Although Yu Yue didn't understand, seeing Ying's resolute expression, she felt relieved.
Their daughters have always been good at making accurate judgments.
At this moment, Qingying glanced into the crowd subconsciously, clicked her tongue, and whispered to Yu Yue, "Look at Feng Ruilan, her eyes are practically popping out of their sockets."
Yu Yue followed her gaze and saw Feng Ruilan's flushed face, staring intently in the direction Wei Dongchen had gone, clearly looking like a young girl in the throes of first love. Yu Yue couldn't help but frown.
Qingying, on the other hand, seemed very excited, like a child who had discovered a secret, her eyes sparkling.
This is so interesting. If Feng Ruilan falls for Wei Dongchen, this whole thing will only get more and more interesting...
At this moment, Wei Huaixu looked at her, slightly raised his chin, and said, "You, come in with me."
The group of noble ladies immediately switched to gossipy expressions. Who in Pandu City didn't know that Liu Qingying was Wei Huaixu's former fiancée? Now that Wei Huaixu was interrogating his old flame for his new love, just thinking about it was enough to give them a good dose of gossip.
Qingying was quite composed and followed him inside without saying anything.
In the center of the room was a table with writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone on it. On each side of the table was a wooden chair. Wei Huaixu sat on one side and she sat on the other. The two of them faced each other, and it really looked like they were interrogating a criminal.
"Your Highness, please speak freely," Qingying said first.
Wei Huaixu looked at her intently and asked, "Where were you after noon today?"
"This humble woman has always stayed with the Crown Prince."
Who can testify?
"Many, Yu Yue..."
Wei Huaixu interrupted her, "Yu Yue is your maid, she can't be considered a witness."
She pursed her lips speechlessly, then continued, "We met many people on our way there, and they all saw me."
"Who are they?"
"Quite a few, but I can't quite remember which ones exactly." She thought for a moment, then continued, "Oh, I remember a few. Zhou Yao, she and her husband both saw me. And Wu Miaoqing, but we didn't greet each other, and I don't know if she saw me..."
She listed two more, then said, "I really can't remember the rest."
Wei Huaixu frowned slightly, puzzled: "Why can't you remember? What were you doing at that time?"
"What can a lone man and woman do?" Qingying curled her lips, her smile quite shy.
Seeing her expression, Wei Huaixu suddenly became furious. His initially gentle voice turned cold and hard: "Do you even know anything about propriety, righteousness, and shame!"
"Why is Your Highness so angry?" Qingying blinked innocently and said with a smile, "How could we disregard propriety and shame in public? We were just talking about love, and we did nothing out of line."
The words "talking about love" made his pupils shrink.
"Does Your Highness have any further questions regarding my second sister's fall from her horse?"
She was reminding him of the key points he should focus on.
Wei Huaixu's expression calmed down, and he said indifferently, "That's all. You can leave now."
"Very well, this subject will take her leave." Qingying stood up and bowed, her gaze falling on his right hand holding the wolf-hair brush. She raised an eyebrow with a half-smile, then turned and left.
She opened the door, went out, and then closed it again.
Behind him, Wei Huaixu stared at the tightly closed door. His right hand loosened, and the wolf-hair brush, broken in two, fell onto the table, leaving a thick mark on the paper with ink.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes tightly, and forced himself to calm down. After a moment, he gently commanded, "Someone, bring me a new pen."
...
Meanwhile, Wei Dongchen, who had just left alone with a flourish, returned with a large group of people. He led the way, riding Zhaoxue, followed by dozens of carriages and two escort teams, a grand procession that stretched as far as the eye could see. If it weren't for the different clothes worn by the people, one would have mistaken it for a wedding procession.
"Second daughter, I've brought you your meal!"
Qingying watched in astonishment as he approached and dismounted nimbly. Just as she was wondering what was going on, a number of people stepped down from the carriage behind her, each carrying a food box. Then, several men came down in pairs, carrying large ceramic jars, and even two of them carried a large basin of burning charcoal.
The escorts had already swiftly unloaded the tables and chairs from the cargo wagons.
"I've invited the best dozen or so restaurants in the capital, from the owners to the chefs and waiters, all for you. Isn't that amazing?" He put his hands on his hips and smiled smugly.
Qingying couldn't help but click her tongue, "This...isn't this a bit too extravagant and wasteful..."
"No, I'm inviting everyone to dine together." Wei Dongchen smiled at everyone and asked loudly, "Gentlemen and ladies, are you hungry? Today, I, the young master, am treating, so please eat as much as you like!"
Everyone was very excited. They arrived at noon, and now it was past 7 p.m. and they hadn't had dinner yet. In this cold weather, they were all starving and freezing.
"Time is a bit tight, so I can't arrange any delicacies. I've just had them prepare some antique soup. You can cook whatever you want yourself; there's both meat and vegetables. Eight people can sit at each table, and four tables are enough for the twenty-odd people here. They've also brought some of their respective restaurants' signature dishes, which the managers will introduce to you in a bit. Alright, everyone, please take your seats."
At his invitation, everyone excitedly took their seats.
They now understood that, after all, they came from noble families in the capital, and even the least privileged among them had family members serving as officials in the court. Regardless of their rank, Wei Huaixu would never dare to harm them, so they decided not to wrong themselves. Besides, with the Prince Yu's heir taking the lead, if anyone were to be held accountable, the blame would certainly not fall on their heads.
Wei Huaixu heard a commotion outside and his subordinate rushed to report it. He was stunned for a moment when he heard the news, then got up, opened the door, and saw that a banquet had been set up outside the courtyard.
When Wei Dongchen saw him, she picked up a piece of braised pig's trotter and said to him with a smile, "Brother Crown Prince, would you like to try some too?"
He gritted his teeth and didn't answer.
Upon seeing him, the others put down their chopsticks, and the once lively scene suddenly fell silent, with only the sound of boiling water in the antique soup remaining.
Wei Dongchen, however, showed no embarrassment and said to himself, "Oh, it seems that the Crown Prince is going to interrogate someone."
He glanced around and then called out loudly, "Who else hasn't gone in to answer? Those who haven't gone in yet, hurry up and go, lest you delay His Highness the Crown Prince's investigation and help him get the truth out of Miss Liu."
Wei Huaixu swept a cold glance over everyone, and they all fell silent.
Compared to starvation, death is more terrifying.
Qingying slowly stood up, curtsied to Wei Huaixu, and said softly with apology, "Your Highness, please don't be angry. We have all been waiting for too long, and it's so cold outside. We haven't had dinner yet, so... Of course, this is mainly my fault. I am too weak, and the Crown Prince was afraid that I would faint from hunger, so he did this. If Your Highness feels it is inappropriate, please have them withdraw."
Upon hearing that the dishes were to be removed, many people wore expressions of reluctance, but none dared to stand up and object.
Wei Huaixu frowned and stared at Qingying's lowered eyes.
She was forcing him to agree. Everyone had just started eating, and the dishes were emitting a pleasant aroma. They hadn't even had a chance to eat them yet. If he asked her to take them away now, he would undoubtedly incur resentment.
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