Chapter 88 Let's find her a male concubine as compensation. ...
After returning home, Wei Yihua first had dinner, and then met an acquaintance.
The female official, dressed in a dark blue official robe, had a cold and sharp look in her eyes, like a thicket of thorns.
That was Zhou Congyi, who was waiting for her.
Wei Yihua walked to the table and sat down leisurely. "Lord Zhou, did you not participate in the spring hunt today?"
Zhou Congyi: "I am not good at riding and archery, so I have been staying at home due to illness."
Wei Yihua glanced at her brand-new official uniform and smiled, "I've been busy lately and haven't had a chance to congratulate you yet, but today is just the right time."
Su Yue respectfully filled two cups with wine and placed the golden goblet in front of the two of them.
Wei Yihua raised his glass first: "Come, I toast you, to congratulate you on your promotion. May you rise high in the future; may your career be filled with the sounds of jade pendants and the rustling of jewels, and may you be honored with your sash and sash."
After Zhou Congyi entered the Hanlin Academy as the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination, he was quickly won over by Cui Yan.
At the Hundred Flowers Welcoming Spring Banquet, Lu Bo's slander of Zhou Congyi caught the attention of this old minister of the Qingliu faction. He became the judge in that farce and thus appreciated Zhou Congyi's integrity and talent.
Later, Zhou Congyi also accepted the olive branch he offered. She worked for Cui Yan and gradually gained a reputation in the Qingliu faction, and her official career went smoothly.
Zhou Congyi coughed incessantly after drinking only half a cup of wine, her face turning red. Wei Yihua hadn't expected her to be so weak at drinking, so she quickly put down her wine cup, saying, "If Lord Zhou isn't feeling well, she can drink less; it's alright."
"It's alright." Zhou Congyi wiped her mouth. "I can still drink a glass of wine. His Highness congratulated me personally, so I can't be impolite."
After a brief celebration, Zhou Congyi began to report on political affairs one by one. The two had not spoken for long when there was a knock at the door. Zhou Congyi immediately stopped speaking and looked towards the door. "Your Highness, it is…".
“It’s alright, it should be Yining.” Wei Yihua turned her head and said, “I didn’t make any plans to meet anyone else tonight. It’s so late, only she would suddenly come to see me.”
Wei Yihua uttered the name "Yining" with complete naturalness, and the undisguised intimacy in her tone startled Zhou Congyi.
The door was pushed open by a servant, and Yue Yining, dressed in a blue robe and white gown, drifted in like a wisp of smoke.
Seeing Zhou Congyi there, she didn't seem surprised and smiled slightly: "So Lord Zhou is discussing matters with His Highness. I haven't disturbed you two, have I?"
Zhou Congyi quickly replied, "No..."
Zhou Congyi's face remained calm, but her heart was filled with hesitation and unease. Yue Yining must have something urgent to discuss with Wei Yihua, and she didn't know whether she should avoid her.
Then she heard Wei Yihua's voice laughing: "Did you choose the right time to come?"
Zhou Congyi was taken aback. Yue Yining had just lifted his robe and sat down when he heard this. He glanced at her with a smile and said, "Yes, it would be good for Lord Zhou to hear what I'm about to say."
A sudden warmth welled up in her heart. To hide her reaction, Zhou Congyi lowered her head.
Wei Yihua: "So, it's about today's spring hunt, right? On the way back, I sensed that you had something on your mind, as if you were thinking about something." Of course, she also had many things she wanted to ask her, but seeing how focused Yue Yining was, Wei Yihua didn't interrupt her thoughts.
Yue Yining nodded, then said something surprising: "Your Highness, we have lost today."
Wei Yihua and Zhou Congyi were both taken aback by these words. Wei Yihua frowned first, "Losing a point? What do you mean by that?"
Zhou Congyi: "I heard that Your Highness won first place in the spring hunt today. Your archery and horsemanship were unparalleled. How could you have lost? You should have won, right?"
Yue Yining glanced at Zhou Congyi: "Lord Zhou is not at the hunting grounds today?"
