Chapter 59
Since the palace began seeking brides for the princes, several prominent ladies, including the Princess of Yu, have hosted banquets, inviting young men and women from the courtiers' residences throughout the capital. After several rounds of negotiations, the young men and women who fell in love with each other have been matched, but the princes' marriages remain undecided.
Moreover, during this period of time, there were changes in the court and unrest in the local areas. There was so much going on that people had no time to talk about the princes' marriages. Now that the situation has been settled, the issue of meeting the princes' wives has been brought up again.
After receiving the Queen Mother's suggestion, Princess Yu pondered for a few days and decided to hold a poetry gathering at her home. When choosing a partner, one shouldn't just focus on appearance; talent is equally important.
Princess Yu had invitations written and sent to the residences of important officials and nobles. After two or three days of preparation, the poetry gathering was about to begin.
On this day, there was an endless stream of carriages and horses in front of the gate of Prince Yu's Mansion, and the elegant courtyard was filled with young men and women walking in groups of three or two.
The young men are handsome and elegant, and their every word and action is quite gentlemanly; the young women are pretty and bright, and their every move and gesture is that of a lady.
The young and beautiful girls dressed themselves up carefully, striving to look their best today. Girls close to each other gathered together to tease each other about their clothes and makeup, or quietly discussed which of the young men they had just met was the most handsome, or speculated on who would win the first prize in the poetry competition and catch the eye of Princess Yu.
Several girls stood by a dense clump of bamboo, chatting. One of them held up two fingers. Though she lowered her voice deliberately, the excitement in her voice couldn't be concealed: "Prince Su messed up earlier. Now he just needs to choose two prince consorts. Who do you think is the most likely candidate among those who came today?"
"You're wrong. Now we just need to choose one." Another person said mysteriously.
At this time, another group of people came walking on the gravel road on the other side of the green bamboo. They were Jiang Yingyue and her friends.
"Why don't I see Jiang Huan?" Xu Ling, the daughter of General Weiyuan's mansion, looked around. "I haven't seen her since I entered. Didn't we agree to act together today?"
"Her." Jiang Yingyue couldn't help laughing as she recalled how Madam Jiang had secretly pinched Jiang Huan's waist and led her away. "She came here dressed as a warrior today, and as soon as she entered the mansion, her mother took her away to change clothes."
"It's something she can do. After all, she hates attending these blind date parties the most." Miss Liang Yu from the Minister of War's family looked as if she understood.
The sisters laughed, and Jiang Yingyue looked curiously at a face she didn't know well among her friends: "Sister Wanwan, are you joining us today too?"
Although Jiang Yingyue was close to Shi Yuanyuan, the second daughter of the Duke of Ying, her relationship with the eldest daughter, Shi Wanwan, was relatively unremarkable. When they went out for fun or attended banquets, Shi Yuanyuan was always with them. Seeing Shi Wanwan there today, Jiang Yingyue became curious.
Shi Wanwan smiled and said, "Actually, I have something I'd like to ask Miss Jiang for help with."
As they passed under the loquat tree, they heard someone whispering, "I heard that the Queen Mother in the palace is interested in the eldest daughter of the Duke of Ying to be the Crown Princess."
Although the voice was low, Jiang Yingyue and others were not far away, so the words still floated into everyone's ears.
Xu Ling and Liang Yu glanced at the Shi sisters, gossip sparking in their eyes. Shi Yuanyuan quickly took their arms and led them forward, leaving Jiang Yingyue and Shi Wanwan behind.
When Jiang Yingyue asked what was going on, Shi Wanwan didn't hide anything and said frankly, "Please, Miss Jiang, introduce me to Princess Yukang. There are some things I'd like to learn from her."
Wei Luan was a solitary figure, and among the noble ladies, he was closest to Jiang Yingyue. Shi Wanwan had considered meeting Wei Lu directly, but she worried that Wei Lu would refuse, and even if they did, she wouldn't necessarily be able to get the information she sought. After much deliberation, Shi Wanwan decided that asking Jiang Yingyue for an introduction would be the most appropriate option. With Jiang Yingyue around, the princess might be less reserved.
Jiang Yingyue guessed that what Shi Wanwan wanted to ask Wei Yan might be related to the prince.
In fact, Shi Wanwan had privately told them long ago about her elder sister being chosen by the Empress Dowager as the Crown Princess, but the Crown Prince had flatly rejected the match. Fortunately, the news of Shi Wanwan's selection as the Crown Princess was known only to a few nobles in the palace, the Duke of Ying's residence, and a few close friends of theirs. It wasn't widely publicized, and it didn't have a negative impact on Shi Wanwan.
But for some unknown reason, the news that Shi Wanwan was the Crown Princess suddenly spread these days. Shi Yuanyuan suspected that they had leaked the news and questioned them thoroughly, forcing them to swear to the sky one by one before she would let it go.
After some thought, Jiang Yingyue said, "Then Sister Wanwan, please follow me."
As they made their way through the flowers and willows to the edge of the lotus pond, they suddenly heard a commotion behind them. Turning, they saw the Crown Prince and King Huai coming together.
The crown prince's black hair was tied up, a jade hairpin tracing across it. He wore a crimson-purple round-necked robe embroidered with silver thread and a precious flower pattern. A seven-ring gold and jade belt adorned his waist, accentuating his elegant demeanor and heroic bearing. His face was as handsome as jade, his features as picturesque as a painting; he was a truly handsome man, yet he exuded a sense of aloofness and indifference that kept strangers away.
