Chapter 124:
After a long while, Xie Wanning was the first to look away. She tilted her neck to glance at the sun, and said dryly, “I’m hungry. It’s time to dine. Let’s go eat.”
Such an attitude of not clarifying anything and starting to evade made Pei Yuqing’s breathing hitch. He only felt his heart soaking in a vat of vinegar, both sour and bitter, wishing he could hold her and bully her fiercely.
But he was accustomed to restraint, having engraved it into his bones. How could he possibly sternly question her?
In the end, he merely gripped his fingers tightly and let out a low hum from his throat.
Xie Wanning didn’t notice anything wrong at all. Her face showed relief as she smiled, lifted her skirt hem, and quickly walked inside.
Returning to the table, her familiar friends hadn’t said anything yet. Instead, Cao Ying’er, whom she had only met a few times, tilted her head and looked over.
“Everyone was just asking about you. Where did you go? We haven’t seen you.”
Her tone was intimate, as if the two had an extremely close relationship.
Xie Wanning handed the plum branch in her hand to the maidservant behind her and casually said, “The plum blossoms in the garden were blooming beautifully, so I picked a few branches.”
Cao Ying’er also saw the plum branches she brought back and smiled. “There’s a patch of yellow plums in my garden, blooming just right now. If you like them, I’ll pick a bunch when I get back and have someone send it to your residence.”
Since the other party was taking the initiative to be friendly, Xie Wanning had no reason to put on airs, so she smiled and agreed. “Then thank you.”
Speaking of which, this young lady Cao was also a victim of the Second Prince incident.
The time she was harmed was quite coincidental, just a few months ago at Princess Duanyang’s flower appreciation banquet.
That time, Xie Wanning had attended herself and was abducted by Lu Ziyan behind the rockery for an indecent act. The commotion they three caused was huge, drawing all eyes to them, so even when the Second Prince went to the Pei residence, few people knew.
Even fewer would know that the young lady from the Minister of Personnel’s family was taken advantage of by the Second Prince when he found an opportunity.
With Cao Ying’er’s background, she could very well become a prince’s imperial consort, yet she was raped so unclearly.
The most hateful thing was that the Second Prince already had an imperial consort and even one side consort. The remaining side consort position was something countless noble ladies he had seduced and raped desperately wanted, living in fear.
The legitimate daughter of the Minister of Personnel’s family probably couldn’t even secure a side consort position now.
Just imagining it made Xie Wanning feel hatred.
As fellow women, facing the victim now, she felt some pity and empathy.
The two chatted back and forth for a few sentences and soon became familiar.
Cao Ying’er personally ladled a bowl of eight-treasure sweet porridge for her and handed it over with a smile. “Wanwan is so beautiful and has such a likable personality. We’re like old friends at first sight. I’ll send an invitation another day. You must come.”
“Good, I definitely will.” Xie Wanning took the jade cup and began to eat.
They were chatting animatedly, and the conversations of the other women at the table were also lively.
Soon, a familiar name entered her ears.
Xie Wanning’s hand holding the spoon paused slightly.
She only heard a young woman say, “Did you hear? The young lord of Wuyuan Marquis’s Estate turned Qingzhou upside down, capturing fourteen officials in a row, and they’re on the way escorting them back to the capital.”
“Young General Lu?” Someone at the table exclaimed. “Wherever this killing god goes, there’s no lack of blood. Fourteen officials are nothing. Did you forget, last year he beheaded even the supervisor personally appointed by His Majesty without hesitation.”
That was the supervisor.
Carrying the Son of Heaven’s order, almost equivalent to the Son of Heaven himself.
Yet Lu Ziyan beheaded him with one stroke on the charge of disrupting army morale.
The news reached the capital city, shocking countless people and dropping jaws.
Some even thought he was despising the Son of Heaven and intending rebellion.
If any other official committed such an offense, even if not killed, they would likely be exiled to the ends of the earth, never to return to court as punishment.
But Lu Ziyan was merely lightly reprimanded a few times and soon re-employed.
At that time, Xie Wanning was still Lu Ziyan’s fiancée, and countless people envied her for having such a capable future husband.
Some even said that not even His Majesty’s own sons were certain to receive such treatment.
Who could have thought that he was the legitimate son.
Born to the original principal wife.
Xie Wanning secretly grumbled a bit, feeling uneasy in her heart again.
Now, whenever she heard the name Lu Ziyan, she simply couldn’t remain calm and undisturbed.
She was panicked, dreaded it, her mind unsettled, her emotions extremely complex.
She could no longer completely put him behind her as originally planned.
Calculating the days, there was less than half a month until the new year, and he really should be back.
The nearby Cao Ying’er saw her dazed and lost in thought, covered her mouth, and smiled. “Wanwan hears an old acquaintance’s name and becomes lovesick?”