Seeing Zhou Congyi nod, Yue Yining understood and, after thinking for a moment, said, "I didn't notice anything at first, but after I returned to the camp, Lord Rong happened to take the initiative to talk to me."
Wei Yihua: "Lord Rong? Is that Rong Xuan who risked his life to save the Emperor and took a knife from an assassin for my father?"
"Yes." Yue Yining nodded. "Lord Rong's words were strange, and I noticed it. After he left, I sent my maid to follow him and discovered his meeting with the Xie family guards."
Zhou Congyi was taken aback: "The Xie family?"
Yue Yining: "If I'm not mistaken, Rong Xuan has a relationship with Xie Qingyu, the eldest son of the Xie family. Xie Qingyu himself had already gone hunting in the forest at the time, which is why he sent his guards to find Rong Xuan on his behalf, perhaps to pass on some crucial information."
"Afterwards, my maid returned to the camp and told me that Rong Xuan had gone in the direction of the imperial tent. I had many doubts in my mind, so I began to perform divination. Not long after, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly rose outside, and someone broke into the camp, bringing news that an assassin had attempted to kill the emperor."
Wei Yihua had already keenly sensed Yue Yining's unfinished words: "Are you trying to say that the assassins who tried to kill His Majesty were arranged by the Xie family?"
Zhou Congyi was the first to widen her eyes, her face filled with horror: "This is impossible! What reason would he have to do this? If it's found out, it's a capital offense punishable by the extermination of nine generations of his family!"
Yue Yining nodded: "I think so too."
"Xie Zhi is dead, and Xie Qingyu is now in charge of the Xie family. Although he has not yet been officially granted a title and inherited the family estate, he is already the real decision-maker behind the scenes of the Xie family. I have dealt with Xie Qingyu a few times and know him fairly well. He is no ordinary person and would not devise such a rash and dangerous scheme."
"Because I wanted to know the answer, I began to divine in the camp."
"In the first divination, I examined His Majesty's health. The divination indicated that although His Majesty is old and his mental strength is depleted, he is not incapable of riding a horse and shooting arrows. He did not participate in the spring hunt for other reasons."
"In the second divination, I calculated the reason why Xie Qingyu left the mountains early. The divination said that he did not decide to leave the mountains because he was rescuing Lord Ye. Regardless of whether Lord Ye was in trouble or not, he would have returned to the camp in advance."
Zhou Congyi couldn't help but ask, "Why not just directly determine who planned this assassination? Wouldn't that be faster?"
Yue Yining paused, then fell silent, a rare occurrence for her. Looking into her lowered eyes, Zhou Congyi's heart pounded for the first time.
She vaguely sensed that Yue Yining was hesitating about whether she should say what she was about to say.
That was the untold truth, and also a stark and honest curse.
Yue Yining slowly spoke: "This is the Celestial Master's secret."
"Any form of divination will come at the cost of the diviner's lifespan or good fortune."
Zhou Congyi's pupils dilated in shock. "...What?"
Yue Yining: "Directly divining the outcome of any matter will come at a price. This is the origin of the saying that the will of Heaven is unpredictable."
"People trust the old, white-bearded Celestial Masters, believing they possess great magical powers. In fact, the opposite is true. The more powerful the Celestial Master, the younger he dies, because he can calculate the greater destiny of heaven, and his lifespan and blessings are exhausted earlier."
Wei Yihua remained silent, her eyes filled with complex emotions as she looked at Yue Yining.
Yes, she already knew, but in her previous life she only found out after Yue Yining died.
The so-called secret of the Celestial Master.
Zhou Congyi became anxious: "Then you, then all these divinations you've done all this time, doesn't that mean...!"
Seeing her anxious expression, Yue Yining smiled instead, her eyes like two crescent moons: "Lord Zhou, don't worry, at least for now, I haven't been affected too much."
