"What is your opinion on this matter?" the emperor asked.
Wei Qinglou lowered his eyebrows slightly.
At the beginning of the founding of the Great Ye Kingdom, there was a Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms. After that, the Great Ye Kingdom adopted a system of hereditary titles with reduced fiefdoms for princes. That is, the successor of a prince no longer inherited the title of prince, but was instead granted the title of heir apparent, with a reduction in salary and fiefdom.
The Prince of Pingnan sought a hereditary title for his sons, hoping that Gu Chongyan would inherit the title, fief, and salary of the Prince of Pingnan, and that his descendants would not be demoted or have their salaries reduced, but would always retain their fiefs.
What he sought was not a hereditary succession, but clearly a benefit for future generations.
However, Prince Pingnan did indeed have the ability to do so. Back when the Emperor was still Prince Ke, he was almost harmed by the Crown Prince. It was Prince Pingnan who helped him, which is why he is now sitting on the throne.
Thinking of this, Wei Qinglou smiled slightly and said calmly, "The Prince of Pingnan is known for his open-mindedness, respect for the virtuous, and love for talent. He is deeply loved by the people in his fiefdom. I believe that Your Majesty should grant this request."
His words only made the emperor more cautious.
The heir of the Prince of Pingnan covets his wife, yet he still speaks up for the Prince of Pingnan. In these words, I'm afraid there's little sincerity and much fear.
If he is like this, what about the other ministers in the court?
Is this world truly his, or the world of the Prince of Pingnan?
He rubbed his temples and said, "I understand. It's getting late. Yan He should go back and keep the lady company. As for this matter... let me think about it some more."
Wei Qinglou rose as instructed, bowed, and took his leave.
As soon as he stepped out of the palace gate, he saw Shujian waiting in the carriage. He strode over and asked anxiously, "Is Madam alright?"
Shu Jian shuddered as he recalled his wife's ruthless and decisive actions as she pierced a horse with a golden hairpin and rode through the long street. He smiled bitterly and said, "Young master, you should ask if the Prince of Pingnan's heir is alright."
In his opinion, their young master is just too worried to think straight; it's obvious that the lady couldn't possibly be in any danger!
Wei Qinglou swept a glance over him: "I see you care about him quite a bit. Why don't you go to the post station to serve him starting today?"
Shu Jian chuckled and quickly flattered, "Young Master, please get in the carriage. As the saying goes, a day apart feels like three autumns. You and your wife have been apart for a whole autumn, and she must miss you terribly! How could I possibly serve you at the post station? In our Wei family, I am the most reliable and fastest driver, aren't I?"
...
When Wei Qinglou returned to the mansion, he went to his wife's room first and asked her about what had happened on the street that day.
Zhu Jiayu told him everything, expecting praise in return, but instead saw him frowning deeply. She couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Did the Prince of Pingnan or the Emperor say something?"
After asking, she felt that it probably wasn't true; Wei Qinglou shouldn't be bothered by such a thing.
Is it something even more difficult?
As she was thinking, the man sitting upright by the bed pulled her into his arms and then slapped her buttocks.
Wei Qinglou thought she should be taught a lesson. She had no idea how nervous he was when he heard about those things today, fearing something might happen to her. He was also afraid that Gu Chongyan would recklessly send people to teach her a lesson.
His slap wasn't hard, but Zhu Jiayu had never been treated like this since she was a child, even though she was always climbing on roofs and tearing off tiles. She was stunned for a moment, and then a faint blush rose to her face. She pushed Wei Qinglou and asked him with a fierce but weak expression, "What are you doing!"
Wei Qinglou did not answer, but his hand landed on her body and he couldn't move it away. Gradually, he began to knead the soft flesh of her waist.
Zhu Jiayu subconsciously licked her lips, her fingertips clutching his clothes, and couldn't help but let out a soft moan.
Wei Qinglou's eyes darkened. After coaxing her to do it once, he pulled her into his arms and said in a hoarse voice, "I was very worried about you."
"Gu Chongyan is a ruthless man. When he was in his fiefdom, he killed the father of the prefect's daughter because she insulted him for his dissolute behavior. He then sent the daughter to Prince Ruyang as a concubine, and Prince Ruyang was extremely sadistic..."
"Are you afraid that he will retaliate against me too?" Zhu Jiayu asked him in a soft voice.
Wei Qinglou gave a soft "hmm." Even with his flawless strategies and profound wisdom, there were bound to be times when he couldn't act effectively. What if something happened to his A-Yu...?
He closed his eyes, suppressing the anger in his heart.
Zhu Jiayu nestled in his arms and whispered, "I'll be fine. I'm the one who will weather any storm with you. Gu Chongyan alone can't do anything to me."
"How was your day in the palace?" she asked again.
Wei Qinglou's expression turned slightly cold as he recounted his conversation with the Emperor in the palace to her. Finally, he said, "Even the most kind and gentle person, who doesn't care much about power, will inevitably become suspicious once they sit in that position, fearing that someone might be sleeping soundly beside their bed. My act of being fearful and cautious today was precisely to make him suspicious of the Prince of Pingnan."
"It's much easier to refuse him than to grant him the hereditary title of Prince Pingnan. In recent years, Prince Pingnan has been hiding his incompetence, so he has neither made any merits nor achieved any political successes. Fortunately, he has a troublesome son, otherwise I would have to carefully plan how to ruin this matter."
After today, Wei Qinglou took several days off, saying that his wife had fallen ill from the shock and he had no heart for official duties.
This matter naturally took on different meanings in different people's eyes: ordinary people would only think that the Prince of Pingnan was really blinded by lust and went too far, even frightening Lady Wei into illness! Others doubted that Lady Wei was clearly very fierce that day, and afterwards they only heard that the Prince of Pingnan stayed at home and did not come out, so how did Lady Wei also fall ill?
The emperor, however, believed that Wei Qinglou was avoiding the Prince of Pingnan. He did not want to antagonize the Prince of Pingnan.
As a monarch, what he could not tolerate most was that his subjects feared others as much as they feared him.
About half a month later, after the Empress Dowager Gao's birthday, the Prince of Pingnan returned to his fiefdom in disgrace with his son.
As for the imperial decree granting hereditary succession, he naturally did not receive it.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this chief minister and his wife were not to be trifled with!
That fat, big-eared young master only flirted with Madam Wei a few times, and I heard he hasn't been intimate with any women since, and has even developed incontinence. I'm in an even worse situation; I came to the capital full of joy, but now all my plans have come to nothing.
More than half a month later, news suddenly came from the fiefdom.
The heir apparent of the Prince of Pingnan has passed away.
As for how he died, there are many different accounts.
Some say he died of illness, but tourists from the fiefdom patted their chests and guaranteed that their wicked prince was very healthy! Some say he died on a woman's belly, but others say that after the prince returned from Yujing, he trembled all over, let alone touch a beautiful woman's hand.
That day, Zhu Jiayu stopped Wei Qinglou, who was returning home after his shift, and whispered in his ear, "Is this related to you?"
Wei Qinglou imitated her and whispered in her ear, "Let me try that position tonight, and I'll tell you."
——————
What are you saying, Xiao Wei?!
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