Chapter 500 The Wei Clan's Divergence

"What the Third Young Master says is absolutely right."

Inside the carriage, Wang Lengran immediately responded.

"It's only because the Third Young Master wasn't in Jiangzhou before that Ouyang Lianghan was able to act like a bully, pretending to be something he's not, and being so arrogant. Now that the Third Young Master is here, let's see how arrogant he can still be..."

Wei Shaoqi waved:

"It's not just Ouyang Lianghan, the same goes for the Xunyang Prince's Mansion."

Wang Lengran asked, "Third Young Master, what do we do now? Aren't we forbidden from making any moves against the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, especially against His Highness Prince Liang..."

Wei Shaoqi narrowed his eyes and remained silent.

Actually, Uncle Liang wasn't this conservative before.

When the scheme involving the messenger of the Prince of Xiang and Meng Shouguang to spread false information was initially set up, the Prince of Liang's uncle and father were of the same mind.

In other words, the Xunyang Prince's Mansion does not need to be completely wiped out, but all the male members must die. Only some female members need to be left, such as the young princess of Xunyang Prince Li Xian, who can return to the capital to be a puppet and marry a member of the Wei family, becoming a Wei family daughter-in-law.

This can be considered as preserving a trace of the Xunyang Prince's lineage, symbolically bringing the Li and Wei families closer together, which will make it easier to explain to His Majesty and make him more accepting.

In that case, the offspring born to Li Guo'er and the Wei family would be considered to have the bloodlines of both families and inherit part of the lineage of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion. Perhaps His Majesty would accept it...

But that seemingly impossible trap failed.

Subsequently, a series of events were revealed, including Wei Shaoxuan's disappearance with the Ding Sword and the removal of the Jiangzhou Road Army Chief from his position.

That Uncle Liang then began to change his mind and disagree with his father, because he no longer had a sure chance of winning.

Now, not only is the Prince of Wei's mansion being asked not to touch Li Guo'er, but even Li Xian and his son Li Dalang are not to act rashly. They should be put aside for now and their actions will depend on His Majesty's subsequent attitude.

After all, compared to the Xiangwang Mansion, the mortal enemy of the Wei clan and their life-or-death struggle, the Xunyang Mansion, far from the eye of the storm in Luoyang and practically empty, was definitely more moderate and easier to establish some kind of alliance.

As for the scheme orchestrated by the fake messenger...

According to Liang Wangshu, who had obtained the token from the Prince of Xiang, as long as the Prince of Xunyang's family isn't stupid, they would hate or be wary not only the Wei family, but also the Prince of Xiang's mansion.

In fact, Wei Shaoqi was not very clear about the cause and effect of that scheme. He was not at the Prince of Luoyang's residence at the time, and only knew afterwards that it was Uncle Liang who was in charge of the actual operation, while the Prince of Wei's residence was only responsible for the implementation...

As for whether Prince Liang and the seemingly innocent Prince Xiang in the court reached some kind of tacit understanding...

Wei Shaoqi once asked his father out of curiosity. He remembered that his father only gave him a deep look and then said meaningfully: "The characteristic of politics is that there is no truth. The best thing is to use it however you want..."

Wei Shaoqi's eyes were dark as he pondered, when a clear sound of hooves came from outside the carriage.

Qin Ying emerged from the maple forest, returning laden with her prey.

Wei Shaoqi rubbed his face, revealing a bright smile, stepped down from the carriage, and went to greet him.

...

"Is Young Master Wei's hand alright?"

"Haha, it's nothing, just a minor injury. This wasn't enough fun. If Miss Qin wants to go hunting again next time, please call me."

"We'll see. Oh, by the way, you can take the hedgehog back."

"Okay, okay."

"Auntie said that the whole hedgehog is a good medicinal food. Hedgehog skin can reduce swelling and relieve pain. Young Master Wei can also soak its kidney penis in wine and drink it, which has the effects of refreshing the mind, strengthening the body and bones."

"Miss Qin is really... really too considerate."

