Chapter 69 In the end, I just couldn't bring myself to be ruthless.
After that night, Jiang Yinyue warned every guard in the backyard not to act on their own initiative again, but out of consideration for their relationship, she tacitly allowed Wei Qin to enter the mansion.
The Vice Minister, who would occasionally make a grand entrance, was turned away at the door, while the Vice Minister, who tried to roam the walls like a thief, was heavily guarded and blocked by the Jiang residence.
Before we knew it, it was the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, three days before Lunar New Year's Eve.
Jiang Yinyue eagerly awaited her father's return after closing the case, but in the most recent letter she received, her father lamented the unpredictability of life and jokingly said that he would have to break his promise.
Indeed, things are unpredictable. A general guarding the northern border fell ill and urged Jiang Taolue to return as soon as possible to take over military affairs.
Upon returning home from the palace, Jiang Taolue packed his bags overnight. A thousand words condensed into a sigh as he gently ruffled his sister's hair. "I'm leaving."
The man glanced back and his gaze fell on another woman.
Jiang Yinyue accompanied her brother to bid farewell to their mother, watching as the two of them galloped away on horseback across the vast countryside.
"Sister Hongmei, will you miss your brother?" Jiang Yinyue's gaze stretched endlessly as her brother's figure disappeared into the distance.
Hongmei, sword in hand, gazed into the distance. Her heartbeat gradually calmed. She turned away silently, offering no reply.
With endless banquets and frequent visits from relatives at the end of the year, Jiang Yinyue, exhausted from dealing with them, ignored the advice of her clan elders.
“Niannian is not young anymore, it’s time to consider getting pregnant and having a child.”
"Where's Wei Qin? He's been living at home ever since he became a vice minister?"
"Taolue left at an inopportune time. We were hoping to take advantage of his return to the capital to arrange a marriage for him."
“Hongmei is not young anymore. If you are willing, the Jiang family elders can arrange a husband for you.”
"Yes, considering that your parents were both old partners of the Jiang family, we won't treat you unfairly."
"Unwilling? Don't be so arrogant and waste your youth."
Several uncles, aunts, and other female relatives had warned Hong Mei against having any greedy thoughts, subtly and overtly reminding her of her different social status, which infuriated Jiang Yinyue.
She has always been protective of her own.
Jiang Yinyue pulled the silent Hong Mei aside, signaling her to go back and rest. She then dismissed the attendants who were serving tea and water. Jiang Yinyue closed the door of the reception hall and faced several prominent Jiang family elders alone.
“What my niece said today may not be pleasant to hear, so let’s leave the unpleasantness at the end of the year and continue our close relationship next year.”
With her father and brothers absent, the only daughter in the household sat in the main seat, placing her hands on the side tables. "Brother and Hongmei, it has always been my brother who pursues her relentlessly, while Hongmei avoids him like the plague. If the uncles and aunts want to advise anyone, they should be advising my brother to give up. Joining forces to make things difficult for Hongmei is not in line with the magnanimity and breadth of mind that the Jiang family should have."
The second head of the family scraped the tea foam off the covered bowl and said with a smile, "Niannian, you are mistaken. We are speaking with great concern because we are worried that your eldest son's family will suffer from bad luck due to a series of unsuitable marriages."
The third branch of the family chimed in, "Second brother is right. Eldest brother's marriage to sister-in-law was already a mismatch in social standing, and he couldn't rely on her family's influence at all. Otherwise, he would have been granted a noble title long ago. And you, Niannian, married a poor man four years ago. Now, your situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse, taking a fancy to a maid. If you just ask around, how often does a young master from a noble family marry a maid?"
Jiang Yinyue also stirred her tea, a smile shrouded in the rising steam. "When Father was young, he impulsively offended the Emperor several times. If it weren't for Mother's intervention, he might have been exiled to a desolate place or even lost his head, and it would have implicated the Jiang clan. It's no exaggeration to say that Mother is the Jiang clan's lucky star. As for the man I married, he rose from a seventh-rank official to a third-rank official in just four years. His future is bright, and he will only enhance the fortune of the Jiang clan's eldest branch. If you don't believe me, we'll see. Besides, my second uncle's fourth brother has already married a princess, but he hasn't achieved any great success. And my third uncle's fifth brother, isn't he currently going through a divorce with his sister-in-law, who is his equal in social standing?"
