After a while, Wei Miaoqing was able to open her mouth and utter a sound: "Mother, father, brother, second uncle, second aunt... Tell me, why did I fall like this..."
Before the word "bad luck" came out of her mouth, Duan pulled her daughter into the compartment.
As Duke Zheng Wei Qin and Wei Shuyi also walked into the compartment, Wei Yu, the second master of the Wei family, stepped forward and silently closed the door of the compartment, and then went outside the hall with his wife and children to keep watch.
Wei Yu stood in the corridor and sighed.
My eldest brother is too much of a casual and free person by nature, to put it bluntly, he is not in tune. Such an untuned eldest brother married a eldest sister-in-law who is also quite accomplished in being untuned...
There is only one explanation for the fact that the two of them could give birth to a child like Zigu who is so exaggerated - everything will turn into the opposite extreme, and it will rebound after hitting rock bottom and find a way out of despair.
But such extremely rare things, like the appearance of miracles in the world, are destined to be rare, so in comparison, Qing'er's temperament is much more like her parents.
Therefore, in the compartment at this moment, I'm afraid that Zi Gu is leading three people...one who is in tune with the rules, and three who are not.
The youngest one was out of tune. Now that there were no outsiders around, he had given up on controlling his expression and said with a sad face, "...How come the hard job of the Crown Princess finally fell on me after all the twists and turns? I have always remembered my brother's instructions, and my performance is clearly not outstanding!"
As she said this, she looked at Wei Shuyi and cried, "Brother, you have to give me an explanation!"
Wei Shuyi sighed softly: "Brother, I know that you have not performed well. It's all my fault that I, as your elder brother, am too outstanding in the court, which has implicated you."
"It's also my father's fault." Duke Zheng also seriously reflected on himself: "It's all my fault that my father is the eldest son of the family. Although he is inferior to your uncles in every way, he still inherited the position of Duke Zheng and gave you this overly respectable family background... That's why you were chosen as the Crown Princess."
Seeing such a father and brother, Wei Miaoqing stopped crying.
"Mother is also responsible." Duan held her daughter's hand, her eyes slightly red, and she looked even more ashamed than her husband: "Who asked mother to give you such an impeccable appearance? If you had a mole on your face, you wouldn't have been chosen as the Crown Princess."
"..." Wei Miaoqing couldn't cry anymore. It was hard for her not to doubt: "Are you trying to comfort me or take this opportunity to brag?"
"Even if it sounds like bragging, it is the truth." Wei Shuyi's face straightened up a little, and he said, "Since the Saint cleared out the Changsun faction, there have been countless vacancies in various places. It is now the time to compete with the Cui family for power. At this critical juncture, it is necessary to decide on the Crown Princess as soon as possible, so as to prevent those nobles from taking advantage of the opportunity to get there first."
"Secondly, in Luo Guanlin's manifesto, he denounced the saint for his cruelty to the crown prince. Only by selecting a lady from a distinguished family as the crown princess can we effectively stop the criticism."
Wei Shuyi lowered his voice when he said this: "But in order to prevent the loss of control and indirectly increase the power of the crown prince, the candidate must be selected from the family of the courtiers that the saint trusts..."
"Anyway, I meet all these conditions." Wei Miaoqing wanted to cry again. She didn't want to be a crown princess! Duke Zheng comforted his daughter, but seeing that the usual words of comfort didn't work, he said, "...I heard that the saint is also preparing to grant a marriage to the prince of Rong. When I saw the imperial edict just now, I thought my daughter would marry to Yizhou and would never see her parents again."
"Thinking about it this way, being chosen as the Crown Princess, at least I am still in the capital, which is a blessing in disguise..."
The words "a blessing in disguise" made Wei Shuyi want to hold his forehead with his hands. What kind of treasonous words were these?
"What are you saying?" Duan glared at her husband, hugged her daughter's shoulders, and whispered, "Mother, I would say that given the current situation, it is still uncertain whether she can become the Crown Princess... The Crown Prince is still young, and it will take at least two or three years to prepare for the wedding. I heard that since Zhang Sunyuan was taken away for punishment that day, the Crown Prince was frightened and fell ill. Maybe he will... right?"
Wei Miaoqing: “?”
A Niang was somewhat restrained in her speech, but not completely.
Seeing that the whole family was looking at her with complicated expressions, Duan said with embarrassment: "I'm definitely not cursing anyone... I mean, the situation is like this now. Even if we look at it in a positive way, the person is still here, but maybe someone else will take the position of the crown prince someday, so the marriage will naturally be... right?"
Wei Miaoqing was strangely convinced.
