Chapter 79 If the minister divorces, Your Highness will have a chance…
Jiang Yinyue was tired and nestled in Wei Qin's arms without moving. Wei Qin still wanted to tease her, which made her throw a huge tantrum.
From dusk till nightfall, the night watchman strikes the clapper at the third watch, and all is quiet; the woman's pounding heart also calms down.
The bed was too small to accommodate two bodies, but Jiang Yinyue refused to move, her fingers curled up weakly, and the tears in the corners of her eyes were still wet.
Wei Qin gently wiped away her tears with his ink-stained fingers and softly asked her if she wanted to take a bath.
"Okay, wipe it off."
A woman who loves cleanliness cannot tolerate being covered in stickiness.
Wei Qin got up, leaving the only "heat source" that had captivated him, and felt a slight coolness on his strong body covered with a thin layer of sweat.
Although the earthen stove burns brightly, it is ultimately not as warm as the body heat transmitted through skin-to-skin contact.
He ordered someone to bring a bucket of water, and without regard for himself, Wei Qin wrung out a wet cloth and wiped Jiang Yinyue's body, first her face and then her neck, slowly wiping her down.
"I'll do it myself."
Jiang Yinyue snatched the damp cloth covering the towering structure, pulled up the brocade quilt, and wiped herself clean.
Wei Qin stood by the couch, waiting patiently. After taking the handkerchief she offered, he wrung it out again, saying, "Do you still have to do it yourself?"
The parts that couldn't withstand the fuss had already been wiped clean by herself. Jiang Yinyue lay on the couch, gesturing for Wei Qin to continue doing the work.
The brocade quilt was pulled down, revealing the complete back of the person on the bed to the man's eyes.
Her skin was fair and rosy, smooth and moist, with scattered finger marks.
Wei Qin seemed completely focused, meticulously wiping Jiang Yinyue's feet, then lifted her slender ankles to wipe her straight legs.
Looking at the woman's curled toes, he gently kissed them, causing her to tremble.
After getting ready, the two lay down in the same quilt, fully clothed.
Wei Qin habitually buried his head in Jiang Yinyue's silky long hair, inhaling the fragrance of pears to lull himself to sleep.
Jiang Yinyue, who was being embraced, was wide awake. She glanced at the crumpled paper on the ground and knew that the early morning was coming.
"Sign the divorce papers."
The impeccably dressed Miss Jiang smoothed out the crumpled paper, calmly pulled Wei Qin aside, and urged him to complete the final stroke of this marriage proposal.
Wei Qin's handwriting is fluent and exquisite, flowing like clouds and water, yet he is reluctant to write a single name at this moment.
He suddenly turned around and hugged Jiang Yinyue, his expression both cautious and persistently melancholic, "Miss is still mine."
Once the contract is signed, this relationship will end there. He worries that she might suddenly get tired of it and want to be alone.
Jiang Yinyue, enduring the pain of her bones being infinitely tightened by a pair of iron arms, said helplessly, "You still call me Miss, how can I not want you, scholar?"
The young lady and the scholar in the storybook left behind regrets, but her story with Wei Qin will continue, writing a tale of peaceful times.
Jiang Yinyue patted his back, "Once you regain your identity, please have a matchmaker come to the Jiang residence to propose marriage. I'll be waiting for you."
"It's a deal."
"What's done is done!"
The crumpled divorce papers bore Wei Qin's name and fingerprint.
To outsiders, this may seem like a lot of unnecessary work, but this journey of the heart, which has a beginning and an end, still needs a complete ceremony.
Jiang Yinyue put away the divorce papers and smiled at the expressionless man. "Your Highness, please."
Wei Qin wanted to hug her again, but she refused.
"Not related to them is not suitable."
The woman's sly smile stung the man who was filled with anxiety and uncertainty.
This was something Wei Qin had anticipated; his young lady was a clever and mischievous little fox who occasionally came up with some naughty ideas.
On the day Wei Qin left the Jiang residence, news of their divorce spread like wildfire, and whispers circulated everywhere.
The news reached the Crown Prince's palace.
His Highness the Crown Prince, who was discussing matters with someone, paused in his clear and melodious voice.
Grand Secretary Sun Wei, standing to the side, rubbed his chin. "It seems the rumors about Vice Minister Wei being expelled from the Jiang residence were true. It appears that the couple had irreconcilable conflicts."
