Chapter 82 Minister Wei's Self-Respect
Stepping out of the palace gates, Jiang Song, the elderly father who was protecting his daughter, consciously climbed into the carriage and gestured to his old partner to drive ahead.
Jiang Yinyue stared blankly as her carriage disappeared into the snow-covered street. She turned her head and met Wei Qin's gaze, which was fixed on her with lowered eyes.
"Father, he..."
Her pale fingertips pointed to the end of the long street, her muffled tone carrying accusation, and a sense of disbelief at being betrayed by her elderly father.
The old father, who kept saying he wouldn't side with outsiders, has turned against them.
Wei Qin was amused by her anxious yet angry appearance. He raised his hand to lift her wind-reddened face and gently rubbed it with his thumbs. "Come back to the small house with me."
"don't want."
They were still dragged into the wolf's den and left with nothing but bones.
Father said that Wei Qin was cunning and wicked. Jiang Yinyue became even angrier when her father was mentioned.
Jiang Yinyue stared at the empty, snow-covered street, whimpering like a homeless puppy.
Wei Qin didn't press her, and stood with her in the snow.
Snowflakes fluttered down, landing on their shoulders and hair; this might be the last heavy snowfall of the winter.
Wei Qin still remembers the last time he accompanied his mother to see the snow.
The mother and son, forgotten by the emperor, walked hand in hand in the plum grove of the back garden.
The plum blossoms, braving the snow and frost, exuded a chill, but the Empress Dowager's hands were warm.
Wei Qin always felt that his mother had the pride of a plum blossom and the gentleness of an orchid, but unfortunately she was planted in the deep palace and was destined to wither.
Arriving at the base of a wall covered in deep snow, Empress Yide built two snowmen, one large and one small, by hand, and added eyes, mouths, and noses to them with withered leaves.
In the brightly lit imperial harem, only this forgotten corner glows with a bluish light and the moonlight is dim.
The two little snowmen looked all alone.
Four-year-old Wei Qin rolled up his sleeves and built his third snowman. Because his hands were small, the snowman was not as big as the first two, which amused Empress Yide.
"Is this my daughter-in-law?"
"Daughter-in-law?"
"Um."
Empress Yide squatted down in front of him, hugged him in her arms, and said earnestly, "In the future, there will be a woman who will stay by Yihe's side in place of your mother."
At that time, Wei Qin did not understand the meaning and even asked Empress Yide to name the third snowman.
Empress Yide thought for a moment and wrote a single character on the snow: Fate.
The red thread of fate is ordained by heaven.
Whenever Wei Qin thinks of that snowy night, he feels not only nostalgia but also understanding.
His mother was so tired, so very tired.
Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Wei Qin stepped forward and pulled Jiang Yinyue, whose cloak was covered in snow, into his arms. He didn't explain, but simply held her quietly.
His slender finger bones were frozen red, but his heart was warm.
The word "fate" written by Empress Yide has been answered.
Jiang Yinyue was slightly taken aback when she was suddenly hugged. She looked up from the cold embrace and saw the man's smooth and clean chin. For some reason, as if she could sense his emotions, she stopped pretending to be displeased and wrapped her arms around his waist without any hesitation.
The man who never wears a cloak in the freezing cold, even though he's radiating cold.
Humans are all susceptible to the cold.
Jiang Yinyue hugged Wei Qin tightly around the waist. She was willing to help him overcome this physical barrier, no longer be afraid of the heat, accept the changes in temperature, and ease the trauma of his childhood.
On a quiet snowy night, some people gather around a fire to chat, some embrace under the moon, and others dispel their loneliness alone in a grand hall with carved beams and embroidered pillars.
A touch of pure white, warm and gentle, yet it couldn't touch my heart.
Wei Xichen sat quietly beside the largest bronze brazier in the East Palace. On a small table not far away were portraits of noble ladies. Despite the Empress and his maternal grandmother's earnest advice, he had not laid out a single one.
Let the royal family and the Dong family decide.
Wei Xichen spread his five fingers to cover his eyelids, but his wet eyelashes trembled even more than his fingertips.