The heads of the second and third branches of the family exchanged a glance; one frowned and looked cold, while the other closed his eyes and pinched his nose.
Speechless.
Jiang Yinyue took a sip of tea. "Like drinking water, only the person drinking knows whether it's hot or cold. Each family should discuss its own affairs behind closed doors. Our eldest branch has a family rule: marriage isn't based on social status, but on first impressions. If the uncles want to know who made this rule..."
She tilted her head and smiled, "It was just established by my niece, the young lady who is in charge of the household. If there are any objections, they will not be adopted."
The room full of elders parted on bad terms.
After calming down, Jiang Yinyue saw them off and warmly invited them to visit often.
On important matters, the Jiang family shares common interests and will naturally work together. However, trivial family matters often damage their harmony. As the saying goes, the friendship between gentlemen is as light as water, and the same should be true for interactions between relatives.
At least that's what Jiang Yinyue thinks.
That evening, Wei, who had once again been turned away, returned to his small residence and received a message from a palace servant that he should enter the palace that very night to accompany the emperor.
Emperor Shunren, who could not sleep without medication, could only calm his restlessness by hearing Wei Qin's voice. It was as if some kind of fate was drawing them together.
As Wei Qin recited the calming mantra, Emperor Shunren lay supine on his dragon bed and slowly closed his eyes.
Receiving rewards in front of the emperor is a common occurrence, especially since Wei Qinling was overjoyed.
"It's almost the end of the year. If you wish to receive any reward, please speak freely."
"Your Majesty, I wish you good health."
When people are exhausted and vulnerable, they are most easily softened. Emperor Shunren no longer cared whether these words were insincere or sincere.
There are countless people who flatter the emperor, but only Wei Qin truly won his heart.
"I heard that you were turned away from your home by a maid from the Jiang family?" Emperor Shunren smiled with his eyes closed. "Minor squabbles between husband and wife are commonplace. They've been working on their relationship for decades."
These words sounded like something an ordinary husband would say, but no sooner had Wei Qin stepped out of his bedchamber than a royal eunuch led a line of beauties to block his way.
"Minister Wei, please wait."
The young eunuch gently conveyed the emperor's message, "Your Majesty is considerate of Minister Wei's weary work, and he should have a beautiful and intimate woman by his side. Which of these beauties does Minister Wei find pleasing to the eye? He may take her home."
How ironic! They say things that are reasonable and considerate of the difficulties couples face in getting along, yet their actions completely disregard the other person's feelings.
Wei Qin declined, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. Please convey this to me: 'The weak waters cannot compare to the vast ocean; I have loved one person, and I will only ever love one person.'"
Wei Qin glanced indifferently at the majestic palace and strode away.
"Having seen the vast ocean, I still love my beloved wife the most." Emperor Shunren pondered Wei Qin's meaning in the eunuch's reply, and suddenly recalled the scene from many years ago when that serene woman stood in front of Kunning Palace holding an infant.
Even the howling north wind couldn't bear to sweep her away. Such a gentle person was the moonlight in many people's hearts, lighting a moonlit fish lantern for them amidst the raging waves, guiding them so they wouldn't get lost in the sea.
She rescued many young and ambitious officials who were devoted to the country, and was always approachable, warm, and sincere.
Even reminiscing about her evokes a timeless, poetic feeling that flows through my heart.
But such a person resolutely burned to ashes in the sea of fire, without looking back even once.
**
On New Year's Eve, only the old doctor and his son, along with Wei Qin and his sister, remained in the small house.
Xie Jincheng and Yan Yi have disappeared without a trace.
"Young Master, would you like to return to the Cui residence?"
Wei Qin had no intention of returning, nor did he allow anyone from the Cui family to visit him. He endured this for seventeen years, and it was the last New Year's Eve before they were to recognize each other.
After having New Year's Eve dinner with his three sisters, Wei Qin gave each of them a large red envelope.
The old doctor looked at the three hundred taels of silver in the red envelope, laughed loudly, and then distributed red envelopes to the three younger members of the family.
