QTROH Chapter 17

Despite her lack of interest in martial arts, Yu Yingying had a good teacher. She was able to learn some techniques for physical fitness and self-defense after a year. Most importantly, she grew closer to her uncle. That’s exactly what she wanted. However, Yu Chengyi was leaving soon, and they would be separated for six years. What should she do to ensure that her uncle would not be distant towards her when he returned?

On the day Yu Chengyi was to leave, the people in the capital spontaneously saw him off. They knew that Marquis Zhenbei was going to go to war for their safety. With him around, those barbarians did not dare to invade. In their hearts, the marquis was a hero.

Yu Chengyi could have taken Yu Yingying with him, but the conditions in the north were extremely poor. He couldn’t bear the thought of the little girl suffering along with him, so he left a trusted subordinate in the capital to protect her. If something were to happen to him, he could still ensure she lived a safe and prosperous life.

Even if it was just a mission, there would be feelings involved after being together for so long. Seeing her uncle leave, Yu Yingying burst into tears and was listless for several days. But after a few days, she began to pull herself together. She requested that the housekeeper find some teachers for her. She hoped to learn new skills in the coming years, from poetry and singing to needlework and dancing. Yu Yingying was most focused on the last one.

As a modern-day woman, she was well aware that dancing could not only tone the body but also refine a woman’s temperament. She specially asked a servant to redeem a brothel courtesan, who only sold technique and not body. The woman entered the marquis manor disguised, and she had her teach her dancing and bed skills.

The courtesan was taken aback, but she was a wise woman who knew that some things were the master’s secrets, and she would be better off not knowing. Yu Yingying promised her that if she taught her for six years, which was when Yu Chengyi would return, she would either give her money or find her a suitable husband in the Zhenbei army.

In the six years, Yu Yingying grew from a little girl to a budding beautiful young girl. Throughout the years, she had always kept to the marquis manor. The times she occasionally went out, she dressed as a boy. No one in the whole capital was aware that Marquis Zhenbei manor housed an alluring beauty. She had a slender figure and exquisite curves despite being only fifteen years old. Add to that her lovely face, pure and charming, and she was simply a natural beauty.

At night, Yu Yingying was lying on the bed completely naked. There were a bunch of bottles and jars beside the bed. A slender hand picked up a small bottle, poured out some liquid, and began smearing it on her body. By the time she was finished using everything, it was already half an hour later. She didn’t like maids serving her so intimately, so she always did things herself.

Her uncle was due to return in two days. Yu Yingying frequently asked someone to bring him things over the years to avoid him becoming distant with her. They included a sachet she’d made, as well as clothes, shoes, and socks. The two of them would also communicate frequently, but it was mostly Yu Yingying who would send several pages over. Her uncle would then only reply with a few words, assuring her that he was well.

Yu Chengyi, who was on his way back to capital at this time, was holding the sachet given to him by his niece. Thinking about the little girl he had been separated from for six years, he wondered how she looked like now.

When Marquis Zhenbei returned to the capital, the first thing he had to do was give a report to the palace. By the time he returned to the manor after handing in the military seal, it was already dark. The journey had been dusty, and he had planned to take a bath before seeing the little girl, but he had not expected her to be waiting for him at the gate.

Everyone was delighted with the marquis’s return. They welcomed him into the manor warmly, then the servants left to prepare things, leaving only the niece and uncle to converse in the room. Now that everyone had left, Yu Yingying threw herself into the man’s arms. The man stiffened. The little girl had grown up, and her seemingly slender body was quite fleshy. The two lumps of softness on her chest were pressing into him.

She had only been up to his thighs when he left, but now she had grown to his shoulders. That small face was even more refined than those palace consorts. He wondered who would be the lucky one to marry his niece in the future.

“Stand properly, you’re still acting like a baby when you’re already this big.”

Yu Chengyi hadn’t bathed in two days, and he’d been rushing all the way. He was aware that he didn’t smell nice and was concerned about making her uncomfortable, but he didn’t dare to push her too hard. All he could do was berate her with a straight face.

Yu Yingying was not afraid of him in the least. In her eyes, her uncle was but a paper tiger. As long as she acted like a baby or cried, he would be completely lost. When the servants came to report after they had finished prepared the bathing items, she had no choice but to let him go. Anyway, he was back now so there was ample time.

But for the next few days, her uncle had to deal with guests who were old acquaintances or friends of the marquis manor. Yu Yingying was afraid that her face would be seen and cause trouble, so she simply stayed in the back courtyard and did not come out.