"What mother said... although it is not appropriate to tell others, it is indeed the truth." Wei Shuyi finally said: "Why not walk and see first."
Although Wei Miaoqing felt that her brother was not very capable in matters of love, she still listened to him on matters of concern. Upon hearing his words, she calmed down and nodded.
Although she looks noisy, she is not a willful and naughty person at heart. She is the daughter of the Wei family and she understands some principles very well. Even if there is no solution to this problem in the future, she will not ignore her family for her own selfish reasons.
But this did not stop her from asking, "Speaking of the marriage to Prince Rong, has the candidate for Prince Rong's consort been decided?"
It may sound a bit unkind, but she really wanted to hear which girl was more unlucky than her.
Wei Shuyi: "It has not been decided yet. I heard that Prince Rong has caught a cold and is still recovering these days. He cannot leave the capital for a while, so the sage is still considering it."
The reason why the Saint was so anxious at first must be because of her...
After she left, the saint was able to calm down and think about the matter better.
"But it should be just these two days."
As Wei Shuyi spoke, he had seen through his sister's thoughts and sighed, "You must know that not everyone thinks the same as you do... Whether it is the position of Crown Princess or the position of Prince Rong's Consort, it is not a bad thing in the eyes of many people. Just marrying into the royal family is enough to attract countless people."
After pacifying Wei Miaoqing, Wei Shuyi asked someone to invite his second uncle and his family in to talk.
Wei Yu, who was waiting outside in the corridor, stretched his hand out to feel the fine rain.
A drizzle added a bit of chill to the capital.
The next day, when the weather cleared up, it was the day of the ten-day holiday in the Imperial College, and people from the Xunmei Society and the Wuer Society happened to run into each other in the Lingyin Hall again.
Unlike the last time they met here, the tension between the two sides had been silently removed since the incident at the Confucius Temple. Because of the presence of Cui Lang and Qiao Yubai, everyone could even talk to each other in a friendly manner at this moment.
"I heard that Madam Chang took Mr. Chang out of the city to find a doctor. I wonder when they will be back?" A student in Xunmei Society asked about Chang Suining.
Cui Lang could only look at Qiao Yubai. It felt a bit aggrieved that his master had left the capital to look for a doctor without even telling him.
Facing Cui Lang's aggrieved look, Qiao Yubai smiled without saying anything, feeling a little bitter inside.
"Thank you all for your concern. My return date is not yet determined, so there is no rush to seek medical treatment and recuperate." Qiao Yubai replied with a smile.
"That's true..."
"Why can't we invite that doctor to come to the mansion to treat Mr. Chang?"
"Many talented people have their own strange rules..."
"When Madam Chang comes back, I hope Brother Qiao will let her know."
Qiao Yubai agreed.
Although Song Xian didn't say anything, he was listening carefully and patiently.
He also hoped that she would come back soon, as his words of apology had been kept in his heart for a long time.
Here, the students and scholars gathered together to talk and recite poetry. In a private room on the second floor, a light green girl sat alone, drinking tea absent-mindedly.
She has always loved music, and this listening hall is the place she visits most often. At this moment, a female musician is playing the pipa for her behind a pearl curtain.
"…Why did it stop?" The girl came back to her senses when the music disappeared from her ears.
The female musician was already familiar with her, and upon hearing this, she could not help but say angrily, "Why don't you allow me to stop playing after the song? I have been playing for so long, and Madam Ma is probably not listening to a single note, right?"
Ma Wan was stunned for a moment, then apologized, "It is true that I was distracted... Madam Qingyin, please don't blame me."
After saying this, he asked the maid to present the silver.
There is tea, wine and music in the listening hall, but if you want the musician to play for you individually, you have to pay extra money.
After receiving it, the female musician did not make any further jokes. She just held the pipa, bowed with a smile, and then left.
"Miss, are you worried about something?" the maid asked in a low voice.
Ma Wan didn't answer her.
The maid sighed in her heart. She didn't need the girl to answer, because she understood in her heart. Others didn't know the girl's thoughts, but she, as a personal maid, could see it clearly.
After a while, Ma Wan finally spoke, but her expression was gloomy as she said, "Go back."
She would come to the listening hall to listen to music whenever she had time. It seemed no different from usual, but she knew very well that everything had changed since the Mid-Autumn Hibiscus Flower Banquet.
Maybe she won't have to come here anymore soon, maybe it's time to let go of everything.
When Ma Wan stood up, her expression suddenly changed. She turned to look at the window and listened for a moment before asking the maid, "Xiqin...did you hear that?"
After getting the maid's nod, Ma Wan immediately lifted her skirt, walked quickly out of the box, went downstairs, and headed towards the elegant courtyard.
