The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"So, what does His Majesty mean...?" Master Yu couldn't hide his excitement. Did this mean that with the Emperor's support, it would be easier for him to find a way to get rid of this marriage?

Master Yu was looking forward to it. He had always rejected the Prince of Donglin's method, but now that the Emperor was in charge, things would be much easier!

However, he did not expect that what Eunuch Qin said next would hit him like a ton of bricks!

Eunuch Qin frowned slightly. With no one around, he made no attempt to hide his intentions and said loudly, "Master Yu, His Majesty's intention is that if there is no bride, then the marriage will be called off!"

Master Yu was slightly taken aback. After digesting what Eunuch Qin had said and understanding the Emperor's meaning, he was struck dumb, his face turning pale.

"Eunuch Qin, this...is there some mistake?" Eunuch Qin's words kept echoing in Master Yu's mind. He understood what he meant, but he couldn't believe it. The bride was gone? Was the Emperor going to order Ling'er's death?

Seeing Master Yu's reaction, Eunuch Qin remained unperturbed and said in a shrill voice, "Master Yu, you are a smart man. The Emperor does not want to see the Yu family and the Feng family together. This is the best way to resolve this arranged marriage."

“But…Eunuch Qin, as you know, the Yu family only has one daughter, Ling’er. How can we…” Master Yu frowned. In a large family like theirs, the role of a daughter is sometimes even greater than that of a man.

Back then, he married his eldest daughter to the King of Donglin. From that moment on, he had been secretly supporting the King of Donglin. He knew about the King of Donglin's ambition. Although he had no right to inherit the throne, there are always exceptions, aren't there?

The Donglin King's mother's family was not particularly powerful. He was planning that if the Donglin King were to inherit the throne one day, his daughter would become the empress, and the Yu family would rise to prominence.

However, he did not expect that his eldest daughter would die in childbirth not long after marrying the King of Donglin. But his plan was not abandoned because of this. He wanted to support the King of Donglin. If there was no woman by the King of Donglin’s side to protect the Yu family, there would be endless troubles in the future. Now, the Yu family only has Ling’er as their daughter. Her existence is to balance the relationship between the King of Donglin and the Yu family in the future. If Yu Ling’er is gone, then no matter who the Yu family supports, it will not be of decisive benefit to the Yu family.

But how could the Emperor order Ling'er to commit suicide?

Eunuch Qin chuckled, "Master Yu, you should think this through. The Emperor's actions are actually merciful. He wanted to openly and fairly destroy this marriage, and now the bride is gone. Isn't this a good thing for the entire Yu family? Does Master Yu want to sacrifice the whole Yu family?"

Master Yu froze, his expression turning even more flustered. He stared intently at Eunuch Qin. The Emperor… Yes, either Ling'er is gone, or the Yu family is gone.

"Master Yu, His Majesty also said that you should weigh the pros and cons yourself. His Majesty's only goal is to prevent Miss Yu Ling'er from marrying General Feng. Let's see if you choose to sacrifice one person to save the entire Yu family, or to plunge the whole family into dire straits!" After saying this, Eunuch Qin chuckled coldly and continued, "Master Yu, think this over carefully. The deadline His Majesty gave is tomorrow. We'll hear from the Yu family tomorrow. I have many things to attend to in the palace. I've been waiting here for so long. If I don't go back soon and delay His Majesty's other instructions, I really don't know whether I or Master Yu will be implicated."

As he spoke, Eunuch Qin nodded to Master Yu, gave him a deep look, and strode toward the entrance of the hall. By the time Master Yu came to his senses, Eunuch Qin had already left. Master Yu wanted to see him off, but the news he had just received kept echoing in his mind. His feet stood there as if rooted to the spot, unable to move.

As soon as Eunuch Qin stepped out the door, he caught a glimpse of a figure who quickly took a step back. The person seemed to be trying to avoid him, but he still couldn't escape Eunuch Qin's eyes. Eunuch Qin glanced at the person and recognized him as Madam Yu. Seeing her slightly panicked expression, Eunuch Qin knew that Madam Yu must have overheard his conversation with Master Yu in the room.

Eunuch Qin didn't say much. He listened and that was that. Anyway, he had already conveyed the matter to the Yu family. He smiled and nodded to the flustered Madam Yu before continuing on his way.

Madam Yu watched Eunuch Qin leave until he was completely out of sight. Remembering what she had overheard, she dismissed her maids and hurried into the hall. Seeing Master Yu's worried face, her brow furrowed deeply. "Master," she said, "what should we do? The Emperor… he wants Ling'er's life! How can this be? We've already lost one daughter; we absolutely cannot let Ling'er lose her life too."

Master Yu glanced at Madam Yu and couldn't help but sigh, "If it weren't for Ling'er, how could our Yu family have gotten into such trouble?"

Master Yu is now in a complete mess. Even though he is usually a shrewd person, he can't figure things out at this moment. Thinking about all the things that have happened, he can't help but find it funny.

The King of Donglin truly lives up to his reputation as a father and son. How different are the King of Donglin's ideas from the Emperor's will?

However, he had to admit that, from the perspective of the Yu family's long-term interests, the Eastern King's method was clearly much more advantageous.

However… Master Yu glanced at Madam Yu, whose brows were deeply furrowed, and the color in his eyes changed repeatedly.

"Master, please think of a way! Ling'er is still our daughter. Are we just going to watch her die?" Madam Yu grabbed Master Yu's sleeve anxiously. At this moment, she desperately wanted to find some peace of mind from Master Yu. Since childhood, her youngest daughter had been her most beloved. Although it was Ling'er's fault that this happened, she did not intentionally bring these troubles upon herself.

In her eyes, it seemed that everything Yu Ling'er did could be forgiven.

Master Yu's already furrowed brows deepened. After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice, "What can we do? This time, our Yu family must use a funeral to avoid this matter. Otherwise, it will mean the destruction of the entire Yu family. Madam, do you understand?"

Madam Yu was slightly taken aback, then closed her eyes in anguish. "What should I do? What should I do?"

"Madam, you don't need to think too much about this. Perhaps this is Ling'er's fate, the fate of our Yu family." Master Yu held Madam Yu's hand and said softly, but the more he said this, the heavier Madam Yu's heart became.

"Master..." Madam Yu frowned, wanting to say something, but when she opened her mouth, she didn't know where to start. Even the master was so worried about this matter and didn't know what to do. As a woman, even if she wanted to share the burden of the Yu family, what could she do?