Yuan Zhao felt a headache. He didn't expect that Wei Shaoqing even exchanged the engagement letter.
If it was just a verbal promise, then you can still excuse it as a drunken joke.
Although the engagement letter was exchanged, it was not a formal engagement. However, if the Xie family continued to hold on to this matter, the Princess's Mansion would not be in the right.
It is true that the Xie family is a wealthy family, but Yuan Zhao has been back in Beijing for so long and no one from the Xie family has come to visit, let alone mentioned this matter.
It can be seen that he was worried about Mu Sheng being disabled before, and Yuan Zhao and Yuan Cheng were unpredictable in His Majesty's eyes, so he pretended that nothing happened.
But now Mu Sheng has performed brilliantly in the imperial examination, his leg has healed, and he has won the favor of His Majesty, so the Xie family first spread the news among a small circle of aristocratic families.
When the cheating case in the imperial examination was over, Yuan Musheng's name was completely cleared. Now that he has a bright future, the Xie family has sent a visiting invitation.
"The Xie family really is... very careful in their plans..." Yuan Zhao murmured.
Even though the Xie family was powerful, she really didn't dare to marry into such a family.
After this experience, she no longer asks her children to be rich and powerful, but only wants them to be happy.
Yuan Heng snorted coldly, "Isn't it just the Xie family? Just say you don't like it and that's it!"
Yuan Zhao glanced at him, and he slightly avoided her gaze. "It was just a drunken joke anyway, so it doesn't count!"
He is quite free and easy.
Yuan Zhao sighed, staring at the visiting card on the table, and said to Gan Tang,
"Go and tell Madam Xie that I will be hosting a spring banquet soon and invite her and Miss Xie to attend."
No matter what, let's meet them first and find out more about the Xie family.
…
After dinner, Yuan Heng didn't leave.
Yuan Qiyu took him to the yard to play with Xiaobai.
Yuan Heng looked at the little white tiger with a round head and found it interesting.
He asked Yuan Qiyu, "Xiao San'er, who raised this?"
"Xiao San'er" Yuan Qiyu didn't realize at first that this was him being called and didn't answer.
Until Yuan Heng picked him up like a chicken and turned him around to face him, "Xiao San'er, uncle is asking you!"
Yuan Qiyu uttered a low "Ah," then placed one hand on his waist in mid-air, waving a finger with the other hand, and said solemnly:
"Uncle San, I'm not Xiao San'er, my name is Yuan Qiyu, you can call me Xiaoyu!"
Xiaobai saw Yuan Qiyu being picked up and circling around Yuan Heng, howling.
Yuan Heng was getting annoyed by the spinning around, so he picked up Xiao Bai with his other hand and said to Yuan Qiyu, "You're the third child, so isn't it appropriate to call you Xiao San'er?"
Yuan Qiyu supported his chin and thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Third uncle, then you are also the third child, can I call you Lao San'er?"
Yuan Heng's face darkened. He picked up Yuan Qiyu in one hand and Xiaobai in the other, and they did a head-on collision.
Unexpectedly, Yuan Qi Yu laughed and opened his arms in mid-air to hug Xiaobai opposite him.
"Old Third! That's fun! Let's do it again!"
Yuan Heng became even angrier and put the man and the tiger down. He caught a glimpse of Yuan Zhao standing in the corridor, no longer playing with Yuan Qiyu, and patted the back of his head.
"Go play by yourself!"
Yuan Zhao watched the uncle and nephew playing with a smile, and saw Yuan Heng put down Yuan Qi Yu and ran towards her.
"Royal sister!"
There was still a lingering smile on his face.
Yuan Zhao was a little tired today, so she had taken off all her makeup and hairpins and was only wearing plain clothes.
She and Yuan Heng sat side by side in the corridor, watching Yuan Qiyu and Xiaobai play.
Noticing Yuan Zhao gently rubbing her knee, Yuan Heng was slightly startled and asked, "Is your knee still not healed?"
Yuan Zhao withdrew his hand, smiled and shook his head, "It's okay, I just stood for a long time today."
Yuan Heng didn't say anything, just recalled some things, staring blankly at the yard, his eyes a little empty.
That winter, he was about the same age as Yuan Xuan.
The emperor's brother and Huo Yan went on an expedition together, and their victory news frequently came from the border.
The mother was not happy to hear the good news. She lost her temper in the palace again and again, and scolded him in front of him for being incompetent.
The nanny who served him no longer allowed him to go to see his sister.
Until one day, he heard that his sister had angered his father and was punished by his father by kneeling outside the Qinzheng Hall for three days and three nights in the heavy snow.
He asked around but still had no idea why his sister was punished.
But when he saw his mother that day, he wanted her to plead with his father on behalf of his sister.
The mother scolded the imperial sister, saying, "You deserve it," and "You don't know what you're talking about."
She seemed happy and unhappy at the same time, crying and laughing, which scared him.
He sneaked into the imperial sister's bedroom, only to hear the little palace maid say that the imperial sister was carried back from the Qinzheng Palace and had been unconscious and had a high fever.
After that, the emperor, who had always loved the imperial sister the most, seemed to have become much more distant from her and soon chose a prince consort for her to marry.
As for why his sister angered his father, he never found out.
Regarding this matter, everyone in the Qinzheng Hall seemed to have been given a death order and would not reveal a single word.
Even when the emperor's brother returned, he seemed unaware of this matter.
Yuan Heng had originally buried this matter deep in his heart, but for some reason today, he thought of it again.
He thought back to that period of time. Did anything major happen inside or outside the palace at that time?
I can't quite recall that he has always only paid 30% attention to state affairs.
Then he thought of what he had just heard at the dinner table, turned his head to look at Yuan Zhao's profile, and called out, "Imperial Sister."
Yuan Zhao responded, "What?"
"Did Zhizhi ever tell me what would happen to me?"
Yuan Zhao didn't expect him to ask this question. It was only now that she realized that Yuan Heng could also hear Zhizhi's thoughts.
Yuan Zhao lowered her eyes. All the words Zhizhi said were already repeated in her mind.
"After my brother was sentenced to death, Concubine Shu and you also competed for the throne, but were unsuccessful."
However, Yuan Zhao thought about it carefully and felt that Zhizhi didn't seem to say anything extra about Yuan Heng's ending.
Yuan Heng smiled brightly and asked, "What about the emperor's sister at that time?"
"I've been gone for a long time..." Yuan Zhao said softly.
"Really?..." Yuan Heng murmured, his eyes somewhat empty.
Now that his brother and sister have left, is he still thinking about the throne?
He thought again of his mother's almost insane appearance in Linhua Palace today, and lowered his head dejectedly.
"Royal sister...will you hate me?"
What he said was incoherent and unclear.
But Yuan Zhao understood what he meant. He wanted to ask, if he really fought with Yuan Cheng for life and death and did something to hurt Yuan Cheng, would she hate him?
The laughter of several children came from not far away. Yuan Zhao looked at Qi Yu and Xiao Bai running in the yard, and remembered that when they were young, Yuan Heng also followed her and Yuan Cheng like this.
But as they grew up, she and Yuan Cheng both realized that their positions with Yuan Heng had changed.
She closed her eyes slightly and finally said, "If you knew it would hurt us, and you still did it, that was your choice..."
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