Wei Tingsi shook his head and smiled gently, "I originally planned to retire after helping the emperor reduce the power of the princes, whether I lived in seclusion in the mountains or wandered the world. He asked my master to take me as his disciple, and I, as a member of a noble family, led troops for him and helped him eliminate the princes. That was more than enough. But now it's different. I will also help you eliminate those people you don't like, and I will do it willingly."
He didn't know why Zhao Shu disliked Zhao Bi. To outsiders, Zhao Shu was the daughter of Prince Yong, and the emperor's sons were all her cousins, so they were all the same. They couldn't understand why she was so good to the crown prince. Some even thought that Zhao Shu was a person who flattered the powerful and belittled the weak. The crown prince was the legitimate son, the heir apparent, and the future emperor, while the other princes, if they didn't have great fortune, would only be idle members of the imperial clan in the future, and their descendants would gradually break away from the legitimate branch and become collateral branches of the imperial family.
Wei Tingsi was unaware that, so far, if Zhao Shu hadn't been monitoring Zhao Bi and firmly stood on the Crown Prince's side, Zhao Bi wouldn't have bothered to oppose her for no reason. Even so, he trusted Zhao Shu and believed she wouldn't make malicious assumptions.
“My father’s reputation is not what it used to be. This time he’s going to Chu County to manage the floods, and you and I are…” She paused, then continued, “I’m afraid the Emperor will feel uneasy. But fortunately, my father has no heir yet.”
When she talked about the heir, she couldn't help but feel sad. When she was young, she only hoped that her father would only have her as his child and not have any extra half-brothers. But now she felt that her father was getting old and was all alone all day long. Moreover, the Yongwang Mansion did not even have an heir, so there would be no one to carry on the family line in the future. Just thinking about it made her feel desolate.
"Which family's daughter do you think would be a good match for my father as his concubine?" A concubine has to perform the rites of a concubine in front of the original wife's memorial tablet. Girls from prominent families would probably not be willing to do so, while girls from smaller families would feel that it would be unfair to their father.
It wasn't that she looked down on smaller families, but rather that people are always like that, hoping that their closest relatives will receive the best.
Over the years, the Empress Dowager had always wanted to marry Huo Danlan to Prince Yong, but since Song Tianhe returned, she no longer wanted to have much contact with Prince Yong. The Empress Dowager was also bitter. On the one hand, she was afraid that the Huo family would reject her and hurt her son's face. On the other hand, she had some estrangement from Emperor Mingde and was afraid that Emperor Mingde would turn around and deal with her youngest son.
Upon hearing this, Wei Tingsi noticed that Zhao Shu had furrowed her brows again, so he reached out to smooth them out. "I heard that Lord Qiu has a daughter who has come of age. If you are in a hurry, you can mention it to her."
He wouldn't tell Zhao Shu that Qiu Tang had secretly told him that she could marry her daughter to him if he was willing, but he refused without thinking at the time. Otherwise, how would he know that the Qiu family had a daughter who had come of age?
Zhao Shu knew he was referring to Qiu Tong, and shook her head. "Lord Qiu would not agree. With Qiu the fox's personality, how could he possibly make his daughter perform the concubine's rites before my mother's memorial tablet? The Qiu family is a scholarly family with a long history. Noble families look down on the royal family and think we are nouveau riche. How could they allow their own daughter to become a concubine? Besides, Father is already over thirty."
"I believe His Highness can find a good concubine. Even if you're worried sick, you have to follow His Highness's wishes, don't you think? Alright, don't be upset, I'll show you something." He stood up, put his arm around Zhao Shu's waist, and lowered her down from the treetop, landing steadily on the trunk.
"Master, the man has been captured." Several men in gray appeared from nowhere under the tree.
The gray-clad man hung a hexagonal lamp on the tree trunk, illuminating the area. In the light's reach, a woman in purple was tightly bound, and her mask had been removed.
"Master." The man in gray handed the hydrangea mask to Wei Tingsi. "Master, the material for this mask comes from the Jiangnan Brocade Workshop."
Wei Tingsi took the mask and handed it to Zhao Shu. Zhao Shu looked at it repeatedly, and apart from marveling at the mask's excellent texture and lifelike painting, she couldn't say anything else.
The woman's appearance astonished her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
