40 Chapter 40
◎Arranged marriage.
"I didn't tell you to leave, I just told you to get up and not sit on my bed." She said with her brows pressed together.
Wei Che finally understood what she was worried about, so he stood up, hung up half of the curtain, and stood in front of her.
"Is this possible?" he asked.
Xu Qinghe raised his chin slightly, nodded imperceptibly, and said only one word: "Yes."
Then he remembered what Wei Che had just asked.
If Cen Liangping could suppress the matter, he would not have asked the Queen Mother for help. The Queen Mother did not agree to the marriage, which means she was unwilling to interfere.
If it’s not Cen Liangping, if it’s not the Queen Mother, then who else could it be?
She looked up and saw the man in front of her, dressed in black imperial guard uniform. He should have exuded some majesty, but he looked lazy and sloppy.
Because she didn't allow him to sit on her bed, he simply leaned against the bed frame with his arms folded, standing on one foot and casually tapping the ground with the other foot.
He was looking down at her, with a smile on his face.
“…It’s you?”
Wei Che nodded slightly, the corners of his lips curled up slightly, with a bit of pride: "I am not talented, but I am exactly like you."
"Last year, after the princess was kidnapped, I set my sights on the Cen family. Later, I discovered that the victims of the Yuzhou disaster were seeking justice in the capital. I'm sure these victims who sought justice along the way had a rough time, as they only arrived at the nearest prefecture and county three days ago.
"I went there overnight to persuade them to stay outside Kyoto for the time being in case of any future use."
He had actually already...
Xu Qinghe didn't think Wei Che was interested in her at that time, but she couldn't help but be surprised at his sharpness.
Just because the Cen family sent people to assassinate him, he investigated all the way to Yuzhou.
"Why doesn't the princess say anything? But you also think that this prince has foresight and can see the big picture from the details?" His low laughter came into his ears.
Xu Qinghe came back to his senses and looked over.
They were about three feet apart, with a little warm light between them that broke through the night. Wei Che leaned against the bed frame and looked down at her.
Although we were clearly at a great distance from each other, there was a certain familiarity in his expression.
Xu Qinghe's heart moved slightly, but he quickly turned his head away.
"This incident happened suddenly, and I didn't have time to inform you in the palace. Has the princess been waiting for me these days?"
Xu Qinghe: "No. But you stopped the victims, but will you use them to deal with Cen Liangping later?"
After all, he was the one who reported the incident.
Wei Che nodded, "Can we put this matter aside for now? After we get married, we can discuss it in detail."
Xu Qinghe also thought so, and that this matter should be taken slowly rather than hastily.
Since they were talking about marriage, Wei Che continued, "My father will be returning to the capital in a dozen days. Do you want to finalize the marriage now, or wait until he comes back?"
Xu Qinghe was stunned for a moment, "Isn't it another month before the Duke of Fuguo comes back?"
When she left the palace today, she also heard people on the street talking about this matter from the car.
"That's how it was originally." Wei Che said, "But I will go out of the city tomorrow to persuade him to return to the capital as soon as possible."
Just for his marriage?
The Duke of Fuguo probably did not dote on his son to the point of accelerating the entire army's return to the capital. There must be other reasons.
As for the exact reason, it was not her place to ask.
She just said: "The sooner we get married, the better."
In this deep palace, every extra moment spent is torture.
Wei Che smiled and said "Okay", then paused, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Xu Qinghe glanced at her, his eyes conveying the meaning of "if you have something to say, say it quickly".
Wei Che: "In that case, Princess, please tell me the truth, have you broken up with your eldest son Wei?
"Don't let me so excitedly invite my father back that you suddenly change your mind and marry into the Wei family again. My Fuguo Mansion also has to maintain its reputation. The rumors that I want to marry you have spread everywhere these days."
He seemed to be particularly concerned about the relationship between him and Wei Ming. This was probably the possessiveness in a man's heart.
Xu Qinghe coughed lightly and lied with her eyes open: "Of course. No matter what happened between him and me in the past, since I have already accepted the proposal of the prince, it is natural for me to break up with him completely. Prince, don't worry."
In fact, she and Wei Ming had nothing in common, but sometimes she did this on purpose to cause Wei Che's misunderstanding, which might be of some use in the future.