Another Grand Secretary, Shi Hongliang, asked in bewilderment, "Weren't they going in and out together on the day of the palace banquet?"
Sun Wei shook his finger, "Relationships are the most complicated; one thought can lead to reconciliation, another to a complete breakup."
The two men, along with Wei Qin, were among the top three scholars in the same examination—one the top scholar and the other the third-ranked scholar—so they were bound to be concerned about Wei Qin's private affairs.
The cabinet ministers were discussing the possibility of sending the memorials directly to the Crown Prince's palace. It was a matter of great importance. Grand Secretary Zhou Yujin said impatiently, "Let's have a meeting, let's have a meeting, don't bring up irrelevant things."
But Wei Xichen couldn't listen to another word of discussion; he seemed distracted.
Wei Qin moved back to the small house and into the east wing. Naturally, the person who was most worried about him was his younger sister, Wei Ying.
Watching her brother go to and from work every day as usual, the little girl had a worried look on her face, fearing that her brother and sister-in-law would go their separate ways. Even though she knew the truth, she couldn't help but worry.
"This kind of personality is really tiring."
After the young master went on duty, Yan Yi, who had nothing to do, stared at Wei Ying, who was silently returning to her room, while chewing on a dry blade of grass, and couldn't help but mutter something.
"Is everyone as heartless as you?"
The silver-robed painter retorted, then pulled Wei Ying out and said softly with a smile, "You should bask in the sunlight in winter, instead of always staying cooped up indoors."
Wei Ying was obedient and followed Xie Jincheng up to the roof.
Xie Jincheng brushed the snow off the roof, took off his outer garment, folded it, and gestured for Wei Ying to sit on it.
"Young Master and Young Mistress will reconcile soon."
Before Wei Ying could ask further, he corrected her, "We made up a long time ago, and we're getting married again. We'll even get to eat wedding candy then."
Four years ago, Wei Ying missed out on her brother and sister-in-law's wedding candy and felt regretful. After Xie Jincheng comforted her, she nodded emphatically, "Yes!"
Xie Jincheng gestured with his chin toward Yan Yi in the courtyard. This girl is so easy to please. She is reasonable, can distinguish right from wrong, and knows when to advance and retreat. She is truly admirable.
Yan Yi shook his arm and teased with a crooked mouth, "Before eating the wedding candy of the young master and young mistress, can we eat the wedding candy of you two?"
One sentence caused a huge uproar. Wei Ying covered her face with her hands, and Xie Jincheng jumped off the roof and chased after Yan Yi.
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Yan Yi retorted, "I think you two are also getting married soon! Since the secret hasn't been revealed yet, I'll help you out!"
Xie Jincheng gritted his teeth, "You deserve a beating!"
Wei Ying sat on the roof watching the two playfully fighting in the courtyard. She suddenly smiled, then immediately covered her mouth, afraid that the silver-robed painter would see her.
Her gaze gradually shifted from the two playfully fighting figures to the silver-robed painter.
Ever since she learned that he was the cunning and shrewd Manager Xie, she secretly felt that they were doubly compatible. Manager Xie's cheerfulness and the silver-robed painter's thoughtfulness alleviated her isolation and loneliness. How lucky she was to have met this person.
As Xie Jincheng was chasing after her, he seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up, catching the little girl's hurriedly evasive gaze.
**
After the court session ended, Wei Qin went alone to the emperor's sleeping quarters to review the imperial edicts on his behalf, where he met Wei Xichen, who was there to pay his respects as usual, at the palace gate.
"Your Highness is quite persistent."
Having been turned away for many days, Wei Xichen had long since come to accept it and continued to come every day as usual to "check in," regardless of whether his father, the emperor, could hear his greetings inside the palace.
The Crown Prince seemed to have heard some news today, which nourished his emotions, and he was in a good mood.
"I heard that Vice Minister Wei has divorced?"
"What does this have to do with His Highness?"
Wei Qin's unpolite tone amused Wei Xichen. The white-robed man was elegant and otherworldly, his smile warm, revealing no hint of hatred or ruthlessness. He put his hands behind his back, his toes crunching over the withered leaves that the servants in front of the palace hadn't had time to sweep, his posture casual and relaxed. "From the first moment I saw you, I felt that Minister Wei had great ambitions and was unwilling to remain in the Hanlin Academy. I think I was quite right."
