Chapter 149 Pride Fills the Road (XI) I admire her.
"Does your father mean that he will allow you to return to the border?" Sheng Xingyun paused in his chopsticks, looking quite surprised by what Wei Yuanzhan said.
Gao Hongyu submitted several memorials, and even His Majesty personally summoned Wei Yuanzhan yesterday to ask for his opinion on the matter. Naturally, this could not be hidden from Marquis Wei.
"Hmm." Wei Yuanzhan slightly raised his eyelids. "But His Majesty has not yet given his approval. I have already written to General Gao to inquire about the situation in the Northwest."
Sheng Xingyun frowned and said, "The grassland people are really like mad dogs... For so many years, they have been clinging to the northern border."
He picked up a few pieces of the freshly served pigeon and placed them in Wei Yuanzhan's bowl. "Have you told Zhirou about these things?"
Not yet.
“That’s true. If it’s not certain, then we shouldn’t tell her yet.” Sheng Xingyun chuckled as she spoke.
“Before… when you had that fight with He Tingzhou, didn’t your father want you to go back to Jiangdong? At that time, Zhirou asked me if I liked Jiangdong, and I said, ‘Of course I like it. Any place away from my father and the Marquis’s mansion is better than the capital.’ After I finished speaking, I glanced at her face, and she looked so ashamed…”
The night wind blew in through the window, and Wei Yuanzhan listened to his words. He vaguely remembered that three or four years ago, Zhi Rou said some strange things in Qiyun Garden, trying to persuade him to stay.
She couldn't help but smile, and then, remembering something, asked, "What kind of person is the friend she asked you to look after?"
Sheng Xingyun thought for a moment and said, "It's fine, but the ceremony is a bit too formal. People who don't know better might think she comes from the inner court."
Wei Yuanzhan remained silent upon hearing this.
A moment later, he casually glanced out the window, his gaze lingering there.
Sheng Xingyun craned his neck to look downstairs: "What are you looking at?"
He frowned slightly, turned his gaze, picked up a knife from the table, and stood up: "It's on my tab today, Changhuai." His eyes swept over the table, and he added, "Nice fan."
Changhuai nodded upon hearing this and stayed to settle accounts with the restaurant.
Sheng Xingyun was stunned for a moment, then picked up the open folding fan again. The tiger-like eyes on the fan were like lightning, exuding a fierce and intimidating aura.
After leaving the restaurant, Wei Yuanzhan fixed his gaze on the east and instructed Lan Ye, "Go and stop them."
The streets were ablaze with lights, and carriages and horses came and went in droves. Five or six men dressed in blue weaved through the crowd, closely following a plainly decorated carriage in front of them.
Why would a servant from the Marquis's mansion follow the Fourth Miss?
Lan Ye was puzzled and was about to step forward when suddenly a commotion arose, as if carriages and horses had collided ahead, disrupting their journey.
The carriage from the Song family slowly came to a stop.
Wei Yuanzhan's gaze lingered on Lan Ye for only a moment before he went straight to the front of the carriage.
The hilt of the knife lifted the curtain, and as the light from outside shone in, the person inside the carriage saw their hand reach their waist and draw a short knife.
Knowing that his actions had startled her, Wei Yuanzhan restrained himself as soon as he boarded the carriage and did not move an inch.
A cold gust of wind swept over, and the tip of Zhi Rou's sheath abruptly stopped an inch from his collar.
Their eyes met, and Zhi Rou couldn't help but be taken aback.
Another voice sounded from behind her shoulder: "You, Wei... Cousin, Young Master!"
Wei Yuanzhan grabbed Zhi Rou's wrist and quickly said, "Come with me."
The commotion hadn't subsided; pedestrians were grumbling and their steps were hurried, blocking the way. Wei Yuanzhan led her into a narrow alley on the side, winding her way to the Yunliu River.
Seeing that no one was following him, he let out a soft breath and slowed his pace.
Zhi Rou calmed her breathing, stood still in the shadows of the trees, and kept looking back: "Why are we running? Is someone chasing us?"
Wei Yuanzhan pursed his lips: "It's my mother..."
His mother had always restricted his association with Wei Mingying and others. He was used to being unrestrained, so it didn't bother him. But just now, seeing the servants of the Marquis's mansion following behind Zhi Rou's carriage, he thought for a moment and guessed that they had been instructed by his mother to invite Zhi Rou into the mansion.