"Heaven is fair. The price it charges depends on the specific questions asked in the divination and fortune-telling, whether the question is big or small. For big questions, the price is almost calculated in years of one's lifespan; but if it's just asking how many bowls are in the kitchen, whether the weather is sunny or cloudy today, or whether anyone will come to visit, these small questions can be considered to have no price."
"There are many things in this world that don't necessarily need to be explained clearly. You don't need to ask when you will get rich, but only what you should do today to earn the most money; you don't need to ask where your destined lover is, but only whether you will meet your predestined lover if you go out today. Fate, which is as high and unfathomable as the sky, is nothing more than the accumulation of choices over time."
Yue Yining used this method to divine and consult the oracle day after day. Apart from the two pieces of tortoise shell, she never directly asked for any "big" answers. She only sought "small" certainties from the Heavenly Dao because she was afraid of death and wanted to know everything. She tried to deceive the Heavenly Dao and live a little longer so that she wouldn't be buried so soon.
Most ordinary people would end up calculating nothing accurately or without any results by doing this, but Yue Yining is an exception. She can always deduce the most accurate answer from the least amount of information, exchanging the highest destiny for the lowest price, like stealing brocade with a thread in hand, or stealing the sun with a flickering flame.
Qiu Wuzhu said that this was her strongest talent in the Five Arts, and that she would eventually become the most outstanding Celestial Master in the world, as well as the most shameful and cunning thief in the eyes of Heaven.
"I am a cunning and opportunistic person, so I can always find loopholes in the perfect design of Heaven and use them to make a profit for myself. My master did not approve of my approach and thought it was heretical. Since then, he has refused to teach me anything. I can only secretly read books and learn by myself."
Later, Yue Yining unexpectedly learned tortoise shell divination and calculated the fate of the nation; later still, she went down the mountain and entered the world, and found that power struggles and fortune telling seemed to be quite similar.
Everyone thought she was exceptionally talented, but in fact, she just stumbled upon success by accident.
Perhaps this is also a brilliant calculation of Heaven. She went through so much trouble, concealing and hiding, but maybe nothing changed.
Even if everything is going smoothly and as you wish now, it can still make you feel anxious and controlled, as if you might lose everything at any moment. Because you don't know if it's a paranoid delusion or a premonition of reality, you're constantly worried and fearful, never finding peace.
This is the power of Heaven's Way. All beings are equal, and all suffer greatly.
Wei Yihua spoke up: "...Can't we just not count it?"
Yue Yining was stunned. She looked at Wei Yihua, the elegant and graceful princess, who was now looking at her with a gaze she had never seen before: "If it weren't for so much and so deep, she could have had a peaceful end, right?"
Yue Yining looked at her, gently shook her head, her tone tender, yet her words were cruel:
"If Your Highness also possessed such an ability, you would understand. If I wanted to, I could easily know anyone or anything I wanted to know, like a huge vault, and you hold the key to it. This is a real test of one's character."
Even if you know that every time you insert the key into the lock, you will be charged a heavy price, there are times when your desires will make you deliberately downplay that fear. People are always used to forgetting pain, and they always won't shed tears until they see the coffin.
A truly great Taoist master is not someone who can predict the ultimate fate of all things, but someone who understands which questions to ask to find out an answer and who can piece together the complete truth from countless fragmented and complicated clues.
Seeing the somber atmosphere, Yue Yining deliberately steered the conversation away from herself: "Let's not talk about these things anymore, let's talk about the spring hunt."
"What really makes me suspicious is the behavior of the Seventh Prince."
Wei Yihua frowned: "Wei Xueyu? What did he do?"
“His Highness the Seventh Prince was extremely calm,” Yue Yining said. “After he left the mountains with the Fourth Prince and the Third Prince, he immediately notified the guards and ordered them to capture the assassins in the mountains. This is how the Eldest Princess was saved. I was right next to him at the time, and his expression was completely calm.”
Wei Yihua pursed her lips: "His handling of the situation was timely and perfect. But the Seventh Prince is intelligent and taciturn, so what does that prove?"
Yue Yining stared at her intently: "Your Highness, do not forget. The Seventh Prince's current backing is the Xie family and Xie Qingyu."
