Touya Yaoyao

For the first time in a long time, General Yu called Yu Yaoyao and asked her to come to the old house.

Yu Yaoyao had always been extremely respectful and accommodating to the person who had almost changed her destiny. So early in the morning, Yu Yaoyao asked Ye Qishi to take her to the Yu family's old residence.

According to Ye Qishi's own thoughts, his grandfather must have called Yu Yaoyao over because Yu Yaoyao had done something wrong. He originally wanted to go in and help dissuade her, but was ruthlessly driven away by General Yu's men.

Therefore, even though he was worried, he dared not stay at the Yu family's old house for long. He could only linger outside the old house, unwilling to leave.

General Yu didn't take his actions to heart, but looked at Yu Yaoyao with a complicated expression.

This child was the one he brought back years ago, and it was also the one he ordered his daughter to adopt. Now, so many years have passed, it would be a lie to say that he has no feelings for her at all.

So, looking at Yu Yaoyao kneeling obediently on the prayer mat, he remained silent for a long time before asking with a sigh:

"Do you know why I made you kneel?!"

In response, Yu Yaoyao lowered her eyes, took a deep breath, and then spoke:

"I was the one who said the prince's disappearance was related to the Elders' Council."

Her calm demeanor suggested she had anticipated this, causing General Yu to pause in surprise for a second before sighing and saying softly:

"We, as subjects, should not interfere in the affairs of the royal family."

Yu Yaoyao didn't speak, but her back remained straight. She looked at the memorial tablets in front of her, silent, and then suddenly asked:

"Grandpa, do you think it's okay to be kidnapped?!"

Upon hearing this, General Yu was stunned. He subconsciously frowned and rebuked him:

"What nonsense are you talking about?!"

Even though General Yu was all bark and no bite, Yu Yaoyao remained unmoved and even questioned him:

"Isn't that right? The prince was kidnapped when he was nine years old and his fate was unknown for half a month. If he hadn't been lucky, he probably wouldn't have been able to come back alive. Is this just something to talk about casually for Grandpa?"

Upon hearing this, General Yu was stunned. He stared blankly at Yu Yaoyao's stubborn expression, sighed, and shook his head, saying:

"In royal power struggles, it's best for a subject not to interfere too much."

Upon hearing General Yu's sigh, Yu Yaoyao instinctively clutched the hem of her clothes, and said with a hint of sarcasm and even disappointment:

"It seems that Your Majesty, in the eyes of your subjects, is indeed just an object that can be easily replaced."

Upon hearing this, General Yu was immediately enraged. He looked at Yu Yaoyao with disbelief and couldn't help but warn her:

"What nonsense are you spouting?! Yu Yaoyao, how could you say such things so casually?"

"Why can't I say it?!"

As Yu Yaoyao spoke, she looked directly into General Yu's eyes and questioned him without fear:

"Her only son was kidnapped and his whereabouts are unknown. The ministers she thought she could rely on turned a blind eye, citing the internal strife of the royal family as a reason for their indifference. She doesn't even have a single person she can trust or entrust with important responsibilities. I don't know if this is Her Majesty's tragedy, or... the tragedy of her ministers."

Whether it was because Yu Yaoyao had seen through his act or not, General Yu pointed at Yu Yaoyao with a face full of anger and said indignantly:

"What do you know?! Anyone who gets involved in royal infighting, not only me, but my entire family will..."

Before General Yu could finish speaking, Yu Yaoyao interrupted and questioned him:

"So, we just stand by and watch His Majesty be humiliated? So, we just stand by and watch His Majesty be dethroned? So, we just stand by and watch a nine-year-old child die? So, we just watch as the Zhao Kingdom is controlled by someone else?"

After saying this, she laughed, a laugh tinged with mockery, contempt, and even a touch of melancholy, as she whispered:

"To be honest, you ministers should be thankful that not just anyone can be emperor of Zhao Kingdom. Otherwise, if you were to encounter a foolish ruler, the country would fall into ruin, territory would be lost, and it would not be Your Majesty who would suffer the consequences."

These words infuriated General Yu so much that he jumped up and down in a fit of rage, retorting angrily.

"What nonsense are you talking about?!"

