36 Chapter 36
◎Cooling ointment and mint candy.◎
Several major events have occurred in Beijing recently.
One was that the Southern Border Army led by the Duke of Fuguo achieved a surprise victory. They took advantage of the night to launch a surprise attack on the enemy's elite troops, and almost defeated the enemy. It was estimated that they would be able to return to the court in a few months.
The second thing is still related to the Prince of Fuguo's Mansion.
Wei Che, the prince of the Fuguo Mansion, who had returned to the capital for only three months and was already famous for his playboy ways, suddenly dismissed all the more than ten concubines in the backyard.
From then on, he only hung out in teahouses and taverns, and no longer went to brothels. Even when his friends who used to play with him invited him to listen to music, he refused to go.
In the teahouse, several noblemen booked a private room and sat around a table.
Wei Che was a regular at the teahouse. The owner bowed and invited him to a private room as soon as he saw him. "Prince Wei is finally here. The gentlemen inside have been waiting for you for a long time."
Wei Che was playing with the jade pendant in his hand. He waited for the shopkeeper to push the door open before he walked in.
As soon as he entered, he sat down on the empty rose chair and leaned lazily against the backrest.
"Why did you guys call me out for no reason?" Wei Che yawned and looked a little sleepy.
He was still busy. Xu Qinghe asked him to find out the news about Princess Jing'an last night. He found some clues, but he had not had time to verify the details.
Several noblemen looked at each other, and one of them spoke first, but in a joking manner:
"Didn't I hear that the prince dismissed all the concubines in his family? Why is she still like this today? She looked exhausted last night. Did she secretly go to Tianxiang Tower again without telling us?"
"How can you talk like that!" Another person spoke, and although he was scolding, he still used the same tone as the previous person.
"Not only did the prince dismiss his concubines, he also said long ago that he would never set foot in those brothels again. He would have already become a vegetarian. How insulting it is to say that."
The people sitting around the table suddenly burst into laughter, some joking and mocking.
Wei Che huddled in his chair and raised his eyes calmly. He didn't want to waste his precious time listening to these people's sarcasm.
He suddenly raised his long legs and stepped on the table covered with exquisite snacks with a "bang". The table was kicked over and the tea and snacks instantly spilled into the air.
The young masters were all drunkards and were all covered in tea, looking extremely miserable.
"you……!"
Some people were angry and glared at him.
When did this prince become so strong? He was usually so gentle and kind, why did he suddenly become so angry today?
Wei Che lazily stood up, stretched his neck, and swung the jade pendant on his waist in his hand. He glanced at everyone with a cold look and said:
"Don't think I don't know why you're here. You just think that now that I've turned over a new leaf, no one will take the blame for you."
He paced over and walked to the man who had first become furious after being splashed with tea. He gently patted his shoulder and asked in confusion, "Why are you standing there like an idiot? Come and sit down, Brother Wang."
Just as Master Wang was about to curse again, he felt the hand on his shoulder weighing a thousand pounds, causing him to feel a slight pain.
He looked at Wei Che, who still had a smile on his face and eyes.
She even expressed her doubt at his look of disbelief, blinking and asking, "Brother Wang, what's wrong?"
As he spoke, the strength in his hands increased, almost crushing his bones.
Master Wang didn't dare to refute anymore and sat down noddily.
Although everyone didn't know what happened between the two of them, they all sat down.
The table in the middle had been overturned. Wei Che stepped over the scattered pastry crumbs on the ground and returned to his chair.
"When I first arrived in Beijing, I was unfamiliar with the place, and I truly relied on your care. You took me to cockfighting, running errands, listening to music, visiting brothels, gambling houses, and restaurants. Within three months, I had established a reputation as a playboy."
"You... you... what do you mean? Did we force you to go? If you didn't want to, who would have tied you up, Prince Wei, and taken you there?"
Wei Che raised his eyebrows and looked at the man who had spoken. "Why are you so anxious, Brother Li? I didn't say that, but are you...confessing yourself?"
"You...I...I didn't..." He trailed off.
"That's good." Wei Che raised the corner of his lips and continued:
"My brothers are not young anymore, but they have not achieved anything and have not entered the official career. Some of them, like me, have not even started a family. You brothers have not done any of the things that can help you cultivate yourself, manage your family, govern the country and bring peace to the world. Instead, you are good at eating, drinking, whoring and gambling.
"The elders in your families are naturally anxious and have been giving you instructions all day long. What can you do? There was nothing before, but now there is, isn't there?
"Let me guess what the brothers said when they returned home? 'Wei Che took us there,' 'Wei Che forced us to do it, and he had the Duke of Fuguo behind him, so I didn't dare disobey,' and so on. Is that true or not?"
Everyone present was touched by the thought and lowered their heads in silence.
Wei Che glanced at them and continued, "But now that I have 'turned over a new leaf', you brothers no longer have any excuse to deal with your family. But you couldn't stand it for just a few days.
"So you invited me here, hoping to use some sarcastic remarks to provoke me to return to your ranks, to continue living happily with you, and to continue bearing the infamy for you, is that right or wrong?"
Several people lowered their heads even lower. Some people had tea splashed on their heads, and the dark brown tea leaves stuck to their hair. Water droplets were still dripping down the loose hair on their foreheads.
It’s not hard to find out what they are thinking. They thought that a fool like Wei Che had been kept in the dark, but they didn’t expect that he had known everything all along!
"Actually, I have no other intention in saying this today." Wei Che suddenly changed the subject and said with a smile, "Brothers, you have all heard recently that my father may be returning to the capital soon.
"If I continue to act as recklessly as before, he will definitely not let me off easily when he returns. Therefore, from now on, Wei Che will not be able to openly follow you guys. I hope you can understand."
