"Why is she here?" After giving a slight nod to Gu Jinshu who had left the pavilion, Wei Qinglou walked into the pavilion, looked at Gu Jinshu's back with a probing gaze, and then asked Zhu Jiayu.
Zhu Jiayu smiled and said, "I just came to talk to you. Are you done with your business in the palace?"
Wei Qinglou lowered his head and poured himself a cup of still-warm tea. After drinking it, he said, "It's only just begun, but I don't need to worry about what happens next. Now that Prince Ke..." He paused, then changed his words, "The Emperor has already begun to handle state affairs, and my sister also has the Empress Dowager to help manage palace affairs, so there's nothing for me to do."
Although the late emperor's death was sudden, the ministers were mostly terrified by the crown prince's rebellion, so they accepted Prince Ke's ascension to the throne quite well. There was nothing they could do; these old folks who had been living peacefully for too long didn't want to see any more turmoil since they were still alive and well.
Let Prince Ke ascend the throne; it would have been someone else if not him. Besides, Prince Ke is magnanimous and treats all the officials in the court equally. He did not punish or reprimand anyone who had been close to Prince Cheng or who had been a supporter of the Crown Prince. This is already a rare display of magnanimity and composure.
Everyone was happy to see peace and tranquility, so Wei Qinglou naturally had nothing to do and could just focus on being the Minister of Justice.
"Then Prince Cheng?" Zhu Jiayu looked up in confusion.
When Rong Heng first made contact with Hu Yanwang, the person he was looking for was later found out by her people. She was the youngest daughter of the governor of Jiangzhou. Following this lead, Wei Qinglou discovered Rong Heng's scheme: he wanted to use that young lady to force the governor of Jiangzhou to raise an army, thereby helping Prince Cheng to start a rebellion.
But now that Prince Ke has ascended the throne and is in power, can Prince Cheng be content with that?
Wei Qinglou chuckled: "You overestimate Prince Cheng. Compared to the Crown Prince, he's at best all talk and no action. Even if Rong Heng had really handed over 30,000 troops from Jiangzhou to him, he'd probably only have his headache over how to feed them."
As he said this, he suddenly stopped skimming the foam off the teacup with the lid and quietly watched Zhu Jiayu.
Zhu Jiayu, however, did not notice the intriguing expression on his face. She was only thinking that in his previous life, Rong Heng had accumulated wealth, stockpiled grain and fodder, and recruited soldiers through the Zhu family's business, which enabled him to carve out a broad road in the chaotic world.
In this life, with the world at peace, he lost the opportunity to strategize amidst thousands of troops and win battles from afar, and naturally, he also lost the chance to be enfeoffed as a king or general.
Later, he attempted to exploit the natural disaster in Songjiang to sow discord among the people, but he was forced to leave by her and Rong Heng; and the Prince Cheng, on whom he placed his high hopes, turned out to be an incompetent ruler.
As for why he didn't choose the Crown Prince, Zhu Jiayu felt that she could probably understand his thoughts: In his previous life, when the Crown Prince valued him highly, it was a time of turmoil and endless disputes. A young talent suddenly emerged, and the Crown Prince was overjoyed, regarding him as his right-hand man and an indispensable minister.
However, now that the country is at peace, the Crown Prince's advisors and subordinates are all renowned figures. Compared to them, Rong Heng is younger and less experienced. Even if he is fortunate enough to be chosen by the Crown Prince and taken under his wing, he will not be able to stand out among the crowd in a short period of time.
Therefore, he set his sights on Prince Cheng.
But he still lost.
Zhu Jiayu smiled and said, "Then Prince Cheng is indeed a clever man."
Have you not seen how many disloyal people throughout history have managed to earn a favorable reputation in the history books?
Wei Qinglou also laughed and said, "Being short-sighted has its advantages."
He lowered his head again, and some of the foam on the tea dissipated.
For a fleeting moment, he almost blurted out the question that had been weighing on his mind. But he quickly regained his composure: whatever secrets A-Yu might be hiding, she was now his; what was the point of delving into the past?
His love for her would not change because of anyone or anything. He understood this deeply, and therefore he also understood that there was no need to ask anymore.
If one day she is willing to tell him, he will naturally listen attentively; if she is not willing to tell him, wouldn't it be forcing her if he asked her again?
His hand trembled slightly, and the teacup overturned and rolled to the ground, shattering into pieces.
The warm tea splashed onto his hands and dampened his sleeves.
Zhu Jiayu jumped up in surprise, grabbed his hand to examine it carefully, and then took a silk handkerchief to wipe the back of his hand and sleeve. She asked reproachfully, "Are you alright? How could you be so careless! Luckily it was warm water..."
She was halfway through her sentence when she looked up and saw the faint smile on Wei Qinglou's lips. She couldn't help but increase the pressure on her hand. "Still smiling? Next time, if it's boiling hot tea, let's see how you'll still be able to smile."
Wei Qinglou took her hand, pulled her into his arms, lowered his head, and nestled his face against her neck, saying in a muffled voice, "You feel sorry for me?"
Zhu Jiayu tried to push him away, but couldn't, so she could only let him hold her. She whispered, "Of course."
Wei Qinglou tightened his embrace around her: "But our wedding will be postponed for three years."
When the emperor dies, officials must observe a three-year mourning period, during which they are forbidden from indulging in pleasures or getting married.
"So what? Are you going to fall for someone else in three years and not want to marry me anymore?"
"How could that be!" Wei Qinglou rubbed his temples. "Zhu Jiayu, who taught you to slander people so indiscriminately?"
Zhu Jiayu pinched him: "Self-taught."
Wei Qinglou, both amused and exasperated, turned her head to the side and bit her lips, gently rubbing them together. He then extended his tongue to entwine with hers until Zhu Jiayu could no longer bear it, her fair wrists clinging to his shoulders as she breathed heavily. Only then did Wei Qinglou release her, teasing her softly, "I thought you were so sharp-tongued, speaking with such barbs."
Zhu Jiayu's already red eyes turned even redder after his words.
She was furious that he was acting innocent after getting the benefit, so she stomped hard on his foot to vent her anger.
But she quickly suppressed her smile and asked him with concern, "Where is your second brother? The Crown Prince used your second brother's matter to make trouble before. Could that have been part of your plan as well?"
Wei Qinglou pursed his lips and shook his head, saying, "No. He has indeed disappeared, but I believe that he is a lucky person and will surely turn misfortune into good fortune."
“You’ve never met him, so you naturally don’t know how…” Wei Qinglou smiled, a nostalgic look on his face. “The late emperor once praised him, saying that he had a certain strength in him, and with that strength, he could accomplish anything he wanted. My mother once asked a reclusive monk to tell his fortune, and the monk said that he would definitely live to be a hundred years old.”
Zhu Jiayu was at a loss for words.
However, given the current situation, no news is naturally the best news.
"Young Master! News has arrived from the palace! Second Young Master, during the days you were missing, you led a lone force deep into enemy territory and took the head of a Qi general!"
Shujian ran all the way from outside to report the good news to Wei Qinglou.
Wei Qinglou turned to Zhu Jiayu with a smile and said, "See, I told you, Second Brother is a lucky man. I'm going to the palace now, and I'll come to see you again later when I have some free time."
He stepped out of the pavilion, then turned back to Zhu Jiayu and said, "Remember to think of me."
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