Lou Yingyu

Biodata

Background

Lou Yingyu was born after her father, Lou Ming, had already become prime minister. Doted on by both parents, she grew up accustomed to getting her way. Although dismissive of other aristocratic young ladies, she enjoyed spending time with Tong Aning, whose beauty was an immediate attraction for her 8 127.

Her first period at the Imperial Academy’s girls’ school ended when her unruly behavior and repeated arguments with teachers made the staff declare that they could no longer manage her. Lou Ming brought her home and hired private teachers, but eventually sent her back to the school 8 22.

She had also accompanied her father into the palace as a child. The emperor had held her and invited her to play with the princess; despite this familiarity, Yingyu understood that she still needed to observe the distinction between sovereign and subject in public 54.

Personality

Yingyu is outspoken, proud, and quick to resort to physical confrontation. She regards behavior her father calls “banditry” as courage, and sees little reason to hesitate when she wants something. Her childhood pranks included pulling Yue Hangjin’s beard and throwing his antiques into the water 48 49.

Her arrogance coexists with fierce loyalty and a strong sense of justice. She retaliates when her maid is struck, condemns parents who exploit their daughter, and worries that imperial favoritism might deny justice to abducted girls. Even her longstanding feud with Deng Qingji does not persuade her to defend people who wronged his family 22 33 53 77.

She openly adores beautiful people, particularly Tong Aning, whom she teases, embraces, and repeatedly jokes about marrying. She also loves gossip and public spectacles: the prospect of watching scandals unfold beside Aning makes attending court genuinely appealing to her 57 82 111 112.

Abilities & Skills

Hearing Tong Aning’s Inner Voice

Yingyu can hear Tong Aning’s private thoughts, including information supplied by the Gossip System 33 56 95.

• Uses the revelations to recognize deception, learn hidden relationships, and respond to wrongdoing 8 33 113.
• Credits her increasingly sharp retorts to following Aning and the system’s gossip, though she publicly attributes them to the Imperial Academy 56.
• Cannot reveal this ability to Aning: an invisible force interrupts any attempt to disclose it 95.
• Knows that others without malicious intentions can also hear Aning’s inner voice 95.

Verbal Confrontation and Diplomacy

Her refusal to be intimidated becomes an asset at the Court of State Ceremonial. Qu Bufan specifically values her ability to remain neither servile nor overbearing 112.

• Defends a storyteller’s right to continue exposing Hu Heng despite his attempts to stop the performance 111.
• Silences the arrogant Yu Kingdom delegation during negotiations 126.
• Earns Qu Bufan’s praise for turning the domineering temperament criticized at school into an effective diplomatic weapon 127.

Resourcefulness

Yingyu is capable of unconventional solutions despite her reputation for poor scholarship 35 51.

• Obtains a banknote trapped beneath a teacup by overturning the desk, exploiting her father’s instruction that she must not touch the cup with her hands 51.
• Buys a fraudulent obedience talisman knowingly, then forces the seller to pay her more than she originally spent 35.
• Pushes the hesitant Yue Hangjin into meeting Feng Yinsong, resolving the dispute over an autograph she had ruined 49.

Academic and Physical Limitations

• Classics: Dislikes memorization; Yue Hangjin finds her recitation insufficient even after praising her courage 48 49.
• Archery: Misses both shots during an assessed lesson and receives a score of zero. She remains determined to redeem herself afterward 63.
• Fighting: Readily slaps or kicks opponents, but relies on trained guards when facing larger groups; no formal martial expertise is established 22 66.