Wei Yihua's eyes widened. In an instant, countless speculations and fragments rushed towards her. She suddenly stood up, as if she had already obtained the answer, but was extremely shocked: "You mean.......!"
Yue Yining: "The person who planned this assassination was the Emperor."
This left not only Wei Yihua stunned, but also Zhou Congyi.
Yue Yining slowly began, “It’s a very bold guess, isn’t it? After all, how could someone possibly hire someone to assassinate them? It seems like a pointless act. But what if His Majesty views this spring hunt, which is tainted with the possibility of assassination, as a test for the princes’ children?”
"To plan a meticulous assassination requires several days of preparation. The Xie family has been busy with Xie Zhi's funeral for almost half a month. Without a leader and in a state of chaos, how could the Xie family possibly have the ability to plan such an assassination? I also don't believe that the Xie family alone could have planted so many assassins in the royal forest in advance. It's more likely that Xie Qingyu knew about the assassination plan in advance and used it to his advantage."
"Xie Qingyu told Rong Xuan about the 'fake' assassination attempt on the emperor, which is why Rong Xuan met with Xie's guards in a secluded corner, rushed to the imperial tent, and risked his life to save the emperor; that's why the Seventh Prince remained calm when faced with the assassination attempt, because he already knew everything from Xie Qingyu and had made preparations in advance."
“His Majesty is in good health, yet he chose not to participate in the spring hunt because he wanted to stay in the imperial tent and wait for the arranged assassins to launch a surprise attack, creating the illusion of an assassination. His purpose is also very clear: to use the assassination attempt to test his princesses’ ability to face sudden dangers—” Yue Yining lowered her eyes, “and their virtue beyond their abilities.”
In extreme situations, people will inevitably reveal their true nature.
"Hasn't Your Highness considered this? In this vast royal forest, the three princes were able to find a corner to put on a show of brotherly love and unwavering loyalty. Especially the Seventh Prince, his appearance was far too timely."
Wei Yihua: "But that could also just be a coincidence..."
"Your Highness."
Wei Yihua was stunned by Yue Yining's gaze.
“I never believe in coincidences.” A glimmer of light flashed in Yue Yining’s dark eyes, like flames burning. “Behind every coincidence lies a reason and trajectory that leads to such a situation. Coincidences are merely a veneer used by those who wield power and manipulate.”
“I regret that if everything goes as I think, we have lost a battle unintentionally.” Yue Yining looked at her. “His Majesty has obtained the royalist candidate he has always wanted; Rong Xuan has gained the Emperor’s favor and a bright future; the Xie family has earned Rong Xuan’s favor and the Seventh Prince’s trust; and the Seventh Prince has passed the test set by the Emperor, gaining more leverage for himself. Even the Fourth Prince, who usually does evil, has shown loyalty and righteousness, and did not abandon or harm his brothers in times of crisis. His Majesty must have changed his opinion of him.”
"Of course, Your Highness did very well and won first place in the Spring Hunt, which is well-deserved. However, with the test that His Majesty inserted, the Spring Hunt itself seems to have become irrelevant, and the honor Your Highness originally received has been greatly diminished. It seems that only we are excluded. This is a play, but we don't even know when it has started."
Wei Yihua finally understood that Yue Yining was blaming herself. In her eyes, Yue Yining had already done enough, but she herself clearly didn't think so.
She was analyzing her own mistakes, listing her own faults. Even though it sounded like a condemnation, Wei Yihua knew that Yue Yining wouldn't condemn others when she failed; she would only blame herself.
Why are you always so hard on yourself?
As Wei Yihua thought this, her fingers, which were resting on the table, quietly climbed up Yue Yining's wrist bone, like moss covering a rugged, thin stone.
Yue Yining was startled by the touch and immediately looked up at her. Wei Yihua patted her and pinched her hand reassuringly, then quickly let go, leaving only the soft warmth lingering on her wrist.
Yue Yining's eyelashes trembled slightly, and the deep shadows in her eyes faded somewhat.
