7 The eldest son of Wei
◎But her heart no longer has room for anyone else.◎
"Speaking nonsense about the master behind his back, is this what the palace rules teach you?"
"Wei...Young Master Wei..."
Several palace maids knelt on the ground trembling with their heads lowered, and no one dared to speak.
They acted like this not because they were caught talking nonsense about the princess, but because the person who witnessed this was the current empress dowager's most beloved younger generation - the eldest son of the Wei family, Wei Ming.
Wei Ming has been intelligent, dignified and polite since childhood. He has greater ambitions than his uncles and elders, and his talents are much better than those of his peers.
He could recognize Thousand Character Classic at the age of five, recite history books of the previous dynasty at the age of eight, and wrote an article "On Water Control" at the age of fifteen, which sharply pointed out many shortcomings in officials' flood prevention and water control, making countless court bureaucrats feel inferior and ashamed.
Such a child prodigy had to postpone the imperial examination again and again because of the death of his grandmother. He could not take part in the examination until the spring of next year. If not for this, he would have become a well-known figure in the court.
Because he was a young genius, Queen Mother Wei attached great importance to this nephew and regarded him as the hope for the Wei family's future hundred years.
However, talented young men always have weaknesses. For Wei Ming, this weakness is the beauty barrier.
He lost his mother at a young age, and his father was so infatuated with his wife that he was obsessed with the pain of losing his wife. His great aunt was worried about him, so she took him to the palace to raise him.
One winter day later, Xu Qinghe, who had lived in the Nan'an Palace in the southern border for a long time, was also taken to the palace because his parents had died. After a period of time, he was sent to his great-aunt to be raised.
It was also winter when we first met. The red plum blossoms looked even more gorgeous amidst the heavy snow. The little girl was lightly dressed, wearing a red coat with white plum blossoms on it. She had a cold face and looked out of place among the group of happy and lively little girls, standing out from the crowd with her aloof and quiet demeanor.
He was polite and only glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
It is just that one glance that makes people fall deeply in love, thinking about her day and night, tossing and turning.
Later, when he was older, his great aunt watched him grow up and naturally understood what he was thinking, so she tacitly assigned Qinghe to him.
As soon as he graduates from high school, they will get married.
Unexpectedly, Wei Ming's grandmother passed away and the matter was put on hold. However, Queen Mother Wei unknowingly spread the news that Xu Qinghe had already been promised to someone else, so that those who had been interested in her would give up the idea and not waste their efforts.
So when Wei Ming caught the palace maids gossiping, his gentlemanly expression suddenly changed, and anger was clearly visible on his jade-like face.
Qinghe was kidnapped by an assassin yesterday, and today rumors damaging his reputation have spread. Wei Ming would never believe that there is no one behind the scenes pushing it.
But he was not a member of the harem. He moved out of the palace after he turned fifteen due to gender differences. Today, he just took the opportunity to pay his respects to his great-aunt to see Qinghe, but he could not do anything for her.
He just glared at the talkative palace maids with a stern face, then left with his anger still on his face.
After walking through the wide vermilion palace road for about two quarters of an hour, we finally arrived at the Kangning Palace where the Queen Mother lived.
He stood outside the palace and asked the gatekeeper to go in and pass on the message. Then he took a deep breath, trying to make his expression look normal. Then he lowered his head, as if nothing had happened, and bent down to enter the warm room from under the heavy curtain held by the palace maids.
Inside the warm room, Queen Mother Wei sat at the head of the table. She was nearly sixty years old, and as the most noble woman in the world, she was naturally well maintained. Although her hair was gray, her eyes were bright and lively. Just sitting there, she gave people a sense of majesty in silence.
Wei Ming stepped forward and bowed: "I was busy yesterday, so I was not able to come here until today to pay my respects to my great aunt. I also ask my great aunt to forgive my sins."
The young man was tall and graceful, and the clear blue robe he wore made his face look even more handsome.
The Queen Mother Wei became more and more delighted as she watched, and quickly asked people to stand up.
Then look at Xu Qinghe who has stood up on the side. She is wearing a light blue jacket and a long skirt of fish-blue color. She looks cool and calm.
A young boy wearing light blue, and a little girl dressed in light blue. The colors of their clothes alone are a perfect match, not to mention their matching looks.
"The snow is melting these days, and it's cold now. It's hard for you to come to the palace. But I'm afraid you're not here for me, an old woman, but for someone else."
After saying that, he kept looking at Xu Qinghe.
Xu Qinghe turned a blind eye and waited for Wei Ming to turn around. Then she bowed to her properly and called her "Cousin Wei".
The word "cousin" is really far-fetched. When she first entered the palace at a young age, all the boys and girls around her were related to each other and called each other brothers and sisters. Only she was alone and helpless, with only Jing'an by her side.
At that time, she had just done Jing'an a favor. In order to prevent her from being embarrassed, Jing'an asked her to follow him and call him by his name. So she called everyone cousins randomly, so she would call Wei Ming "Cousin Wei".
But she had already received the most sincere and passionate love from a young man when she was young, so not long after she moved into the Queen Mother's palace, she was very keenly aware of the feelings of the Queen Mother's nephew towards her.
