Chapter 53 Erlang, you're so good

Wei Minxian was not the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wei, but rather the daughter of one of his concubines.

In treating his children, the Duke of Wei treated them all equally and did not differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate children.

However, he was arrogant and thought he had the talent of a military genius and a general. He thought all day long that he had a lot of ambitions but no opportunity to realize them.

He was imprisoned today only because he was an illegitimate son. Even if he were the heir apparent, he would never bow down to the regent.

Back then, his military power was taken away by the regent. He was just a greenhorn who won a few years of war by luck. If it were him, the war would have been over many years ago.

He looked down on the regent, and as a result, the entire household had grievances against the regent.

That's why Wei Minzhao refused to join the Imperial Guard.

He also spoke rudely and offended the Regent.

Wei's mother quickly found her daughter and explained the situation while crying.

"Your fifth brother has been imprisoned by the Regent for three days now. He offended the Regent's male favorite. I heard that the cell is completely covered with black cloth, so not a single ray of light can get in. He's only given one meal a day, and no one is allowed to speak to him..."

Isn't this turning him into an idiot? Minxian, please help your mother think of a way to save your brother!

Your fifth brother is my only son. Without him, how will I live...?

After all, they were siblings from the same mother, how could Wei Minxian not feel sorry for her brother?

"Where's my dad? Does he know?"

Mother Wei cried and said, "Of course your father knows, but he can't bring himself to go. He refuses to go no matter what. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to the Prince's Mansion to beg him. The eunuch in the Prince's Mansion told me that only your father could do it, but your father refused."

Wei Minxian frowned and pondered for a moment, "My father would never plead with the Regent for Fifth Brother's sake..."

"What should we do?" Wei's mother was frantic, holding her daughter's hand tightly.

Wei Minxian wasn't without ideas, though. "Mother, you go back first. I'll write to you after I rescue Fifth Brother."

Mother Wei was worried, but what could she, a woman confined to the inner quarters, do?

"Minxian, then you go quickly, your mother will go back and wait for your news."

After seeing Wei's mother off, Wei Minxian rushed to the residence where Chu Yanqing lived.

Chu Yanqing has been locked up by Chu Yannuo for five days.

For the past five days, she has not left her small courtyard.

Apart from the food delivered to her on time, she had never seen anyone in the manor.

When they saw Wei Minxian coming over, they thought the sun had risen in the west.

"Hey, sister-in-law, why aren't you waiting for my brother to come back in your own room? What brings you here?"

She always thought Wei Minxian was very smart and shouldn't have devoted all her attention to one man.

The eldest brother searched the entire capital city countless times in his search for his cousin.

Wei Minxian neither tried to dissuade her nor got angry. Instead, she went back to her parents' home to ask for help in the search.

It's truly eye-opening to find such a magnanimous woman in the world.

Wei Minxian knew that Chu Yanqing had a problem with her.

But this is not the time to argue.

"Little sister, I've come to you today to ask for your help."

Chu Yanqing saw that there were tears in her eyes, and she did look like she had something urgent to do. "If it has anything to do with my brother, I can't help you. After all, I can't even leave my own yard."

Wei Minxian focused on the key points, saying, "My brother has been imprisoned by the Regent, and he's begging his little sister for help to get him out."

Chu Yanqing frowned: "The Duke of Wei has both status and position; how could I possibly be involved in such a matter?"

Wei Minxian said with difficulty, "My father would never ask the Prince for help."

That's ridiculous. Chu Yanqing laughed and said, "Would it be any use if I asked the Prince?"

Wei Minxian: "You have a good relationship with Princess Chaoli. As long as Chaoli is willing to help, my brother will definitely be able to get out. After all, the Regent only has this one sister."

She was still his sister-in-law, no matter how much Chu Yanqing disliked her, but she couldn't stand idly by at this crucial moment.

She'd been locked up for several days and needed to get some fresh air.

"May I ask how the Fifth Young Master offended the Prince?"

Wei Minxian sighed: "I heard it was because she offended the prince's male favorite."

"Male concubine?" Chu Yanqing suddenly recalled the scene of her cousin being led away from Babaozhai by the Regent.

The so-called male concubines were mostly her cousins.

That Wei Minzhao is a real bastard. Not only does she get involved with her older brother, but she also dares to offend her cousin.

They really should have been locked up for a few more days.