King Huai also wore a jade crown and a round-necked robe with a standing lion pattern, which made him look tall and majestic. His eyebrows were sharp and his eyes were bright, and there was a natural sense of pride between his eyebrows.
The main character of today's poetry gathering arrived, and everyone around him came to greet him, inevitably offering some flattery. King Huai gladly accepted, while the crown prince simply nodded coolly without further response.
Shi Wanwan stared at Wei Zhen in a daze, not knowing what she was thinking. Jiang Yingyue called her three times before she came back to her senses.
"Let's wait here for a while." Shi Wanwan heard Jiang Yingyue's voice, "Princess Yu and the princess should come out to greet you soon, and then I'll take you to see the princess."
Shi Wanwan nodded and said with a smile, "I'll listen to Miss Jiang."
At this moment, the maid behind Shi Wanwan stepped forward, gently tugged at her sleeve, and winked at her. Shi Wanwan then realized that her right hand had been clenched into a fist. She quickly relaxed it and quickly glanced at Jiang Yingyue. Seeing that she hadn't noticed her misstep, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Sure enough, not long after, Prince Yu and his family came out to greet them. While everyone was chatting, Jiang Yingyue waved to Wei Yan.
Wei Yan understood what she meant, and when everyone walked inside, she deliberately stayed behind to wait for Jiang Yingyue. However, when Jiang Yingyue and Shi Wanwan approached together, she frowned slightly and cast a questioning look at Jiang Yingyue.
"Shi Wanwan, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Yingguo." Jiang Yingyue briefly introduced her and got straight to the point. "Ah Lu, can we find a convenient time to chat?"
*
Today, a poetry gathering is being held in Prince Yu’s mansion, and the courtyard in the mansion is bustling with activity.
Chu Miaomiao was already a criminal and had "died" in Pingzhou, so she naturally could not appear at the banquet at Prince Yu's mansion. Two days before the poetry gathering, Wei Zhen sent a message through Wei Yan, asking her to wait for him to meet her on the day of the gathering.
But it was hard to say when he would be able to come. After all, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was the protagonist of this poetry gathering, so he would have to socialize with everyone carefully.
Ever since that day when Jiang Yingyue enlightened her and she cried on her shoulder, Chu Miaomiao realized one thing - her life was too twisted!
She didn't have much time left anyway, so she had nothing to lose by taking a gamble with Wei Zhenhao. If she could escape, she would naturally be grateful. If she couldn't, it would just be a slap in the face. Eighteen years later, she, Chu Miaomiao, would still be a brave man standing tall and proud!
Out of her heart, Chu Miaomiao still wanted to leave some good memories with Wei Zhen in the last days of her life.
However, Wei Zhen came too late.
Chu Miaomiao watched as the sun seemed to be approaching noon. An hour had already passed since the banquet officially began. If she wasn't worried about causing unnecessary trouble for Prince Yu's mansion, she would have wanted to change into a maid's outfit and run to the courtyard to take a look.
"well--"
Under the shade of a tree, beside a stone table, Chu Miaomiao held her chin with one hand and looked at the tree, sighing deeply, her expression gradually becoming impatient.
When she decided to face her heart, the longing she had been forcibly suppressing became even stronger. From her heart to her mind, it was all Wei Zhen.
Chu Miaomiao's gaze shifted downwards, landing on the jade seal she was gently caressing in her other hand. She couldn't help but recall the scene when Wei Zhen gave her the jade seal, and her cheeks couldn't help but warm slightly when she thought of his words.
——"I want you to see my name every day and remember me day and night."
That damn guy, now he got what he wanted!
When Chu Miaomiao was gritting her teeth and criticizing Wei Zhen, she suddenly heard a "puff" of laughter coming from the courtyard gate. She looked up and saw Wei Zhen leaning against the door with a smile on his face.
"Seeing you so energetic, I feel relieved—"
As soon as Wei Zhen finished speaking, Chu Miaomiao rushed over and pounced on him. His body trembled and he stood there in shock.
The beloved who always avoided him actually threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. To Wei Zhen, this was like a dream. He couldn't believe it was real. He stood there for a long time before carefully and tentatively hugging Chu Miaomiao, suppressing his inner joy and worrying that Chu Miaomiao would push him away in the next moment.
Wei Zhen breathed a sigh of relief when he truly embraced his beloved in his arms.
Miaomiao really hugged him, he was not dreaming! He was not rejected!
"Wei Zhen."
Just as Wei Zhen was ecstatic, Chu Miaomiao's muffled voice reached him from within his arms. Hearing his beloved call his name, Wei Zhen's expression softened, his eyes overflowing with a gentleness that almost drowned him.
Wei Zhen responded with a soft "hmm".
But Chu Miaomiao didn't seem satisfied with this and called Wei Zhen's name several times. But Wei Zhen didn't show any impatience and responded to her every time.
Even Chu Miaomiao herself didn't know why she kept calling Wei Zhen. Perhaps she had truly missed him too much these past few days? But every time she called Wei Zhen, Chu Miaomiao felt the panic and uneasiness in her heart dissipate a little, and the gloom in her world gradually dissipated.
Very good.
Chu Miaomiao felt relieved, her nose felt sore and her eyes felt hot.
"Thanks--"
Wei Zhen heard Chu Miaomiao say this.
"Thank you for not giving up on me."
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