Upon learning of Jiang Yinyue's divorce, he did not attempt to take advantage of the situation, knowing full well that he had no further chances.
He, destined to have many wives and concubines, is no longer worthy to stand by her side and grow old with her as time goes by.
When you meet the most amazing person in your prime, no one you meet afterward can evoke the same emotional ups and downs as you did back then.
Besides, he was by nature a mild-mannered person. He had burned out once, reduced to ashes, and was no longer capable of loving anyone else.
The man in the rocking chair appeared to be asleep when his hand, which had been resting on his eyelids, dangled over the armrest.
The little tabby cat, who was wandering around the East Palace, came over and snuggled up to the rocking chair, curling up its furry body.
In a woodshed in the Eastern Palace, Yan Zhuyi, who was almost frozen stiff, was finally untied by Fu Zhongcai.
"Someone, take him to the laundry department."
Cold and hungry, Yan Zhuyi was too weak to struggle and collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain, "Just kill me!"
She didn't want to go back to that ruthless laundry department.
Fu Zhongcai shook his head. "Your Highness has never hated many people, and you are one of them."
"So you want me to suffer a fate worse than death?"
"yes."
The purpose was so obvious, Yan Zhuyi sobbed uncontrollably, "Am I wrong, but isn't he right too? He's the one who doesn't trust his childhood sweetheart, no, he's the one who's suspicious and doesn't trust anyone!"
Fu Zhongcai disliked repeating old stories, so he waved his hand and ordered someone to take her away.
People can be unreasonable sometimes; once hatred takes hold, they don't care about right or wrong!
Night was still, before dawn, and the Crown Prince, seated in his rocking chair, drifted into a dream.
In his dream, he knelt at Jiang Yinyue's feet, tightly holding her hand that hung by her side, his forehead pressed against the back of her hand, begging her to turn back.
Let's look back.
People who are powerless to change the past often hope that the other person will remember the past, but things don't always go as planned.
The purer a person's emotions, the more cleanly they can sever ties with their entangled past.
Jiang Yinyue had no regrets or lingering feelings for him in their past acquaintances, so what could possibly hold her back?
The desire in Wei Xichen's heart to have his dreams fulfilled was a deep-seated expectation, but his humble pleas were in vain, and it was too late.
Even without Wei Qin's appearance, Jiang Yinyue would not turn back.
The pain deep within his dream caused his fingertips to twitch. As the little tabby cat licked him, Wei Xichen opened his sleepy eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks.
**
In the secluded little house, Jiang Yinyue and Wei Ying rested on the same bed, chatting softly until dawn.
After confirming that her sister-in-law would not abandon her brother, Wei Ying finally relaxed her tense emotions that had been churning for days.
The small house wasn't quiet early in the morning. The big guy Mo Hao was busy in the kitchen, the silver-robed painter was sweeping the courtyard, and the most restless Yan Yi was waving his fists and performing a set of impressive boxing techniques.
Wei Ying was peeking out the window when her sister-in-law suddenly appeared behind her, startling her.
"ah?"
Jiang Yinyue followed her sister-in-law's gaze and looked through the narrow crack in the window, teasingly asking, "What are you looking at?"
"I didn't see anything."
"oh."
Wei Ying panicked, "I really didn't see anything!"
Jiang Yinyue laughed so hard she almost fell over. This girl was too innocent; she couldn't hide a single thing on her mind.
However, my voice is much louder than it was back in my hometown of Yangzhou, which is probably a sign that my blood and energy have gradually become more vigorous after being regulated.
It's a good start.
"Alright, I wasn't laughing at you. Xie Jin is a good person."
"Sister-in-law!"
Wei Ying covered her face with her hands, admitting her mistake without being asked.
Jiang Yinyue felt a pang of tenderness, patted her head, and stopped teasing her.
When Wei Qin returned in the evening, Jiang Yinyue brought up the matter of Wei Ying and Xie Jincheng. She did not ask Wei Qin's opinion, but simply felt that the couple was a good match.
Whether it succeeds or not depends on their own wishes.
Wei Qin was well aware of the ambiguous relationship between his sister and his best friend. Like Jiang Yinyue, he didn't intend to interfere and let things take their course.