“…” Xie Wanning was silent for a moment, unwilling to discuss such a topic with her, so she casually brushed it off with a couple of sentences and focused on eating.
She thought to herself, where was it lovesick? She clearly had lingering effects.
She was thoroughly afraid of Lu Ziyan now.
…………
At the table, unable to refuse the enthusiasm, Xie Wanning drank a few cups with her friends. By the time Pei Yuqing came to find her, she was already slightly tipsy.
Such a slight intoxication cleared up the instant she stepped out of the room and was hit by the cold wind.
Upon arriving at the main hall, Madam Zheng, as a married-out daughter, was accompanying her brother, sister-in-law, and sisters-in-law in receiving guests.
Seeing her daughter approach, she took her daughter’s hand and said softly, “Mother knows it’s near year-end and you’re busy. Once the manor’s affairs are done, you can come home often to visit. Your cousin has been thinking of you these past few days.”
Xie Wanning thought that she hadn’t returned home to visit in ten days or half a month, feeling a bit guilty. She also wanted to inquire if Xie Ruyu and Duan Cheng’s marriage engagement had already begun to be discussed, so she smiled and agreed.
She sat with her mother for a while when Ji Chengfeng also came in from the outer hall.
He was still wearing that pale cyan crossed-collar long robe, with wide sleeves embroidered with layers of cloud patterns in silver thread, a jade belt outlining his lean waist, his facial features refined, his eyebrows and eyes serene like an immortal emerging from the clouds and mist.
As soon as he entered, the madams in the inner hall, who had been chatting idly, all fell silent. Some madams who didn’t know his identity quietly asked their relatives and friends nearby. Upon hearing that he was the legitimate maternal grandson of Qu Cheng Marquis’s Estate and the new top scholar, their gazes gradually lit up.
Exceptionally brilliant and talented, handsome and upright, with a good family background—such a young master was absolutely the fast son-in-law every high-ranking family madam desired.
The Old Madam of Qu Cheng Marquis’s Estate truly adored this maternal grandson. Seeing him enter, she smiled at Xie Wanning and said, “Wanwan, have you met this cousin today?”
Xie Wanning was acting coquettish toward her mother. Hearing this, she turned her head to look, then smiled and said, “I’ve met him. Elder Brother said this is the cousin from Second Aunt’s family.”
After Ji Chengfeng paid respects to the Old Madam of Qu Cheng Marquis’s Estate, he turned to look at them and gave another junior’s gift, “Chengqian pays respects to Aunt and Cousin.”
He had already come of age, so Chengqian must be his courtesy name.
Madam Zheng had been extremely close to her legitimate youngest sister during her boudoir days, so she naturally adored this nephew very much.
Actually, earlier this year when Ji Chengfeng first arrived in the capital city, he had visited Xuanping Marquis’s Estate several times.
But at that time, Xie Wanning was still engaged to Lu Ziyan, so Madam Zheng hadn’t specifically called her engaged daughter out to meet this cousin.
This led to them only formally meeting today.
Madam Zheng asked her nephew a few caring questions and told him to come home and play often when he had nothing to do.
Ji Chengfeng answered patiently, chatted with several aunts for a while, then rose to take his leave and went to the side hall.
Once the person left, Madam Zheng pulled her daughter’s hand and said softly, “Wanwan, what do you think of your cousin?”
Xie Wanning praised, “A gentleman like jade, gentle and refined.”
Hearing her daughter’s praise, Madam Zheng’s expression settled. She whispered, “Your aunt wrote earlier that your cousin isn’t engaged yet and asked me and your grandmother in the capital city to look for a good young lady for him.”
“Not engaged yet?” Xie Wanning was shocked. How could there be so many young masters around twenty who weren’t engaged yet.
Her elder brother was one, this cousin was one, and the Duan Cheng she’d heard about today was another.
Madam Zheng also thought of her own eldest son and sighed worriedly, soon returning to the topic.
“Since your aunt entrusted me, Mother of course has to take this to heart,” Madam Zheng asked softly, “Wanwan, are you acquainted with the daughter of the Minister of Personnel?”
“！！！” Xie Wanning’s eyes slowly widened, “Cao Ying’er?”
“That’s the name,” Madam Zheng nodded and said, “In terms of family background, age, and appearance, the Cao family daughter matches Chengqian very well. Your aunt would surely be satisfied, but I don’t know the girl’s temperament. Wanwan, have you interacted with her? Is her personality straightforward?”
“…”
Xie Wanning frowned slightly and, under her mother’s eager gaze, said with difficulty, “I’ve only met her twice. She seems to have a good temperament, but I don’t know much else.”
She said, “Mother, marriage is a major matter. Don’t rush to act as matchmaker yet; you still need to understand more carefully.”
