Wei Jingyue looked at Xue Qingluan in disbelief as she accepted the package. "Take it?"
Xue Qingluan, who never accepted gifts from him, actually accepted a gift from a stranger she had just met?
What... does this mean?
Is she indirectly accepting other people's affections?
Wei Jingyue pursed his lips, his face grim, yet he couldn't lash out.
He suppressed his anger until he returned to the Wei residence, where he swept the tea set off the floor in the hall with a dark expression.
"What exactly does Qingluan mean by this? She won't accept my things, but she can so easily accept other people's things. She's blatantly slapping me in the face!"
"Brother, you can't blame Qingluan for this. Didn't you see her tough attitude?" Although Wei Jingran said this, he was also a little unhappy.
That was a gift from Young Master He!
"Why are you in such a bad mood as soon as you get back? Did you not have a good time with that girl Qingluan?" Madam Wei entered through the door, dressed in a crimson purple gown, adorned with gold hair ornaments, exuding an air of elegance. Her eye makeup was slanted and swept into her temples, giving her a touch of sharpness. Two maids attended to her, displaying the demeanor of a noblewoman.
She glanced at the valuable blue-and-white porcelain tea set lying on the floor as she entered, then slowly and deliberately parted her lips.
"Let's get ready."
The maid beside him bowed her head and stepped forward to neatly clean up the broken teaware.
Wei Jingyue looked up, his eyes filled with resentment, indignation, dejection, and irony. "Mother, Qingluan doesn't even see my existence."
Wei Jingran, standing to the side, licked his lips and began to recount what had happened at the auction house.
Lady Wei smiled smugly, raising an eyebrow and flashing a hint of disdain.
"So what if we accept Young Master He's offer? No matter how wealthy the He family is, they are just merchants. How can they compare to my Wei family?"
No matter what, my Wei family is a prestigious family, while the He family in Hongcheng is just a merchant family.
A prestigious family like the Xue family, which values its reputation, would never agree to marry its eldest daughter to a merchant.
You're such a hot-tempered kid. If you used your brain even a little, you'd know that this wouldn't be a problem for you at all.
"Alright, stop worrying about these trivial matters. Your father has been feeling down lately, staying cooped up in his study all day. You should go over and pay your respects, share his burdens, and help him relieve his frustration."
Wei Jingyue frowned. "What can I do about something that's troubling my father?"
Lady Wei gritted her teeth in exasperation, "You child—"
Wei Jingyue frowned, looking helpless.
“I didn’t say anything wrong. As for the matter of Jincheng, didn’t Father say that even our Tianqi royal family didn’t dare to say anything? They could only smile and watch as Israel took Jincheng away?”
Even the royal family doesn't dare to mess with Islail, but I do?
If you ask me, since they've already asked us to contribute money to help Jincheng and threatened to take care of the mess in Tianqi Jincheng, we should just use the money to solve the problem.
Anyway, this is just a matter of paying money to avoid trouble. Otherwise, if they come to our Red City gates with their powerful weapons, we'll have nowhere to cry.
Besides, this isn't something we can decide on our own; it was the city lord who made the decision. Every noble family has to pay money and contribute to Jincheng.
"Am I supposed to go and reason with the city lord? He won't pay the disaster relief funds?"
Lady Wei sneered.
"Hmph, you think you can make my Wei family spend money for nothing? There's no such thing as a free lunch. Your father has already gathered the heads of various noble families and they've been discussing this matter recently, planning to take it to the City Lord."
Wei Jingyue's expression froze. "Mother, you mustn't let Father do anything reckless!"
This isn't something the City Lord's Mansion wants to force against our various noble families; it's Islaier who's forcing us in Red City.
It was presented as a token of appreciation to Jincheng, but in reality, it was a forceful act of extortion and plunder.
If we can't come up with the money from Hongcheng, it won't just be the City Lord's Mansion that suffers; all the major families in Hongcheng will be in trouble.
Islael is currently enjoying great influence, and even the royal family dares not offend him.
"Mother, do you think you're so great? That our small, noble family can defeat Israel?"
Madam Wei's heart tightened. Of course, she had no such thoughts. For her Wei family to go against Israel was like an egg hitting a rock, an egg hitting a mountain!
She just felt that this was a political matter, and their aristocratic family was nothing more than commoners. If it involved politics, wouldn't it be the noble families like the City Lord's Mansion who had to take responsibility?
The city lord's mansion orders the lower-ranking officials to bleed the meat they want to eat. What kind of logic is that?
"Alright, don't get involved in this. Your father knows what he's doing."
Wei Jingran pursed his lips and muttered something.
"Mother, you keep changing your mind. Just now you said you wanted my brother to help with Father's worries, but now you don't want him to get involved."
"So you're the only one with a mouth?" Madam Wei glanced at her youngest daughter.
Wei Jingran stuck out his tongue and quickly covered his mouth.
"And you, stop thinking about playing all day long. How's your playing? I heard from your teacher that your playing has become increasingly rusty and half-hearted lately, and your skills have declined drastically."
Someone like you, who only knows a little bit about everything and doesn't have any outstanding skills or expertise, how am I supposed to find you a good husband?
Look how promising Qingluan is! How much face she brings to the Xue family!
Spending all your time with Qingluan, can't you learn something from her? I won't say more, but even if you can imitate her even a fraction of her qualities, that would be good.”
"Mother, stop comparing me to Sister Qingluan all the time."
I am different from Sister Qingluan. She is herself, and I am myself. She doesn't have a mother who dotes on her.
Unlike me, with you spoiling me and protecting me, I naturally have nothing to fear, let alone worry about not finding a good husband.
Madam Wei glared at Wei Jingran, tapping his nose with her fingertip, "You, with that mouth of yours, so quick-witted."
I've actually found you a good husband's family these past few days, the Cui family of Jincheng. Although Jincheng is no longer under the jurisdiction of Tianqi.
However, the Cui family is wealthy and a prominent family. I heard that the eldest son of the Cui family is also a good person. Moreover, the Cui family is said to have a prestigious backer in Baicheng. I heard that the whole family is about to move to Baicheng.
"Baicheng is so close to the capital; things will only get better from here on out. If you marry into the Cui family, you definitely won't go wrong."
Upon hearing this, Wei Jingran's expression changed. Had they found her a husband so quickly?
This won't do.
She had no desire to marry into the Cui family; she had her eye on the young master of the He family, and she wanted to marry into the He family, to marry the young master He.
Young Master He is the one she truly desires.
He is the person she fell in love with at first sight today.
Before meeting the young master of the He family, I might have visited the Cui family, but now, I definitely wouldn't.
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