Chapter 99: Not Without Gains
This time, no words of “no need to blame yourself” fell from above his head.
“Just as Qi De’an said, that kid is heavily guarded, and he cunningly lives next to a household related to a young lady of Duke Ding’an’s Mansion, using it as cover.”
“They dare not alarm the government, but let the young ladies of Duke Ding’an’s Mansion get frightened, drawing in the government….”
At this point, he lifted his head and glanced at Wei Cui.
Wei Cui swayed gently with the carriage, his face alternating between light and dark.
Seventh Master Wei hurriedly lowered his head again.
“……And the first one drawn in was A Jiao.”
“Facing Wei Jiao and the Embroidered Uniform Guards, our people suffered heavy casualties, and fearing he would discover our identity, we could only retreat hastily.”
“Then during the escape, we fell into an ambush by the Mo Clan’s Little Prince’s men, and not a single one escaped.”
Seventh Master Wei choked up as he recounted the events, then kowtowed heavily once more.
“Big Brother, I’m useless, I’ve failed your heavy trust, returning empty-handed.”
The carriage fell silent once again.
Just as Seventh Master Wei broke out in a sweat in the midst of winter, Wei Cui finally spoke.
“Did they discover our identity?” he asked.
Seventh Master Wei hurriedly shook his head: “No, the Mo Clan people know of our existence, but for safety we never revealed our identity, the government didn’t uncover our identity either, and the Imperial Guard, to shirk responsibility, concluded it was Sun Shu’s Remnants……”
At this point, his face paled.
They knew that night’s attack wasn’t by Sun Shu’s Remnants, so they didn’t take it seriously, but next……
Wei Jiao proposed sending them back to Longxi.
Then in Qin’an City, Sun Shu’s Remnants were uncovered.
This was not the Imperial Guard shirking responsibility; they had truly found something……
What exactly happened that night?
Are there really Sun Shu’s Remnants in the Capital City?
Or did the Mo Clan’s Little Prince’s people, to clear their identity, deliberately leak the whereabouts of Sun Shu’s Remnants to the government?
This was also highly possible; back then Sun Shu went to great lengths to snatch this Little Prince from the Qi Clan, and the two sides had dealings, so it wasn’t strange for the Little Prince to know the movements of Sun Shu’s surviving family.
Today’s changes in Qin’an City were all because of their negligence; if they had noticed something wrong earlier, they absolutely wouldn’t have left the Capital City, or would have reminded early……
Seventh Master Wei’s face was ashen white as he kowtowed heavily again, kowtowing repeatedly, then raised his hand and slapped himself across the face, slap slap slap.
“Great General, I am gravely guilty, it’s all my fault, all my fault.”
Wei Cui waved his hand to signal: “Enough.”
Seventh Master Wei immediately froze, not daring to move, his face red and swollen, eyes teary, nose bleeding, looking utterly disheveled at Wei Cui.
Wei Cui didn’t look at him, but smiled thoughtfully: “This Little Prince is indeed no simpleton; if he had been born ten years earlier, the Mo Clan’s rivers and mountains might not have fallen.” Then he looked at Seventh Master Wei, “Although we didn’t catch the person and even lost Qin’an City, this trip wasn’t entirely fruitless.”
There was gain? Seventh Master Wei didn’t even believe it himself and looked at Wei Cui without daring to respond.
“Living next to a household related to a young lady of Duke Ding’an’s Mansion, using it as cover.” Wei Cui repeated what Seventh Master Wei had said earlier, “Let the young ladies of Duke Ding’an’s Mansion get frightened, drawing in the government….”
His fingers tapped on the small table beside him.
“So coincidental—do you think it’s this Little Prince’s good luck, or are we too unlucky?”
Without waiting for Seventh Master Wei to answer, he shook his head himself.
“I never believe in luck, nor that anyone deserves to be unlucky; I only believe that man triumphs over heaven.”
“This Little Prince didn’t survive by coincidence either; that night, the young lady of Duke Ding’an’s Mansion appearing so coincidentally must have been part of their scheme.”
So…… Seventh Master Wei finally reacted: “That Little Prince knows a young lady of Duke Ding’an’s Mansion or that Miss Liu studying at the National Academy!”
Wei Cui nodded: “So this isn’t a dead end either; go investigate the people around these young ladies, and there should be gains.”
Seventh Master Wei could no longer sit still: “I understand; I’ll go handle it right now.” With that, he lifted the carriage curtain without calling for the carriage to stop and jumped right out.
Wei Cui didn’t care whether Seventh Master Wei fell outside.
He took a gentle sip of tea, looking at the swaying carriage curtain, muttering to himself.
“Either be used by me, or be exterminated by the Imperial Court.”
“Young Prince Mo, this is your fate; you have no other path.”
……
……
Daylight fully broke; the Capital City in winter grew colder day by day. School day arrived, and the companion reader young ladies rose early and entered the National Academy on time.
Mo Zheng wrapped in a thick cloak walked side by side with Liu Chan; ahead, Yang Hui hurried to catch up with the princesses further front, not wanting to glance at Mo Zheng and Liu Chan.
