Chapter 341
He was a dignified prince. No one had ever rejected him like this before.
“Fourth Younger Brother, what’s wrong?” The Crown Prince Wen Tianyao slowly walked over and asked in a calm tone as if he had not heard what Wei Yuewu had just said.
The Fourth Prince retracted his gaze and shook his head. With a faint smile, he grunted in a rather distressed manner, “Royal Brother, does Sixth Miss Wei not like me?”
“What do you mean?” Wen Tianyao asked, puzzled.
“I wanted to invite her to admire the lanterns tonight, but she refused!” The Fourth Prince lamented sadly.
“Maybe because many things have happened recently, and they are all related to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang!” Wen Tianyao smiled warmly and comforted his younger brother.
“Oh yes, Royal Brother, did Marquis Hua Yang enter the Palace today?” The Fourth Prince raised his head and asked. Speaking of Wei Luowen, the Fourth Prince became a little more spirited.
“He didn’t. I heard that something happened in his mansion, and he is going to enter the Palace tomorrow. Do you want to see Marquis Hua Yang?” Wen Tianyao asked in surprise as he glanced at the Fourth Prince.
“It’s not a big deal.” The Fourth Prince suddenly became timid and coughed lightly as he held his hand to his lips. “I heard that Marquis Hua Yang likes precious stones. I have a few new stones in my palace, and I want to ask Marquis Hua Yang to take a look.”
“Fourth Brother, it’s easy to be addicted to the stones and likes. You can’t be too obsessed with them,” Wen Tianyao reprimanded him gently.
“Yes, I know. I’m just admiring them in my free time.” The Fourth Prince bowed respectfully to Wen Tianyao.
Looking at the modest Fourth Prince, Wen Tianyao donned a gentler expression and said while walking forward, “Actually, I’ve heard that Marquis Hua Yang has a lot of rare stones in his mansion at the border. Some of them are so rare that we’ve never seen them in the capital. If there is a chance, I would like to hear Marquis Hua Yang talk about his collection.”
“Royal Brother, why don’t you ask Marquis Hua Yang to send some rare and exquisite stones into the Palace?” Hearing that Wei Luowen actually had so many wonderful treasures, the Fourth Prince grinned in excitement. He followed Wen Tianyao closely and suggested with a smile.
“Stones are not like jade and other artifacts. Some of them are big. If they are transported from so far away from the border, something may happen on the way here, and it’s a big waste of money and manpower.” Wen Tianyao shook his head.
“Royal Brother, you are so considerate. I-I have only cared about my own curiosity, and I forget about the money and manpower that may be used in the transportation. I feel so ashamed!” The Fourth Prince hung his head low in embarrassment and sincerely denoted, “Next time, if I see something that I like but it’s too big, I’ll leave it be. I’ll listen to your advice, Royal Brother!”
“You don’t have to mind it so much. If you like, I have some small stones in my palace. Later, I’ll have someone send them to your mansion.” The Crown Prince smiled graciously at the Fourth Prince.
“Thank you, Royal Brother!” Hearing that there were other stones, the Fourth Prince was overjoyed. He immediately stood still and bowed to the Crown Prince.
“You’re welcome. Third Younger Brother likes calligraphy and painting, so I always send the good ones to him. Since you like stones, I can still afford to send you some small ones!” Wen Tianyao chuckled.
“How can I compare myself to Third Elder Brother? He is about to become obsessed with calligraphy and painting. His mansion is filled with works of calligraphy and painting. Last time, I accidentally obtained a piece of calligraphy and painting. Third Elder Brother immediately came over before I appreciated and took it away without a word. Next time, I’ll do the same thing if Third Elder Brother gets a good stone!”
The Fourth Prince grunted in an annoyed tone with a hint of complaint.
However, these childish words made Wen Tianyao laugh. “Okay, next time, if Third Younger Brother doesn’t give his stone to you, I will help you ask for it!”
Hearing that his Eldest Brother supported him, the Fourth Prince smiled even more proudly.
A eunuch hurriedly ran over. When he saw Wen Tianyao, he hurriedly stepped forward and bowed respectfully, “Your Highness, His Majesty invites you over!”
“Now?” Wen Tianyao paused for a moment, and the smile on his face slowly faded away.
“Yes, Your Highness,” the eunuch bowed and said.
Wen Tianyao glanced at the Fourth Prince, who immediately smiled and urged, “Royal Brother, since Father Emperor is looking for you, you should hurry over. I will ask Ruoming how he will deal with this matter later. The Heiress-apparent is, after all, a daughter of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. We have to show them some courtesy.”
Just now, the two of them walked out and left Wei Fengyao to Wen Ruoming. The situation should be more or less sorted out by now. It could show the imperial family’s courtesy if someone from the imperial family saw them out of the Palace.
“Okay, then you stay and help Ruoming deal with this,” Wen Tianyao nodded and said.
The Fourth Prince nodded. When he saw Wen Tianyao hurriedly leave with the eunuch, the smile on his face slowly faded, and a hint of malice flashed in his eyes.
“Father Emperor favors him more and more!” He snorted coldly.
“Is His Majesty not feeling well?” Mo Huating slowly emerged from the nearby bushes. In fact, he had come with the Crown Prince and Fourth Prince, but he tactfully waited outside the hall instead of going in with them.