Zhou Congyi didn't notice their brief eye contact, but was still struggling with her brainstorming: "Then... then does the Great Yue Lord know any way to verify these things? After all, we don't have any substantial evidence, these are all just our guesses."
Yue Yining: "It's very simple to verify. We just need to wait for news from all sides in the capital."
As if to confirm Yue Yining's guess, the captured assassins were detained and interrogated by the Dali Temple, and then the matter was dropped. One by one, the people who were imprisoned died, and the mastermind behind it was never found.
A few days later, an imperial edict was issued.
This caused a huge uproar in the stagnant imperial court.
The imperial edict appoints Rongxuan as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a position of the second rank.
Even Wei Yihua, who was mentally prepared, was shocked when she heard the news.
He was promoted from the original fourth-rank Tongyi Dafu to the second-rank Tongyi Dafu, which was a leap of several ranks in terms of rank alone. Moreover, the Tongyi Dafu was just a nominal official with no real power, while the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was an official with real power, second only to the Minister of Personnel.
Most importantly, Rong Xuan has clearly won the emperor's favor. The imperial edict is a clear statement from the emperor, indicating his intention to give Rong Xuan a prominent position. His future promotions will only be smoother and more unimpeded, and his future heights are already foreseeable.
The Council of State Affairs, known as the "Head" of Dongxi, had only four members: the Chancellor and the heads of the three ministries. Originally, it consisted of Chancellor Xie Zhi, Vice Chancellor Wang Zhichang, and Grand Secretary Zuo Yingfeng, while the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary was vacant.
Previously, Xie Qingyu had been speculated to be the next official to be promoted to the Council of State.
This was because he was only twenty-six years old, yet he had already been appointed as a third-rank official, a vice minister, and had a father who was the prime minister.
Above that is the Chancellor, who is just one step away from the core of the court.
Now there is a second person like that, and that is Rong Xuan.
Wang Zhichang once held the de facto position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and was specially appointed as Vice Chancellor, which gives a glimpse into the powerful and influential Wang family of yesteryear. Now, that glory has vanished, the grand gates are rusted and locked, and the once-prosperous family has been destroyed.
The appointment of Yu Rongxuan as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat was a foreseeable future. After all, this position had been vacant ever since Wang Zhichang was executed.
It wasn't just the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. After the downfall of the Wang clan, led by Wang Zhichang, the first to be severely impacted was the Ministry of the Imperial Secretariat, which was most deeply controlled by the Wang clan. Many of the Wang clan members who had previously held positions there were subsequently demoted, inevitably leading to a large number of vacant official posts.
Fortunately, the anti-Wang case coincided with the end of the civil service examination. The scholars who were supposed to be assigned to various government agencies were placed in the Ministry of Personnel to fill vacancies. Many people who should have started as honorary officials directly became officials with real power.
Thinking of this, Wei Yihua was suddenly taken aback.
The "Down with Wang" case affected more than just the Wang family and related officials. Many other people's lives were also altered as a result.
Perhaps it was because he had been thinking about it all day that he dreamt about it at night. Wei Yihua had difficulty falling asleep tonight. When he finally did, his thoughts were like muddy water flowing into a clear spring, mixing together into a pool.
Wei Yihua had a dream.
She dreamt of her past life. The distant past, to her, was not a figment of imagination, but a real memory.
She was still the proud and arrogant Princess Wei Yihua, seventeen years old, and had no idea that human power was finite.
The year Wei Yihua hated Yue Yining the most, the capital city welcomed a rare warm spring.
Early spring stretched on, with flowers blooming for several days in a row, and there was little rain. As a result, the flowers in the palace all rushed to bloom early, bursting into a lively and abundant display, extremely beautiful and vibrant, making the spring courtyard lush and the garden full of soft red blossoms.
The Liuzhu Garden in Wenhua Hall was a place that Wei Yihua, who lived in the palace for a long time, loved to go since childhood. It was quieter than the Imperial Garden, and because it was secluded, it was not easy to run into other people.