Wei Qin rarely "heart-to-heart talks" with people, and at this moment he was not in a hurry to see the emperor, but turned around to face the crown prince.
Some people are two-faced.
"Is Your Highness going to say next, 'Did you think I would divorce you back then?'"
Wei Xichen raised an eyebrow, which was taken as tacit agreement.
"Would that give Your Highness a chance?"
Wei Qin chuckled in response, stepped on the withered leaves that Wei Xichen had kicked away, crushed them to dust, like past clouds and smoke blown away by the wind, requiring no one to sweep them up.
Without even glancing at Wei Xichen's frozen expression, he strode into the bedchamber and said, "Close the door."
The palace doors slowly closed.
As fate would have it, the poor scholar became a favorite of the emperor, while the crown prince fell out of favor.
The palace servants saw this, but they didn't notice any smugness on Wei Qin's face, nor any disappointment on Wei Xichen's face.
Their goal was the same: to ascend the throne, not to attach themselves to the capricious and terrifying Emperor Shunren in his bedchamber.
Wei Xichen, in particular, seems to have completely let go of this broken father-son relationship. He is adept at dealing with Xu and Zhou Yu, and it's as if he's given up on everything.
Whatever.
When Emperor Shunren heard that Wei Qin had decided to divorce, he comforted him, saying, "My first wife also thought about divorce, but how can an emperor and empress divorce? It was my refusal that indirectly caused her to be so distraught. Let her divorce then; it's better than growing tired of each other."
Hearing the emperor's words of comfort, Wei Qin's eyes flashed with sharpness, hidden behind his long eyelashes.
Indirectly? How blatantly self-justifying.
In the dim light of the second watch of the night, Wei Qin, dressed in the stars and moonlight, arrived at the back alley of the Jiang residence, leaped over the wall, and landed steadily.
With prior instructions from the head of the household and the young lady, the female guards, though suspicious, all chose to remain silent when they saw that this former son-in-law was acting unconventionally.
Wei Qin climbed up to the second-floor window, easily pushed it open, and was about to step inside when he was blocked by the young woman who suddenly appeared.
"Is Vice Minister Wei learning from petty thieves and becoming a gentleman thief?"
Wei Qin braced himself against the window with his arm strength, his expression unchanged. "Let me in first."
Jiang Yinyue extended her clearly defined palm. "Show some sincerity."
"Take it yourself."
Following his suggestion, Jiang Yinyue reached into his clothes, rummaged around inside for a while, and took out a few silver notes before letting him go with satisfaction.
Wei Qin jumped through the window and watched Jiang Yinyue put the silver notes into a box, then run off to bathe and wash her hands, busy with her own affairs and ignoring him, her "distinguished guest."
A thousand taels of silver for a single visit? Isn't that a precious thing?
Wei Qin walked up behind the woman who was standing at the table making tea and embraced her from behind without any hesitation.
"What are you doing?" Jiang Yinyue feigned displeasure. "Minister Wei is harassing his ex-wife. If word gets out, the censors will impeach him."
Wei Qin leaned on her shoulder, smelling the aroma of Pu'er tea mixed with the scent of pear, and felt somewhat disoriented. He bit the woman's earlobe and gently scraped it with his tongue.
Jiang Yinyue's hand trembled as she poured the tea, far from her composed demeanor. She turned her face away, avoiding the scorching heat. "Alright, have some tea to soothe your throat."
Wei Qin didn't rush to take the teacup. He turned her over, lifted her onto the table, took the teacup, took a sip, and then sealed her lips with his.
Jiang Yinyue was forced to taste the Pu'er tea, and tea soup that she couldn't swallow spilled from the corner of her mouth, dripping onto her clothes.
A slender hand brushed away the tea stains on her clothes, and with its damp fingertips, wrote its name on her snow-white neck.
Wei Yihe.
It left behind damp, cool water stains.
"Wei Yihe is the one who will get the young lady tonight."
Jiang Yinyue hesitated, "It's not just now..."
That's Wei Qin.
"Don't try to argue."
Wei Qin grabbed her left knee and turned it to one side without saying a word.
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