Wei Hanzhang had no sympathy for a woman who was bent on stealing his man away, and who was considered a vicious woman by Wei Hanyue. He just nodded slightly and said, "It's okay, it's just a cup of tea, it's not a big deal."
After talking for a long time, Wei Hanzhang was a little impatient. He wanted to go and see how Wei Hansu was doing, so he waved his hand and said, "I was frightened yesterday, and I am not in good spirits. I am a little tired. If you ladies have nothing else to do, please go back."
The ladies of each family originally wanted to take advantage of this meeting to have a few more words with the future Crown Princess, and to establish a close relationship with her. If they could meet the Crown Prince who happened to be here and take a liking to their daughters...
Hearing this, although they felt a little disappointed, they all said goodbye naturally and left one by one with their daughters.
Soon, besides the maids, only Jiang... Liu Wanning, and Qi Yuxiao were left in the palace.
Liu Wanning said something in a low voice, and Qi Yuxiao went out first.
Liu Wanning was left standing alone in the hall, with a hesitant look on her face, as if she had something to say.
Wei Hanzhang's eyebrows twitched slightly, and without urging anyone, he picked up the teacup and drank a sip leisurely.
Liu Wanning finally spoke: "I have something to say to you alone, I wonder..."
"There are no outsiders here, Miss Liu, you can speak frankly." Wei Hanzhang smiled and said, "Could it be that you still want my mother to leave?"
"I dare not," Liu Wanning lowered her head slightly, making it difficult to see her expression. After a while, she continued, "With your intelligence, you should have guessed what I want to ask of you."
"Let me guess," Wei Hanzhang slowly put down the teacup in his hand and said slowly, "There is no personal relationship between you and me. We even had some conflicts before. You are a noble lady of the Duke's Mansion. You can ask for my favor..."
Liu Wanning bowed gracefully, looking apologetic: "I was reckless before, and I had a few arguments with you. I contradicted you, I hope you don't mind."
She was very flexible and courteous, and she kept saying that the previous disagreement was just a quarrel between girls, so that even those who wanted to make things difficult for her could not find any fault with her.
Wei Hanzhang didn't intend to make things difficult for her. He just smiled and said straight to the point, "Stop talking nonsense. Maybe what I just said wasn't clear enough? Then I'll say it again. Miss Liu, please listen carefully this time."
She laughed sarcastically: "No matter what, it is impossible for me to choose a woman for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
No matter how flexible he is, it is still Xiao Boqian's idea.
She has even come to this point to offer herself to someone else? What is she thinking? She is not one of those wives who likes to gain a reputation for being generous.
Liu Wanning lowered her head slightly, clenching her hands tightly in her sleeves. The humiliation of being stared at by such a mocking gaze made her feel extremely hateful.
After a long pause, she smiled bitterly and said, "If I had not been desperate, I would never have come to you to do such an embarrassing thing."
"To be honest, I am in a very difficult situation now. Everyone in the capital knows that I have been waiting for Your Highness for many years. Apart from marrying into the East Palace, no other noble family will hire me as their wife."
She begged earnestly in a low voice, "I am five years older than you and am already in my twenties. Even if I enter the palace, I will not be a threat to you. On the contrary, if I enter the East Palace, it will greatly enhance your reputation. I will also regard you as my benefactor and will use my whole life to repay you."
Wei Hanzhang was slightly startled when he heard this. It turned out that this person was not an easy person to deal with. He was really eloquent and his words were very coherent.
If it were a girl who was born and raised in this era and was prepared to share her husband with others, she might really be moved by what she said. For example, Jiang's expression was a little more relaxed now than before.
Wei Hanzhang said calmly, "Miss Liu, what do you think you can do to repay me?"
Liu Wanning thought she was persuaded and said hurriedly: "I will be your best helper. I will never have second thoughts about you in this life. Even if there are other newcomers who will be favored in the future..."
"Alright," Wei Hanzhang interrupted her and said coldly, "First of all, I will never look for a second color for my husband. He is mine, from head to toe, every bit of him can only be mine."
Liu Wanning opened her lips slightly and looked at her in astonishment.
Wei Hanzhang looked indifferent and continued, "Secondly, people's hearts are hidden in their stomachs. You have no say in whether you have second thoughts or not. Who knows what you are thinking? I only know that human greed is infinite. Today you want to enter the East Palace, and tomorrow you may want to go a step further."
"I am indeed still young, but Miss Liu, please don't treat me like a fool," she said, lowering her eyes and glancing down, and said bluntly, "Also, what does it have to do with me whether you can get married or not? There are so many girls in the world who can't get married for various reasons. Should I choose all of them as concubines for my husband?"
Liu Wanning's face was pale and her eyes were somewhat empty and blank. She obviously didn't expect that this little girl who was raised in Jiangnan and had never seen many big scenes would suddenly lose all regard for her dignity and humiliate her so much.
Nowadays, noble families pay attention to propriety in their interactions with each other. Even if they are extremely hateful to the core, they still have to show courtesy on the surface. Unless they are real enemies, no one would do such a thing as to tear each other apart on the spot.
For example, although the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery was clearly at odds with the Mansion of the Duke of Anguo, they still sent an invitation to Wei Hanshuang's coming-of-age banquet.
"Miss Liu, if you still want to save some face, then you should just leave," Wei Hanzhang said. "Finally, I'd like to give you a piece of advice. Relationships should be consensual. If you rush to offer yourself to me, you will only make people look down on you."
She had only been back in the capital for a few months, and she had heard countless times about the most beautiful woman in the capital's bitter love for the current prince.
To put it nicely, she is madly in love with the prince.
In fact, isn't it just offering yourself for sex?
It’s no wonder that even though she came from a good family and had an extraordinary appearance, among so many noble families in the capital, no one was willing to marry her.
If you really marry a girl like this who is trying so hard to climb up the social ladder but can't, it would be like being cuckolded.
Liu Wanning's gentle mask was completely shattered, her expression was full of humiliation. She took out a handkerchief, wiped away her tears bit by bit, and slowly stood up.
Finally, he looked over and smiled, "Miss Wei, are you really going to force me into a corner?"
Her smile was creepy, like a beast that was about to eat someone in a desperate situation. Wei Hanzhang couldn't help but sit up straighter. Just as he was about to speak, Mei Gu, who was standing behind him, stepped forward and warned him, "Miss Liu, be careful with your words."
After yesterday's incident with the poisonous snake, Mei Gu acted more decisively. She walked down the stairs and raised her hand, saying, "Please go back. If we ask the eunuchs to drag you away, we will lose all our face."
"I did say something wrong, please don't take it as an offense, Miss Wei." Liu Wanning's face had regained its composure. She straightened her clothes, bowed slightly, and said, "Sorry for disturbing you today. I'll take my leave now."
(End of this chapter)