Chapter 56 Confrontation: He didn't want to lie to her.
Yue Yining: "These are my true feelings. I didn't say them directly because I hoped that Her Highness the Eldest Princess would figure it out herself and fight for it, instead of being pushed along by my expectations or those of others."
"I have been waiting for Your Highness's reply."
Her light blue dress trailed on the ground, its begonia pattern casting dappled light and shadow, a vibrant tapestry of blossoms, a scene of late spring. Before her stood Yue Yining, his gentle eyes gazing at her, shimmering with a smile.
"Your Highness is the heir I have chosen. If Your Highness wishes to become the greatest empress in the world, I will go through fire and water, even at the cost of my life."
This heart can be laid bare before the heavens, its unwavering loyalty should be displayed in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. More than ten thousand deaths? Even if my soul were to scatter to the nine heavens, I would still transform into a blue phoenix to escort the imperial carriage.
Wei Yihua's eyes welled up again, as if a fire was burning in front of her.
She knew that Yue Yining was not an arrogant person. In fact, she fulfilled all the promises she made, even if the price was death in prison and being buried in a foreign land.
“I promise,” Wei Yihua said. “I promise you everything.”
Suddenly, she was no longer afraid of anything.
Whether it's destiny, past life experiences, or detours taken in the past, none of it matters anymore.
Because Yue Yining believed in her.
She will never betray her trust.
The sun was setting in the west. After comforting Wei Yihua, Yue Yining went out and called for a maid.
Wei Yihua calmed herself down in the hall. When she saw Yue Yining return, she couldn't help but ask, "What were you doing out there?"
Yue Yining knelt down in front of her and said, "I sent someone to the Third Prince's residence to summon His Highness the Third Prince as well."
"Now that we've brought this all up, the three of us should have a proper discussion and see how to proceed."
“However,” Yue Yining hesitated for a long time, but decided to speak frankly, “Your Highness must think it through carefully.”
"Do not make a decision based on my one-sided words. I hope Your Highness will follow your own heart and choose the path you want to take in the future."
As long as you choose this path yourself, you won't be afraid of the outcome, and you won't have any regrets.
Wei Yihua's eyes were still slightly red, but her expression and the brilliance in her eyes were completely renewed.
She held Yue Yining's hand and said, "Don't worry, I've really thought it through."
She couldn't tell Yue Yining that her insistence on pushing the Third Prince to the throne stemmed from Yue Yining's past life. Wei Yihua's previous life had been too tragic; she had almost completely lost. Subconsciously, she followed the path Yue Yining had taken in her past life—the path she believed couldn't go wrong.
“I used to think that I could do a lot for the people even without being an emperor. I could be the greatest female general in the land, or the greatest female prime minister. As long as I wanted, I could benefit the people and achieve my ideals from any position,” Wei Yihua said. “But what you just said made me realize something. Why can’t I just become the greatest female emperor in the land?”
“It will be a bit difficult at first, because Dongxi has never had a female emperor before. I need to make some achievements first before I can ask my father for help.” Wei Yihua looked at her, her eyes shining. “But you will help me, right?”
"With you here, what do I have to be afraid of?"
Yue Yining smiled, “That’s right. Your Highness need not worry. With me here, I will find a way to pave the way for Your Highness.”
The two chatted for a long time until someone came to announce that the Third Prince had arrived.
Once the three of them had arrived, Wei Yihua brought up another matter: "My mother said that Wei Jing was poisoned in the mansion a few days ago, and the perpetrator has not yet been found."
Upon hearing this, Wei Ye's expression changed drastically. "Poisoning?!"
Yue Yining showed no surprise. Wei Yihua asked her, "Yining, did you foresee this?"
To her surprise, Yue Yining shook her head: "Not everything needs to be known through divination."
"The news that the Seventh Prince, Wei Xueyu, is vying for the position of Crown Prince hasn't spread yet. Right now, only Princes Wei Jing and Wei Ye are openly competing. Compared to Wei Jing, Wei Jing is the more promising candidate for Crown Prince and will definitely be watched by countless eyes." Yue Yining looked at Wei Ye. "His Highness the Third Prince should know this best. When the former Crown Prince was the heir apparent, he was constantly facing various assassination attempts and poisonings, wasn't he?"
Wei Ye was stunned. "...Yes. But that's because my elder brother was already the crown prince at that time. I thought the struggle for the throne had only just begun, and that they wouldn't resort to such ruthless methods so quickly..."
Yue Yining tapped her finger: "I thought so too."
"But the fact is, some people have done it. The factional struggles within the court today are perhaps even bloodier than we imagine."
“Although Wei Jing is not particularly intelligent, he has many capable people under his command.” Yue Yining lowered her eyes. “The fact that they were able to almost succeed despite all this, and that they couldn’t trace the source afterward, shows that the mastermind behind this is highly skilled, meticulous, and extremely cautious.”
