Chapter 17 Wen Kehao

Seeing her serious tone, Wen Zhiming dared not make a fuss anymore. He obediently dressed, tidied himself up, and led Meng Lingge to see Princess Anshun.

Ordinary men would like to hold hands or embrace, but Wen Zhiming was different. He would either hug or hold Meng Lingge's hand. Perhaps in his mind, he and Meng Lingge were still the innocent children they were ten years ago.

Sometimes when he ran fast, he would see Meng Lingge panting as he pulled her along, so he would let go and run to the corner ahead to wait. When Meng Lingge arrived, he would jump out and make a funny face to scare her.

Meng Lingge recalled what Qiu Lan had inquired about yesterday: the young master was a man of few words, and she feared there might be some misunderstanding.

Ever since she met Wen Zhiming yesterday, this man has been constantly on the go. If this is considered quiet and reserved, then she should be considered mute.

Princess Anshun's residence was not far from Wen Zhiming's courtyard. When they arrived at the gate, a nanny greeted them and led them inside.

It is now late autumn, but there are still many flowers blooming in Princess Anshun's courtyard, and the air is filled with their fragrance. The entire courtyard is decorated very exquisitely and comfortably.

The old woman led them to the door. "Young Master and Princess, please go in. The Princess is already waiting for you inside."

Meng Lingge nodded her thanks, but she was still a little nervous. Before she could calm herself down, Wen Zhiming pulled her into the room.

"Mother, Xiaoling and I have come to pay our respects to you."

He was quick and didn't let go of Meng Lingge's hand, so Meng Lingge had no choice but to keep bowing to him before she could even see who was in the room.

"Greetings, Mother Consort."

"Get up quickly." Princess Anshun looked at the two holding hands and felt happy. "I know that noble families have the custom of paying respects, but Mo'er is not yet recovered, so our Anshun Prince's Mansion does not need to follow so many rules. This is your first day of marriage, so please pay your respects. You don't need to come again in the future. You can just meet at breakfast every day."

Her daughter-in-law had finally found such a good marriage, so the important thing was to give her a grandson as soon as possible. She didn't want the cold weather this morning to make her daughter-in-law sick and delay the important matter of having offspring.

Meng Lingge was surprised that Princess Anshun was so easy to talk to. After thanking her, she took the teacup from the tea tray held by the nanny and respectfully presented it to Princess Anshun.

"Please have some tea, Mother."

"Good child." Princess Anshun took the wine and drank a sip. She then personally stood up and helped Meng Lingge up. She took off the bracelet from her wrist and put it on Meng Lingge's wrist without saying a word. "Yesterday, your mother was thinking about what gift to give you. After thinking it over, I think this bracelet that your mother has worn since childhood is more suitable."

The bracelet is a vibrant, translucent green, clearly very valuable. It was worn by Princess Anshun since childhood, indicating its profound significance to her.

Princess Anshun's gift to her is a sign of her approval. To refuse it would make her seem impolite.

He simply accepted it. "Thank you for your kindness, Mother."

As soon as she finished speaking, Meng Lingge felt a gaze from the side, scrutinizing her with great hostility.

Princess Anshun was even happier to see that she had accepted the gift.

"Since you're here today, let your mother introduce you to everyone. This is Consort Chen, and the young master beside her is Mo'er's third brother, Wen Kehao, known in the household as the Third Young Master. This is Consort Jiang, and this little girl is Consort Jiang's daughter, Wen Weizhu, who is also the only young lady in the Anshun Prince's Mansion. She's usually the most mischievous, and she's about your age."

After saying that, he turned to the smiling girl and instructed, "Weizhu, spend more time with your sister-in-law in the manor from now on."

Wen Weizhu was petite and delicate, and looked innocent, cute and very kind. Upon hearing the order, she went to the door and took Meng Lingge's hand, praising her sweetly, "When you were on your wedding yesterday, I knew you would be a great beauty when you were wearing a veil. I was right. Don't worry, Your Highness, as long as you don't mind me, I will definitely come to bother you every day."

"It is my honor that Sister Weizhu could come."

