Chapter 15 (Revised)
The arrival of the New Year brings joy, and after years of hard work, people finally rest and celebrate the New Year with their families. They stroll through the streets to enjoy the hustle and bustle, visit relatives and friends, and share their thoughts. Whether they are ordinary people or high-ranking officials, they all visit each other during the New Year holiday to express their affection.
The Chu Miaomiao family, who had few relatives or friends in the capital, seemed a bit lonely. However, this was not a bad thing. The more peaceful the Chu family was, the less suspicious the saints would be of them.
Taking advantage of this free time, Chu Miaomiao felt it was too cold to go out, so Chu Canglang took out a book and placed it in front of her.
As soon as Chu Miaomiao saw "The Analects of Confucius", "The Great Learning", "The Doctrine of the Mean" and "Mencius", she stood up and stepped back repeatedly, her whole body expressing strong rejection.
"When I was fourteen, I swore to God that if I continued studying, I would be a dog! I don't want to really be a dog, big brother!"
Chu Canglang was amused: "Being a knowledgeable dog can be considered a hero among dogs."
“…” Chu Miaomiao was speechless. When did her brother start joking?
"Anyway, I don't want it!" Chu Miaomiao opened the window and jumped out. The cold wind blew into the warm inner room, causing Chu Canglang to cough a few times.
When the Chu brothers and sisters were engaged in a tug-of-war over the issue of studying, a palace maid came to deliver a letter from Princess Yukang.
Wei Yan held a small banquet on the sixth day and invited Chu Miaomiao to attend the banquet at Prince Yu's mansion.
Chu Canglang said, "Thanks to the doctor recommended by Princess Yukang, I feel much better these days. Please prepare some gifts when you go."
Although Chu Miaomiao said that it didn't matter whether she had friends or not, she still had a hint of anticipation in her heart. Now that she had received the invitation from Princess Yukang, she seemed to have a sense of being accepted.
Wei Lu's post called it a "small banquet," and Chu Miaomiao thought it was a modest statement. After all, Princess Yukang was of high status, and many people in the capital wanted to curry favor with her. However, when she attended the banquet that day, Chu Miaomiao realized that Wei Lu was not being modest at all.
It’s really a small banquet.
There were only three people in the greenhouse, including her.
So, the dignified Princess Yukang has no friends either?
"I really don't have any friends." As if he could see Chu Miaomiao's surprise, Wei Yan explained, "I don't like people with ulterior motives hanging around me."
Inviting Chu Miaomiao to take a seat, Wei Xuan pointed to the girl beside her, whose smile revealed two sweet dimples, and introduced her, "This is my best friend, the daughter of the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Jiang Yingyue." He then looked at Jiang Yingyue and said, "This is the Princess of Pingyang, Chu Miaomiao, whom I mentioned to you before."
"Meet the princess."
"Hello, Miss Jiang."
Wei Yan then said to Chu Miaomiao, "I've wanted to invite you over for a long time, but I was busy with the New Year and something happened at home, so I just couldn't find the time."
Chu Miaomiao nodded in understanding. Wei Yan continued, "I'll be leaving the capital soon. If you need any help in the future, just ask Xiao Jiang. The palace will probably hold some banquets and gatherings to select spouses for the Crown Prince, Prince Su, and Prince Huai. It would be more convenient for you to be with Xiao Jiang."
This is also the reason why Wei Yan introduced Jiang Yingyue to Chu Miaomiao.
First, Chu Miaomiao was a special person to the Crown Prince, and asking Xiao Jiang to protect her was also a way of doing the Crown Prince a favor. Second, she also had a good impression of Chu Miaomiao. There were many mean-spirited ladies among these ladies, and she naturally didn't want Chu Miaomiao, a stranger from outside, to be bullied. With Xiao Jiang, who had an excellent reputation in this circle, by her side, she felt more at ease when she was out there.
"Should I participate in this kind of gathering?" Chu Miaomiao asked.