Although three days had passed, whenever Yang Hui saw these two, she felt her hand still aching.
When they stepped into the classroom, the classroom rang with the companion reader young ladies’ successive greetings to the princesses.
Princess Pingcheng went straight to her seat.
But Princess Wuyang stopped, turned, and stood right in front of the just-entering Mo Zheng.
“A Luo.” She gripped Mo Zheng’s hand, “Is your hand okay?”
The companion reader young ladies who had originally scattered indoors instantly focused their gazes over.
In the Capital City, even a little breeze couldn’t be hidden; that day when palace maids came out from Duke Ding’an’s Mansion, within half a day it spread through the inner residences of noble families—the young ladies of Duke Ding’an’s Mansion had been punished by the Emperor again.
This time it wasn’t teaching rules, but spanking.
“It’s all because of me, implicating you in getting punished.”
Princess Wuyang held Mo Zheng’s hand, her eyes reddening as she spoke.
She did this, of course, because her mother consort had repeatedly exhorted, threatened, and lured her to show concern for the lady-in-waiting.
The concern was feigned, but the reddening eyes were not.
Although she hadn’t been hit, her father emperor’s head-on scolding that day had left her furious and crying for days.
She looked again at her lady-in-waiting and lowered her voice.
“A Luo, don’t resent His Majesty; who let some people just can’t stand to see us well.”
All of this was because……
Princess Wuyang hatefully glared ahead at Princess Pingcheng, who was being surrounded and chatting laughingly by other companion reader young ladies.
……
……
Jiang Rui withdrew her gaze and gently shook her head.
“I knew they would be punished.” A young lady beside her whispered to her, “Princess Pingcheng clearly said not to ask the Libationer again, yet that Yang something, A Luo, still acted smart.”
Jiang Rui turned back again to look, seeing Princess Wuyang still indignantly whispering to the lady-in-waiting, her gaze openly fixed on Princess Pingcheng, while that lady-in-waiting kept her head down without speaking.
“As Princess Wuyang’s lady-in-waiting, helping Princess Wuyang is forgivable.” She whispered.
This lady-in-waiting was indeed usually very flattering to Princess Wuyang.
Although she didn’t like this behavior, she could understand it; unlike that Liu Chan, who hadn’t attached herself to Princess Pingcheng and had no chance to be lady-in-waiting to the other two princesses, and feuding with Yang Hui, so she targeted the other two Miss Yangs from the Yang Family……
Off topic; she really was quite vindictive; this wasn’t good, Cloud Heaven didn’t like her like this, Cloud Heaven liked her kind-heartedness.
Jiang Rui pursed her lips and withdrew her thoughts.
“……But now that she’s been punished by His Majesty, she must not show discontent anymore, or else it’s not disobeying Princess Pingcheng, but disobeying His Majesty.”
“At this time, she should immediately stop Princess Wuyang from speaking and repeatedly affirm that His Majesty’s lesson was right.”
She looked again at that lady-in-waiting; that Miss Yang Luo surprisingly nodded to Princess Wuyang, looking grateful.
And Princess Wuyang’s face openly showed joy at gaining another ally in shared resentment.
A princess could harbor resentment toward another princess, could quarrel and argue, but a minister’s daughter, and not even a true noble lady from a hereditary house, what qualification did she have to resent a princess?
That would only lead to an even worse end.
“I heard her mother died long ago, and she grew up in a small place with no one to teach her; how would she understand these things.” The companion young lady whispered, “Ignore her; she won’t stay here long.”
At this point, she clutched her head.
“Is there really an exam at month’s end? I heard if you don’t do well, you’ll be driven away……”
Jiang Rui withdrew her gaze, no longer looking at this Miss Yang from the Yang Family, and smiled with pursed lips: “You study well; what are you afraid of.”
That young lady smiled and said: “Not as good as Older Sister Jiang in studying.” Then she giggled again, “But indeed no need to fear; there are those few behind.”
Like that Liu Chan, that Yang Hui, those two Miss Yangs from the Yang Family.
Because of Princess Wuyang’s entrance, low murmurs of discussion arose in the classroom, countless gazes shifting over the princesses and the lady-in-waiting.
Princess Pingcheng only found it amusing.
So what if Princess Wuyang made others think she had reported them, leading to their punishment by father emperor?
Could this tarnish her conduct?
This clearly highlighted her upright conduct even more.
As for making others fear her……
As the Empress’s eldest daughter, the most cherished princess, shouldn’t others revere her?
Princess Wuyang was originally stupid, and Imperial Consort Li was somewhat clever; how come when Princess Wuyang was scolded by father emperor, Imperial Consort Li panicked and didn’t properly teach her daughter how to act? Letting her put on such a ridiculous provocation?
It would be seen whether this Miss Yang, after one lesson, had gotten smarter or continued to be muddled.
“The instructor has arrived.”
With the palace maids’ announcement, the instructor entered, and the noisy classroom instantly fell silent.
