Chapter 37 The Feud Between the Wei and Du Families
Xie Yunyu said, "Although he is a bit fierce, at least he is upright and honest, and everything is out in the open."
Wei Ningyan is the one who should be more careful.
From what you've said, she's like a venomous snake, a master manipulator of people's hearts.
Xue Weiyang nodded in agreement: "What Third Madam Xie said is right. Wei Ningyan should not be underestimated."
The three of them watched a good show, and seeing that everyone outside had dispersed, they sat down to continue chatting.
Xue Weiyang asked Wu Yumin, "Does your family have any dealings with the Qin family?"
Wu Yumin thought for a moment and shook her head: "It seems not."
"Then why did Qin Yingying come?" Xue Weiyang asked, puzzled.
"have no idea."
Wu Yumin answered with her eyes wide open.
Xie Yunyu thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that she came today just to cause trouble for Wei Ningyan?"
The other two, upon hearing this, both nodded and said in unison:
"Possibly."
“This sounds like something Qin Yingying would do,” Xue Weiyang said.
Wu Yumin shook her head and said, "She really is something else; she'd do anything for the Prince of Shou'an."
Xue Weiyang chuckled softly, "She wasn't doing that for Prince Shou'an at all. I think she was just competing with Wei Ningyan."
I suspect he suffered a lot at Wei Ningyan's hands when he was a kid, just like me.
Xie Yunyu thought to herself, "I hope so."
Otherwise, with her fierce temper, if she finds out about my affair with Xiao Ling one day, she'll skin me alive.
Xie Yunyu changed the subject and asked, "What's the deal with that Zhang Jin?"
“She’s just not very bright,” Wu Yumin said.
"Who among you hasn't heard of the great name of his grandfather, Zhang Qingxiang, the Left Censor-in-Chief?"
That was a man who dared to impeach the Jade Emperor above and the King of Hell below.
He once pointed his finger at His Majesty and cursed him; he was a man of unyielding integrity, and everyone avoided him.
But for some reason, Zhang Jin just liked to hang around these princes and royalty, showing absolutely no integrity.
Every time, Wei Ningyan uses him as a pawn, and he still happily goes after her every time. I really don't know what she's after.
Xie Yunyu disliked joining in the fun and didn't like attending banquets, so she didn't know much about it.
Xue Weiyang replied calmly, "I know that."
Xie Yunyu and Wu Yumin got excited when they heard this.
"Tell me quickly."
"Her family had once wanted to marry her off to Du Shaoqing of the Dali Temple."
After hearing this, Wu Yumin exclaimed in surprise:
"My God, Du Shaoqing has such a big reputation for being a wife-killer, and her family is still willing to marry their daughter to him."
"Listen to me," Xue Weiyang said, dissatisfied.
"Okay, okay, go ahead and say it, I promise I won't interrupt."
"Zhang Jin didn't want to get married either. She cried at home every day. In the end, for some reason, the Wei family intervened and persuaded Imperial Censor Zhang to go back."
From then on, Zhang Jin followed Wei Ningyan's lead without question.
Xie Yunyu asked, puzzled, "Why would the Wei family meddle in such matters?"
"It's not that the Wei family wants to meddle in the Zhang family's affairs, but rather that the Wei family and Du Shaoqing have a grudge."
Wei's Eleventh Son, years ago, got into a fight with someone over a courtesan at the Spring Rain Pavilion in the Gentle Pavilion.
Wei Shiyilang accidentally killed someone, and the case was handed over to Du Shaoqing.
At that time, Du Shaoqing was only the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. He upheld the law impartially and ultimately executed Wei's eleventh son according to the law.
Xie Yunyu suddenly remembered that she knew about this matter.
It is said that the Wei family went to the palace to beg the emperor to spare Wei Shiyilang's life.
Du Shaoqing, in his capacity as a sixth-rank official, went to the palace and recited the Great Yong Code in front of all the civil and military officials, listing the clauses that would condemn Wei Shiyilang to death.
His Majesty was forced into a corner, and in the end, Wei Shiyilang was executed according to the laws of the Great Yong Dynasty.
"I knew the Wei family wouldn't meddle in the Zhang family's business. Now I understand," Wu Yumin said, suddenly realizing.
Xie Yunyu frowned, pondered for a moment, and then asked:
"Was it from then on that rumors started that Du Shaoqing was a jinx to his wives?"
