Chapter 94 Like Strong Wine (Part 6) I had anticipated running into Zhi Rou. ...

The next day, Zhi Rou came out of her room and heard that Wei Yuanzhan had also stayed overnight at the East Palace.

According to the palace servants, the young general was drunk last night and stood alone in the pavilion gazing at the moon in a daze.

Seeing that half of his body was leaning out of the pool, a bold palace maid stepped forward to remind him. He smiled and straightened his clothes, intending to leave. Unexpectedly, the movement of his lowered hand brushed the jade pendant at his waist into the pool. Before the palace maid could react, the young man had already jumped in.

After searching for a while, he came up with the jade pendant in his hand. His robes were wet and clung to his body, outlining his lean waist.

Unable to avoid him in time, the palace maid standing in the pavilion blushed and hurriedly lowered her eyelashes to lead him to change his clothes. When the news reached the Crown Prince, he was kept there.

Everyone in the palace knew that the young general who had returned from the Northwest was the Crown Princess's younger brother. After hearing the palace maid's account of him changing clothes last night, the others were filled with envy and gathered together, whispering, "What does the young general look like? Is he as handsome as the Crown Princess?"

Wei Mingying's men arrived at this time and asked Zhi Rou to come to Yuxuan for a meeting.

When Zhi Rou saw Wei Mingying, she knelt down respectfully to pay her respects. Her clothes were thin, revealing her strong bones beneath. Seeing this, Wei Mingying frowned and stepped forward to help her up, saying, "Fourth sister, you're being too polite with me."

Today is different from last night. There are more palace servants in the room. Even if you lower your head, it seems like your eyes are on you. Zhi Rou doesn't want anyone to point out any mistakes she made.

Wei Mingying noticed her gaze and understood. She smiled helplessly, her face as beautiful as spring dawn, but the smile was not genuine.

The Crown Prince feared that Wei Mingying might be overwhelmed with worry and have unpleasant thoughts, so he arranged for many people to look after her day and night. Yesterday, because he went to the palace, some of the staff were relieved.

"Did you stay well last night?" Wei Mingying pulled Zhirou to sit on a bamboo chair. A palace maid by the window was brewing tea, and the light fragrance wafted out, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

Zhi Rou replied, "The mansion is exquisite in every way, and I am very comfortable here. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Wei Mingying nodded: "Did you return to the capital with Yuan Zhan?"

Zhi Rou said yes, but then she heard her ask, "He's different now, isn't he?"

Wei Mingying had not seen his younger brother for a long time, and on the first day he returned to the capital, he came to the Eastern Palace.

Wei Yuanzhan came running.

It was cold in the first month of the lunar calendar. Fallen petals were scattered under a plum tree in the courtyard. The wind rustled through the trees. The young man had removed his armor and sword. A neat military uniform clung to his body. His straight spine was like a sword that could cleave mountains and rivers. A few beads of sweat hung on his forehead.

The moment Huai Xian stepped into the capital, Wei Mingying heard about it from the palace servants. What they reported was naturally not about the princess, but about the young border general who was not yet twenty.

Despite the comments of others, Wei Yuanzhan, with his black boots and sword, remained composed and unassuming as he sat on his tall horse, displaying no arrogance whatsoever—a stern and imposing air honed from years of traversing the grasslands of the frontier.

Wei Mingying supported his elbows and helped him up. He stood up straight, his head bowed and his eyes lowered.

"Sister, I'm back."

The boy's voice was gentle, his brows slightly furrowed, conveying a sense of heartache coupled with a helplessness in the face of the situation. Wei Mingying's eyelashes fluttered, tears welling up and trembling as they were about to fall.

She looked him over, a slight sense of unfamiliarity lingering between them, before finally asking, "Your mother misses you very much. Have you gone back to see her?"

Wei Yuanzhan nodded. He had just returned to the Marquis's residence, but fearing it was too late to make it in time, he hurriedly rode here.

"Sister..." he called out, but the rest of his words were hard to utter. Judging from his expression, he looked extremely worried.

Wei Mingying reassured her, "I'm fine, you don't need to worry about anything."

The figure stood there in the sunlight. She was already slender, but now she was even more emaciated, as if she would break at the slightest touch. How could Wei Yuanzhan believe her words?

But he had grown up and would no longer make inappropriate sarcastic remarks to her. Suddenly remembering something, he took out a long box from his pocket, opened it, and handed it to her: "I picked camellias from Xihe City for you, sister."

The flower stems must have been trimmed; they were not yet completely withered. The petals were layered upon each other, with slightly curled edges, blooming silently in the box, like a hermit who does not care about the hustle and bustle.

Wei Mingying had mentioned to her mother that she wanted to see the camellias in Xihe City to see if they were as serene and beautiful as depicted in paintings. It was a casual remark she made when she was newly pregnant, as she was tired of being confined within high walls and had just seen a painter present a painting, which touched her heart.

Si Lai's mother wrote all her words into the letter she sent to Lancheng.

Wei Yuanzhan longed to see his sister's smiling face, but he never did and never did it. The two siblings had been like "enemies" since childhood. After growing up, they went their separate ways and had never learned any other ways of getting along.

His return to the capital took several days less than expected, and he must have traveled day and night, facing many hardships, yet he still managed to find time to pick flowers for her.

Wei Mingying was quite surprised and touched. She stared at him for a moment, then suddenly chuckled softly.

On a bright spring day, plum blossoms swayed gently and fell from the branches. Hearing the sound, the palace servants lifted their eyelids and secretly glanced at the Crown Prince's wife for a moment.

For the first time since the funeral, the Crown Princess showed a genuine smile. For a moment, the palace servants who were closest to her were stunned, and quickly closed their eyes after regaining their senses.