Meng Lingge nodded and smiled.

She became more vigilant. Consort Chen and Wen Kehao were on her left, while Consort Jiang and Wen Weizhu were on her right. The unfriendly gaze she had just received had come from her right.

She initially thought it was Consort Jiang, but upon seeing Wen Weizhu's smile, she instantly thought of Meng Huanyan. The smile looked sincere, yet there were traces of pretense.

Therefore, the owner of that gaze just now must have been Wen Weizhu.

Wen Weizhu is the only young lady of the Anshun Prince's Mansion. Although she is born out of wedlock, judging from the introduction of the Princess Consort of Anshun just now, she should enjoy all the love and favor. Now that Meng Lingge has married into the family, she has gained the favor of the Princess Consort of Anshun. It is only natural for her to feel jealous and resentful.

It's one thing to feel resentful, but the real fear is that she might be like Meng Huanyan, remaining silent most of the time but suddenly launching an attack at a crucial moment, catching everyone off guard.

The two concubines also greeted her, their faces full of perfunctory expressions, their eyes gleaming with suspicion, indicating that they were not to be trifled with either.

Even the usually calm and reserved Third Young Master Wen Kehao had a fierce glint in his eyes when he lowered his cold gaze, as if he was trying his best to suppress something.

This first encounter revealed that, apart from the Princess Consort of Anshun, the other two concubines in the household—a half-brother and a half-sister—were filled with hostility towards her. It seems that although the Anshun Prince's household is small, the power struggles and intrigues within its inner quarters are no less formidable than those in the Prime Minister's residence.

"Now that we've all met, let's all disperse." Princess Anshun seemed tired and turned to Wen Zhiming, instructing him, "Mo'er, now you are a man with a wife. You must take responsibility as a husband and treat your wife well."

Wen Zhiming smiled, his eyebrows like crescent moons and his eyes like stars.

"Mo'er will treat Xiao Ling'er well and won't let anyone bully her."

Princess Anshun nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Meng Lingge with affection, "Good child, I know you are sensible. If Mo'er bullies you or hurts you, you must tell your mother."

She had some calculations when she agreed to the marriage yesterday. She planned to use the marriage as a favor to control Meng Lingge if she didn't behave herself after marrying into the family.

Now, only one day has passed, but her mindset has changed so much. Her suspicion of Meng Lingge has turned into deep pity and trust.

"Don't worry, Mother, I understand."

Everyone came out of the house together, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then went to their respective courtyards.

"Brother, sister-in-law, please wait."

Not long after Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming left, Wen Kehao caught up from behind.

Before Meng Lingge could reply, Wen Zhiming had already gone up to her and reached for Wen Kehao's pocket.

"Third brother, is there a new treasure?"

As he spoke, he pulled out something that made a tinkling sound; it was a string of rings connected together, quite exquisite and ingenious.

Wen Kehao looked at Wen Zhiming and smiled gently, "This was brought back from Lanyu Kingdom by a friend of mine who does business. It's called the Nine Linked Rings. It can be disassembled. I brought it here specifically for you to play with, brother."

"Thank you, Third Brother." Wen Zhiming held the new toy, clearly delighted with it.

"I brought this specifically for my elder brother. Now that I've delivered it, I won't bother him and his wife any longer."

Wen Kehao took his leave with great tact, glancing at Wen Zhiming one last time before turning away. Unfortunately, Wen Zhiming's mind was entirely focused on the Nine Linked Rings, and he did not respond to him.

Meng Lingge watched Wen Kehao's departing figure, feeling strange and uneasy.

Wen Zhiming's reaction was genuine. Judging from his attitude towards his third brother, he and Wen Kehao had a deep brotherly bond, not just a pretentious relationship between a legitimate and illegitimate son.

Wen Kehao was very concerned about Wen Zhiming, but hostile towards her, his sister-in-law whom he had just met. This was clearly illogical.

Moreover, the way Wen Kehao looked at Wen Zhiming was far too gentle; it was definitely not the kind of brotherly affection and respect that one might expect between brothers.