Wei Ying was stunned after receiving two New Year's money. At this rate, she would soon be rolling in money, if not the richest woman in the world.
She walked to Wei Qin's side and said, "Brother, you should also prepare a red envelope for your sister-in-law."
The red envelope in Wei Qin's sleeve became heavy. He nodded slightly, pushed open the door, and walked out of the small house.
The pitch-black night was lit up by bursts of firecrackers.
The sounds of crackling and popping filled the streets and alleys, a ritual to ward off evil and bring good fortune.
Since giving up his identity as Wei Yihe, Wei Qin has disliked New Year's Eve. His father, the emperor, regarded him as an evil spirit, so he inevitably received the "fright" of firecrackers on New Year's Eve.
"Smack!"
A child lit a firecracker and threw it outside the door, where it exploded at Wei Qin's feet.
"Hey, watch out for passersby!"
Inside the house, a woman's words of advice to her child could be heard.
Wei Qin didn't stop walking. He passed groups of children, and the crackling sounds in his ears turned into a middle-aged man's scolding.
He wore a bright yellow dragon robe, the embroidered golden dragon as solemn as his expression.
Before Wei Qin had gone far, he suddenly saw a young child being bumped into by an older child, who was holding a handful of lit firecrackers.
He strode forward, snatched it, and before he could let go, the firecracker exploded in his hand.
"ah!"
"There are people injured!"
The children screamed in terror.
"Evil spirits are evil spirits; they can be harmed by firecrackers." With a touch of self-deprecation, Wei Qin tossed aside the still-burning firecrackers, pressed the wound on his palm, and silently left, stepping into the smoke-filled back alley of the Jiang residence.
Firecrackers have already been set off here.
Wei Qin leaned against the wall, having long forgotten the wound on his palm.
Frosty nights fall, and occasionally snowflakes drift down from the wall, their icy coolness hitting my neck.
Wei Qin slid down to the ground with his back against the bluestone wall, surrounded by the sound of firecrackers from all directions, filling his ears.
People who are afraid of fire feel suffocated.
Suddenly, a flickering light illuminated his vision. Wei Qin raised his face, his gaze lingering amidst the smoke.
Jiang Yinyue, wearing a brocade jacket, appeared in the alley with a lantern.
She bent down, put down the ebony lantern, and asked indifferently, "What brings you here again?"
"Give me a red envelope."
Wei Qin took out a thin red envelope and stuffed it into Jiang Yinyue's hand, saying, "May everything go smoothly."
Jiang Yinyue, who had been observing him from the second-floor window for a long time, opened the red envelope and was startled by the amount of silver notes. She couldn't help but chuckle and say, "Our accounts are now settled."
"It's not over yet."
It will take a lifetime to repay.
Jiang Yinyue didn't know why she had shown herself. Perhaps it was a moment of mutual understanding; they were both lonely people.
Ultimately, she couldn't bring herself to be cruel to Wei Qin; she couldn't bear to see him all alone on such a festive day as New Year's Eve.
On New Year's Eve, it's best to avoid heated arguments and remain calm.
"Aren't you afraid of fire? Why did you come out tonight?"
"I want to see Miss."
He hadn't seen her for over a month.
"You've seen it, you can leave now."
Wei Qin remained silent and motionless; even the "Waiting-for-Wife Stone" was no more than that.
Jiang Yinyue was getting tired of standing, so she sat down next to him, leaning against the wall, about two fists' distance away, and looked up at the moon.
No matter how thick the smoke was around, it could not obscure the bright moon.
Wei Yihe will eventually rise from the ashes.
She looked at the person to the side; Wei Qin had his head tilted back and his eyes closed, as if he were asleep, his slender neck gilded with a silvery sheen by the moonlight.
The ramie clothes were still thin.
Jiang Yinyue paused, took off her white fur collar, and draped it over his neck. As soon as she withdrew her hand, she noticed the congealed bloodstains on his palm.
Always getting hurt, constantly getting hurt.
Jiang Yinyue didn't wake Wei Qin. She hugged her knees with her arms crossed, swallowed hard, and suppressed the soreness in her throat.
Wei Yihe, may the new year and every year thereafter bring you peace, tranquility, and lasting happiness.
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