Recalling the neglect Sheng Xingyun had suffered at the Marquis's mansion years ago, he still felt guilty and did not want the past to repeat itself. After a moment, he said, "I will explain to you later. Shall I send you back?"
The lights were everywhere, the bright moon hung high, and the water surface was reflected in the light, making it look like fish scales.
Zhi Rou had been practicing all day and was reluctant to walk, but upon seeing this scene, she pulled him onto the Rainbow Bridge and said, "Let's go this way."
In the past, when they held hands, Wei Yuanzhan would always press his fingertips firmly together, covering every inch of her skin. Tonight, his movements were very gentle. He turned to look at her and asked, "What's wrong with your hands?"
Her palms were wrapped with gauze.
Upon hearing this, Zhi Rou casually replied, "I've been learning to shoot and practice martial arts with Su Du these past few days. It's nothing."
After admiring the multi-story boats under the bridge for a while, she turned her face and met Wei Yuanzhan's deep eyes. Her tone was quite gentle: "Why do you suddenly want to learn how to use a gun?"
"He wanted to teach me, so I agreed. It wouldn't hurt either way, and I could keep an eye on his actions... Lately, he seems to be in no hurry to investigate cases, which I don't quite understand."
The area was bustling with tourists, so they stopped talking about the case. They arrived at a food stall, where Zhi Rou, who was exhausted, finally found an empty seat and ordered two bowls of wontons.
"Does Madam Hou wish to see me?" She raised her face, her brown eyes looking directly at him, easily taking one's breath away.
"I'm not very good at dealing with important people, but if she wants to..."
“She will never use this method to contact you again, I promise you,” Wei Yuanzhan interrupted her.
Zhi Rou was slightly surprised, then laughed, her eyes showing a nonchalant expression: "It's nothing."
At the same time, the stall owner served the wontons, and Zhi Rou thanked him softly, stirring her spoon.
At street stalls, the tables are close together, and if you speak loudly, you can hear everything that people around you are saying.
Wei Yuanzhan was too quiet. Zhi Rou glanced at her neighbor for a moment, then raised an eyebrow sensitively: "What's wrong?"
The words spoken in the surrounding conversations, no matter how many times I heard them, were nothing more than "foreign races" and "borderlands".
Wei Yuanzhan paused for a moment and then said, "There are rumors that Beili is gathering troops and intends to march south."
His voice was low, and Zhi Rou blinked in puzzlement: "Has everything in Bei Li already calmed down in less than half a year?"
"The new ruler of Beili is decisive in his methods, and now all the tribes are under his control. Your Majesty..." He lowered his eyelids slightly, clenched his hands on his knees, and carefully considered his words.
Every autumn and winter, nomadic tribes would invade and plunder southwards to seize stored grain. Zhi Rou was no longer surprised by this, but she never expected that the grasslands, which had been at rest for so long, would regain their former vigor.
Judging from Wei Yuanzhan's words, she seemed to have noticed something. Her lips twitched, and her knuckles slowly tightened on the soup handle.
After a while, she suddenly raised her hand, took out the jade talisman from her collar, and handed it to him with a smile on her lips.
"Returning the item to its rightful owner brings peace and protection from illness."
...
About half an hour later, Wei Yuanzhan returned to the Marquis's residence and, as usual, went to Xu Yueqing's place to pay his respects.
Wei Jingfan still had other matters to attend to, so after sitting for a while, he stood up, walked to the door, and paused briefly.
Wei Yuanzhan followed him out, but stopped when he saw the scene. The pear blossoms in the courtyard trembled in the wind and fell to the ground.
"Have you been staying at home these past few days?" Wei Jingfan asked.
"yes."
"Alright."
He turned to look at the door. Ever since Wei Yuanzhan took over the case of Princess Rongqing's mansion, Xu Yueqing had been depressed. His attempts to comfort her were futile and only made her resentful; she felt much more at ease with her son by her side.
"Speak properly to your mother." Wei Jingfan withdrew his gaze, gave this instruction, and walked away, lifting his robe.
As footsteps entered, the lamplight inside the room shifted several times.
As soon as Wei Yuanzhan sat down, Xu Yueqing raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, then rolled up her sleeves: "Why don't you go back to your own room? It's getting dark, I need to rest too."
Wei Yuanzhan said softly, "Please, Mother, do not worry about my personal affairs in the future. The border is not yet at peace, and I have no intention of getting married."