"If Her Highness the Eldest Princess were to reveal her identity and enter the fray early on, she would replace Wei Jing as the most suitable candidate for Crown Prince, as the only direct descendant among all the princes' children."
“In this way, Your Highness will inevitably become a target, which is extremely disadvantageous for us. Being on guard at all times will naturally prevent us from being harmed, but then we will never have peace.”
Wei Ye seemed to understand but not quite: "What does the Lord of Yue mean...?"
Yue Yining: "My idea is that Her Highness the Eldest Princess should not reveal her ambitions and identity yet, and should continue to pretend to assist the Third Prince in competing for the throne."
“Therefore, His Highness the Third Prince can conceal His Highness the Eldest Princess’s plans. To outsiders, the Third Prince and the Eldest Princess are on the same side, but they will not know that our true heir apparent is His Highness the Eldest Princess. With the enemy in the open and us in the dark, we can gain the upper hand,” Yue Yining said. “We will then communicate and keep secret the ministers who support His Highness, while ensuring the Third Prince’s personal safety.”
Wei Yihua nodded: "This is indeed a good idea. I will first accumulate merits, popular support, and connections as a regent. By the time those people realize what's happening, I will already have the real ability to succeed to the throne. Then, my third brother can naturally announce his withdrawal from the competition and support me instead. This will catch the others off guard, and it will be difficult for them to sabotage me in secret."
Yue Yining looked at Wei Ye: "This plan is certainly good, but it must be approved by His Highness the Third Prince. After all, His Highness the Third Prince will be the target in danger."
Wei Ye was stunned for a moment, then his expression turned serious: "I agree too!"
"As you say, this is the best plan. It only requires sacrificing me to ensure the stability of the overall situation. I naturally agree!"
Yue Yining reassured him, "Your Highness, you are too kind. It's far from the point of sacrifice. The Princess and I will both send people to guard Your Highness. It's just that Your Highness needs to be more vigilant in the future."
Wei Yihua: "Then it's decided."
“In the coming days, I will arrange for the ministers who previously supported us to visit the Princess’s residence, and I will explain the situation to them one by one.”
The setting sun cast its light on the carved window lattices, leaving a mottled effect like an old divination chart. On such an ordinary, forgettable spring afternoon, the three of them finalized their future path in Yue Yining's palace.
After seeing the two off, Yue Yining left the mansion again and boarded a carriage bound for the Prime Minister's residence.
What the princess didn't know was that Xie Qingyu hadn't given her the privilege of visiting at any time, but had instead given her a warrant from the Xie family.
With this palm-sized bronze token, she could freely enter and leave the Xie residence. As long as she showed it to the guards at the gate, someone would take her inside to find Xie Qingyu.
She was quite surprised when Xie Qingyu gave her the warrant.
How could Xie Qingyu, the eldest son of the Xie family, bypass his father and give her such a significant token? Or was his act of giving her the warrant a deliberate arrangement by his father, Xie Zhi?
Upon seeing the warrant, the guards at the gate respectfully welcomed Yue Yining into the mansion. Yue Yining met the maid who had come to greet her and asked, "I've come to see Lord Xie. Is he in the mansion today?"
The maidservant said respectfully, "The eldest young master is currently handling official business in the capital. However, he instructed us that if Lord Yue comes looking for him, we should immediately send someone to deliver a message to him, and he will rush back to the manor."
Yue Yining paused for a moment: "Won't this interfere with his important business?"
“There is no need for Lord Yue to worry. Our eldest son values Lord Yue very much. This was given to him personally, so I don’t think he will mind.”
Yue Yining lowered her eyes. Her footsteps continued to follow the maid deeper into the inner courtyard, but her mind was no longer there.
Although Wei Yihua's words to her contained a moment of impatience, they were not without reason.
Xie Qingyu was indeed too good to her, almost strangely so.
Xie Qingyu never talked to her about what happened after returning to the Xie mansion. You could say that he didn't want her to worry, so he only reported good news and not bad news, or you could say that he deliberately avoided talking about his private affairs in front of her.
Wei Yihua's confusion was actually her own confusion, but she never took the initiative to seek the answer.
If he cares about her so much, why hasn't he contacted her proactively in the past three months? He could have simply sent an invitation to the princess's residence, but Yue Yining just couldn't find an excuse for Xie Qingyu.
The servants had just served hot tea and snacks. Outside the north window of the side room, a rockery was built, and the delicate leaves of bamboo planted along its height swayed gently in the wind, their green shade forming a canopy.
Yue Yining took a few sips of tea and then heard footsteps outside the door, steady yet slightly hurried.
The bamboo curtain rustled softly, and the copper bells on the eaves shattered a beam of sunlight.
Xie Qingyu brushed aside the beaded curtain and entered the room. The sandalwood incense floating in the room condensed into a jade ribbon, wrapping around his dark black official robe, and the crane feathers embroidered with silver thread shone brightly.