The sound of pouring tea in the room resembled the clinking of jade stones, producing a series of "ding" sounds.

Zhi Rou didn't understand what kind of change Wei Mingying was referring to, and in fact, she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but Wei Yuanzhan was indeed different compared to three years ago.

So she lowered her chin, and thinking of him stirred up some emotions within her.

Wei Mingying was usually reluctant to see people. Yesterday, dealing with the Empress had left her physically and mentally exhausted. However, upon returning to her palace and reflecting carefully, she realized that while she was inevitably saddened by her time with her fourth sister, perhaps because her sister had been away from the capital for a long time, yet remained close to her, she felt a strange sense of relief.

A palace maid stepped forward to serve tea, and Zhi Rou's eyes happened to meet his. The man was slightly stunned, and Zhi Rou pursed her lips awkwardly.

When Wei Yuanzhan was mentioned, Wei Mingying's expression was relaxed and unpretentious, yet there was a hint of bitterness hidden beneath the relaxed demeanor.

"When Xiao Ling was born, her features were indistinct and it was difficult to discern her appearance, but when I looked at her, I felt that she looked nothing like me. Later, when she was a little older, my mother came to see her a few times and always said that she resembled her uncle."

The voice beside her was calmer than yesterday, and Zhi Rou listened quietly, not surprised by what she said. She had thought Wei Yuanzhan was handsome since she was a child, and his heroic spirit only gradually emerged as he grew older.

Wei Mingying continued speaking, a smile on her face, as if she were still sitting in the pavilion last year, conceiving the idea.

“I had planned to wait until she was a little older and then entrust her to Yuanzhan to teach her martial arts. The world is vast, and it is difficult to travel far by relying solely on the books of sages and worthies.”

“Yuan Zhan is arrogant and irritable, but he has never lost his temper while practicing martial arts. If Xiao Ling follows him, she will not be scolded by the teacher as I was when I was learning the Pan Dance.”

Xiao Ling never met her uncle.

Upon hearing Wei Mingying's last sentence, Zhi Rou suddenly felt a stinging sensation in her eyes. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

She was momentarily annoyed that she could still speak with Huai Xian and the others, but when it came to people she treated seriously and with kindness, she became a mute who didn't utter a single word.

Fortunately, Wei Mingying did not dwell on the past. After speaking her mind, she felt much better. She didn't need so-called "concerned" people to comfort her, but rather a true friend to chat with.

Birds flew by outside, leaving a soft rustling sound. Wei Mingying looked at Zhi Rou, whose hand, which had been resting on her knee, unconsciously pressed down.

Remembering what the Empress had said, Wei Mingying frowned and asked, "Fourth Sister, is your leg injury still not healed?"

Zhi Rou once fell from her horse and injured her leg. This is what Huai Xian told the Empress.

Zhi Rou paused slightly upon hearing this, loosened her grip a bit, and replied, "It's healed."

"Falling off a horse must have hurt a lot, right?" Wei Mingying asked, her brows furrowed.

"It should have hurt, but I don't quite remember..."

Zhi Rou has a very low pain tolerance, and that time was probably the most painful time of her life. It wasn't because of the physical pain, but because they told her that she would never be able to walk like a normal person again.

She didn't understand what it meant at the time, her eyes reddened, her fingers dug into the felt blanket, and she asked again and again, "Why?"

There was little that Physician Zhao could do. The witch doctor of Beili had fallen out with Zhirou and was unwilling to help. In fact, he even went to another tribe to stay for a few days to avoid her, and even Enhe couldn't catch a glimpse of him.

That was the first time in her life that she had the thought of not wanting to live.

Jingyao kept trying to persuade and comfort her, but she just couldn't bear it and spent two nights in a daze.

Later, she thought of her mother, and of all that she had never seen in the world, and she refused to do so.

“The witch doctor and I had a grudge, and he was unwilling to help me, not because he was unable to. So after he returned, I went to apologize to him, and he probably took pity on me and finally treated me.”

Wei Mingying looked at her sideways, feeling that the person in front of her was both incredibly familiar and incredibly different. She wouldn't offer her advice, but instead asked her a question with the simplest and most ordinary words.

Suddenly, I understood why Yuan Zhan had liked Zhi Rou since childhood. She was like another version of him, not because of her temperament or circumstances, but because of her fiery mind and will, so beautiful and so powerful.

Wei Mingying smiled gently: "I have one."

Sunlight streamed in, and through the vermilion window, the Crown Prince stood with his hands tied behind his back on the veranda. Wei Yuanzhan was with him; they had come to ask their sister for leave.

I had expected to run into Zhi Rou, but I never imagined that she had suffered such an injury in Bei Li. Whenever I asked her about her experience, she never complained.

Wei Yuanzhan couldn't help but frown, his hands hanging at his sides slightly clenched.

The Crown Prince turned to the eunuch behind him and asked, "Who is that?"

"Your Highness, that is the second daughter of Lord Song Congzhao, the Fourth Miss Song."

The Crown Prince paused for a moment, then remembered that Mingying seemed to have mentioned it last night. He stepped forward, picked up his boots, and ordered, "Reward."

Song Congzhao sent people to wait outside the East Mansion early in the morning. After all, it was the Crown Prince's territory, so they couldn't get too close. The servants of the Song Mansion stood there for a long time, until the sun was high in the sky, but they still couldn't see the Fourth Miss.

She slowly stopped, calming herself down. Before she even stepped onto the long street, a gust of wind suddenly swept from behind her. She dodged to the side, turning her gaze to the opposite side. When their eyes met, the leader of the group instantly smiled.

Agile, tall, and extremely handsome. Every single one of them matches.

The man greeted her with a smile, a hint of amusement in his voice: "That's her, tie her up!"