She once tried to avoid him and even went to the Queen Mother to explain that she had no such intention. However, the Queen Mother Wei only had eyes for her precious nephew. That day, she not only scolded her coldly for being ungrateful, but also punished her severely.
Xu Qinghe knelt in the Empress Dowager's bedroom and thought about it all night. The next day, when her knees were red and swollen, she realized that she had no say in this palace.
None of those in high positions cared about or loved her, they just wanted to use her to gain a good reputation for themselves.
Since then, Wei Ming's enthusiasm for her has not diminished at all, and he even became bolder as if he had received some tacit approval, so that later almost everyone in Kyoto knew that Princess Qinghe had already been the future wife of the eldest son of Wei.
She was robbed yesterday, and this Young Master Wei must be really worried.
As expected, after greeting her, Wei Mingcai was about to sit down when he couldn't help but ask her, "Sister Qinghe, were you scared or hurt when you were robbed yesterday?"
Before Xu Qinghe could speak, Queen Mother Wei spoke up, "Look, what did I say? The first thing you said when you came here wasn't to ask about me, but you dared to say you came to pay your respects to me. I don't know when I became your pawn."
Queen Mother Wei knew that her nephew was in love with Xu Qinghe, but she did not like to see him indulge in love.
Xu Qinghe is exceptionally beautiful and has an unrivaled temperament, so it's understandable that her nephew is attracted to her.
But his nephew is a rare talent and will eventually shoulder the burden of the entire Wei family. How can he hang around a little girl every day?
So she added, "How can your sister Qinghe be so fragile? She was robbed yesterday and she escaped on her own. Why should you worry about her?"
Before Wei Ming arrived, Xu Qinghe had already come to pay his respects to the Queen Mother in a sedan chair, and reported to her everything he had said yesterday without missing a single detail.
After hearing this, although Empress Dowager Wei didn't know what she felt in her heart, she still believed it on the surface and expressed her concern for Xu Qinghe with words. Then the nanny came in and announced that Wei Ming had arrived.
Queen Mother Wei didn't want Wei Ming to focus his attention elsewhere. Xu Qinghe saw this clearly and said, "Don't worry, cousin Wei. I only have a minor injury. The Queen Mother has just summoned the imperial physician to examine me. It's not serious. The Spring Examination is approaching. Cousin, you should concentrate on studying and don't worry about such trivial matters."
She was not a girl who loved to laugh, but when she laughed, her clear eyes would shine brightly. Although there was no happy curve in her eyes, the corners of her mouth would always be raised.
She didn't smile often, but she would often smile at him like this. Wei Ming always felt that she treated him differently, that she was in tune with him, and that their feelings were tacit.
But Xu Qinghe never thought so.
Wei Ming is a gentleman with a gentle demeanor like jade. He is the future husband that all the noble ladies in the capital want to marry because they think he is gentle, polite, and has been gifted since childhood. He is sure to have a bright future.
But Xu Qinghe had already met a boy who was a thousand times better than Wei Ming.
Xie Qi became famous at a young age. He was well-versed in both civil and military affairs since childhood. At the age of eight, he was thrown into the military camp by General Xie for training. At the age of eleven, he followed the army to the battlefield. At the age of twelve, he was able to lead elite troops to kill enemy generals under heavy siege, and use unexpected strategies to make the enemy army fall into chaos in an instant.
By the time he was fourteen, he had become a major general respected by everyone in the Southern Border Army.
Even the generals of Nanyi Kingdom praised this young hero during the negotiations.
At that time, the young man was riding a white horse and wearing a silver robe, and he was unrestrained and flamboyant, dancing with a long spear in the martial arts field with great vigor.
Xu Qinghe was still young at that time and didn't know how to appreciate things. She just thought he was very handsome, so she opened her eyes wide, not even daring to blink. At the same time, her heart was pounding, as if a deer had jumped out of it.
Later, Xu Qinghe realized that it was heart-throb.
She had already allowed such a flamboyant young man to enter her heart at the age of first falling in love. From now on, she would no longer tolerate anyone else.
She was polite but also a little distant towards Wei Ming.
Wei Ming didn't understand, but Queen Mother Wei did. Although she doubted that Xu Qinghe looked down on such a good nephew like her, she very much agreed with Xu Qinghe's just right distance.
It can give hope to my nephew without disturbing him, allowing him to study with peace of mind and achieve success in the future.
The three of them had their own thoughts, and since it was almost noon, Queen Mother Wei simply asked Wei Ming to stay and have lunch with them.
Wei Ming was overjoyed to be able to spend more time with Xu Qinghe, but he did not show it on his face. He just glanced at him secretly and saw that he looked very worried, as if he was worried about something.
Xu Qinghe was worried about Nanzhi.
Logically speaking, Nanzhi would definitely come to pick her up after she returned to the palace, because she had given Nanzhi the task of settling the woman yesterday.
Nanzhi is a person who is determined to accomplish things, but why hasn't he shown up until now?
She thought of the enemies she had made in the palace over the years. Could it be that the enemies took advantage of her absence to attack Nanzhi?
【Author’s words】
Repair timeline
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