Chapter 100
Princess Yifeng walked out of her uncle's courtyard, her smile fading.
She was about the same age as the daughter of the Princess of Wei, and often stayed at the Prince of Wei's residence. The Princess of Wei had already arranged for a courtyard for her to stay in.
It was already late, and Princess Yifeng did not return to her residence. Instead, she went to the courtyard of Princess Wei to inquire after her. The servants said that the princess and her daughter had gone to bed, so she returned to her own courtyard.
A maidservant hurried over and said, "Princess, I have returned to the manor and asked you to find the brocade that the twelfth princess bestowed upon you last month. We need to send it to the Divine Capital Garden tomorrow... Your mistress said that the brocade was Shu brocade bestowed by the princess, and she wanted to keep it to make clothes for you. It would be a pity to give it to those palace maids. Your mistress had someone bring out a few bolts of brocade from Bingzhou from the storeroom. They are also seasonal patterns, and I need to take them to give away."
Princess Yifeng frowned and said, "What does Mother know! Although those palace maids are of low status, they are close attendants of Shangyang Palace. By befriending them, I can know immediately about any movements in the palace. They are my eyes and ears in Shangyang Palace. What are a few bolts of brocade worth? Does our family lack such things?"
The maid whispered, "I also tried to persuade you, Madam, but you wouldn't listen. You said they were just a few palace maids, and it wouldn't matter if you sent them a few bolts of brocade."
Princess Yifeng said helplessly, "The best things in the world have been sent to Shangyang Palace. The palace maids there are far more knowledgeable than my mother. The brocades bestowed by His Majesty and the princess have all passed through their hands. Does Mother think that a few bolts of Bingzhou brocade can win their sincerity?"
She wrote a short note and summoned a maid from the outer courtyard, instructing her: "Have someone send this back to my house and tell my mother that I only want the brocade bestowed by the princess."
No sooner had the servant left than the King of Wei sent someone to deliver a message, instructing the Princess of Yifeng to visit Wei Mingsu at Shangshanfang the next day.
Princess Yifeng was taken aback, her eyes filled with joy, and she asked the steward who had delivered the message, "Does Uncle have any instructions?"
The steward shook his head and said, "I don't know."
The county magistrate of Yifeng frowned slightly.
As soon as the steward left, the maid immediately opened the wardrobe: "Princess, you may go see Young Master Wei now. I'll help you pick out a new dress. Princess, what color do you think Young Master Wei likes?"
The Princess of Yifeng sat before the bronze mirror, her relaxed brows furrowing again as she thought of Wei Mingsu.
She knew that the Empress liked clever and quick-witted young ladies, that the Twelfth Princess and her aunt liked dutiful and loving younger siblings, and that her uncle liked an obedient niece who was easy for him to control. But she could never guess Wei Mingsu's preferences; she didn't even know what color Wei Mingsu liked.
It's not that she lacks ability; very few people in Luocheng know what Wei Mingsu likes.
But this Wei Mingsu had actually proposed marriage four years ago, and the woman he admired was from a family of very different social standing and was from a high-ranking family.
He must have truly loved that Lu San Niang back then to have mustered up the courage to propose marriage.
The Princess of Yifeng gave a cold snort at the bronze mirror.
No matter how noble the surname, it eventually led to someone becoming a prisoner.
The woman sitting on the dragon throne now is her great-aunt. Sharing the same surname as her great-aunt, she is a county princess and has no need to care about a woman of lowly status.
The next day, just as dawn broke, Princess Yifeng, having already dressed herself up, went to the main courtyard to greet her aunt and inquire about her cousin Yuanniang, before going to bid farewell to Prince Wei.
The steward said that the King of Wei was meeting with a very important guest and would not see her.
The county magistrate of Yifeng's expectations turned into disappointment, but she still left with a smile on her face.
She knew that the King of Wei was currently planning something big and was extremely busy. His residence was always bustling with activity, and the guests were always invited to his room for discussions. Yesterday's Buddhist ceremony was just a pretext; the monks invited were all important figures, confidants of the Empress's male favorites. Today, the King of Wei went to see his guests as soon as he got up; their identities must be very important, and she dared not disturb them.
"Fourth Sister!"
As the Princess of Yifeng boarded her carriage, a young man, not yet of age but wearing a scarlet robe, rode up on horseback.
“My uncle instructed me yesterday to accompany you to Shangshanfang.”
The boy said with a smile.