"Really?" Wei Che's eyes lit up. She looked at it and found that it was even brighter than the palace lanterns under the eaves outside the house.
Xu Qinghe nodded: "Seriously."
Wei Che let out a long breath, feeling very happy.
After finishing his business, he said, "I will not be in the capital these days. If the Queen Mother embarrasses you again, go find Concubine Zhao and ask for her help."
Xu Qinghe raised his eyes and looked at him.
Doesn't she know about the conflicts she had with Concubine Zhao in the past?
"Princess, could you please stop looking at me like a fool?" Wei Che was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"I've already convinced my mother and Concubine Zhao. Since I'm going to marry you, you'll be their junior in the future. At least they won't do anything to you openly, don't worry."
Xu Qinghe was not reassured, but at some point, this was a way to try his luck.
She nodded: "I understand."
Wei Che also nodded, stood up straight and was about to leave.
"Wei Che."
Xu Qinghe suddenly called out to him, then raised her hand and grabbed his sleeve.
She pulled him over, grabbed his collar and made him bend over, then stretched out a hand and covered the lower half of his face with her palm.
Only a pair of eyebrows and a smooth forehead are revealed.
She looked into his eyes, deeply, as if looking into a distant place through those dark pupils.
After a long time, she finally let him go.
"You go."
“…” Wei Che didn’t understand.
He stopped as if he wanted to ask her something, but seeing that she looked calm and unwilling to say more, he had to climb out the window and leave again.
Xu Qinghe leaned against the head of the bed alone, looking at the swaying palace lanterns outside the window.
She chose Wei Che as the person to help her leave the palace. Besides the fact that he could help her with things, there might be another trivial reason.
His eyebrows and eyes are so much like Xie Qi's.
If Xie Qi were still alive, he would be about the same age as him.
Perhaps by then he had become a great general feared by the Nanyi Kingdom on the battlefield, with silver armor on his body and a spear in his hand, making no Nanyi Kingdom member dare to underestimate him.
But he just...
He died in the fire five years ago.
**
Wei Che walked quickly under the moonlight and soon returned to the barracks in the palace where the rotating imperial guards rested.
There was a man in a dark official uniform standing in the courtyard. He was tall and mighty, with a cold and dignified expression.
It was the current deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, Qi Sheng.
He met Qi Sheng two years ago.
At that time, the other party was preparing to go to Beijing to participate in the military examination, but was maliciously stopped because he had no money to give to the guards at the city gate.
It happened to be the birthday of the wife of the Duke of Fuguo. Wei Che had returned to Beijing from the Buddhist temple in Zhangzhou to celebrate his mother's birthday. Seeing this, he helped him.
Later, when he returned to Beijing, he heard that he had won first place in the military examination and married Princess Jing'an.
In March of this year, he learned about Xu Qinghe's current situation and needed to enter the palace quickly, so he found Qi Sheng in a hurry.
Fortunately, he still remembered his small contribution and did not ask any questions. He simply picked a place for him from the imperial guards and brought him into the palace during the imperial guards' shift.
Seeing him come back, Qi Sheng just glanced at him and said nothing.
Wei Che was the first to speak: "Please call me when Commander Qi changes shifts."
He pointed inside the room and yawned: "I'll take a nap first."
He has been running around in and out of the city these days and hasn't had a good sleep for several days.
Qi Sheng just said "hmm" and left.
Two hours later, the imperial guards changed shifts. Wei Che stood up and mixed in with them, going all the way back to the Prince of Fuguo's Mansion. He changed his clothes, mounted his horse, and rushed out of the city.
He has almost never been at home these days. If this happened to someone else, it would have aroused suspicion in his family.
But Wei Che's reputation in the past was that he never came home at night, either in brothels or in restaurants and gambling houses.
Although he has spread the word that he has turned over a new leaf, as the saying goes, it is difficult to change one's nature. If he does not return home all night again, others will only think that he can no longer bear it and has returned to his previous carefree life.
Therefore, when he was away for several days, although the wife of the Duke of Fuguo lamented, she did not become suspicious.
Wei Che galloped all the way south, and after about half an hour, he finally stopped in front of a forest.
He dismounted, blew two whistles, and two men came down from the tree.
One was a large man, the other was short. When they saw him, they immediately bowed down and said, "Greetings, Prince."
