Chapter 194
However, in the next moment, he directly gave up this idea. He wasn’t a person who judged people by their appearances. He paid more attention to talent, which was why he valued this Fourth Miss Wei in front of him.
These words caused Wei Qiufu to ponder for a moment. Although she felt that Wei Yan would never do such a thing, but what if she had the help of her mother Lady Li, who had always wanted to suppress the third branch? Of course, Wei Qiufu didn’t know that Wei Qiuju ganged up with Lady Li at that time. Wei Qiuju’s failure represented Lady Li’s miscalculation.
As for the likelihood of Wei Yuewu’s involvement, she was actually not too sure. However, this Sixth Younger Sister was definitely not a cowardly person. Take the confrontation between the two of them at the Plum Blossom Nunnery as an example. In the end, not only did she fail to get the upper hand, but she also ended up in such an awkward situation. Wei Yuewu had played at least a part in it.
“Fourth Young Lady, I think it’s the Second Young Lady!” Xie Qingzhao suddenly said with certainty.
Wei Qiufu turned around and looked at him in confusion.
“The Second Young Lady has a vicious nature and has always been in the mansion. You also said before that your mansion was under the charge of the second branch. If anyone is able to find out about our relationship, they must be from the second branch. Sixth Young Lady has only just arrived in the capital, and she doesn’t have many helpers. How can she find out our relationship?”
Xie Qingzhao organized his thoughts and said in an orderly manner.
Hearing what he said, Wei Qiufu also felt that it made sense. Although Wei Yan did not have any brain, Lady Li was different. With the help of Lady Li, she might really have found out something about her and Xie Qingzhao.
However, now that Wei Yan had died and Lady Li had been sent back to her parents’ home, there seemed to be no need to investigate this matter.
But Wei Qiufu felt that although there was no evidence, she still suspected Wei Yuewu. How could it not be Wei Yuewu…
The room quieted down.
“Fourth Young Lady, congratulations on being elected by the Crown Prince Mansion!” After a while, Xie Qingzhao looked at Wei Qiufu and said with a light smile. However, he felt sad after saying those words. He tilted his head slightly and his hand that was holding the cup trembled.
“Master Xie, how could you not know my heart!” Seeing that Xie Qingzhao was sad, Wei Qiufu hurriedly stopped worrying about herself and said softly with a bitter smile on her face, “If Grandmother didn’t have high hopes for me, how could I make such a choice!”
As she said these words, she was almost going to shed tears and she looked at Xie Qingzhao with grief in her eyes.
This kind of Wei Qiufu was undoubtedly extremely pitiful. Seeing the tears slowly falling from the corners of her eyes, Xie Qingzhao stretched out his hand trying to wipe them off for her. However, just as he was about to touch her face, he paused and his hand powerlessly fell.
He clearly knew that the moment she was selected by the Crown Prince Mansion, the relationship between the two of them had become that between a subject and a monarch. Those thoughts that he used to have about her must be completely erased.
“Master Xie. If it wasn’t for Grandmother’s decision, I…” Wei Qiufu could not continue. She actually started to sob and wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
Xie Qingzhao sighed, “You… what are you going to do next?”
“What else can I do? The mansion has already made a decision. Actually, Sixth Younger Sister should be the person to enter the Crown Prince Mansion. With her status, she might even be given the position of a senior concubine, but she was unwilling. She also said that she had not been raised in the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang since childhood, so she did not need to shoulder any responsibility. That’s why Grandmother insisted on me…”
Wei Qiufu cried as she pushed all the blame on Wei Yuewu.
According to her description, Wei Yuewu was extremely selfish, whereas she was extremely filial. For the sake of her family, she had no choice but to make concessions. She did play the role of a young lady who was as gentle as jade and had no choice but to sacrifice herself.
Xie Qingzhao stared blankly at Wei Qiufu crying. After a while, he made up his mind and said, “Go back now… and don’t come again…in the future!”
“No… I will come again. No matter how you think, I only have you in my heart. Even if I enter the Crown Prince Mansion and the imperial palace in the future, my heart will be the same. If it weren’t for Sixth Younger Sister’s unwillingness, why would the two of us have to be in such a situation?” Wei Qiufu’s pink face was half drooping and tears streamed down her face as she said firmly.