Princess Yifeng was taken aback, looking at her cousin who was a few years younger than her, somewhat displeased: "Seventh Brother, why didn't you say so earlier?"
&nbs
The boy raised the whip and said with a smile, "Fourth Sister, do you think Uncle would let..."
"Are you going to visit Wei Mingsu alone? No way! Wei Mingsu isn't married; there's no mistress in his house. Without me, you wouldn't even be able to get in. I'll go in. Last night, Uncle said I'd go in to see Wei Mingsu; you'll just have to wait outside."
Princess Yifeng looked annoyed; she dared not disobey the King of Wei's order.
The boy's lips curled into a smile as he leaned closer to the carriage.
"Fourth Sister, is the rumor true? Uncle and the Princess want to marry you off to Wei Mingsu? You care so much about Wei Mingsu. You heard he was going back to Luoyang, and you ask about his schedule every day, worry about his health, and are eager to visit him. Is it because he will be my cousin-in-law in the future? Fourth Sister, if it's true, please tell me. I'm afraid I won't know how to speak and might offend my cousin-in-law."
Princess Yifeng ignored him and had her maid close the carriage window.
The boy's eyes darted around, and with a smile, he dismounted and squeezed into the carriage.
"Good sister, you even kept this from your brother? Your brother is truly thinking of you and hopes you will marry a good man."
The boy shooed away the maid and lowered his voice: "Fourth Sister, I heard from Uncle and the others last night that the Princess and several uncles were planning to arrange a marriage. Last year, the Princess had just made a suggestion when Wei Mingsu was demoted, so the marriage was called off. Now that Wei Mingsu has returned to the capital, he hasn't lost the Emperor's favor, and the Princess and Uncle have brought up the matter again... What about you? Do you really want to marry Wei Mingsu?"
Princess Yifeng said, "Of course I will listen to my uncle."
The young man glanced at her and said, "Wei Mingsu's family background is too low. How could he be worthy of you?"
Princess Yifeng smiled and said, "His Majesty values him highly."
The boy continued, "My uncle and several brothers also mentioned a woman of low social status. Wei Mingsu's involvement in the Xizhou case may have stemmed from that woman. Wei Mingsu had previously asked the Lu family for her hand in marriage."
Princess Yifeng still smiled and said, "It's just a lowly status. Even if Wei Mingsu takes a concubine, it doesn't matter. As a princess, I won't stoop to the level of a woman of lowly status."
The boy sighed: "He offended our family. My sister admires him, but he doesn't care about her."
Princess Yifeng laughed: "Isn't Uncle considering marriage just a way to make him one of us?"
The boy shook his head and sighed, muttering, "What's so good about him? He's not some handsome man like Pan An or Song Yu, he's cold-hearted, and his reputation isn't good either. You've only seen him a few times at Shangyang Palace, how did you fall for him?"
Princess Yifeng smiled without speaking. After the carriage entered Shangshanfang, she suddenly asked, "Seventh Brother, what did your uncle tell you when he sent you to Shangshanfang?"
The young man raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Fourth sister, we are family. I don't want to lie to you. Uncle didn't mention your marriage. Last night, I overheard those advisors discussing that sending you to Shangshanfang was just a cover. I wanted to sound out Wei Mingsu's opinion. As for the rest, I don't understand, so I won't say more. Don't ask."
The county magistrate of Yifeng did not ask any further questions.
Her father was merely a wealthy cloth merchant, and her mother came from an even lower social class and was illiterate. When the Empress ascended the throne, her entire family benefited; her father received a title, she became a county princess, and the family moved to the capital. Her parents, ignorant of politics and only interested in gold and silver, waited for gifts to come to them every day. She looked down on her parents, knowing that the highest-ranking members of her family were the Prince of Wei and the Prince of Liang, so she often visited the Prince of Wei's residence to play with her cousin Yuan Niang and curry favor with her uncle and aunt.
To the county princess's disappointment, the King of Wei only cared about his son and cousin, and did not care about her, his cousin. Apart from instructing her to pay attention to the movements of Shangyang Palace, he did not allow her to participate in other important matters.
...
When the carriage arrived at the Wei residence, the driver presented the invitation.
A horse-drawn carriage was already parked in front of the Wei residence.
In the courtyard, the imperial physician walked out while instructing his companions who had accompanied him: "Young master has been traveling with injuries. Although the external wounds are beginning to heal, the internal injuries have been neglected. If this is delayed any longer, the consequences will be unimaginable. You must take good care of him and not be careless."