Jiang Yingyue nodded and said, "All the daughters of officials and rich men in the capital who are of marriageable age must participate. This can be considered another form of selecting concubines."
Chu Miaomiao curled her lips: "I feel like an object, left to be picked and chosen by others."
Jiang Yingyue burst out laughing, her eyes shaped like crescent moons: "Yes, I feel the same way."
The three of them chatted for a while, and then heard the maid come to report that Prince Yu and his wife had returned home. Wei Yan took Chu Miaomiao to pay a visit to Prince Yu's wife, so that they could get to know her better and take care of her in the future.
At Princess Yu's place, Chu Miaomiao also met Wei Yan's younger brother, a chubby, clingy little boy. Upon hearing that his sister was going on a long journey in a few days, the little guy burst into tears, clinging tightly to Wei Yan's arm and crying, demanding to go with his sister.
Wei Xuan looked up at the sky helplessly. After patiently comforting the little fat boy for half a day, he finally stopped crying and sobbed, "Brother Cheng Zi is leaving now that his injury has healed. Sister wants to go with him. There's no one to play with Ah Zhi anymore. Wuuwuwuwu..."
Princess Yu scolded lightly: "My brothers and sisters have important matters to attend to and need to travel far away. Don't mess with them."
"Even when my sister is not home, you must study hard and practice martial arts." Wei Zhen gently wiped away Wei Zhi's tears with a handkerchief and coaxed her, "I will investigate when my sister comes back."
Wei Zhi pouted and nodded vigorously with tearful eyes.
"Are you going out to travel?" Chu Miaomiao asked curiously.
"I guess so." Wei Yan picked up Wei Zhi and let him sit on his lap. "Two nights ago, the governor of Weizhou was assassinated. This case has some connection with us. It just so happened that the saint sent the prince to investigate, so I thought I would go to Weizhou and maybe I could help."
In fact, it would be more accurate to say that it was not so much giving it to the prince, but asking the prince to help her.
In addition to Jiang Yingyue, Wei Yan's childhood sweetheart is also a young man named Cheng Zi.
Cheng Ziyuan also came from a family of officials. His father had served as the prefect of Weizhou. One year, Weizhou was hit by a flood, causing severe losses. The imperial court approved 100,000 taels of silver in disaster relief funds to resettle the victims and support post-disaster reconstruction. However, the money eventually disappeared, and Cheng Zi's father was falsely accused of embezzling the funds.
However, before Cheng's father could appeal for him, an inexplicable fire burned through the prefectural government. Of the nearly one hundred people in the government, only Cheng Zi survived.
Later, Cheng Zi was taken in as a disciple by Lin Han, the master of Luosha Valley and the biological mother of Princess Yu, who had rescued him. With the help of Luosha Valley, after years of investigation, he discovered that the mastermind behind the fire at the prefectural government office was Cai Shan, the then deputy governor of Weizhou.
This year, the emperor ordered all military governors to report to the capital. One day, Cheng Zi recognized the emblem of Cai Shan's mansion on the street. Years of suppressed hatred finally erupted, and Cheng Zi, losing his mind, assassinated Cai Shan at night to avenge the extermination of his family.
However, Cai Shan, a military general, was highly alert and skilled in martial arts, and he managed to escape. The assassination attempt failed, but instead attracted the attention of the imperial court. The prince was no fool, and it didn't take him long to find Wei Yan.
To protect Cheng Zi, the Prince of Yu and his wife also entered the palace to meet the Emperor. The Emperor, already discontent with Cai Shan's gradual loss of control, decided to give him some time to thoroughly investigate the corruption case and his other crimes. With that time, they could apprehend him and punish him for all his crimes, leaving him with no escape.
Wei Yan and Cheng Zi went to Weizhou to collect evidence of Cai Shan's crimes.
The Crown Prince, understanding the sage's intention, transferred the case to Jingzhao Prefecture, suggesting they need not rush. After all, the assassination of an imperial official was a serious matter, and the more serious it was, the more thorough the investigation required.