"Sister-in-law, it's a pity that my brother forbids me from going out. I really don't know what to do."

Wei Minxian had this much confidence: "I'll see you out."

As the two walked out of the courtyard, a maidservant came to stop them.

Wei Minxian adopted the air of a matriarch: "What, can't I take my little sister out for a stroll?"

The maid said with difficulty, "The young master forbids Miss from going out."

Wei Minxian got angry: "You're afraid of the young master but not of me, the young master's wife? He can hit you, but I can't? Get out of my way!"

She is, after all, the daughter of a military family. If she really puts on airs, how many servants wouldn't be afraid of her?

They could only watch helplessly as the young lady left.

Tang Xinuan and Zhou Chuanxing returned to the Prince's Mansion. Knowing that he still had political affairs to attend to, they obediently prepared to return to their private quarters.

As she was leaving, Zhou Chuanxing stopped her, saying, "Transport all 500,000 taels of silver to the Northern Region."

Tang Xinuan immediately realized that Erlang was going to give all the silver to his brother.

"Erlang, you are so kind."

If she knew all the money was going to her brother, she should have gotten her hands on the entire million taels.

Seeing her frown, Zhou Chuanxing guessed what mischief she was thinking and tapped her head, "Don't have such thoughts again."

Tang Xinu flashed him two rows of white teeth, "Okay."

She wondered if her brother was doing well in the Northern Region; she missed him terribly.

"Erlang, may I write a letter?"

Zhou Chuanxing replied without hesitation, "No."

Seeing the little girl's sadness, he finally relented, saying, "You can draw a picture, but don't leave any words."

"Thank you, Erlang, you're so kind."

She skipped back to the inner courtyard, intending to draw a simple picture.

Her brother must be thinking of her too; seeing her painting tells him she's doing well.

Zhou Chuanxing was busy for nearly an hour when Princess Chaoli arrived with Chu Yanqing and Wei Minxian.

Out of consideration for his younger sister, and since Wei Minzhao hadn't committed any serious crimes, Zhou Chuanxing naturally wouldn't keep her locked up any longer.

He handed the token to Chao Li, saying, "Go and release the person."

Chao Li winked at Wei Minxian.

He then sincerely thanked Zhou Chuanxing, saying, "Second Brother, thank you."

Zhou Chuanxing only had this one younger sister, so of course he would grant her every request.

He waved his hand impatiently but with a hint of indulgence: "Go on, go on."

Chao Li pulled Chu Yanqing along, intending to take her to the prison.

After all, it was Chu Yanqing who begged her to come and save people.

But Chu Yanqing still had something to discuss with the Regent. "Princess, you and my sister-in-law go ahead. I want to say a few words to the Prince."

Chao Li quickly understood.

Now that the Empress is facilitating her second brother's marriage, and the Crown Prince Chu is pressuring his sister to marry, it certainly won't be easy for the two of them to be together.

Naturally, we need more time to discuss countermeasures.

"Yanqing, I really hope you can be my sister-in-law!"

After making his jokes, Chao Li took Wei Minxian to the prison.

After Chu Yanqing and the others left, he then revealed the purpose of his stay.

"Your Highness, I would like to see my cousin."

Zhou Chuanxing put down the memorial in his hand, glanced at Chu Yanqing with a deep gaze, and remained silent for a long time before speaking to the eunuch outside the door: "Go and ask Miss Tang if the third young lady of the Chu family wants to see her, and whether she will allow it?"

Chu Yanqing planned to wait outside.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Chuanxing called out to her.

"Miss Chu, wait a moment."

Chu Yanqing stood respectfully at attention.

Zhou Chuanxing hesitated and asked, "Do you like my third brother?"

Unexpectedly, the usually cold and ruthless regent asked her about her love life.

Chu Yanqing had no idea how to answer.

Zhou Chuanxing took a sip of tea. "Speak frankly."

Chu Yanqing didn't reply directly: "I can only say that we are destined to be apart."

Zhou Chuanxing chuckled, "Really?"

A man who has been in military command for many years is sharp-eyed and discerning; Chu Yanqing knew she couldn't hide it from him.

“My elder brother has already arranged a marriage for my daughter, and the wedding will be held soon.”

Zhou Chuanxing chuckled softly again, "This little thing can't possibly trouble Miss Chu!"