As he said this, he stood up and apologized to everyone.
Everyone quickly stood up to return the greeting, saying it was not necessary.
He did remind them not to think that he was soft-natured and easy to talk to. He was just helpless at the beginning because he was not familiar with Beijing.
But don't forget, he has a father who is the Duke of Guo behind him. How dare they want to control him?
Don’t dream!
After saying this, Wei Che paused, and suddenly his ears moved slightly, and he talked about another thing on a whim.
"Besides, I'm old enough and about to get married, so I can't be as reckless as usual. I don't want to embarrass my future wife."
Everyone hurriedly bowed and offered a few words of congratulations. Someone, speaking frankly, blurted out, "But the prince and Miss Zhao are getting married soon?"
Wei Che frowned, a puzzled expression on his face, "What Miss Zhao?"
The man then said, "Everyone in the capital says that the prince has arranged a marriage with Miss Zhao. Isn't that true?"
"Brother Li, where did you hear this unrealistic rumor?" Wei Che said with a smile.
"It's true that the Zhao family has a cousin living in the Duke's Mansion, but she only came here for my mother. Brother Li said we've discussed an engagement, but have you seen our engagement certificate?"
"This... seems to be the rumor in the capital... isn't it?"
Wei Che: "Of course not."
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, a young master hurriedly asked, "Since it's not the Zhao family's daughter, then I wonder which daughter the prince has his eyes on? Tell us so we can be envious."
Wei Che's smile deepened, and this time it seemed genuine.
"I haven't decided yet, but I just want to marry her. I saw her briefly that day during the Shangsi Festival, and I couldn't forget her. I wanted to take her home immediately."
"Shangsi Festival? There are so many noble ladies on that day. I wonder which one the prince wants to marry?"
Wei Che stood in front of the door, his posture upright, without any trace of his former limp and decadent demeanor. He smiled and said, "The Princess of Nan'an Palace, Xu Qinghe."
Everyone was stunned.
...Princess Qinghe?
Isn’t that the wife that Queen Mother Wei arranged for Wei Ming?
Seeing the awkward expressions on everyone's faces, Wei Che knew exactly what they were thinking, but still pretended not to understand and asked, "What do you brothers mean by that expression?"
"This... maybe the Crown Prince just returned to the capital and still doesn't know? Princess Qinghe is the marriage that the Queen Mother arranged for the eldest son of Wei. Everyone in the capital knows it."
Wei Che snorted barely audibly. "I've been in Kyoto for half a year now, and I never knew Princess Qinghe was already engaged. May I ask, do you know how far along the three letters and six ceremonies have been with the two families?"
Everyone looked at each other and fell silent.
Although the procedure has not been followed, the Empress Dowager has spoken. Who in the capital dares to question it?
Oh, this prince whose father is about to return victorious might actually dare to do that.
Amidst a moment of silence, Wei Che smiled and said, "Since it's just word of mouth and there's no proof, it can't be counted. Since the princess hasn't promised anyone, I can still give it my all."
Everyone felt embarrassed after hearing this and were about to agree against their will, but suddenly they saw the door behind Wei Che was kicked open, and the person who came was Wei Ming, the eldest son of Wei!
Under everyone's shocked gaze, the usually polite Wei Ming actually picked up the tray in the waiter's hand and threw it at Wei Che. While Wei Che was lying on the ground, he started punching and kicking him again.
One was the prince of Fuguogong, and the other was the eldest grandson of the Wei family. It was not right for them to help either of them, but it was even worse not to help either of them, so they rushed forward and pulled the two apart.
Wei Che seemed to be unable to react at first and was forced to endure a few blows. Now that the two were pulled apart, he suddenly became angry again and rushed forward to fight with Wei Ming again.
However, given Wei Ming's calmness, he would never engage in physical violence. However, he has been feeling depressed these days and sometimes even drinks to drown his sorrows.
Now, he came to the teahouse to keep the appointment while still drunk, but he accidentally heard that Wei Che was going to marry Xu Qinghe. The boredom of the past few days seemed to have opened up a breakthrough, so he kicked open the door and rushed in.
Taking advantage of his drunken state, he indulged himself and even picked up a chair beside him and smashed it on Wei Che's legs.
So when Wei Che returned to the Duke's Mansion, not only was his face bruised and swollen, but he couldn't even move his legs freely.
After taking a day off at home, he looked just like what she saw when she visited Xu Qinghe's dormitory at night.
Meeting Xu Qinghe's somewhat shocked and scrutinizing gaze, Wei Che tilted his head to the side.
He had a bruised face and was too embarrassed to see anyone.
"Did you wait for me all night yesterday?" he asked.
Yesterday's incident happened suddenly, so it was difficult for him to enter the palace and pass on the news. He also didn't know how long she would wait for him.
Xu Qinghe took a hairpin and wrote on his palm: I'm waiting for Jing'an's news.
Wei Che curled his lips and thought, forget it, he was just being too sentimental.
He sighed, sat down on the couch across the small table, and took out two things from his arms.
"Cooling ointment and mints."
One soothes the itchiness of a rash, the other relieves a sore throat.
Xu Qinghe looked up and saw that the man's face was bruised, red and even swollen. This time, he didn't greet her with a smile. He just turned his head away, looking a little aggrieved.
She was a little touched and wrote the word "thank you" on the palm of his hand.
The corners of Wei Che's lips curled up slightly, but he suppressed them when he felt her write the word "Jing'an" next.
Alas, he was injured so badly, but this girl didn't ask a single question and only thought about others. She is so cruel.
He sighed and told her the bad news:
"Princess Jing'an didn't catch a cold as rumored, but... a miscarriage."
Xu Qinghe's eyes widened.
Jingan… miscarriage… ?
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