*
After the Weizhou Jiedushi attack case was transferred, Wei Zhen was temporarily free of work. Although the court was closed for the Lunar New Year holiday, Wei Zhen still had to study government affairs with the emperor every afternoon.
As soon as Wei Zhencai entered the imperial study, the emperor handed him a secret memorial sent by express horse from the Xiangzhou Jiedushi Headquarters.
"The King of Chu has already contacted Yuan Zhen. Pingzhou is keeping a close eye on them, so he must be getting anxious. That's why he contacted Yuan Zhen to borrow troops from the Xiangzhou Jiedushi."
Wei Zhen suddenly realized why he hadn't seen Xiangzhou Jiedushi Yuan Zhen at the banquet on New Year's Eve. It seemed the sage had deliberately ordered him to stay in Xiangzhou, waiting for the King of Chu to come.
"What do you think about this matter, Prince?"
Wei Zhen thought for a moment and said slowly, "Since we want to completely eliminate the threat, we might as well give him some more time. Both we and the King of Chu need an opportunity."
"What does the prince think of this opportunity?"
Wei Zhen frowned, lost in thought. The sage was in no hurry, waiting leisurely for Wei Zhen's answer.
After a long pause, Wei Zhen replied, "It's a play specially performed for the King of Chu."
This answer surprised the saint. He was stunned for a moment, and then there was more admiration and pride in his eyes when he looked at Wei Zhen again.
He is indeed the child he personally taught and selected to inherit the throne!
The saint, who was very satisfied with Wei Zhen, took back Yuan Zhen's secret memorial and casually talked about choosing wives for their brothers.
"Do you have any request for the Crown Princess?"
In the past, Wei Zhen would have never hesitated and would have decisively put forward his ideas. He had hoped that the future Crown Princess would be dignified and virtuous, able to take care of his household affairs and leave him without worries. But after meeting Chu Miaomiao, the image of the ideal Crown Princess became increasingly vague, while Chu Miaomiao's figure became clearer.
Seeing Wei Zhen's silence, the Saint did not ask any further questions: "The Queen Mother, the Empress, and the Princess of Yu are preparing to choose wives for you. If you have any requests, please go see the Queen Mother yourself."
"yes."
At the same time, Prince Su and Prince Huai were talking with the Queen Mother and the Empress in Changqiu Palace. They were talking about the selection of a princess, and the Queen Mother asked for their opinions.
King Huai spoke first, "Grandmother has the best taste. The girl she chooses must be good. No matter who she is, I will treat her well."
The Queen Mother's eyes were full of love: "You are the one with the sweetest mouth and the best at coaxing people."
Prince Su secretly rolled his eyes, cursed him as a "sycophant" in his heart, and said: "My grandson hopes to choose a virtuous and generous wife, with whom he can live in harmony and grow old together."
The Queen Mother was the successor to the previous Emperor. She had a fraught relationship with the Emperor and was often outshined by his favorite concubine. Therefore, the Queen Mother hated those who disrespected the wife and favored concubines over their wives. Therefore, Prince Su and Prince Huai both spoke only flattering words to win the Queen Mother's favor.
"Marry a virtuous wife; a virtuous wife brings prosperity to the family. Grandmother, I won't be reckless. I'm planning to host a few banquets to invite the wives of officials and their daughters to the palace. You all need to be present so you can meet each other."
Prince Su and Prince Huai smiled and said yes, then they left together. After leaving the palace, they glared at each other unhappily. Prince Huai snorted, held his head high, and left with his sleeves swung.
Prince Su sneered: "Aren't you afraid of breaking your neck?" After saying that, he got on the carriage back home.
When Prince Su returned home, the housekeeper handed him a letter. After he opened the letter and read it, a triumphant smile appeared on his lips, and he immediately wrote back:
"Arrange for them to come to Beijing as soon as possible after the New Year."
Prince, oh prince, I wonder if you can afford this great gift I specially prepared for you.
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