After court that day, Wei Yihua went to Liuzhu Garden as usual. After having tea and snacks, she was helped by her maid to stroll along the long corridor, where she saw a familiar figure in the distance.
The man, dressed in a long blue robe, stood quietly by the flower bushes.
Wei Yihua slowed her pace.
That was Yue Yining.
Her face was fair, her hair was tied in a simple bun, and she only wore a lustrous green jade hairpin. The beautiful spring sunlight gently washed over her neck, slipped into the ends of her hair, and fell on her fingers as she raised them above her head to touch the flowers.
Wei Yihua saw Yue Yining touch a camellia by the flower bushes and even smile.
What had initially been a slowing pace eventually came to a complete halt.
Wei Yihua found that smile extremely offensive.
She stood there, watching the eunuch from Wenhua Hall come to find Yue Yining with scrolls. The woman in blue was no longer leisurely admiring the flowers. Her fingertips brushed against the camellia petals one last time before she left without lingering.
Her slender figure disappeared into the blooming crabapple and pear blossoms, gradually fading into the distance.
Su Yue, who was supporting Wei Yihua's arm, could feel her whole body trembling.
She was terrified, knowing that Her Highness the Princess was extremely angry.
Just as Su Yue was feeling uneasy, she heard Wei Yihua say, "I think the camellias in Liuzhu Garden are quite an eyesore."
"Go and call someone over. Pull them all out today." Wei Yihua turned around, her voice icy. "I don't want to see even a single camellia in this garden again."
After giving the instructions, Wei Yihua returned to the pavilion in the center of the garden, where servants were still cleaning up the debris.
Seeing Wei Yihua return, the servants all withdrew.
She lifted her skirt, a hint of suppressed anger in her eyes, and sat down fiercely on the jade cushion behind the table.
Before long, Su Yue summoned someone.
In the bright spring sunshine, Wei Yihua sat in the pavilion, watching the palace maids and eunuchs outside busily digging out the precious camellia seedlings in the flower garden.
The camellias were vibrant and fiery red. It was a color that person would never wear. That person preferred to wear green robes and blue skirts, but red was Wei Yihua's favorite color. It was like one person loved camellias, while another loved to hold the leaves of camellias. So diametrically opposed, so irreconcilable.
This is fine too; she doesn't want to dress similarly to Yue Yining. Yue Yining also doesn't suit bright colors; overly strong colors would only overwhelm her.
No, what color suits her is none of her business.
Wei Yihua became sullen again, angry that she was always being disturbed by an insignificant person.
Orioles and swallows sing in spring, flowers and willows bloom in beauty. In the small garden, clusters of flower branches are mercilessly plucked down, scattering fragments of green and red across the ground. As Wei Yihua gazes at them, her thoughts drift away again.
I just don't know why.
Although she thought the leaves under the camellia were ugly, she also felt that camellias couldn't exist without leaves.
The camellias in the garden had almost all been pulled up. Seeing this, Wei Yihua opened her mouth: "...Suyue."
Su Yue came forward and said, "This servant is here."
“Go and pick a camellia for me,” Wei Yihua said. “It should have leaves.”
"......yes."
Wei Yihua could certainly hear the confusion in Su Yue's words. If she was the one who had the flowers pulled out, then she must not like them, right?
Why do I suddenly want it again?
Wei Yihua looked at herself in the pavilion and took the last camellia that Su Yue handed her. The bright red, delicate petals clung to the wood of the table.
It bloomed so profusely that it aroused jealousy, which is why a maid picked it and plucked it. Even though all the camellias in the garden were about to die, it left a step earlier, which is regrettable and pitiful.
Fortunately, it died at the most beautiful moment of its short life, its body bathed in the rare and beautiful spring sunshine.
Later, Yue Yining indeed stopped coming. Wei Yihua also never encountered her again in Liuzhu Garden.
When Wei Yihua woke up, she realized that she was not dreaming, but rather reliving her past life's memories in a dream.
The past beauty of peach blossoms and plum blossoms, along with the misunderstandings and regrets, are all consigned to the broken walls and ruins in dreams, like the life of a mayfly.