“But…but…” Xie Qingzhao could not bear to see Wei Qiufu crying like this, but he didn’t know what to do next. For a moment, his nose also became sour, and he felt pain in his heart. His voice choked and he became speechless.
“Master Xie, no matter what happens in the future, you must remember me… I only have you in my heart!” Wei Qiufu raised her red eyes and looked at Xie Qingzhao affectionately.
However, in such a scene, this kind of affection made his heart ache even more.
“Master Xie, I’ll leave first. I will…contact you later. If I have time, I’ll come and call on this place. It doesn’t matter even if you don’t come!” After saying those words, Wei Qiufu took out a letter from her sleeve. She stood up, covered her face and left sobbing.
Outside the house, Ming Yan helped Wei Qiufu wear her scarf. She turned over her head and with a complicated expression on her face, she looked at Xie Qingzhao, who was sitting in a chair with his head lowered. She then turned around and left with Wei Qiufu.
The carriage quietly left.
Just as Xie Qingzhao was about to leave the room, he suddenly saw a letter on the chair where Wei Qiufu had sat. He picked it up and thought of returning it to her the next time he met her.
But after thinking for a while, he finally opened the letter and read it. His expression immediately changed after a quick glimpse of the letter. Even his hand that was holding the letter trembled. He couldn’t let her be threatened. No matter what, she was the most beautiful woman in his heart. He couldn’t let anyone cause any damage to her image…
She had always had him in her heart, even if she encountered difficulties, she would not tell him. In that case, how could he really let her go and watch helplessly as something happened to her!
The Madam Dowager’s courtyard was especially lively today. Lights had been lit everywhere, and the entire room was illuminated.
Wei Ziyang came over in the morning and chatted with the Madam Dowager about the matters at the border. When the conversation became quite merry, the Madam Dowager would occasionally laugh happily.
Wei Yuejiao came together with Wei Ziyang. The two of them were familiar when they were at the border, so they had a much more intimate relationship than other siblings in the family. Often, when Wei Ziyang said something, Wei Yuejiao would interrupt and succeed in making the Madam Dowager laugh happily. The atmosphere was very cheerful.
But there was also a guest in the room, a handsome young man in his twenties, who could also be called an uninvited guest.
He sat at the side with a smile as he watched the family members interacted with each other.
“Madam Dowager, the Fourth Young Lady, Fifth Young Lady, and Sixth Young Lady are here!” An old maidservant came in and reported.
“Oh? They actually came together. Let them come in quickly!” The Madam Dowager said smilingly. She was very satisfied with the fact that the three granddaughters came together.
A maid lifted the curtain. Wei Qiufu was at the front, followed by Wei Qiuju. The last one was Wei Yuewu. The three of them entered the room in sequence and bowed to the Madam Dowager.
The three young ladies were like three beautiful flowers that immediately attracted everyone’s attention.
The handsome young man’s gaze naturally slid past the three of them, and finally landed on Wei Yuewu’s face. A trace of astonishment flashed through his eyes.
He had seen many beautiful women, but he had rarely seen such exquisite features. Needless to say, this Sixth Miss Wei in front of him would become a stunning beauty in a couple of years. He had never imagined that Lord Marquis would have such a beautiful daughter. It was truly amazing.
The Madam Dowager was very satisfied with her granddaughters. She smiled and pointed at the young man sitting at the side and said, “Get up! Now pay your respects to Prefectural Prince Huai!”
The three sisters went to the front of Prefectural Prince Huai and bowed to him in succession as the Madam Dowager had instructed. Prefectural Prince Huai stood up and said smilingly, “No need to stand on ceremonies! Madam Dowager, you are too polite.”
“How would I be too polite? Prefectural Prince Huai seldom came to our mansion recently, and today, we were not properly prepared for your visit so that you have to join our family banquet. When Ziyang is free, he will hold a formal banquet for you!”
The Madam Dowager said with a smile.