Nothing she said was right, so Chu Yanqing simply shut up.

Zhou Chuanxing was worried about his younger siblings' marriages.

He himself wanted to be with the person he loved forever, and naturally he also hoped that his younger siblings could have a happy and successful marriage.

That idiot brother of mine, there's no way he'll win the girl's heart on his own.

As his older brother, all he could do was lend him a hand.

"Miss Chu, Chuan Jin likes you, but he has been living in fear since childhood and can't trust anyone except the people in your Marquis's mansion."

Marquis Wu'an saved us siblings back then, and he felt at ease whenever he saw the Chu family.

But expecting someone with his personality to make any effort is probably difficult.

Although he talks about having three wives and four concubines, once you become a princess, unless you take the initiative to arrange concubines for him, he will only keep talking about it.

Therefore, if Miss Chu is interested, I hope you will make efforts for your future together.

The ruthless and decisive regent has transformed into a doting brother.

Chu Yanqing was at a loss for how to respond.

Zhou Chuanxing spoke at length for his younger brother, which was the pinnacle of his life.

“Miss Chu, the young master of the Liang family is not a good match. Putting aside his domestic violence and humiliation of his wife, even if he were a normal person, he would not live with only one woman.”

Chu Yanqing was well aware of this as well.

"Your Highness, if I may ask, will the Empress allow Prince Duan to marry our Chu family's daughter?"

Zhou Chuanxing finally saw some progress.

"Don't worry about that. As long as there are no problems on your end, I will take care of everything for you."

Chu Yanqing pondered for a moment and replied, "Then I will try my best, and I hope Your Highness will take care of me."

Tang Xinuan had just found and put away her drawing board when she heard that her cousin had arrived. She dropped her paintbrush and ran outside.

Xiaoqian followed her as she changed clothes, saying, "Miss, please slow down."

Tang Xinuan hadn't seen her aunt and cousin for a while and really missed them.

She ran a few steps, not forgetting to instruct Bai Zhi, "Prepare some good food, I want to treat my cousin."

She personally went to the Xiaoqinzheng Hall and pulled the person to the inner quarters.

At this moment, Chu Yanqing had just finished discussing the marriage with Zhou Chuanxing.

"Cousin, what brings you here? Did you know I live in the Prince's mansion?"

Chu Yanqing pulled Tang Xinuan along and carefully examined her several times.

She was a bit fatter than before, her face was fuller, and her complexion was rosy and radiant, much better than when she was in the Marquis's mansion.

It seems the saying that the Prince's mansion provides for people is true.

"I saw you with the prince at Babaozhai a while ago, but I haven't had a chance to come over. Cousin, how are you doing? Are you alright?"

Tang Xinuan pulled her to sit in the pavilion. "Great! Erlang is very good to me. He never stops me from leaving the manor. I can do whatever I want. I even went to Caiyue Tower today and just got back."

It's clear that my cousin is doing quite well.

Chu Yanqing felt much more at ease.

"As long as I treat you well, that's enough. If you're ever unhappy, you must tell me, and I'll do everything in my power to take you away."

"You don't need to take me with you," Tang Xinuan said without hesitation.

Bai Zhi had already led more than a dozen palace maids to decorate the pavilion, and a table was filled with all kinds of fruits and snacks.

Tang Xinuan generously said, "Cousin, eat whatever you like. This is angelica." She pulled the angelica to Chu Yanqing's side. "This is a palace maid that Erlang arranged for me to take care of me. There's also peony. She's not on duty right now and is resting."

Seeing Chu Yanqing happy, Xiaoqian couldn't help but say, "Third Miss, now I have people to serve me. The Prince treats you very well and indulges you in everything. You've also made several good friends, who are now officials in the court."

Chu Yanqing asked in surprise, "Really? What official positions did they hold?"

Tang Xinuan was very proud when she mentioned this.

“Sun Qingzhao has become a fourth-rank official; I recommended him to Erlang.”

Chu Yanqing was startled.

When Sun Qingzhao was initially appointed, all the civil and military officials disagreed, but the regent insisted on appointing him as a fourth-rank vice minister despite the opposition.

Even the eldest brother was unhappy and grumbled about it several times when he got back.

Unexpectedly, the person turned out to be the "idiot" my older brother had been talking about, recommended by my cousin.

"Cousin, you're amazing!"