Tong Jin nodded and watched the imperial physician leave. The gatekeeper brought over the invitation, and he took it and glanced at it, a look of surprise flashing across his face.
The King of Wei's cousin came to inquire about his health, and he also brought the Princess of Yifeng County with him. We couldn't just stop them from coming in.
He went to the gatekeeper and said, "First..."
"Please come in, serve tea, I'll go check on my husband."
He turned and walked into the courtyard. There was no sound from inside the house; Wei Mingsu was lying on the couch.
With her eyes closed, she must be asleep.
Remembering the imperial physician's words, Tong Jin hesitated for a moment, then took the invitation and went inside.
Wei Mingsu, lying on the couch, opened his eyes: "Who's here?"
Tong Jin quickly stepped forward: "He is the cousin of the King of Wei, and the Princess of Yifeng is traveling with him."
Wei Mingsu's expression changed slightly.
Tong Jin asked, "Young master, their visit to inquire about your health must have been with the King of Wei's permission. Isn't that a good thing?"
Wei Mingsu had offended the King of Wei and several imperial censors, all of whom were narrow-minded and known for their vindictiveness. On the way back to Luoyang, his entourage was filled with fear, dreading their retaliation upon entering the capital. Wei Mingsu had also considered this, and before going to the capital, he instructed everyone to be cautious and prudent.
Unexpectedly, on their second day in the capital, the highest-ranking Prince Wei sent his nephew to inquire about Wei Mingsu's health, indicating that Prince Wei was not currently prepared to break ties with Wei Mingsu. Regardless of Prince Wei's motives, even if he was feigning magnanimity to deceive Wei Mingsu, he had at least given Wei Mingsu some breathing room, and might even have deceived others, making them hesitant to act rashly. Wei Mingsu should have breathed a sigh of relief, but his reaction was quite the opposite.
Tong Jin was very puzzled.
Wei Mingsu sat up.
"King Wei is too impatient... It seems that King Wei has not only made up his mind, but also made arrangements..."
He looked up at the window, his temples were gray, his brows were furrowed, his gaze was solemn, and his voice was weary.
After a long silence, Wei Mingsu said in a low voice, "Send a reliable person to see her...tell her that the situation has not eased. Remember to avoid Chai Shizi's people."
Tong Jin should be right, he glanced at Wei Mingsu.
Yesterday, Wei Mingsu instructed him not to mention Lu Huaying's name again, not even Third Sister's.
It's only been one day.
Tong Jin asked, "What if she asks about your husband's injury? Should we tell her the truth?"
He paused for a moment.
"I think she'll definitely ask."
Wei Mingsu said calmly, "Is that so?"
He lowered his eyes and shook his head.
Footsteps came from outside the window, and a guard came over to ask whether the guests should be invited in.
Tong Jin dared not make the decision and looked to Wei Mingsu.
Wei Mingsu said, "You can't get rid of the King of Wei's men. Please invite Qi Lang in."
Outside the courtyard, Qilang told Princess Yifeng to wait outside while he went inside to visit Wei Mingsu.
Wei Mingsu lay there without getting up, covered with a blanket. His face was tired and haggard, and with a few gray hairs at his temples, he looked as if he were seriously ill.
Qi Lang was taken aback. He had just stopped the imperial physician outside to inquire about Wei Mingsu's injuries. The physician's tone was serious, and he was skeptical. But when he came in and saw the man, he realized that the physician was not exaggerating.
How can we sound them out now?
Qi Lang exchanged a few perfunctory greetings and then took his leave with the Princess of Yifeng.
Princess Yifeng looked down at the new dress she had changed into that morning, reluctant to leave. Qilang noticed her thoughts and urged her to hurry up. Fearing that Qilang would go back and complain to her uncle, she had no choice but to leave with Qilang.
Upon returning to the residence of the King of Wei, the two went together to report to the King of Wei.
After asking a few questions, the King of Wei dismissed the Princess of Yifeng and left Qilang behind.
The county magistrate of Yifeng bowed her head and took her leave.
Her uncle didn't care at all about her marriage to Wei Mingsu.
She couldn't count on her uncle.
The Twelfth Princess also planned to match her with Wei Mingsu. The princess was the emperor's most beloved daughter, and she couldn't just wait for her uncle to make the decision for her; she could also ask the princess for help.
Princess Yifeng secretly made up her mind that, in addition to the Prince of Wei's residence, she would also frequently visit the Princess's residence.
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