"I just saw you catch it because I thought I could help you recover from your weakness, but who would have thought you would catch it empty-handed..." Qin Ying muttered.

"..." Wei Shaoqi.

This autumn hunt was a very successful one.

If only we hadn't run into that damned hedgehog... Wei Shaoqi thought.

Qin and Wei, mounted on horseback, led a group of knights through the east gate of Xunyang City.

They chatted idly for a while.

However, Wei Shaoqi, who was right behind Qin Ying, looked rather strange, and occasionally his smile was more like a grimace.

The group passed through bustling streets and arrived at Jingyiting.

Wei Shaoqi maintained his smile, watching the slightly plump Qin family girl, dressed in Hu clothing and carrying a bow, disappear into the doorway.

Many of the Xianbei guards around him glanced sideways at their young master's bandaged, blood-soaked hands.

Wei Shaoqi turned and left.

The smile on his face vanished.

He climbed into the luxurious carriage, his face stern as he addressed Wang Lengran, who had been following closely behind:

"Let's go back."

"Yes, Third Young Master."

"By the way, where is Seventh Sister?"

Wei Shaoqi asked curiously.

Wang Lengran said, "Before we went out of the city to hunt this morning, I heard from my subordinates that Princess Anhui went to Xingzifang again to distribute porridge and clothing."

Upon hearing this, Wei Shaoqi's face showed impatience, and he waved his hand:

"Let's go pick her up. We need to have Seventh Sister invite Qin Ying to dinner tonight. Seventh Sister is a woman too, so she'll be more effective."

"Yes, Third Young Master."

Wei Shaoqi turned his head and looked at the scenery outside the car window, somewhat lost in thought.

A short while later, the carriage entered Xingzifang.

It was near the place where Princess An Hui used to distribute porridge and clothing.

Wei Shaoqi snapped out of his daze, craned his neck, and peered in that direction.

His expression froze:

"Why are there two soup kitchens together? Did Seventh Sister not have enough of one, so she set up another one?"

Wei Shaoqi was halfway through his sentence when he realized something was amiss. He squinted and took a closer look at the flag hanging above the extra soup kitchen stall, and read it aloud curiously:

"Why is there a flag... a shelter? It sounds so literary. How come Seventh Sister has time to come up with a name?"

"A shelter from the cold?"

Wang Lengran, who had initially looked puzzled, suddenly understood upon hearing the name:

"Isn't this the charity hall set up by the little princess of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion? I've heard of it. It seems that it was initially responsible for sheltering the poor scholars and literati of Xunyang City and providing them with food and clothing. Later, it seems that it also distributed some of the food and clothing that the Xunyang Prince's Mansion didn't need to the poor in Xingzifang to prevent extravagance and waste. It also does some charity work for the common people during major festivals..."

Wei Shaoqi frowned:

"The Charity Hall of the Prince of Xunyang's Mansion? How come it's so close to Seventh Sister... Wait a minute!"

His expression suddenly changed.

The next second, Wang Lengran saw Wei Shaoqi jump off the carriage in a hurry, abandon them, kick aside the queue of people, and rush to the porridge stall in front.

"Seventh Sister? What are you doing at someone else's soup kitchen?"

Amidst the crowded porridge stall, a questioning voice was followed immediately by Wei Shaoqi's furious roar:

"Li, Fu, Su! You little brat, you still dare to harass Seventh Sister? You're asking for death!"

At the porridge stall ahead, a cunning figure standing next to the veiled Wei Anhui, who was also distributing porridge, suddenly dropped his bowl and ran away.

"You stop right there! Don't run away if you dare!" Wei Shaoqi stared intently at the man, desperately pushing through the crowd in front of him, and chased after him for a while.

Finally, exhausted from a day of hunting and further wounded, he leaned on his knees, panting heavily, and watched with resentment as Li Dalang's figure disappeared into the distance...

The surrounding onlookers stared at him strangely. Wei Shaoqi, his face dark, dragged Wei Anhui away, shouting angrily from time to time, "What are you looking at? Get the hell out of here!"