Jiang Yinyue glanced at the sky, "I'll be off duty right on time today."
"Yes, I was in a hurry to get back to see Miss."
Jiang Yinyue covered his mouth and wrinkled her nose. "Take me home tonight."
Wei Qin then lifted the person up and sat them on the table, saying, "Stay one more night."
“Then I will stay in the west wing with Ying’er.”
They're quite easy to talk to.
The east wing was small and simple, but that did not hinder the tender affection flowing between the two.
Wei Qin pinched her earlobe; it was a small earlobe without a piercing.
"On my way back, I passed a jade shop and took a fancy to a pair of earrings."
Jiang Yinyue still remembered those two boxes of rouge and face powder worth over a hundred taels of silver, and immediately became vigilant, warning him not to buy useless trinkets.
"I won't get my ears pierced."
"Um."
Wei Qin took out a necklace made of pearls and jade and put it around the neck of the dumbfounded woman.
Jiang Yinyue was so angry that she kicked him, jumped off the wooden table, walked to the bronze mirror, looked at herself, and turned around to glare at the big-handed guy.
"The eldest prince is frugal himself, but he is willing to spend money on me."
"Miss deserves it."
Jiang Yinyue snorted and looked at herself in the mirror again.
The neckline of the winter dress was too small to show off the exquisite necklace, so Jiang Yinyue pulled the neckline open to both sides, using her fair skin to highlight the color of the pearls.
This bronze mirror was specially purchased by Wei Qin for Jiang Yinyue today.
Wei Qin's gaze couldn't be focused on the pearls and gems. He walked over, hugged her, and kissed her exposed neck.
Jiang Yinyue did not refuse. Looking at the two of them whispering sweet nothings in the mirror, and at Wei Qin who was engrossed with his eyes closed, her fair cheeks were flushed with a light blush.
But after a short while, she became embarrassed and tried to pull away Wei Qin's hand that was covering her erect penis.
Reflected in a bronze mirror, it is an insult to culture.
Wei Qin opened his phoenix eyes, which were upturned at the corners of his head, and stared at the woman in the bronze mirror, whose clothes were disheveled. He felt a strange sense of pleasure as he was destroying this delicate flower that he had finally managed to pick.
"Wei Qin." Jiang Yinyue was caught off guard and in a sorry state.
The beautiful dress became wrinkled and crumpled.
"I'm going home tonight."
"Miss has broken her promise."
"How did you break your promise?"
"You said you would stay in the west wing with Ying'er tonight."
Jiang Yinyue couldn't argue with him, so she said, "Then I'll go to the west wing now."
Wei Qin pecked at the corner of her lips, "I'll go over later."
Jiang Yinyue slightly hunched her back to avoid that aura, her vision filled with a splash of light pink.
It was her little bellyband.
The coat, with its collar wide open, was almost down to her waist.
"Don't touch me. What's our relationship?"
Wei Qin truthfully replied, "Ex-husband and ex-wife."
"Minister Wei, please have some self-respect."
Wei Qin's index finger was caught on the embroidery thread on his pocket by sheer coincidence. He carefully pulled his index finger out and looked at the embroidery reflected in the bronze mirror.
The tassel-like drooping branches create a sense of flowing movement as if blown by the wind, no wonder the stitches aren't very dense.
Wei Qin was merely studying the embroidery on the pocket, but in Jiang Yinyue's eyes, it took on a completely different meaning.
She raised her arms to hug herself and stepped on the man's black boot.
It took a lot of effort.
Wei Qin only retaliated slightly, and the young woman, who was in shackles, was defeated.
The coral hairpin on her hair swayed uncontrollably, making a soft, crisp sound.
"Sister-in-law."
Wei Ying called softly from outside the door, and Jiang Yinyue, whose face turned pale, had her mouth covered by Wei Qin.
The flickering light illuminated the two people in the room, their steps faltering.
Jiang Yinyue felt guilty and worried that her naive sister-in-law might overhear something, so she could only let Wei Qin do as he pleased, her face adorned with the most radiant blush.
Even after there was no more movement outside the door, the blush did not fade.
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