If he hadn't brought it up, it wouldn't have been a problem, but the moment he did, Xu Yueqing's face turned even colder: "Are you not interested in marriage, or are you unwilling to marry that second daughter of the Sun family? What exactly about her family background, talent, or appearance do you find objectionable?"
“Miss Sun is both talented and beautiful, and it is hard to find any flaws. However, her son is just a military man, with no skill in writing or calligraphy, and no refined taste. He is not a good match for her.”
His self-deprecating refusal made Xu Yueqing even more uncomfortable. Thinking of how the people she sent to invite Song Zhirou tonight had returned empty-handed, and even claimed to have seen Lan Ye, how could she not know that Wei Yuanzhan must have been involved?
When he arrived, all the servants in the room were ordered to leave, but now he has the advantage.
Xu Yueqing snorted slightly: "What about the Song family's daughter? From the first moment I saw her, I knew she was no pushover. You want me to teach you the principle of choosing a virtuous wife? You left the capital for her back then, but now you refuse to stay in the capital for long. Does Song Zhirou really want to spend her whole life with you in that harsh northwest?"
As soon as the words were spoken, the candlelight beside the table flickered.
Wei Yuanzhan stood tall, and the shadow he cast on the wall had a more mature and imposing presence than before.
He paused for a moment, then spoke of Song Zhirou with an exceptionally firm expression.
"As for Zhi Rou, she is indeed not a submissive person, but I don't need a wife who obeys me in everything. She is intelligent, quick-witted, and unafraid of being controlled by powerful people. I admire her."
These words struck Xu Yueqing as utterly rebellious. Her breath quickened as she exclaimed, "Foolish! You are a nobleman's son, with generations of officials in the imperial court. If you had stayed in the capital to focus on the imperial examinations, you would have had no trouble securing a promising career. Reaching the position you aspire to would have only taken a short time. The reason you rushed off to the army was for a woman, wasn't it?"
Now that she refuses to arrange a marriage between the Song and Wei families, he wants to return to Lancheng. What else could it be but to spite her?
Xu Yueqing didn't say this aloud, but her emotions flowed out smoothly under the lamplight.
Wei Yuanzhan met her gaze silently, his demeanor steadfast and composed throughout. Only now did a hint of disappointment slip from his eyes.
“You have no idea what I wanted back then.”
Upon hearing these words, Xu Yueqing felt a sudden tightness in her chest, and the overbearing aura instantly slipped from her shoulders, replaced by a sense of grievance.
From her perspective, these words were calm and reasonable. Wei Yuanzhan understood her worries, but he refused to back down because of others' opinions.
He stood up, lowered his eyes, and said gently, "Please don't go looking for Zhi Rou anymore. Didn't you say that if one day I could be the head of the Marquis's mansion, then everything would be up to me?"
"I will wait until that day, and personally go to the Song family to ask for your hand in marriage."
After saying this, he bowed as usual, "Please make your arrangements as soon as possible, Mother. I will take my leave now."
Inside the Feng residence, clanging sounds filled the air, and time flew by.
Zhi Rou was in high spirits just a few days ago, but today she practiced for an hour, standing under a tree with her gun in her arms, her eyes fixed on the ground, clearly not paying attention.
Su glanced at her for a moment, and her warm, white beauty caught his eye, her delicate features lightly entwined with crimson threads. He had seen her many times before, and now casually asked, "Where did you get this?"
Zhi Rou then regained her senses, glanced at the jade talisman, and tucked it into her bosom: "...It was a gift from someone else."
Wei Yuanzhan refused to take it back last night, so she had no choice but to put it back on.
She straightened up and took two steps, a hint of doubt appearing on her beautiful face: "Do you think the current Khan of Beili is Enhe?"
Upon hearing this, Su Du replied directly, "Besides him, who can compare?"
The afternoon sun was pale and not intense, and dust motes moved slowly in its light. He stepped into the slanting sunlight and glanced at Zhi Rou's expression: "What are you thinking about?"
Her mind was in turmoil. Upon hearing his words, she gazed at him intently for a long time before finally asking, "Have you obtained the evidence you requested?"
"One more item is needed."
What do you need me to do?
Su Du remained calm and said, "You don't need to do anything."
Waiting is always more agonizing than being busy. Fortunately, she has guns and swords to keep her company, so the days aren't too unbearable. But if she were to continue waiting, Zhi Rou would unconsciously frown: "Your behavior... makes me very uneasy."