Yu Yaoyao felt only chills at General Yu's anger, so much so that she closed her eyes and murmured to herself:

"Is this really just nonsense?! Why do you think it's so difficult for the emperor of Zhao to ascend the throne?! Why do you think the emperors of Zhao are chosen based on merit?! Do you really think those emperors of Zhao don't want to pass the throne to their most beloved sons?!"

These few words left General Yu speechless, while Yu Yaoyao gave a mocking smile and whispered:

"They wanted to, but they had no choice. It was a rule set by their ancestors, and they could only follow it. In fact, if it weren't for this rule, any prince could be sitting on the throne and holding all the power."

General Yu remained silent, staring blankly at Yu Yaoyao, unsure how to respond. Yu Yaoyao gave a self-deprecating smile, her expression filled with grief, indignation, and humiliation.

“From the first emperor to the present, the Zhao Kingdom royal family has been passed down for countless generations. They have only had a maximum of two children in their lifetime. This move not only reduces the expenses of the Zhao Kingdom royal family, but also reduces the taxes that the people of Zhao Kingdom have to pay.”

She paused here, her eyes filled with melancholy, and said softly:

"Before the founding of the Zhao Kingdom, the royal family consisted of three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines, numerous offspring, and surrounded by beauties. Life and death were entirely at the mercy of His Majesty's word. Hence the saying, 'When the ruler is worried, the ministers toil; when the ruler is humiliated, the ministers die.' But now, His Majesty's safety is nothing more than a word to his ministers: 'The internal strife of the royal family is something ministers should not interfere with too much.' Is this His Majesty's tragedy, or yours?"

Whose tragedy is it really?! Yu Yaoyao didn't know. All she knew was that on Earth, the person who refused to eat meat became emperor, the emperor who killed Yue Fei on trumped-up charges, the person who forced loyal ministers to their deaths, and ultimately caused the destruction of his country and family, became emperor.

Frequent wars, four fires, a thousand miles without the crowing of roosters, ten thousand miles without grass or trees—compared to the Zhao Kingdom, how fortunate it was!

But who would cherish it?! No one, not a single person?! So, she felt sad and angry.

"If princes can be kidnapped, then emperors can be kidnapped too, right?! If emperors can be kidnapped, then ministers can be kidnapped too, right?! Whether they kill someone or not is just a matter of their whim, whether they live or die is just a matter of their word. It's just that the blade hasn't fallen on you ministers, so it doesn't matter."

Yu Yaoyao continued to whisper, her voice tinged with helplessness and even self-mockery:

"But, General, there's a saying I don't know if you've heard before: If His Majesty can go through this, how far away can it be for you?! His Majesty works diligently to protect the entire Zhao Kingdom, but you haven't shared his burdens. When His Majesty is truly gone, General, are you really sure that the next person to be kidnapped and killed won't be you, your descendants, or even your entire clan?!"

To be honest, General Yu hadn't really thought of this, or rather, from his perspective, such a thing would never happen. After all, what did the internal strife within the royal family have to do with them, his ministers?

To put it bluntly, no matter who sits in that position changes, to these ministers, it's just a change of name. As long as they work diligently, it doesn't matter whether the emperor changes or not!

Ultimately, these people are too inexperienced, spoiled by the royal family, unaware of the wickedness of human nature, and even unable to distinguish between good and evil!

That makes sense. Every emperor of Zhao Kingdom has been diligent and conscientious, so there has never been any political infighting. Naturally, these ministers, who have never experienced anything like this, have somewhat naive ideas.

Naïveness has its advantages, but it also has its disadvantages. Therefore, there are some things that need to be known to this group of people.

After saying all that, Yu Yaoyao didn't want to say anything more, and General Yu couldn't help but sigh as he looked at her with her eyes closed in rest.

This child, though young, always views things in an overly extreme way; it's probably because of his youth that he has these thoughts.

How could she know that the intricacies of the Zhao Kingdom's royal family were beyond the control of their ministers? Protecting themselves was the most important thing; as for the rest, let fate decide.

The two, who had different ideas, both tacitly felt that the other's idea was absurd. As for whose idea was correct, only time would tell.

Whether this answer is what they want is a matter of opinion.