The moment he lifted the curtain and entered the room, his wide sleeves slipped down half an inch, revealing wrist bones as white as fresh snow from Ding kiln porcelain, dazzlingly white. Yue Yining's gaze involuntarily drifted towards that spot.
Her complexion was clear and bright, her features delicate and graceful, like distant mountains adorned with pale brows, or like jade mountains swaying in the clouds, or spring water reflecting the moon. Upon her entry into the room, even the gold lacquer on the carved screen at the entrance seemed to dim slightly.
Yue Yining kept looking at him, not missing the fleeting joy in his eyes when he saw her.
He did want to see her, and not entirely for personal gain. Yue Yining thought.
Since meeting Yue Yining, Xie Qingyu had been smiling the whole time: "Why did you suddenly come to see me, Miss? Is there something urgent?"
Yue Yining lowered her head to drink her tea, then looked up at Xie Qingyu sitting in front of her. Her first words were unexpected: "Can't I come to see you if there's nothing wrong?"
Xie Qingyu was stunned, her hand, which was about to place on the table, froze in mid-air.
Yue Yining looked at him: "I thought you gave me the warrant because you wanted me to keep coming to you for no reason. Isn't that right?"
Xie Qingyu's heart suddenly started pounding wildly.
He suppressed his heart pounding in his throat and whispered, "No. That's not what I meant."
"Miss, you can come anytime. You can come even if you don't need anything. I'd like to see you often."
Yue Yining: "Won't this interfere with your official duties? I heard from your maids that you rushed back from the capital."
Xie Qingyu's heartbeat became increasingly erratic.
Is she worried about him?
"It won't cause any delays," Xie Qingyu said gently. "Please rest assured, Miss, I will handle my own affairs."
Yue Yining couldn't ask any more questions. She put down her teacup, the white porcelain cup tapping against the rosewood table with a crisp sound.
She decided to get straight to the point: "His Highness came to see me today and said that the Xie family intends to support the Seventh Prince, Wei Xueyu, in his bid for the position of Crown Prince."
This sentence was resounding, like a golden needle, easily piercing through the warmth created by the previous questions.
The blush on Xie Qingyu's earlobes faded. He still had a gentle smile on his face, but the smile was gone from his eyes.
He paused for a moment before saying, "So that's why you came, Miss."
This was practically an admission. Yue Yining had thought he would beat around the bush with her, but she didn't expect him to admit it directly.
Yue Yining: "Is supporting the Seventh Prince a decision made by Prime Minister Xie?"
Xie Qingyu understood that she must know more than just about the Xie family's support for the Seventh Prince. Her questioning was intended to attribute this to Xie Zhi, while also leaving him room for explanation.
But he didn't want to lie to her.
Xie Qingyu remained silent, her eyes lowered: "It was my suggestion."
Yue Yining's eyes narrowed, and her fingers, which had been tapping the table, stopped. She found it hard to believe. "What did you say?"
Xie Qingyu then repeated, "It was my suggestion that Father support the Seventh Prince's ascension to the throne. I believe that the Seventh Prince, Wei Xueyu, is a more suitable candidate to become the Crown Prince than the Third Prince or the Fourth Prince."
"My father and the elders of the clan gave their approval first, which led to all my subsequent actions. But I must admit to Miss that I was not one of those who were coerced; I also actively participated in it."
Yue Yining remained silent for a long time. Seeing her like this, Xie Qingyu assumed that she was disappointed in him, and his once burning heart felt as if it had fallen into ice water.
Yue Yining slowly spoke, "Is the Seventh Prince the most suitable candidate?"
“I’ve heard that the Seventh Prince, Wei Xueyu, is aloof and taciturn, and dislikes power. It’s quite strange that he suddenly wants to participate in the struggle for the throne. Rather than that he has developed ambition on his own, it seems more like someone is forcing him to make a decision against his nature.” Yue Yining’s words were sharp. “It’s such a coincidence that someone found out that the eldest son of the Xie family had already been in contact with His Highness the Seventh Prince three months ago, and now the Xie family is even planning to openly support the Seventh Prince’s struggle for the throne.”
"So, can you still tell me he's the most suitable candidate?"
Xie Qingyu did not refute, but said softly, "It seems that someone has said many bad things about me to Miss."
Yue Yining did not deny it: "If I said yes, what would you do?"
Yue Yining observed his reaction, and she took in any hint of gloom or malice that flashed across Xie Qingyu's face.
But he didn't.
Her porcelain-like, jade-like face remained gentle, but upon hearing these words, she only revealed a faint hint of sadness.
Xie Qingyu lowered her eyes, her voice slightly hoarse, and asked, "Does Miss believe me?"
Yue Yining was taken aback, and the weight on her heart began to shift.
“…No,” Yue Yining said. “You don’t need to worry that I’ll be biased. I have my own opinions on people and things, and I won’t be swayed by a few words from others.”
"So you have to tell me the truth too."
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