When Wei Qingwu first returned to the capital, he was quite depressed.
He was the eldest son of the Duke's mansion. In the eyes of outsiders, he was destined to follow the same path as his father and even his grandfather, wielding power and enjoying wealth and honor.
But at that time, the Duke's mansion was already extremely prestigious, and his father was still in office. If he were to make a name for himself in the capital at a young age, it would only bring trouble to the Duke's mansion.
Therefore, when Wei Qingwu got a little older, he discussed it with his father and decided to join the army.
At first, he was not used to it. The border was bitterly cold, and as far as the eye could see, there was only endless yellow sand and withered grass. At his feet were the piles of white bones of soldiers who had fought bloody battles. Above his head was the ever-chilling and cold moon that had witnessed countless partings and deaths.
Those joyful times in Yujing, with their loose belts, light fur coats, and discarded earrings and hairpins, now seem like a distant dream.
However, seven years later, when he returned, he found the splendor and magnificence of the capital city so unfamiliar.
He missed the days when he and his brothers ate meat and drank wine heartily, and he missed the days when they fought bravely and risked their lives in battle.
Everything in Yujing seemed so boring to him.
Until that day, Wei Qingwu rode his horse past Suiyu Lane and saw two servants carrying a straw mat wrapped around a corpse out of the back door of a house. Blood dripped from the mat, indicating that the person had just died. The servants of the neighboring houses all seemed unsurprised by the sight.
He wasn't particularly bothered by it at first. It was common for the mistress of the house to punish a servant, ranging from beatings to fatalities. He had seen it all before in the capital.
Which wealthy and powerful family doesn't have some dirty secrets?
Just as he was about to ride away, he overheard the servants from the neighboring house gossiping: "This Miss Song, she seems to be getting more and more formidable every day. Didn't she just carry one out not long ago? How come she's carrying another one out today?"
"It's their own bad luck, really. I heard from a kitchen maid in the Nie household that Miss Song is a very kind and generous person. It must be that these people committed some unforgivable crime that caused Miss Song to..."
Before the person could finish speaking, someone interrupted her: "That's because you've only been here a short time and don't know! This Nie residence has long been dominated by Miss Song, who dares to say she's a 'halfway mansion'? Are you out of your mind?!"
The servants' words made Wei Qingwu understand two things: First, the person who acted so decisively was not the mistress of the house, but just an unmarried girl. Second, this girl was not a member of this mansion. The mansion was surnamed Nie, but the girl was surnamed Song. Although he did not know what the connection was, it was clear that the Nie mansion was now firmly in the hands of Miss Song.
Wei Qingwu, unusually, became somewhat interested.
However, he had arranged to meet the son of the Grand Commandant at Qingfeng Pavilion to choose weapons that day. Seeing that he was about to miss their appointment, Wei Qingwu had no choice but to put this matter aside and rush to Qingfeng Pavilion to keep the appointment.
However, after returning to the manor from Qingfeng Pavilion, Wei Qingwu was dragged by his mother to look at portraits of young ladies of marriageable age. This time, behind the dozen or so portraits of women, there were also many portraits of young men of similar age to him, including his friend, the son of the Grand Commandant.
The further he turned the pages, the more serious his expression became: "Mother, what's wrong with you...?"
The Duchess's expression was also very solemn: "As a mother, I naturally hope that you can be with the woman you love, have a harmonious marriage, and have children. But I have recently come to understand that if you don't like women, it's fine if you like men. Your father and I are getting old, and if you have someone by your side after we pass away, you won't be lonely in your old age. That would put my mind at ease."
"I, I don't..." Wei Qingwu felt utterly speechless.
"You don't like men?" The Duchess asked with a gentle smile. Seeing her son nod, she slammed her hand on the table. "Then in a few days, around Grain Rain, Miss Yu will invite a few young masters and ladies to go boating and tea tasting on the Chunyin River. You should go too!"
Wei Qingwu had no choice but to nod.
...
Fifteen days after Qingming, when the Big Dipper points to Chen, it is Grain Rain.
The ancients said that the day of Grain Rain is the best time to pick, roast, and process tea. In previous years, the capital would have been bustling with activity by this time, with families holding banquets, competing in tea, and admiring peonies—a truly prosperous scene. However, this year, it is the time of mourning for the elderly, and the ladies, for the sake of their husbands' careers, can only restrain themselves, despite their desire. Only the young noble ladies and gentlemen are not so restrained; they can privately gather in small groups to go boating and enjoying the spring scenery, which is perfectly acceptable.
Yu Qinglan also invited Zhu Jiayu and Song Jiangmei to this banquet.
In the past, she did not associate with them. She adhered to the rules of a noble lady and followed the proper etiquette in everything she did. In her opinion, Zhu Jiayu and Song Jiangmei's behavior was too unconventional.
However, because her cousin Yu Wenchao was in love with Princess Yuanhui, Yu Qinglan sent invitations to both the princess and Zhu Song this time.
Unexpectedly, her cousin was playing hard to get with Princess Yuanhui. Hearing that she had accepted the invitation, he then said he wouldn't come. Princess Yuanhui had accepted the invitation specifically for him, and since he wasn't coming, she also claimed to have other commitments. Thus, in the end, only Misses Zhu and Song, the second young master of the Wei family, and Young Master He, along with her friend, attended the Grain Rain Banquet.
Miss Yu, who has always acted with propriety, experienced for the first time what it means to be caught in a dilemma.
But she couldn't back down at this point, so she followed the pre-arranged plan and went boating on the lake with everyone to brew new tea.
After about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, the painted boat docked, and Yu Qinglan couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Her friend jokingly teased her, "I had no idea you had any dealings with them."
Yu Qinglan smiled wryly: "I originally thought that Miss Zhu and Miss Song would not come."
She handed over the invitation simply to be polite.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com