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Capítulo 76

"He has a crush on your mother?" Xue Beifan suddenly asked.

Youyou's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know?"

"It's not hard to guess. So, the Imperial Advisor's hatred stemmed from love?"

"Not entirely. He and the head steward have a somewhat ambiguous relationship."

Xiao Dao blinked. "He likes men?"

Xue Beifan looked up at the sky helplessly, "The head steward is a woman."

Xiao Dao opened his mouth wide, "Aren't all chief stewards eunuchs?"

"Who told you that?" Chonghua and Hao Jinfeng asked her in unison.

"A storyteller!"

After a long silence, everyone shook their heads.

"The Grand Steward is Mother's trusted and beloved general. She has been by her side for many years and is a great beauty, but she has never married. It is said that she has been secretly in love with the Imperial Advisor for many years."

"The relationship is so complicated!" Xiao Dao stroked his chin. "Logically speaking, these two have had plenty of opportunities to rebel, so why didn't they do it sooner but chose now? Is there something special about this timing?"

“I don’t know the specifics, but my mother had a fight with the Imperial Advisor before she left.” Youyou sighed, resting her chin on her hand. “I always thought they were trustworthy elders, so this feeling of being deceived is terrible. Luckily, my mother’s guards were loyal and rescued me, switching me with Yao Duo and taking me out of the Ghost City.”

"Then what happened to your injuries?" Hao Jinfeng asked. "If you didn't do anything wrong, who hit you?"

Youyou pursed her lips. "The rules of the Imperial Guard are very strict. Anyone who makes a mistake and is expelled will be severely whipped. I endured it because I was afraid of being found out, but it still hurt quite a bit."

Everyone frowned. Youyou, a princess, was quite calm after suffering such hardship. She was not delicate at all.

Seeing the pity on everyone's faces, Youyou smiled sheepishly. "Speaking of which, my mother was right. When I was little, she made me do chores and practice martial arts. I often ate and lived with the maids. I was also scolded and beaten by her, so everyone says I'm not spoiled at all." As she spoke, she scratched her head. "That might be my only good point."

"Sigh." Hao Jinfeng shook his head. "Girl, don't make yourself suffer like this. You have many good qualities."

Xue Beifan crossed his arms and moved closer to him, asking with a smile, "For example?"

Hao Jinfeng, looking quite serious and methodical, asked, "She doesn't really have any major flaws, does she?"

Everyone was taken aback. Xiao Dao nodded with a smirk, "That's right."

"I'm so ugly, people often say I'm a disgrace to my mother," Youyou muttered.

"Really? You're quite good-looking." Hao Jinfeng said smugly, defending Youyou. "As long as a girl has regular features, that's enough. I think she's pretty good."

Youyou blushed deeply with embarrassment and looked away shyly.

Xiao Dao was delighted and went to Hao Jinfeng's side, where he and Xue Beifan looked at him from the left and right.

"Brother, what kind of woman do you think is beautiful, and what kind of woman is not?" Xiao Dao asked with interest.

"Hmm." Hao Jinfeng thought for a moment, "You, Miss Xiaoyue, and Miss Youyou are all quite pretty."

Youyou smiled wryly, looked at Xiaodao and then at Xiaoyue, "Both of you are stunningly beautiful, I think I'll pass."

Hao Jinfeng frowned. "What's the difference? They're all young girls, each with their own unique features, tall or short, fat or thin. Different kinds of rice feed different kinds of people, so why feel ashamed of yourself?!"

Xue Beifan laughed heartily, putting one hand on Hao Jinfeng's shoulder, "Hey, big brother, what you said makes sense."

"Of course!" Hao Jinfeng patted his chest. "My dad always said, 'Your mother is one of the most beautiful women in the world, and she still fell for a fool like me. Look, my mother didn't even deserve a peerless handsome man!'"

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Dao raised his hand and slapped him on the head, "Don't talk nonsense."

Hao Jinfeng scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, "That's true, I just can't stand people who judge others by their appearance."

"Didn't your father marry the prettiest woman back then?" Xue Beifan asked, arms crossed. "Everyone has a love for beauty."

“But my mother and father got married and had children, and then she ran off with my sister. None of that had anything to do with whether she was pretty or not.” Hao Jinfeng kept shaking his head, encouraging Youyou, “Silly girl, don’t listen to those people who judge by appearance. You’re pretty, you know?!”

Youyou stared blankly at Hao Jinfeng, and finally, blushing, nodded, "Mmm!"

Seeing that the disappointment on her face had disappeared and she seemed to have regained her confidence, Hao Jinfeng was satisfied. He looked at Xiaodao with a smug expression, as if to say, "Your older brother's got a knack for comforting people, doesn't he?"

Xiao Dao and Xue Beifan sighed helplessly as they watched Youyou blushing and secretly glancing at Hao Jinfeng.

Xue Beifan suddenly whispered to Xiaodao, "It's a pity, it would be great if you had another older brother."

Xiao Dao's mind was still on Hao Jinfeng and Youyou, and he didn't immediately understand what he meant. Look at him.

"Tsk, then your eldest brother is Hao Er, isn't he?" Xue Beifan grinned mischievously, holding up two fingers. "Second brother has been chosen by someone, congratulations!"

The knife amused him, so he kicked him lightly and casually remarked, "You're the one who's really stupid!"

Hao Jinfeng suddenly turned around, looking puzzled. "How do you know my nickname?"

Everyone covered their mouths...

The rest of the afternoon, Youyou kept clinging to Xiaodao, asking her about Hao Jinfeng. Her eyes were practically sparkling with desire, obvious to anyone except Hao Jinfeng, of course. Xiaodao remembered her mother's often-repeated saying, "Being a little foolish makes happiness come more easily." Indeed, fools are often blessed... But then Xiaodao glanced out the window at Hao Jinfeng, who was intently practicing his sword—her older brother must be incredibly oblivious in this regard, right?

Later that evening, everyone ate dinner together in the courtyard. Just as the steaming noodles were served, Chonghua, who had gone out to inquire about the news, rushed back. He looked anxious and went to Xue Beifan's side. "Someone deliberately spread the news that your elder brother is not dead. They're just playing tricks and have other motives."

Xue Beifan frowned slightly and nodded, "It was probably Xue Xing who spread the word."

"What should we do?" Chonghua was very nervous for some reason.

Xue Beifan just smiled and waved his hand, "It's nothing."

Seeing that the news had really spread, Xiao Dao felt a little uneasy—not so much because he was worried about Xue Beihai, that big liar, but because he was more concerned that Xue Beifan would be implicated. As for why he was worried about this annoying guy he always talked about, Xiao Dao didn't think too deeply about it.