“No. Father Emperor is in good health. He is not sick at all. I secretly checked the case before. Father Emperor is absolutely fine!” The Fourth Prince grunted unhappily.
“When did you investigate it, Your Highness?” Mo Huating’s expression turned cold.
“A few days ago. This is so strange. Recently, Father Emperor always looks for Eldest Brother. It’s as if he can’t even handle the affairs without Eldest Brother,” the Fourth Prince snorted coldly, a trace of anger flashing through his eyes. Had it not been for what happened back then, he would have been the legitimate son of the Empress, and he would be the Crown Prince.
All of this should have been his! Even if Wen Tianyao was born first, he was only the eldest son of a concubine.
“Your Highness, don’t investigate His Majesty’s case. There are many people who have seen the case in the Institute of Imperial Doctors. If the Crown Prince finds out…” Mo Huating turned his eyes and reminded him.
“I’ll watch out.” The Fourth Prince nodded, feeling that he was a little reckless.
“Did you see Sixth Miss Wei just now?” Suddenly, he changed the subject.
“Yes, I did,” Mo Huating answered calmly with an expressionless face. It was as if the Fourth Prince had mentioned an ordinary young lady of aristocratic families who had nothing to do with him.
“When I went in just now, I saw that the Heiress-apparent wanted to scratch Sixth Miss Wei’s face, but the Heiress-apparent fell and fainted! She is really stupid!” The Fourth Prince shook his head and expressed sympathy for his cousin. “When you ask someone to prepare the soft sedan, ask them to be careful. I don’t know why Ruoming married such a woman!”
So, was it because of Wei Yuewu that not only was the Heiress-apparent of Prince Nan’an injured, but she was also looked down upon by everyone? Despite Mo Huating’s expressionless face, he squinted, adding some profoundness to his eyes.
He would never believe that sixth Miss Wei was truly innocent.
Since the first day he encountered Wei Yuewu, he had already discovered that she was not simple. Not talented and plain-looking? If Wei Yuewu had not been younger at that time, Mo Huating even suspected that this was Wei Yuewu’s plot to confuse everyone in the capital and make herself invisible.
How could a stupid woman like Wei Fengyao be able to deal with Wei Yuewu’s scheme?
Others might not know, but he clearly knew how she got out of the desperate situation at that time. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to do so well if he was in her shoes. However, not only did she manage to escape the dire situation, but she also turned the table against him.
Of course, Yan Huaijing was involved in this matter, but Mo Huating believed that even if Yan Huaijing didn’t help her, this Sixth Miss Wei might still have a way to escape his death trap.
“Your Highness, don’t worry. I will let them be more careful later!” Mo Huating nodded.
“What do you think about my response in the conversation with Royal Brother just now?” The Fourth Prince changed the subject again and went back to talk about Wen Tianyao.
“Wonderful. You responded very well, Your Highness. As long as the Crown Prince misunderstands that you are obsessed with stones and the like, and you approach Marquis Hua Yang because of such stuff, he will not doubt you. By the way, are you serious about Sixth Miss Wei?” Mo Huating smiled warmly.
“No. Mother has her plan on her, so I won’t go against Mother’s intentions.” The Fourth Prince hesitated slightly, and then he smiled and shook his head.
Women were important, but they were not as important as the country and the throne. Mother was right. When he ascended to the throne, he could have all kinds of women he wanted. Perhaps at that time, he could snatch Sixth Miss Wei back and make her his concubine.
Now, there was no need to argue with his mother for a woman.
Of course, if there was a chance, he would still try his luck. Mother probably hadn’t selected her as his legitimate wife, but perhaps, Mother would not object if he wanted to take her as his secondary concubine…
“Zhaoyi Tu is right!” Mo Huating smiled and agreed. From the day he joined the Fourth Prince’s force, he had become the Fourth Prince’s confidant. He knew a bit about some secrets in the Palace, so he understood the Fourth Prince’s implication.
As he spoke, Wen Ruoming walked down the steps with a straight face. Behind him, two maids supported Wei Fengyao, who could barely move, and walked very slowly and carefully.
It was just a few steps, but the distance between the two of them increased.
“Your Highness, let’s go!” Wen Ruoming walked up to the Fourth Prince in a few steps. There was still a hint of anger on his face.
The Fourth Prince smiled and lightly punched him on the shoulder. “Relax. I heard that you are going to marry Fifth Miss Wei soon. What’s there to be upset about?”
“Don’t you want to have a beautiful woman in your arms and make her happy again?” Mo Huating also joked and laughed.
They had grown up together since they were young, so they talked casually between themselves.
“You’re right. If it weren’t for her stupidity, my attempt to please the beauty will not have been so convenient!” Wen Ruoming hissed disdainfully as he turned and glared at Wei Fengyao. He did not hide his disgust for Wei Fengyao in front of them.
After what Wei Fengyao did, Wen Ruoming believed that the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang would agree to him marrying Wei Qiuju earlier than scheduled. Wen Ruoming was very satisfied with this point. As for whether his words would cause a great uproar to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang, he did not care about it.
The mansion of Marquis Hua Yang had indeed been in turbulence these days, but Wei Yuewu was in the most chaotic situation now, because she saw the palace again from another angle.
Just as she saw that there was no one around and wanted to walk over, she suddenly heard a cold and anxious voice behind her, “Stop right there! Sixth Miss Wei, what are you trying to do?”