"Third Brother, don't be harsh with them..."

"Seventh Sister, don't speak!"

The Xianbei guards who caught up from behind sensed their young master's anger and began to roughly push aside the people to clear a path for him.

Wei Shaoqi pulled Wei Anhui back into her sedan chair.

He had just sat down when he asked, his face full of annoyance:

"Seventh Sister, what were you doing just now?!"

"Distribute porridge," she said softly.

Wei Shaoqi immediately launched into a tirade: "You sent porridge to someone else's porridge stall? What's this bastard doing here? Don't you know how to avoid him? Haven't you learned your lesson from what happened at Yunshui Pavilion last time? You believe just anyone?"

"Didn't the person who made you wait repeatedly tell you to make things clear? How come you're chatting with a complete stranger and even making him tea?"

Wei Anhui glanced at her aggressive cousin, then lowered her head to explain:

"Third Brother said he didn't come with ill intentions. His sister called him to distribute porridge, so he just happened to run into him. He also said that what happened at Yunshui Pavilion last time was a misunderstanding, and he apologized. He didn't mean to offend anyone."

Before Wei Shaoqi could speak, she whispered again:

"Third Brother, he's not a bad person. He didn't do anything rude. We were just handing out porridge and had a brief chat."

"And I went there myself, which was a good opportunity to return the robe he had left behind."

As Wei Shaoqi listened, his temples throbbed with blood, and he suppressed his anger, saying:

"You actually washed those tattered clothes and returned them to him? Didn't you know to just throw them in a latrine?"

“Other people’s things should be returned to their rightful owners,” Wei Anhui insisted.

Seeing her clear eyes, Wei Shaoqi took a deep breath and asked in a low voice:

"Answer me, did he...did he touch you with his dirty hands?"

No. He's not a lecher.

"He's smart enough to know his place. He dared to touch a hair on my Wei family's daughter's head. I'll chop his hand off! So what if he's surnamed Li!"

Wei Shaoqi flicked his sleeve, his face somewhat gloomy, and warned:

"Next time we distribute porridge, I'll go with you, Third Brother. And don't talk to him again, okay?"

"Third Brother..."

"Um?"

"I...I understand."

As Wei Shaoqi prepared to get out of the car, he turned back and asked before leaving:

"Seventh Sister, last time at Yunshui Pavilion, he mistakenly entered a private room. Why didn't you come next door to find Third Brother?"

Wei Anhui lowered her head: "I forgot."

"Forgot?"

Wei Anhui's fingers were clenched together.

“Isn’t Third Brother meeting with Sister Qin in the next private room? I’m afraid I’ll disturb him if I go over there.”

"Really? Are you just afraid of bothering Third Brother? Are you sure it's not something else?"

Wei Shaoqi stared at her for a while, then his voice suddenly softened:

"Seventh Sister, Third Brother isn't an unreasonable person. What are you afraid of him for? From now on, if anything happens, you must tell Third Brother immediately. Don't let your sympathy get the better of you anymore. You were just lucky the last few times and didn't encounter any bad people."

“This isn’t Luoyang. Uncle Liang and the others aren’t here. There are a lot of bad people out there. Third Brother is worried that you’ll get hurt. After all, you’re so young and innocent. You don’t understand anything. Third Brother is very worried about you, understand?”

"I understand, Third Brother, it's for my own good."

“That’s right. Remember this: the Wei family has many enemies, and many people have ill intentions towards you. That guy surnamed Li just now might be one of them. These bad people have too many tricks up their sleeves. In this world, only your own family is the most reliable, understand? If anything happens, tell your third brother immediately, and your third brother will protect you!”

"Okay, Third Brother."

Wei Anhui smiled and nodded: "Anhui won't do it again next time."

"Seventh Sister is so good."

Having appeased him enough, Wei Shaoqi left with a smile.

He stepped off the carriage, his smile vanished, and he returned to his own carriage with a very displeased expression.

