The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Madam Yu finally sighed. After listening to Master Yu's words, she left the hall, but her mind was still preoccupied with Yu Ling'er's matter. Her brows remained furrowed, and she stayed in her room with a worried expression until evening. When the maid brought her the stewed soup, Madam Yu seemed to remember something and frowned. "Where is Master? Did Master eat dinner?"

The maid replied, "Reporting to Madam, I just heard from the cook that the food sent to the master was returned untouched by him. The steward said that since Madam returned to her room today, the master has locked himself in his study and hasn't come out at all! He hasn't even touched the tea that was brought in."

As the maid spoke, Madam Yu's worried expression deepened. She glanced at the soup on the table, stood up, and instructed the maid, "Bring this soup over and come with me to the study."

The maid understood that the lady wanted to send the soup to the master, so she didn't say anything. She followed the lady's instructions, served the soup, and followed behind her.

In the study of the Yu residence, Madam Yu arrived at the door and was about to knock when she heard two people talking inside. When she heard Master Yu mention the name "Ling'er," Madam Yu's hand, which was about to knock, instinctively paused. She stood silently outside the door, listening to the conversation between Master Yu and the steward...

“Since Master cannot abandon Miss Ling’er, then we have no choice but to accept the suggestion of the Prince of Donglin.” The steward frowned. He could see the master’s dilemma in this matter, but he also vaguely knew that the master’s final decision would only be based on the interests of the Yu family. As for his current dilemma, it was nothing more than reluctance and inner conflict.

"How can this be?" Master Yu raised his voice. "She is my wife!"

Madam Yu, standing outside the door, froze, her mind filled with even more doubt. What exactly was this so-called proposal from the King of Donglin?

Just as they were wondering, the steward's voice came again, "Master, this old servant is terrified. How could this old servant not understand this? However, when faced with two evils, we must choose the lesser. What the Emperor wants is for the marriage between our Yu family and General Feng to fall through. Miss Ling'er is still young, and if she were to lose her life, the loss to the Yu family would be enormous. As for Madam... Madam loves Miss Ling'er so much. This old servant thinks that even if Madam's spirit in heaven knew this in the future, she would understand. As long as Miss Ling'er uses the pretext of mourning, we can postpone this marriage for three years. And during these three years, we might be able to find a way to cancel this marriage."

A silence fell over the room. Master Yu seemed to be deep in thought, making a final struggle. Outside the door, Madam Yu's face was already pale. The soup bowl she had just taken from the maid fell to the ground with a bang and shattered.

Upon hearing the commotion in the study, Master Yu and the butler were startled and rushed out of the room. When they opened the door, all they found outside was spilled soup and broken bowls.

"Master..." the butler frowned and said in a deep voice, "Madam must have come by already!"

Master Yu frowned, his deep eyes revealing nothing of his thoughts. After a moment of silence, he did not catch up with Madam Yu, but instead went into his study and instructed the steward to close the door.

"Master, shall I go and check on Madam?" the steward tentatively inquired.

“No need.” Master Yu’s eyes narrowed. “Since she has already heard, then let her make the choice!”

"Master, you..." The butler seemed to instantly understand Master Yu's thoughts, his expression filled with surprise. In this world, the person who understands Madam the most must be Master Yu!

He even suspected that some things might have been the master's design.

The steward dared not inquire further, but he knew in his heart that the master had already made his decision.

Night deepened, and this night was extremely long for the Yu family. Master Yu spent the entire night in his study, seemingly waiting for something.

As dawn broke, a cry shattered the tranquility of the Yu mansion. Chaos erupted as the maids rushed about in panic. Soon, the steward arrived at the study and, seeing Master Yu, who hadn't slept a wink all night, said gravely, "Master, Madam...she's dead!"

Master Yu froze, then let out a long sigh, "How did he die?"

"Scissors, straight into the chest," the butler answered truthfully, his brow furrowing even more unconsciously as if he were recalling the scene.

Master Yu remained silent, but the coldness in his eyes was soon replaced by a deep hatred. Empress Feng, the royal family had driven him to this point. If the Yu family ever gained power, he would definitely avenge his wife tenfold!

Master Yu clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and ordered in a deep voice, "Give the order that no one is to reveal the true cause of Madam's death. Just say that Madam suffered a heart attack and died suddenly. Anyone who leaks even the slightest thing that should not be known to outsiders will not be let off lightly. Also, prepare the mourning hall immediately."

"Yes, sir." The butler immediately accepted the order and left.

In the study, Master Yu's face was solemn. Now, Ling'er's marriage had been delayed under a pretext, and he still had to find a way to give the Emperor an explanation.

Suddenly, white silk was hung up at the Yu family's residence. The news of Madam Yu's sudden death spread like wildfire, reaching every street and alley in the capital within just a few hours.

Inside the palace, Emperor Mingde frowned slightly upon hearing Eunuch Qin's report, then a smile appeared on his lips. However, there was a hint of coldness in that smile. "Old Master Yu is still a clever man!"

Eunuch Qin naturally understood Emperor Mingde's meaning. Wasn't Master Yu clever? He abandoned Madam Yu and kept Yu Ling'er. Now, the Yu family had already held a funeral, and Yu Ling'er's marriage was completely put on hold for the next three years because of the mourning period.

"Your Majesty, what about Yu Ling'er..." Eunuch Qin asked tentatively.

Emperor Mingde frowned and said calmly, "Enough. The Yu family has already lost one person. If another one dies, it would be too cruel for the Yu family. Pushing them too far could not be good."

After saying this, Emperor Mingde continued to review the memorials, a hint of triumph in his smile. After this incident, let's see how the Empress's wishful thinking will ever succeed!

Just as Emperor Mingde had predicted, Feng Yu happened to be present when the news of Lady Yu's sudden death reached the Empress's palace.

As soon as the messenger finished speaking, Empress Feng dismissed all the palace maids and eunuchs, slamming her hand hard on the table. "Hmph, sudden death? How could something so sudden happen?"

She had just arranged the marriage and was preparing to have the two of them get married as soon as possible, but she never expected this to happen.

Madam Yu is dead, so isn't Yu Ling'er in mourning?

There can't be something so sudden; there must be something fishy going on!