Han Ming, Prefectural Prince Huai, came to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang just in time for dinner. He didn’t care about having an ordinary meal in the mansion. He was even ready to make do by eating a simple meal with Wei Ziyang. The two of them grew up together and he was a frequent visitor to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. Besides, the two of them were also familiar with each other’s sisters. Therefore, Han Ming felt quite at ease in the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang.
As soon as he heard that Wei Ziyang had returned, Han Ming hurriedly rushed over. After a brief talk with Wei Ziyang, he was brought to the Madam Dowager’s place for dinner.
He had seen all of the young ladies in the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang, except Wei Yuewu. Therefore, he was particularly curious about this Sixth Miss Wei.
Of course, he saw Wei Yuewu when she was a small child. At that time, she was as lovely as a doll that looked like a pink ball. However, he didn’t see her many times, and every time she would appear with Marquise Hua Yang and didn’t stay for long.
After Wei Yuewu was sent away, he heard rumors that Wei Yuewu was neither talented or good-looking. He didn’t know if she had talent or not, but he was sure that she must be good-looking. How could the beautiful Marquise give birth to an ordinary-looking daughter?
The moment he saw Wei Yuewu, his heart missed a beat. Although he expected to see a beautiful girl, he was still amazed that she was actually such a stunning beauty.
The servants served tea, and everyone chatted happily. Wei Yuewu’s gaze fell on Prefectural Prince Huai and a trace of surprise flashed in her heart. She had heard that the previous Prefectural Prince Huai’s heir-apparent became a monk many years ago, and the Prefectural Prince Huai Mansion had since been an empty place because the old Prefectural Prince Huai had no other heirs except that son who became a monk. So how come this young man in front of her became Prefectural Prince Huai?
Wei Luowu came after a while. After he arrived, the servants immediately served all the dishes. It was a rule of etiquette not to talk when eating, so everyone ate silently. After the meal was finished, the servants tidied up the dining hall and people sat down to have tea and chat again.
Because Wei Luowu still had some business to attend to, he only chatted for a while and then left.
Seeing her most promising grandson back home, the Madam Dowager was not only in a good mood but also in good spirits. She did not feel tired at all and continued talking with Wei Ziyang.
Of course, the several granddaughters couldn’t leave. There were by her side to keep her company.
“When did Prefectural Prince Huai return to the capital?” Wei Qiufu smiled faintly and said to Han Ming, who was seated diagonally to her. Of course, she knew Han Ming, who had been a frequent visitor to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang since childhood.
She also knew that this Prefectural Prince Huai only inherited his title recently. He was actually the previous Prefectural Prince Huai’s maternal grandson. However, Prefectural Prince Huai’s bloodline had long since been interrupted due to the previous Prefectural Prince Huai’s passing away and his heir-apparent’s becoming a monk.
However, the Emperor was grateful for the previous Prefectural Prince Huai’s kindness and did not want Prefectural Prince Huai’s bloodline to be interrupted. Therefore, he allowed the heir-apparent of Prefectural Prince Huai’s younger sister’s son to inherit the title. This matter had just been settled recently. Before that, this Prefectural Prince Huai was merely the youngest son of a Prefectural Princess.
“I was back in the capital yesterday, and I didn’t expect Brother Ziyang was also back. It was such a coincidence.” Han Ming replied with a smile.
“Congratulations, Prefectural Prince! Congratulations, Prefectural Prince!” Wei Qiufu smiled and said softly.
“Thank you, Fourth Young Lady!” Han Ming smiled. His gaze landed on Wei Yuewu, who was also opposite him. Wei Yuejiao and Wei Qiuju were both attracted by their conversation. Only the Sixth Miss Wei maintained a horizontal gaze as if she was looking at a certain point in the air. Her butterfly-like eyelids flashed twice, making her pair of watery eyes look darker and tenderer.
She didn’t even bother looking at Han Ming for his high status as Prefectural Prince Huai.
Han Ming had always been proud of his noble status and handsome appearance. He had always been able to attract the attention of numerous young women in the capital. But now he was completely ignored by Wei Yuewu, so he was rather unwilling. Thus, he paid more attention to Wei Yuewu and looked at her from time to time.
However, in the next moment, he looked at Wei Yuewu’s actions in astonishment. He pressed the teacup in his hand, and a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes.