Chapter 337
He sat back down on a chair on the side.
“No, she can’t. She is too ambitious!” Zhaoyi Tu shook her head and refused directly. “Even though your younger sister is a little scheming, she may not have a chance of winning against Jing Wenyan.”
“The mansion of Duke of Jing is here. Does she dare to do something bad to Third Younger Sister?” The Fourth Prince picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip.
“Why wouldn’t she? Once a woman has her own child, what is there to be afraid of? Moreover, it’s not that easy for your younger sister to win Yan Huaijing’s heart.” Zhaoyi Tu’s face turned cold.
Upon the mention of Yan Huaijing, the Fourth Prince was silent for a moment. After a pause, he said, “Mother, even if Jing Wenyan goes to the State of Yan with Third Younger Sister, she might not be able to win Yan Huaijing’s heart. I heard that the two families were going to betroth them, but Yan Huaijing refused.”
“If she can’t win Yan Huaijing’s heart, what’s the use of marrying him? Yan Huaijing has a childhood sweetheart who is also a daughter of an aristocratic family, but you still haven’t found out who she is. It can be seen that Yan Huaijing has protected her very well. With such a woman around, Jing Wenyan can’t win his heart, so it doesn’t make any difference whether she follows her or not.”
After saying this, Zhaoyi Tu looked at the Fourth Prince, and a trace of resentment flashed in her eyes. “Yi’er, back then, if it were not for that woman secretly scheming against me, you would have become the Crown Prince. All of this was originally yours, so you must take it back. In the future, you can have all the women you want. If you destroy the State of Yan, you can even take her back.”
“But, Mother, I don’t want to marry Jing Wenyan!” The Fourth Prince seemed to be moved by Zhaoyi Tu’s words. His eyes flashed, and he took a step back.
“Although the State of Jing has been destroyed, Duke of Jing is still deeply trusted by your Father Emperor. They grew up together. They were childhood friends, and they were closer to each other than the others. Look at the others who were destroyed by the State of Yan. None of them could regain their titles except Duke of Jing. Now, the State of Jing is no longer there. If you marry Jing Wenyan, on one hand, His Majesty will not doubt you. On the other hand, Jing Wenyan is also a good assistant.”
Seeing her son’s unhappy face, Zhaoyi Tu calmed down and analyzed for him softly.
“Isn’t there the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang behind Wei Yuewu? Compared with Duke of Jing, Marquis Hua Yang is not much worse. Although he and Father Emperor are not childhood friends, now he is the most valued subordinate of Father Emperor,” the Fourth Prince said after a moment of silence.
“The mansion of Marquis Hua Yang is indeed the most important, and the two brothers are high officials in court, but if you really marry Wei Yuewu, it will only be conspicuous. Before we are ready, it is really not suitable to attract attention. Yi’er, you have to know that I have been enduring for so many years. Can’t you just bear with it for a few more days?”
Zhaoyi Tu knew what her son was thinking and advised.
“But I really don’t like Jing Wenyan. She thought she was very beautiful and was weighing the young masters of the aristocratic families in the capital. She really thought that everyone had fallen head over heels over her!” The Fourth Prince grunted with a solemn expression.
Although the Fourth Prince had been stunned by Eldest Miss Jing’s beauty when they first met, he was irked by her acting like a chaste woman while flirting with the other heirs-apparent and even him and his elder brother.
She really treated herself as a rare commodity!
She, who was supposed to be a good young lady of aristocratic families, acted like there was a price tag on her. The Fourth Prince had always understood what it meant, so he was very opposed to Zhaoyi Tu’s opinion.
“Yi’er, let’s wait and see. Anyway, we are not in a hurry now. After your younger sister’s matter is concluded, we shall talk about it.” Seeing her son’s reluctant expression, Zhaoyi Tu could only slowly persuade.
“Mother, I’ll take my leave first!” The Fourth Prince hurriedly stood up.
“Hey… What’s the urgent matter you have at this time?” Zhaoyi Tu asked with a flash in her eyes.
“Nothing urgent. It’s just that Elder Royal Brother said that he wanted to visit that Heiress-apparent of Prince Nan’an, so I’ll keep his company.” The Fourth Prince stood up straight and said with a smile. “Speaking of this Heiress-apparent, she is really stupid. She actually agreed to be a judge for those heirs-apparent. Now, her arm is injured, and she can’t find the culprit.”
After the news about Wei Fengyao spread, most people thought that she was stupid for watching the archery game. It was as if she was opening the hell gate herself.
Moreover, archery was men’s sport. Although she was married, she was still a young madam. It brought shame to the Heir-apparent of Prince Nan’an when she agreed to go with a group of men.
How did Prince Nan’an Mansion marry such an unpresentable Heiress-apparent? Everyone in the Palace was now viewing Wei Fengyao as a laughing stock.
“Go then! Yesterday, your grandmother was furious and insisted on getting them divorced.” Thinking of this matter, Zhaoyi Tu pursed her lips and smirked. Princess Nan’an could be considered a powerful character, but she did not expect to have such a stupid daughter-in-law. Now, she had become a joke in the Palace.
The concubines of each palace were secretly spreading the joke about this Heiress-apparent of Prince Nan’an.
“Is Grandmother angry?” The Fourth Prince did not know about this.
“She was very angry. She even called Princess Nan’an over and scolded her, as well as her beloved grandson,” Zhaoyi Tu said slowly.
The Empress Dowager was originally kept in the dark regarding Wei Fengyao’s matter, but for some reason, Wen Ruoming, who was still in the Palace at that time, leaked the story out, so the Empress Dowager investigated it. Then, she called the Empress over and reprimanded her.
“Will Grandmother really get them divorced?” These words brought up the Fourth Prince’s interest.
“No! With Marquis Hua Yang and his younger brother holding high positions in the court, Prince Nan’an Mansion won’t divorce her,” Zhaoyi Tu confided with certainty, but then changed the topic, “I heard that Heir-apparent of Prince Nan’an took a fancy on the Fifth Young Lady of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang, and Princess Nan’an even mentioned it to the Empress before. I think Heir-apparent of Prince Nan’an wants to marry her.”
Since they could not divorce Wei Fengyao and they could not offend the marquis, it was indeed the best way to marry a sister of the same clan.
“Yi’er, don’t get involved in this matter. No matter what happens to Wen Ruoming, it has nothing to do with you,” Zhaoyi Tu warned.
“Mother, don’t worry. This matter has nothing to do with me.” The Fourth Prince’s eyes flashed for a moment. “Prince Nan’an has always been firmly on Elder Royal Brother’s side. If there is chaos in his mansion, he probably won’t have much energy left.”
“Alright, you can go now! With such a thing happening in the Palace, you should indeed go and visit this Heiress-apparent of Prince Nan’an.” There was a strange expression on Zhaoyi Tu’s face.
“Mother, I’ll take my leave!” The Fourth Prince responded and excused himself to Zhaoyi Tu. Then, he turned around and left.
At this time, Wei Yuewu should not have gone far, right?
Wei Yuewu indeed did not go far, because she was stopped by someone. Seeing the familiar eunuch, Wei Yuewu had no choice but to stop and go to the narrow path on the side.
The path was on the side of the forest diagonally across the main road in the Palace. It was winter, so most of the trees had withered. However, trees in this forest were growing quite well. Moreover, there were layers upon layers of leaves on the trees. Although they were not pure green, they could still make people feel the richness of the spring sun.
Yan Huaijing stood under a tree, his handsome face like jade and his eyes glittering.
The tall and straight trees behind him made him appear even more charming. That refined and elegant temperament was like that of an exiled immortal. Even if they were far away, she would still be able to sense it.
Wei Yuewu secretly curled her lips, wondering how many people were confused by his outstanding appearance. They really thought that he was as warm and benevolent as an exiled immortal descending from the sky.
In fact, apart from this appearance, he was clearly an evil, ruthless, and cunning monster!
“Yuewu, come over and look at this tree, how about it?” Seeing Wei Yuewu come over, Yan Huaijing lazily waved at her, indicating for her to go over.
Wei Yuewu had no choice but to go forward. The eunuch and Jin Ling guarded behind them, vigilantly looking around.
“Is there anything different about this tree?” Wei Yuewu walked up to him and looked up at the tall tree.
This tree was really tall, and the leaves were very thick. It was really hard to see such a tree in this season.
“This tree is a species seen in the State of Yan. I didn’t expect it to be able to survive here.” Yan Huaijing also raised his head and looked up. A faint smile appeared on his handsome face.
“A species in the State of Yan?” Wei Yuewu was surprised. She really didn’t know that this kind of tree was transported from the State of Yan. No wonder it was completely different from the other trees here.
“But the tree grows more luxuriant in the State of Yan! Maybe it doesn’t match the climate in the capital, so it grows like this.” Yan Huaijing had a somewhat disappointed look and shook his head leisurely.
Wei Yuewu was stupefied. She didn’t think that this tree had anything to do with her. “Your Heir-apparent, I still have to visit my Eldest Sister.”
“Visit the Heiress-apparent of Prince Nan’an?” Yan Huaijing glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and raised his eyebrows.
“Yes!” Wei Yuewu nodded respectfully, indicating that she really wanted to visit her. “After what happened to her, since I am in the Palace, I must visit her. At this time, I think my Fourth Elder Sister is already there.”
With the favor of the Crown Prince, Wei Yuewu believed that Wei Qiufu would not hesitate and would definitely visit Wei Fengyao immediately. Wei Fengyao would not dare to do anything to Wei Qiufu, and this was what Wei Qiufu needed.
A faint cold ripple appeared in her watery eyes. The two of them should be together now, planning to plot against her!
“Sure, but accompany me for a while!” Yan Huaijing smiled and stretched out his hand to the side. A guard, who came out of nowhere, appeared beside him with a white fur coat in his hands and respectfully presented it to him.
Yan Huaijing reached out to take it. Under Wei Yuewu’s stunned gaze, he gently draped the fur coat over her shoulders. Then, he put a thick hat on her head.
“The Third Princess invited me over tonight. You come with me.” Yan Huaijing said gently as if murmuring, his warm breath brushing past Wei Yuewu’s tender and fair skin. For some reason, she couldn’t help but blush, and her heart was beating wildly.
“W-What’s the occasion?” Her usual calm heart skipped a beat.
“Enjoy the flowers, the lights, and the beauties!”