Chapter 15: A knife over the heart, I must endure
When Yi Ping heard what Old General Mu said, she almost fell backwards in a daze. What did he mean by saying it's no big deal!? Is only your granddaughter precious while my face means nothing? Are you implying that I deserve to be scratched? On top of that, I mustn't hold a grudge against Zi You?
Zi You looked at Yi Ping with an expression that said she felt wronged by Yi Ping.
When Madam Liu saw Zi You's expression, she couldn't help but interject, "Sister-in-law, why don't you forgive You'er? She didn't do it on purpose. Besides, look at how sad she looks. Her face is as white as a sheet of paper."
Hearing this, Yi Ping was so frustrated her heart ached from suppressed emotions. Faking a smile, Yi Ping comforted Zi You, "You'er, mother doesn't blame you. Don't feel sad. Come on, stop crying. Seeing you cry makes my heart ache."
After uttering those words, Yi Ping couldn't bear consoling Zi You any longer and quickly retreated to her own courtyard. Once the doors were closed Yi Ping started smashing all the vases in her room. When she was done, she laid on her bed and started crying.
Yi Ping's husband was not present, so there was no one to support or comfort her when she was being bullied. Even back home at the Prime Minister's estate, her father's legal wife did not treat her well. If it wasn't for the fact that her legal mother wanted her to marry that old Civil Minister as a mistress, she would not have plotted to marry Ying Rui and become his new wife.
(TL: Just a note, all the children supposed to call the legal wife mother. The child of a mistress, can only call their birth mother Yi Niang. In private however, some of them do address their birth mother as mother.)
Originally, Yi Ping's father doted on her birth mother and thus treated Yi Ping with care and concern. However, ever since the young and gorgeous Tenth Yi Niang entered the family, the way her father treated her birth mother changed for the worst. Otherwise, with Yi Ping's family's backing, the General's estate would've treated her with more care.
However, even if Yi Ping's father doted on her, he wouldn't have the imprudence to offend Old General Mu, who held control of the army of Great Yan, just for her. Moreover, her father may look impressive on the surface; in fact, their family had fallen. He held the image of an important official, but really had no power. They did not possess actual authority. How could they compare to Old General Mu who had the trust of the emperor?
The only thing Yi Ping could do now was endure. Endure till her husband came home. Endure till Old General Mu passed away. First things first, Yi Ping had to gain control of the household finance.
Enduring was not easy. How was Yi Ping suppose to placate that little brat Zi You so that she would listen to her? Only when Zi You became willing to stand up for Yi Ping would her life in the General's estate improve.
Yi Ping laid in bed, deep in thought for the entire night. The next morning, Yi Ping sported prominent dark circles around her eyes. Even after pondering for so long, she only managed to come up with a lousy idea.
Meanwhile, Zi You moved out of Yi Ping's place and settled at her Grandfather's to learn martial arts.
Because of her spiritual powers, Zi You made vast improvements in her martial arts. Her inner strength especially benefited from the training. The progress she made within half a year could be compared to the progress an average person made in five to six years.
Young Zi You's body was light as a sparrow. Her inner strength had a solid foundation. Even her movement skills were superior to others. Now, flying over eaves and running on rooftops were like child's play to her. Old General Mu was extremely pleased with Zi You's progress.
On the surface however, Old General Mu did not express his joy. He held high standards for Zi You.
Every night, Zi You practiced martial arts with her grandfather. During the day, she would learn music, chess, art, dance and virtue. Any extra time she had was spent studying medicine.
Zi You also took the time to repair and rebuild the almost deserted Hundred Herb Garden her mother left her. Luckily, all the flowers, plants, herbs her mother had left were still alive. Even that spirit snake-Wei Sha Li was still there.
In her previous life, she was convinced into chasing Wei Sha Li away and closing the Hundred Herb Garden by Yi Ping. Slowly, all living things in the garden started dying. They included many expensive herbs that could not be bought even with money in Great Yan.
Also, Zi You made a new discovery. Her sense of smell, sight and memory had improved. All the books and things that she saw, it was almost impossible to forget them. Even the herbs or scent she smelled, she'd be able to recall and identify them from scent alone as long as she'd gotten a whiff of it before.
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