He immediately instructed Wang Lengran:

"From now on, we will have people keep an eye on things and make sure this never happens again."

"Yes, Third Young Master."

Wang Lengran nodded vigorously.

Wei Shaoqi was silent for a moment, then suddenly said:

"After some consideration, I believe this is not a good sign and I must report it to the Prince's Palace immediately."

"What's the sign?"

Wei Shaoqi's seemingly random remark startled Wang Lengran, leaving him momentarily speechless.

He tried to ask, "Third Young Master, are you saying that Li Dalang is harassing the Princess again...?"

"No! He's not worthy!"

Wei Shaoqi suddenly got angry and shouted something, then quickly regained his composure and continued with a cold face:

"I'm talking about Li Dalang and Qin Ying!"

"The Prince of Xunyang's mansion has long wanted to form a marriage alliance with the family of the Left Martial Guard General!"

Wang Lengran whispered:

"Isn't that normal? The Qin family is currently very powerful, and every faction wants to curry favor with them."

Wei Shaoqi waved his hand:

"No, I've thought about it. We can't just let the matter of the Yunshui Pavilion private room go like this. We need to report the whole thing back to them. We should say that... the Xunyang Prince's Mansion is dishonest and its wolfish ambitions are obvious. Their attempt to form a marriage alliance with the Qin family, which controls military power, is clear evidence of their intentions."

"This matter should not only be known to our Wei Prince's Mansion, but also to the Liang Prince's Mansion, and to everyone in our Wei family. Let's see how Uncle Liang reacts, and whether he can still suppress the Xunyang Prince's Mansion! How can we continue to let this go unchecked?"

Wang Lengran immediately understood. As the third son of the Prince of Wei, Wei Shaoqi was naturally determined to follow the Prince of Wei's path and was very dissatisfied with the Prince of Liang's path, regarding it as weak and conservative. He was a voice within the Wei clan that was hindering the Prince of Wei's path.

"Uncle Liang is too merciful. The struggle between Li and Wei is a life-or-death struggle. There is no way out."

"Even if it is the Prince of Xunyang, tell me, is he closer to the Prince of Xiang, or to his father and uncle, the Prince of Liang? They all share the surname Li, and blood is thicker than water for brothers. How can you still have any expectations?"

"Once people have a way out, they become cowardly and retreat, and they can't accomplish anything. A large ship is hard to turn around. Looking back and forth will only hinder our really important tasks!"

"Prefect Wang, don't you agree?"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes."

This internal power struggle was something Wang Lengran couldn't afford to offend, whether it was the King of Wei or the King of Liang. Faced with Wei Shaoqi's gloomy gaze, he had no choice but to bow his head in agreement.

Wei Shaoqi's expression softened slightly, and he said calmly:

"You should also participate in the reporting, as a testimony to me."

"I want to see how Uncle Liang will respond, whether he will stop this marriage alliance between Li and Qin?"

"We can't let some outsider surnamed Li steal his nephew's wedding, can we?"

"What the Third Young Master says is absolutely right."

Wei Shaoqi smiled:

"If things continue like this, if we just tolerate everything and never retaliate, we might as well let the Prince of Xunyang's mansion ride roughshod over our Wei family. Fine, it's good to have an ancestor, we'll all just wait to lose our heads."

"You jest, Third Young Master."

Wang Lengran seemed to have thought of something and asked cautiously:

"Third Young Master, you brought Princess Anhui all this way. Could it be an arrangement by His Highness Prince Liang? Is this... the third matter you've come to Jiangzhou for..."

Wang Lengran immediately shut up because Wei Shaoqi cast a cold glance at him.

"There are some things you shouldn't ask, so don't ask them."

Wang remained silent, as if chilled to the bone.

After a short while, Wei Shaoqi let out a long breath and closed his eyes to rest.

At some point, as if struck by a sudden thought, he gritted his teeth and spat out:

"How could such a cunning and shameless person be among Emperor Taizong's descendants? It's simply bad luck!"

(End of this chapter)