He seemed to have planned this all along: "Once this is all over, I will hand them all over to you. Will that put your mind at ease?"
A light, like water, bathed Su Du's face as they gazed at each other. The way she looked at him was different from usual, carrying complex emotions.
"You're not lying to me, are you?" Zhi Rou raised an eyebrow.
Su Du looked away and lowered his head: "When has this ever happened?"
She wanted to say that there was nothing, but looking at him, she suddenly recalled everything they had been through together, and it seemed that apart from hiding things, he had never lied to her.
"Mother misses you. Will you go to the Song residence today?" Zhi Rou changed the subject.
Su replied, "Okay."
After a few rains, the days turned into late summer, the heat was intense, and cicadas chirped all over the trees.
Zhi Rou received He Min's letter and slipped out through the side gate at daybreak, riding her horse to the old house in the south alley.
He Min welcomed her into the house, and the rising sun shone into the room through the door. Zhi Rou uncovered the wax pill, read it, and then looked up to ask, "Is this news accurate?"
She ultimately did not follow Su Du's advice and wait quietly at the mansion. Sensing that he might be deceiving her, she again asked He Min that night to check if there were any discrepancies in the markings on the private accounts.
He Min lowered her eyes and said, "Jiang Xu and the others went to Yuyang to investigate. None of the projects listed in the account had any actual traces, and many of the local records showed signs of being double-written."
Therefore, everything marked in red ink in the records of the Chief Clerk Wen was money embezzled or misappropriated by the Ministry of Revenue. Over the years, the amount accumulated to a considerable sum.
After hearing this, Zhi Rou frowned and pondered for a while before standing up and saying, "Miss, there is one more thing."
He Min continued, "Zhou Ling wrote that the people the Wanyuan Merchant Guild relies on are indeed the Sun family."
Zhi Rou returned to the Song residence, where the sun was blazing.
Pei Cheng woke up early and saw that the stable was empty. He knew that the Fourth Miss had taken it out. Now that he was waiting for her return, he took the reins and said, "Fourth Miss, Xinghui will be looking for you."
"Sister Xinghui?" Zhirou raised her eyebrows slightly, strolled along with the horse's hooves for a while, and after it was ushered into the horse stable, she broke open a chestnut cake. "Do you know why she's looking for me?"
The little horse lowered its head to eat, its breath barely moving.
Pei Cheng shook her head: "I don't know, but she looked...quite anxious."
At that moment, a clever trick suddenly bound his wrist, and the chestnut cakes that the Fourth Sister hadn't finished feeding him fell into his palm.
The road from the side gate to Longyue Pavilion was neither long nor short. As Zhirou walked along, she noticed that everyone in the household had stopped laughing and joking, and their expressions were filled with worry.
She harbored doubts, but when she finally saw Xinghui, the scene before her eyes was not entirely similar to what she had imagined.
Jingyao and her group were sweeping in the courtyard. Xinghui stood by the door with a broom in hand. When she saw her, she quickly ran over and put the bamboo broom behind her back: "Have you had breakfast yet, Miss?"
Seeing her casual demeanor, Zhi Rou couldn't help but look at her for a while: "Pei Cheng said you were looking for me, what's the matter?"
Xinghui glanced at the neighboring courtyard and whispered, "It's the Third Miss..." She paused, "No, it's the border..."
More than a month ago, His Majesty secretly dispatched men to the Dancheng area to investigate spies from the Northern Li. By the end of May, scouts discovered the corpse of a foreign tribe near the boundary marker of Suizhou.
The man was about thirty years old, with his hair tied in many braids, a custom of the northern tribes. Although his head had been severed, his brown eyes were tilted upwards, the pupils shining as if they were filled with tears.
When the news reached the capital, a letter from the Northern Li Kingdom also arrived.
The emperor claimed that the Khan's brother had gone missing at the border between the two countries. After searching everywhere without success, he heard of his whereabouts and went to Yan, where he was captured. He then sent envoys from allied countries with a letter of appeal to demand his return.
Since the beginning of spring, the Northern Li tribe has repeatedly harassed the borders, and His Majesty, prioritizing the well-being of the nation, has tolerated them time and again. However, this has now become unbearable.
In early June, an imperial edict was sent to the northwest. Upon hearing the order, all tribes mustered their troops, and a whirlwind swept across the northern plains.
A gentle breeze blew by, and the shade of the trees in the courtyard swayed slightly.
Zhi Rou remained silent, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
Is Alamusu... dead?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