Early in the morning, the sky was tinged with white, and a thick blue mist hung in the air. Su Yue saw the princess sit up, paused for a moment, and then quickly walked over.
Through the layers of curtains, she asked respectfully, "...Your Highness is awake? It's still early, would you like to sleep a little longer?"
Wei Yihua refused in a low, hoarse voice: "No."
Upon seeing this, Su Yue immediately summoned the maids. Soon after, the maids filed in in two rows to help Wei Yihua with her laundry and dressing.
Wei Yihua's days were always packed. First, she would get up in the morning to practice martial arts and read books. Then she would meet with ministers, discuss matters with her subordinates, and review official documents. Occasionally, she would also need to go to the palace to meet the emperor or visit the imperial concubine.
As the princess's personal maid, Su Yue practically accompanied Wei Yihua as she grew up. The princess's excellence was all earned through hard work and effort, without a trace of complacency or laziness.
She admired Her Highness, but also felt sorry for her for always pushing herself so hard.
After everything was finished, looking at Wei Yihua, who seemed lost in thought in the bronze mirror, Su Yue hesitated for a long time before cautiously asking, "Your Highness."
"Um?"
"I don't seem to be in a good mood today, but did I have a nightmare last night?"
A nightmare? Compared to this life, the past life certainly seems like a distant nightmare. Life itself is but a grand dream.
Wei Yihua: "It wasn't a nightmare. Don't worry about me, I'm just..."
Su Yue looked at her: "Just?"
Wei Yihua looked at herself in the bronze mirror. She sat in the dim light, as if the years of the past had enveloped her.
She opened her lips and said softly, "...I just feel that I owe someone a lot, but I don't know how to make it up to them."
Su Yue couldn't understand what the Princess was grieving over at that moment.
But wanting to share her prince's burdens, she racked her brains: "As for compensation... well, although gold and silver are always omnipotent, they lack sincerity. In my opinion, genuine compensation should be based on making the other party happy, and should cater to their preferences."
Wei Yihua raised her head, and the gold hairpin at her temple swayed.
She murmured, "...To cater to their preferences?"
"Yes, Your Highness should know that person very well, right? Just do what the other person likes. As long as you put your heart into it, the other person will definitely be able to feel the Princess's feelings!"
Yue Yining's preferences...
She did understand. But after thinking it over, it was all the same old stuff.
Yue Yining had very few hobbies, and sending tea and teaware again would be too repetitive and boring, even for Wei Yihua. Besides, the eldest son of the Xie family had already sent a lot, and Yue Yining could drink those famous teas for three years without finishing them.
Thinking of this, Wei Yihua suddenly recalled her reunion with Yue Yining in Jiulian Town, and Xie Qingyu, whom she met for the first time.
Come to think of it, she did discover some differences between Yue Yining and her previous life. For example, she actually kept male lovers, even though she didn't seem like a lecherous person.
Wei Yihua pondered, perhaps this is a good idea.
With a beauty as stunning as Xie Qingyu before her, it was quite difficult for her to choose a favorite servant who was no less beautiful than him.
Besides, ordinary concubines are all seductive and alluring, making her scalp tingle just looking at them. Yue Yining didn't seem to care for that kind of thing. She guessed that the type who was proper off-bed but wanton in bed was the kind who preferred to be demure.
He must be as refined and aloof as a noble young master, yet also as unrestrained as a courtesan; he must be able to readily abandon his manners and dignity for her, and be ready to put on and take off his clothes at any time.
Find a favored servant whose looks are no less than Xie Qingyu's, who also possesses elegance and grace, and who is not vulgar...
I still feel the hope is slim.
However, if a suitable person can be found, then giving this gift to Yue Yining would surely surprise her and demonstrate her sincerity.
Wei Yihua made a decision: "Suyue, go and do something for me."
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Author's Note: Someone's going crazy, and I don't need to tell you who it is [rainbow fart]
I wrote until 5 a.m., and then I fainted.
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