“Understand more carefully? You don’t know how anxious your second aunt is,” Madam Zheng said with a teasing smile, “As long as the families are well-matched and her temperament is good, a minister’s daughter won’t lack propriety.”
Her nephew would be twenty-one after the new year, and he had already become the top scholar with limitless prospects. He just needed to marry a wife to manage the back courtyard, bear children, while he could steadily secure his official career.
Madam Zheng, as the aunt, had considered this very thoroughly, and the candidate was also well chosen.
Though the Minister of Personnel didn’t hold as much power as several grand secretaries, he was still a heavy minister who could speak before His Majesty. As the Yue family, he wouldn’t provide much help, but at least he wouldn’t hold him back.
If Xie Wanning didn’t know about Cao Ying’er and the Second Prince, she might also think this was an extremely suitable marriage.
But now, looking at her smiling mother, she hesitated to speak for a long time but couldn’t say anything.
Such an imperial family scandal was known only to His Majesty and Pei Yuqing; she couldn’t just reveal it.
……So let Ji Chengfeng marry Cao Ying’er?
To be fair, Cao Ying’er’s temperament was indeed excellent, straightforward, and she would surely be a very capable madam in charge. Being forcibly taken by the Second Prince wasn’t her fault.
But…
Could she get rid of the Second Prince’s control?
If after marriage she still had dealings with the Second Prince, mixing up the offspring’s bloodlines…
There was no such thing as a leak-proof wall in the world. Once the matter was exposed, Madam Zheng, as the one who arranged the marriage, would only end up with thankless effort.
From Xie Wanning’s understanding of her mother, Madam Zheng would likely blame herself for the rest of her life.
…………
On the carriage ride back, Xie Wanning was still thinking about this issue.
Actually, this was just Madam Zheng’s idea for now; nothing was set in stone.
Nowadays, they didn’t emphasize blind marriages. When proposing marriage, they generally asked the child’s own wish.
Ji Chengfeng might not fancy Cao Ying’er himself, and Cao Ying’er, entangled with the Second Prince, probably wasn’t thinking of marrying so soon either.
So, things probably wouldn’t reach that point.
But Xie Wanning was still very worried.
She frowned at times and sighed at others, completely lost in thought.
She didn’t notice at all that the carriage had been quiet for a good while. Her husband, who usually loved to hold her little hand when they were alone together, seemed very low-spirited.
Pei Yuqing quietly watched the young lady across from him with her little expression full of conflict. After watching for a good while and seeing that she truly had no intention of initiating conversation with him, he smiled bitterly in helpless amusement deep down.
How could he have thought that this young lady would be willing to properly explain to him, when they were alone together, what she had been happily chatting about with Ji Chengfeng that morning?
Clearly, she not only had no such intention, but she wasn’t even willing to give him a proper glance.
At this moment, what she was thinking about in her little head certainly wasn’t him.
The man who had always considered himself patient couldn’t hold back this time and spoke first: “What are you thinking about?”
How could Xie Wanning experience his myriad twists and turns of emotions? Upon hearing this, she snapped back to attention and lifted her gaze to look at him.
In the instant their eyes met, Pei Yuqing reached out to hold her hand resting on the small table, gave it a gentle squeeze, and said in a low voice: “What’s wrong?”
“…” Xie Wanning hesitated for a few breaths before telling him Madam Zheng’s intentions.
Hearing this, Pei Yuqing was also slightly taken aback.
Xie Wanning said in distress: “Do you think I should intervene in this matter?”
If she hadn’t known about it, that would be one thing, but since she did, how could she bear to watch her mother do something with good intentions but end up wrong.
She wanted to ask her supremely intelligent husband.
But Pei Yuqing silently looked at her for a moment before slowly saying: “Are you so troubled simply because you’re worried that after the matter is exposed, your mother-in-law will blame herself?”
“…?” Xie Wanning showed a puzzled expression, then quickly realized and said frankly: “Ji Chengfeng is my cousin, so of course I don’t want to see his household in turmoil.”
If he really married Cao Ying’er, and she failed to get rid of the Second Prince, who could say for sure whether the child she bore would be Ji family blood or the Second Prince’s.
Confusing the bloodline was the gravest problem for any family.
A faint arc hooked at the corner of Pei Yuqing’s lips. “Wanwan has only met Brother Ji twice, yet she’s already worried for him.”
These words were so sarcastic that even the slow-witted Xie Wanning detected something off.
“What do you mean?” She frowned, her gaze turning to the man across from her as she hesitantly said: “Could it be you’re still hung up on how I happened to run into my cousin this morning and chatted with him a bit more?”
Pei Yuqing didn’t speak.
This tacit admission made Xie Wanning’s eyes gradually widen. She truly hadn’t expected this man’s capacity for tolerance to be so narrow.
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