue sneered, these were indeed things her fourth uncle would do.
In fact, she had only asked Li Fu to investigate her fourth uncle's affairs in Yuzhou to prevent her father and brother from leaving the capital.
But now, everything had taken an unexpected turn.
Her brother had just gone to war, and her father was demoted to the Jizhou Legion Commander. Her fourth uncle had sufficient reason to return to the capital.
However, her fourth uncle was ambitious but lacked talent and aimed too high. He would inevitably be exploited by schemers, just like in the storybooks where Su Wanqing was manipulated.
With her father and brother absent, she knew she couldn't turn the tide. If the fourth branch could remain peaceful, her father and brother would have no worries.
She had investigated before and found that the Censorate official, Lord Jiang, was responsible for inspecting the Yuzhou region. Since her fourth uncle didn't cherish his position as a Tongpan, he shouldn't keep it.
As for the Old Madam, she had harbored murderous intent towards her mother. She shouldn't blame her granddaughter for giving her a grand gift before she left the capital.
The addition of a new member to the Dingguo Duke's mansion should have been a joyous occasion, but now it was shrouded in gloom.
Although Madam Cui had passed the critical stage, she had nearly died giving birth and was severely weakened, requiring a long period of recuperation to return to her former self.
"I never expected that after Sixth Brother was born, our family would have to separate," Madam Cui's voice was choked with emotion.
But she knew she couldn't cry during her confinement, and she forced herself to hold back her tears.
"It's only temporary; we'll be back soon." Yu Zeyan said this, but he himself was not confident.
"Yes, you're right, soon." Madam Cui forced a smile.
She could drink some soup today, but the wound in her abdomen was too deep for her to move freely.
"Mother, you must take care of yourself first, so Father and Brother can have no worries." The Madam Cui in the storybooks was the first to leave her.
"Don't worry, Mother will."
Madam Cui glanced at the sleeping Little Jiu beside her. This was the child she had risked her life to give birth to; how could she let anything happen to herself?
Despite facing separation, the family shared a warm moment.
Just then, a piercing cry came from the courtyard entrance: "Dàláng, save your fourth brother."
Indeed, the Old Madam had learned that Yu Zeyou had been sentenced to one and a half years of exile for dereliction of duty, with permanent dismissal from office.
A year and a half of exile could be commuted by paying thirty catties of copper, but permanent dismissal meant the end of his official career.
She had been counting on her beloved youngest son to return to the capital to support her and allow her to exert her authority. Now, her hope was completely dashed. How could she not cry her heart out?
Yu Mingyue looked at her father, "Father, do you want to go and see?"
Yu Zeyou instructed the maids inside, "Take the Old Madam back carefully and tell her that the decree of the Sage cannot be changed by anyone."
The Old Madam had brought this upon herself, completely breaking her father's heart.
The Old Madam refused to leave and began to curse loudly at the entrance. Her voice soon faded, implying the departure was not a pleasant one.
The Old Madam was being held by Yun Feng and Yun He. They had just arrived at the Madam's courtyard, and the Duke had stated that they were only to serve the Madam from now on. If someone was causing trouble in the Madam's courtyard, it didn't matter who they were; they were to be removed.
The Old Madam's hair was disheveled, her tears had smudged her makeup, and streaks of powder marked her face, making her look particularly disheveled.
Even so, she did not forget to curse Yu Zeyou as unfilial, saying he was abandoning his own brother and would die a terrible death. She even cursed Madam Cui's newborn child to die young.
That day, the entire mansion heard the Old Madam's curses. Soon, people began to say that the Old Madam had likely lost her mind.
Yu Mingyue's guess was correct. At this moment, the Old Madam indeed thought of Yu Ze'en, the third branch's illegitimate son, whom she had always looked down upon and found easy to manipulate.