Upon hearing this, Xue Weiyang and Wu Yumin's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"No way... this... this was done by the Wei family? This... this..." Wu Yumin stammered.
"This method is really too low-class."
Xue Weiyang stammered, "Then...the two young ladies who died, could they have been killed by the Wei family as well?"
Xie Yunyu hadn't expected to frighten the two of them, so she quickly explained:
"I was just saying, and I might be wrong, so don't take it seriously."
Wu Yumin, however, rested her chin on her hand and said earnestly:
"No, Sister Xie, I think what you said is pretty much right."
Because it was indeed after that incident that people started saying Du Shaoqing was a jinx to his wives the following spring.
Xie Yunyu thought for a moment and then said, "However, I feel that this kind of method, which targets the inner quarters, seems to be a woman's approach."
This doesn't seem like something the Wei family would do.
If they were political enemies, they should have attacked them openly and honestly in the imperial court, instead of giving Du Shaoqing a reputation for being a jinx to his wives.
This not only did not have much of an impact on Du Shaoqing, but in fact, Du Shaoqing's official position rose higher and higher over the years.
Xue Weiyang said, "What's so hard to understand about that?"
First of all, Wei Shiyilang didn't just spring from a rock, did he? He has a mother and sisters, and they can help him too.
Secondly, as Qin Yingying just said, the rumors circulating about Prince Shou'an and Wei Ningyan were all spread by the Wei family themselves.
Isn't spreading rumors about Du Shaoqing being a jinx to his wives just their usual tactic?
Xie Yunyu and Wu Yumin nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.
“That makes sense. It seems quite possible that the Wei family was behind this.”
After saying this, the three of them looked at each other.
Xie Yunyu said, "Never mind, let's talk about something else."
This has nothing to do with us, and even if we knew, what could we do?
Besides, we have no evidence; we're just guessing.
Xue Weiyang replied, "Hmm, let's change the subject."
After the three finished speaking, they chatted enthusiastically about other things.
By attending the banquet, Xie Yunyu gained Xue Weiyang as a friend and learned about the feud between Du Shaoqing and the Wei family.
On the way back, Xie Yunyu sat in the carriage, increasingly convinced that Du Zhengming's matter was inextricably linked to the Wei family.
Just as she was thinking, the carriage suddenly stopped abruptly, and Xie Yunyu, unable to react in time, bumped her head on the side of the carriage.
Xie Yuntang's voice came from outside: "How do you walk? Are you out of your mind?"
Then another man's voice was heard from the side:
"Whoa~"
Xie Yunyu covered her forehead, lifted the carriage curtain, and looked outside. She saw that Xie Yuntang, who was standing next to the carriage, was no longer there.
A man dressed in black, riding a majestic horse, was reining in his horse beside the carriage.
Seeing the carriage curtain lifted, he turned his head and saw Xie Yunyu.
So she greeted him with a smile: "Thank you, Third Sister Xie. What a coincidence, we meet again."
Xie Yunyu smiled politely and said, "Greetings, Young Master Ye."
Hearing people talking outside, Zheng peeked over.
Just then, he saw Ye Jing and asked in surprise:
Who is this?
Xie Yunyu had no choice but to introduce, "Mother, this is the heir of the Marquis of Guangping."
"Young Master Ye, this is my mother."
Ye Jing smiled at Madam Zheng and said, "Greetings, Madam Xie."
Seeing that Ye Jing was handsome, with a strong face and tall stature, and was also the heir of the Marquis of Guangping, Madam Zheng smiled and nodded.
Ye Jing explained to Zheng Shi, "An old man in front of me accidentally fell and blocked the road, so I went to check on him."
Madam Zheng nodded, and Xie Yunyu thanked her softly before lowering the carriage curtain.
Zheng opened her mouth to ask Xie Yunyu a question, but Xie Yunyu put her middle finger between her lips:
"Shhh."
Zheng then fell silent.
A short while later, Xie Yuntang's voice was heard.
"Mother, it's alright, we can go now."
The carriage slowly started moving, and Xie Yunyu heard Xie Yuntang and Ye Jing saying goodbye outside the carriage.
After the carriage had traveled quite a distance, Madam Zheng finally spoke and asked:
"How did you two meet the heir of the Marquis of Guangping?"
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