Wei Yingzhi hesitated for a long time, not knowing what to say.

Cousin Hui and Lingfu are both very good people, but why is she unhappy when they are together?

"I think you are deliberately finding fault!" the prince concluded with a smile.

"No!" she retorted subconsciously.

The prince just smiled at her and said nothing more.

"Well, did the Royal Concubine really choose Cousin Hui?" she asked worriedly.

The prince couldn't hold back his laughter any longer. Wei Yingzhi was so angry and anxious by his laughter that she stamped her feet and said, "You, you tell me something!"

"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. Don't worry, mother has no intention of bringing your cousin Hui and Pingfu together."

In fact, the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion did not meet my mother's requirements, so his daughter was naturally not on the list.

Wei Yingzhi finally heaved a sigh of relief and shone her light towards his handsome face again.

Prince brother is really so handsome no matter what time it is!

The prince teased and chatted with her for a while, and the scene of the two of them laughing and talking soon fell on the most trusted female official beside Concubine Rui Guifei.

She looked at the two figures, one tall and one short, from a distance, and after a moment, she limped into the main hall.

Concubine Li had left at some point, leaving Concubine Ruigui alone in the palace.

She stepped forward and bowed, then nervously told the story of the prince and Wei Yingzhi.

"...His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Miss Ying have grown up after all. If they develop romantic feelings for each other..."

Concubine Rui Gui smiled slightly: "I am not such a fool. The Crown Prince has already told me that he only regards Ying'er as his own sister. As for Ying'er, it is even more impossible for her to have such thoughts."

She was not so confused as to not be able to tell the difference between a little girl's genuine admiration and simple admiration.

"But your worry is reasonable. Since both parties have no intention of getting together, we should be careful to avoid any rumors from spreading and affecting Ying'er's marriage."

"Tomorrow I will ask His Majesty to issue an imperial decree to grant the marriage and officially appoint the Crown Princess."

"The Queen is so kind to Miss Ying!" the female official exclaimed.

"Ying'er is a straightforward girl with a clear mind. She is not as complicated as other people. She is very simple. It is easy to get along with a child like her." Concubine Rui's expression softened a little.

"Your Highness, if you like Miss Ying so much, why don't you marry Miss Ying to the Marquis?"

Concubine Rui Gui was stunned for a moment, then sighed: "Although Ying'er's simplicity and straightforwardness are good, it also means that she is doomed to be unable to handle things smoothly. If Lingfu was the second son or the youngest son, or if he was not the only blood of his brother, I would naturally be willing..."

"Given the current situation of my father and brother, Pingfu's wife must be thorough and considerate. Ying'er is lacking in some aspects."

Wei Yingzhi grew up under her care, and she had always liked this simple-minded child. There were too many struggles in the palace, so many that she could not easily take a breath. Only when she was with Wei Yingzhi could she dare to relax.

If she had a second son of similar age, she would definitely marry her to her son and let her be a worry-free prince's consort, allowing them to continue to live a simple life like this.

The prince sent Wei Yingzhi back to the main hall, but he did not expect to hear such words from his mother. Seeing Wei Yingzhi's face turn slightly pale, he sighed helplessly.

This is really unpredictable.

The jokes he just made had already made the little girl gradually understand, but her mother's words would surely make the little girl shrink back.

I can only feel pity for his cousin Lingfu. I'm afraid he still has a lot to fight for!

Wei Yingzhi didn't know how she got back to the mansion. She absent-mindedly paid her respects to the Grand Princess, and then went to Shen Xinyan's room to coax Xiang'er to call her sister. She heard the little guy finally call her sister in a baby voice. Although the call was not very accurate, it was enough to make her jump for joy.

"Xiang'er is so amazing, he can call me sister now!" She hugged her soft and chubby brother and kissed him hard, her bright and clear eyes smiling into two crescent moons.

Her Xiang Ge'er is truly the cutest child in the world!

Shen Xinyan smiled as she watched the happy siblings. After a while, she hugged her little son and wiped his face, which looked more and more like Wei Junhang. She asked her daughter, "What happened in the palace that made you look so unhappy when you came back?"

"No way, I'm not unhappy at all." Wei Yingzhi retorted subconsciously.

Shen Xinyan looked at her deeply but did not ask any further questions.

My daughter has grown up, and it’s time for me to have some concerns…

Wei Yingzhi was afraid that she would ask more questions, so she made up an excuse and slipped away without waiting for her to speak.

Shen Xinyan shook her head helplessly.

Wei Yingzhi ran back to her room in one breath, but saw her maid Xiang'er saying happily: "Look, young lady, the glazed eight-treasure box that the Marquis sent is really exquisite, just like the crystal palace of Prince Long in the storybook."

Wei Yingzhi was about to take it and take a closer look, but for some reason she felt a little awkward: "Put it away!"

Seeing that she was not as excited as usual when she received things from Pingfu, but asked him to put them away without even looking at them, Xiang'er felt a little strange, but did not ask too much.

Wei Yingzhi sat in front of her desk in a daze, her mind was in a mess, but Lingfu's face appeared stubbornly in her mind and could not be erased no matter how hard she tried.