Relationships

• Tong Aning — Childhood friend and later sworn sister. Yingyu is openly affectionate toward her, admires her beauty, and accompanies her in investigating scandals and confronting wrongdoers 8 57 71 112.
• Azhu — Initially Yingyu’s maid, later recognized as the general’s missing daughter. Yingyu protects her, encourages her archery, and becomes her sworn sister before she leaves for the army camp 22 23 63 71.
• Lou Ming — Father. Their relationship mixes arguments, teasing, and affection: she buys calming medicinal herbs for him and fiercely defends him against accusations, but also questions him when she fears he has improperly helped his pupils 33 62 95.
• Qu Bufan — Superior at the Court of State Ceremonial. Recognizes the diplomatic value of her forceful personality and encourages her after the Yu Kingdom negotiations 112 126 127.
• Deng Qingji — Childhood adversary whose father is Lou Ming’s political enemy. They have fought since the age of three, but Yingyu refuses to let the family rivalry override her conscience 56 76 77.
• Yue Hangjin — Classics teacher and former victim of her childhood pranks. He acknowledges her boldness while continuing to criticize her academic preparation 48 49.
• Lou Chang — Second uncle. Yingyu exposes his affair with his daughter-in-law and openly defies his attempt to assert authority over her 8 9.
• Xu Dongying — Second aunt. Although they frequently argue, Yingyu sympathizes with her after discovering Lou Chang’s betrayal 9.
• Lou Yiyuan — Cousin. Yingyu accompanies her meeting with her childhood fiancé, Mu Yue, to bolster her courage 85.
• Songhua — Personal bodyguard; helps take Yingyu home after she becomes drunk on fruit cordial 77 82.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Exposing Lou Chang

While visiting a teahouse with Aning, Yingyu learns that her second uncle is secretly meeting a lover. She eagerly follows him, only to discover that the woman is his own daughter-in-law, Bai Man. Her excitement turns to disgust at the revelation 8.

When Lou Chang discovers the group watching from the roof, Yingyu challenges him and reminds him that he is merely a guest at the prime minister’s residence. After Xu Dongying arrives, Yingyu tells her that Lou Chang tried to kill her. Xu Dongying drags both adulterers away 9.

Protecting Azhu

On returning to school, Yingyu discovers that Meng Zhaoyuan has slapped her maid. She checks the maid’s injuries and ultimately returns the slap, demanding that Meng Zhaoyuan summon her father. Aning’s revelations expose the maid as the general household’s true daughter, Azhu 22.

After Azhu’s identity is established, Yingyu asks Lou Ming to send over her bond of servitude. She subsequently keeps Aning informed about the general household’s punishment of Meng Zhaoyuan and preparations to acknowledge Azhu 23.

Turning the Tables on a Swindler

Yingyu becomes furious on learning that a Daoist has previously cheated her father out of a thousand taels. She then appears to fall for his offer of an obedience talisman, paying five thousand taels for it 34 35.

She later admits that she knew the talisman would not work. By the end of the confrontation, she has made the Daoist pay her ten thousand taels and shares some of the recovered money with Aning and Azhu 35.

School Life and Her Father’s Reputation

The arrival of Yue Hangjin as classics teacher revives grievances over Yingyu’s childhood mischief, particularly a ruined Feng Yinsong autograph. She resolves that dispute by bringing the two scholars together, although the favor does not exempt her from recitation criticism 48 49.

Her loyalty to Lou Ming is tested when Cheng Gu accuses him of causing his brother’s death. Yingyu tries to attack the accuser before Aning restrains her; the subsequent revelations establish that the brother cheated in the examinations and died by suicide. Later, when a separate scandal implicates one of Lou Ming’s pupils, Yingyu privately questions her father rather than simply dismissing the possibility of wrongdoing 62 63 95.

Sworn Sisterhood

Before Azhu leaves for the army camp with her parents, Yingyu, Aning, and Azhu swear sisterhood over hot pot. Yingyu stops partway through the conventional oath because wishing to die together seems inauspicious; Aning proposes that they wish to become rich together instead 71.

After Azhu returns to the capital, the three reunite at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion. Yingyu later reassures Azhu that her parents will not easily compromise over her welfare 123 124.

Service at the Court of State Ceremonial

Notable Quotes

“My father and Deng Qingji’s father are merely political enemies, not beasts who have lost all conscience.” 77

“Don’t worry. I’m no longer the beard-pulling Lou Yingyu I once was.” 49

“I feel like even if I poked a hole in the sky, Lord Qu would still tell me to keep up the good work.” 127