The long-lost flute sound guided her step by step to a lotus pond.
When she saw the back of the young man whom she had not seen for a long time, she slowed down her pace unconsciously and stared at him in a daze for a moment.
She was initially attracted by the loneliness in his flute sound, which seemed a kind of loneliness that no one could understand, deep and unreachable, but made her want to get closer.
The two of them had previously interacted through music and did not talk about anything else. At that time, she did not know that he was Li Lu, the prince of Prince Rong.
It was not until the Hibiscus Flower Party that she met him and learned of his identity, but she also witnessed his deep affection for someone else.
Only then did she realize that what she thought she knew about each other was just her overthinking. After all, they didn't even know each other's identities and families, so how could they talk about anything else? When the flute stopped, the young man standing by the pond turned around and looked at her. A familiar smile appeared on his frail and handsome face: "It's Madam Ma. It's been a long time since we last met. How are you these days?"
This was the first time he called her by her last name, but there was no sense of strangeness at all... It turned out that this was the tone he used when he called her "Madam Ma".
Ma Wan silently clenched the embroidered handkerchief in her hand. It was ridiculous, but her thought of giving up suddenly spread in her heart again with this greeting.
She thought herself to be of high character, but she could be so humble. Even when she knew that he had feelings for someone else, she couldn't really stop thinking about him.
"I'm fine... I wonder if the prince has recovered from his cold?"
Ma Wan realized she had said something wrong after asking this question, as it undoubtedly revealed her unusual concern for him.
The young man smiled and nodded, saying, "I'm almost well now. Thank you Madam Ma for your concern."
"That's good." Ma Wan's fingers gripping the handkerchief loosened and tightened again, and she looked at the bamboo flute in his hand: "Just now I heard the prince's flute playing, and it seemed like he was worried..."
Li Lu said, "I am leaving Beijing soon, so I can't help but think a lot."
"Prince..." Ma Wan didn't know how she mustered up the courage to ask, "Prince, have you not let go of Madam Chang yet?"
The deeds of the lady from the Chang family were truly shocking. She had been thinking recently that it would be very difficult to truly let go of such a memorable girl.
The young man looked at the withered lotus pond and said slowly, "Nothing in the world can be forced. Since I know that we are not destined to be together, I think I will be able to let it go slowly over time."
He did not answer "I've let it go" because that would make his previous affection seem too cheap. For some things, too much is as bad as too little.
Women are always attracted and touched by deep affection, even if this affection is given to others.
Ma Wan couldn't explain how she felt in her heart, but looking at his expression, he certainly didn't seem like the kind of person who was unwilling to come out of that obsession. Being willing to come out... was good.
She unconsciously took two steps forward and smiled: "Then I hope that the prince... can regain his peace of mind as soon as possible."
"Thank you for your good wishes, Madam Ma." The young man looked warm and asked with a smile, "It's hard to find a soulmate. I haven't heard Madam Ma's music for a long time. I wonder if I can have the honor of playing a song with Madam Ma before I leave Beijing?"
As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to the pavilion beside him.
There is always a zither placed in the pavilion for guests to play.
Ma Wan suppressed the slight ripples in her heart and nodded slightly.
One of them sat in the pavilion playing the piano, while the other stood by the pond playing the flute. The two sounds harmonized with each other, creating a tacit understanding without words.
The gurgling music seemed to soothe all the worries, but the maid of the Ma family watched this scene and felt more and more uneasy the more she listened... Was it her illusion? Why did she have the dark thought that the prince of Rong was using this to tease and seduce her girl? That day, when Ma Wan returned home, it was already dark.
On the way back, she had made a decision in her heart. After returning to her residence to change her clothes, she went to look for her grandparents.
After paying her respects, Ma Wan said, "Wan'er has something to discuss with grandparents alone."
Ma Xingzhou then ordered his servants to retreat.
In the hall, Ma Wan knelt down and said, "Grandfather, Wan'er is willing to marry the prince of Rong."
Ma Xingzhou and his wife exchanged surprised glances.
"Wan'er..." Ma's old lady asked in shock, "Why do you suddenly have this idea? What did you hear?"
"Yes, Wan'er knows. The Saint is currently selecting a princess for Prince Rong. Wan'er also knows that she is on the list, and the Saint is very interested in Wan'er."
"But did your mother tell you?" The old lady of the Ma family sighed and looked at her most beloved granddaughter with pity: "But don't worry, your grandfather has not yet nodded his head and agreed. The emperor will not force our Ma family. I was just discussing this matter with your grandfather..."
"Okay." Ma Xingzhou interrupted his wife and looked at his granddaughter who was kneeling there: "Let me talk to Wan'er alone first."
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