"Oh..." She moaned, not knowing what was happening to her.

Look inside the house again.

The "Four Gentlemen of Flowers" pen holder on the desk was given to her by Pingfu last year, the Jade Rabbit paperweight was given to her by Pingfu at the beginning of this year, and the inkstone that is said to be coveted by countless scholars was given to her by Pingfu last month.

There were also a pair of jade vases on the treasure chest, a colorful porcelain teacup on the rosewood round table, and even her makeup box, which contained a lot of jewelry that Linfu had given her.

Before she knew it, the things that person had given her were almost everywhere in the house?

If she didn't think it was a big deal before, she had given Pingfu a lot of things since he was a child, and she and Pingfu had always gotten along like real siblings.

She still remembered how weak and skinny Linfu was when he was little and was easily bullied. If she didn't protect him, who knows how many people would bully him!

"No, I'm already grown up. I can't be like that when I was a kid." She made the decision secretly.

Soon, Lin Fu discovered that Wei Yingzhi began to avoid him.

He was puzzled and wondered if he had accidentally upset her again, but he could not figure it out.

***

Wei Yingzhi was twisting the handkerchief in her hand somewhat boredly, surrounded by several girls who were trying hard to please her.

Among them was a girl named Wan. She couldn’t remember which family the girl was from, but she knew that she was very good at speaking flattering words without repeating herself.

She thought, is this what the Imperial Concubine meant by being tactful? That shouldn't be the case, right?

His sight quickly fell on a solitary and slender figure not far away. He glanced at the figure and then looked away.

That was Zhou Wanning, who, according to Yue Ge'er, outshined all the girls in the capital.

All those present were daughters of officials, and in fact, some were daughters of famous families. Naturally, no one was willing to serve as a foil for her, so apart from a few girls of lower birth who occasionally came forward to talk to Zhou Wanning, there was no one else around her.

Wei Yingzhi thought, maybe this is what they call "the beauty is so great that it gets lonely at high places"?

Although she was reluctant to admit it, Zhou Wanning was indeed quite beautiful, at least prettier than many girls present.

"Yingzhi!" She suddenly heard someone calling her. She turned around and saw Dong Tingru standing not far behind her, smiling at her.

"Sister Tingru!" She walked forward and greeted her with a smile.

The girls surrounding her saw that she, who had always been indifferent, suddenly smiled, and they all looked at Dong Tingru curiously, wanting to know which girl she was that could make the proud Wei Yingzhi so enthusiastic.

"She's the daughter of the Dong family. It is said that her biological mother is an old acquaintance of the Duchess of England." Someone recognized her and explained in a low voice.

"So that's how it is. That's what I was thinking. If we were an ordinary family, how could we get a smile from the Fourth Miss Wei?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

…

Wei Yingzhi did not hear the discussions behind her, but Zhou Wanning, who happened to pass by, frowned slightly, as if he was displeased with the different expressions these people had in front of her and behind her back.

"You are really the center of attention wherever you go," Dong Tingru joked.

"What do you mean by all the stars surrounding me? They are just a bunch of flatterers. Do they really think I'm such a brainless person?" Wei Yingzhi pouted.

She can still tell the difference between sincerity and falsehood, otherwise she would have been managing the household for her mother in vain all these years.

Dong Tingru smiled and pinched the corner of her mouth: "I was really scared at first when you pretended to be so innocent."

Wei Yingzhi giggled.

Dong Tingru followed her parents on their missions away from home several years ago and only returned to Beijing a few months ago.

The two chatted and laughed for a while, and then Dong Tingru was called away. Wei Yingzhi didn't want to be the one being pushed around anymore, so she simply walked along some quiet paths with few people.

"She is just lucky. If she didn't come from a good family, it would be strange if anyone would be willing to care about her given her personality!"

“So this is a good life!”

"I think she is not as good as Zhou Wanning. Zhou Wanning at least has a good face. What else does she have besides her family background? Didn't you see that the Royal Concubine didn't choose her to be the Crown Princess?"

"Having a good family background is also an advantage!" Some people disagree.

"No matter how good her family background is, she looks so mean, and it's hard to tell whether she will have a good marriage."

…

After hearing this, Wei Yingzhi finally recognized that the person who was trying her best to discredit her behind her back was none other than Miss Wan.

Then Miss Wan said disdainfully: "I guess since she lost the position of Crown Princess, she is thinking about the position of Marquis of Loyalty's wife, and she doesn't even look at herself..."

"What if I don't look?" She slowly came out from behind the tree.

The faces of the three women who were gathered together changed, especially Miss Wan, whose face turned pale without any color at all.

Wei Yingzhi walked up to her and slapped her hard in the face, leaving a palm print on her face instantly.

"No matter how bad I am, I won't be like you who behaves like a human being in front of others and a devil behind their backs!"

Miss Wan just wanted to show off in front of her "sister" who was of lower status than her, and vent her dissatisfaction of being ignored by her. She never expected that she would be caught by her. For a while, she covered her face and dared not say a word.