Wei Che asked, "How is it going?"
The short man replied, "Five days ago, I received the Crown Prince's order and immediately dispatched a swift force to Yuzhou. They just returned this morning and have already investigated. When the dam broke, the flood was rampant and indeed swept away Master Wei's grandson."
The "Master Wei" he mentioned was none other than the elder brother of Duke Wei Yiqun.
He never entered the officialdom, but instead did business in the remote place of Yuzhou and became the richest man there.
Wei Che: "Where is Master Wei?"
The burly man replied, "We're still on the way. We'll probably arrive in Beijing tonight at the earliest."
I'm entering the capital tonight, but I don't know if the city gates will still be open. I'll have to stay overnight before entering the city. I'm exhausted from the journey and will have to rest in my mansion...
Wei Che thought for a moment and remounted his horse: "Follow me to fetch the people. We won't go into the city, but go straight to find the Duke."
If his marriage with Xu Qinghe is delayed for even a day, complications may arise. It is better to get it done as soon as possible.
The Wei family has regarded her as their future wife for so many years, and now they suddenly want him to marry her. The emperor may not agree because she is the one the Wei family likes.
But if it was his father who had returned with military merit who went to ask for help... it would be a different story.
The three men and three horses gradually went away with the scorching sun rising beside them and the dust rising in the air.
**
The next day, Nanzhi got up and helped the princess wash up. She was surprised when she saw her face.
"Why are your eyes swollen, Princess?"
Xu Qinghe looked in the mirror and found that the area around her eyes was indeed swollen, like the peaches she saw at the street stall yesterday.
"Just apply hot water and it will be fine."
Probably because she had a dream last night, she burst into tears again in a half-asleep state.
If her guess was correct, Queen Mother Wei should summon Wei Ming into the palace today.
She had already made it clear to Wei Ming, and she believed that he would also take the opportunity to explain everything to the Queen Mother. After that, the two of them would get married and have nothing to do with each other anymore.
Since she had nothing important to do since she got up, she sat down at the table and picked up her paintbrush.
The image of Wei Che's eyes and brows revealed after being covered by her hand last night appeared in her mind.
She calmed herself down, and when she opened her eyes again, she already had a rough outline in her mind, as if a picture had already appeared in front of her eyes, and she started painting with her pen.
Nanzhi brought in a bowl of nourishing soup for the princess, then stood in front of the table. Her eyes fell on the painting and she was stunned.
"Princess...this..."
The man on the drawing paper had a smile on his face. Although he had a handsome face like jade, his black hair was tied up high with a jade crown. He was wearing silver armor and holding a spear. Standing there alone, he gave people a silent sense of power, like an army of thousands.
This is clearly Xie Qi, the Major General who was highly respected by the Southern Border Army back then.
Xu Qinghe moved the paperweight away and stared at the painting in front of him in silence.
It’s Xie Qi, but it’s not him.
This was just the Xie Qi she imagined in her mind, who had never encountered any misfortune and finally managed to survive to this day.
"Princess, please put this painting away." Nanzhi put the nourishing soup on the table and said in a low voice.
Deep in the palace, the princess painted a picture for her former fiancé, now the son of a traitor. No matter how she explained it, it would not sound good.
Xu Qinghe pinched a corner of the paper and handed it to her, saying, "Burn it."
Nanzhi said nothing, took the painting and left. As the flame just caught a corner of the drawing paper, she couldn't help but blow out the fire.
I can't bear to let her go, but I'm also afraid that the princess will be sad.
However, at this moment, the voice of a female official came from outside the door, calling for her to read the Empress Dowager's decree.
Nanzhi did not dare to hesitate, and quickly rolled up the painting and burned it, and finally used a lampshade to cover the remaining objects.
When the female official walked into the room, the master and servant immediately knelt on the ground to receive the order.
At this moment, what kind of imperial decree could Empress Dowager Wei give her?
Xu Qinghe had a bad feeling in his heart, but he didn't dare to believe it.
However, after the female official announced the imperial decree, she was completely stunned.
The female official smiled and said:
"Is the princess so happy that she's lost her mind? The Queen Mother has granted her a marriage with the eldest son of the Wei family. This is a great thing!"
【Author’s words】
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