"A lobbyist?"
Wei Qinglou had previously heard Song Baopu mention that before he found Song Baopu, someone had persuaded Song Baopu first, and Song Baopu thought that person was an envoy he had found.
He hadn't taken it to heart at the time, but now, hearing Song Baopu mention it again, he suddenly felt a strange sensation.
A gentle breeze rustled through the willows, stirring their robes and hair.
Wei Qinglou lowered his head, poured Song Baopu another cup, and looked up to ask him, "May I ask if the persuader Mr. Song mentioned is the young lady I saw at the gate of Heling City?"
The only girl he could think of with this ability and with whom he had a relationship was Zhu Jiayu.
Song Baopu was surprised: "It is indeed her. How come you didn't know?"
Wei Qinglou shook his head with a faint smile.
He didn't even know where Zhu Jiayu got the information from.
It seems I owe her something again. He thought to himself, but he didn't want to say more to Song Baopu, so he changed the subject by talking about the clear wine in his cup.
Seeing his expression, Song Baopu smiled and said, "Young Master Wei, you must remember my words: 'Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.'"
Wei Qinglou had a good memory, and he remembered most of what Song Baopu had said. Therefore, although he did not understand what Song Baopu meant, he did not care about his form of address and obediently nodded, saying, "Mr. Song's heartfelt words will naturally be remembered by this junior."
Song Baopu shook his head, said no more, and continued to drink with his head down.
Seeing that he was getting drunk, Wei Qinglou quickly took the wine cup from his hand and coaxed him softly, "Sir, you haven't agreed to my request yet. If I were to deal with your old friends in the future, would you be willing to stand up and testify against them?"
Chang Beiqiu and Song Baopu became officials in the same year and were once very close. Even after Song Baopu was demoted to Xingchuan Prefecture, Chang Beiqiu secretly helped him out. Otherwise, as a minor seventh-rank official, he wouldn't have been able to live such a carefree life.
If Song Baopu were willing to testify against Chang Beiqiu, it would undoubtedly be a huge blow to Chang Beiqiu. Of course, if he was unwilling, Wei Qinglou thought he wouldn't force Song Baopu. He was a man who liked to prepare for both possibilities and never put all his eggs in one basket.
However, if Song Baopu could step forward, it would save a lot of trouble.
Thinking of this, he shook Song Baopu, who was slumped over the table, and called him in a low voice, "Sir?"
Song Baopu closed his eyes, then looked up at him drunkenly: "Let's wait until Lord Shaoqing finds concrete evidence... then... then we'll talk about it."
Wei Qinglou received a fairly satisfactory answer, nodded, sat back down, and beckoned for a servant to help Song Baopu back.
He sat quietly for a while, feeling the coolness of the wind on his face, but he couldn't help but think of the girl far away in Heling.
Suddenly, a startled cry from behind interrupted his thoughts: "Young master! I've finally found you! Madam says she's found a painting by a noble lady from the capital and wants you to go back and take a look!"
Wei Qinglou rubbed his temples: "Why is she stirring up these things again?"
In the Duke's mansion, the Duke of Wei rubbed his temples and looked at his wife, Madam Wang: "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. You worry so much about him that you don't have time to worry about me."
Wang was tidying up the painting in her hands when she heard this. She paused slightly, turned her head, and smiled faintly: "Since you know this, why don't you go as far away as possible? You have to get in my way and don't even know how to help me. I think Qinglou's dull personality is probably just like yours!"
"Oh? You decide on the candidates yourself, why would I need to help you?" Duke Wei walked over, gently patted his wife's shoulder, and asked obsequiously.
Wang Shi was so attentive to his service that she didn't bother to argue with him. She nodded slightly and said, "Then you can massage my shoulders and back here."
In the restaurant, the waiter bowed respectfully and pleaded, "Please come back with us, young master. Don't make things difficult for me."
Wei Qinglou glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and finally dusted off his clothes before returning to the Duke's mansion with him. Upon arriving at the mansion, he saw his father, who always had a cold face outside, now carefully smiling and massaging his mother's back.
He went in, cupped his hands, and greeted the two elders, "Father, Mother."
Madam Wang smiled and beckoned to him: "Qinglou, come here quickly and see what you think of these young ladies from prominent families that your mother has chosen for you. If you have your eye on any of them, your mother will go and have some tea and a chat with their elders to find out their intentions."
The young ladies and noblewomen in the painting were all handpicked by her. They were of all shapes and sizes, gentle and aloof, and the only thing they had in common was that they were all popular candidates for the position of legitimate daughter-in-law of the top families in Yujing.
It was only because of her good family background and the Duke's mansion's wealth that she was able to let her son choose. If it were an ordinary family, they probably wouldn't even be able to meet the threshold of their mansion.
When Wei Qinglou saw the stack of paintings piled up beside her, he suddenly felt a headache and quickly declined, saying, "Mother, have you forgotten that after I was assassinated when I left the capital last time, I claimed to be seriously ill and unable to be near women, and even my marriage had to be postponed? It's only been a few months now. If my illness gets better too quickly, I'm afraid people will become suspicious. What do you think?"
Madam Wang smiled gently and said, "That's right, it was Mother's oversight."
Just as Wei Qinglou breathed a sigh of relief, she suddenly raised an eyebrow and said coldly, "Then you should never marry and just let your mother die of anger!"
"I haven't even said a word yet, and you're already rattling off a whole bunch of things. Are you afraid I'll force you to get married and have children? Wei Qinglou, Lord Shaoqing, what's this? Are you in charge of this household now?"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com