But the matter between him and Zeng Heng was neither big nor small. It would still cause trouble if he spoke about it. Especially since he was the new Minister of Works, right at the center of the storm.
"It's not that I don't want to tell you, but knowing it would be disadvantageous to you," Luo Shenyuan said. "My spies aren't that powerful. Otherwise, the world would be in my hands, and no one else could do that. In short, the military achievements belong to you, and that's what matters most."
Luo Shenyuan's words actually made Wei Ling feel more relieved. This proved that Luo Shenyuan had no intention of hiding anything from him.
He laughed loudly and said, "Forget it! Just know your limits. Don't overdo anything." Then he let Luo Shenyuan follow him to the front hall to meet with the prominent in-laws of the Wei family.
The women were drinking tea and chatting with Old Lady Wei in the backyard's flower hall. Yi Ning then realized that besides the Wei family's maternal relatives, several aunts, and cousins, there were also the mistresses and elderly ladies of the lord's family with whom she interacted daily. She didn't have time to greet each of the elders before asking Fang Song, "...Why are there so many people?"
Fang Song smiled and said, "Miss, the old lady said she wanted to have a tea party. Who would have thought so many people would come?"
Actually, it was hard to guess. They all came to see the champion. But when he went to the front hall, everyone was a little disappointed.
Old Mrs. Wei took her granddaughter into the west side room to talk. A maid brought over a plate of peeled pomegranates. The dark red seeds were sweet and delicious. Yi Ning had just eaten a few. Old Mrs. Wei looked at her granddaughter with a knowing smile: "How is your third brother treating you?"
Yi Ning hadn't expected this to happen right away. Blushing slightly, she coughed and said, "He's always been like that with me: strict... but also caring."
Mrs. Wei shook her head and laughed when she heard this: "Silly child, that was when he was your brother. Now that he is your husband, how he treats you is different."
Yi Ning couldn't say they'd agreed to treat each other like brother and sister, and the old lady didn't know that. She was just thinking about how to evade the question when Zhao Mingzhu, who was following behind Old Lady Wei, spoke up. "Yin Ning, you can't be so passive. If he still treats you like a brother, act like a little girl. Men always react strangely when they see..."
Mrs. Wei felt that what she said was too blunt, so she scolded Zhao Mingzhu: "What nonsense are you talking about? You don't behave like a lady at all!"
"What I said is quite reasonable!" Zhao Mingzhu, who had been getting along with Old Madam Wei since childhood, skillfully pulled her arm and said, "What's so unreasonable about what you said? I'm just worried that Yi Ning's third brother will always be jealous of her. He's at an age when his blood is full. What if his third brother takes a concubine in the future?"
Yining grabbed a handful of pomegranate seeds and put them into her mouth, crunching them into pieces. The two grandparents in front of her lowered their voices and started to talk about her private affairs, not allowing her to join in the conversation.
She wanted to go outside to get some fresh air, but when she reached the door, she found a small figure standing a few pillars away from her, looking at her from afar.
It’s Ting’er.
Seeing his lonely shadow cast on the ground, Yi Ning felt somewhat desolate. It was as if he had kept his distance from her when she first arrived at the Wei family. He didn't trust her, but he was also very curious about her. He felt an innate desire to get close to her because she was his biological sister.
Now that she was married, Ting'er no longer had his sister to live with, and he still lived with the servants. His little hands grasped the hanging clothes belt, as if he was afraid to get close.
Yining suddenly understood Luo Yihui's impulse to take little Yining away with her when she got married.
She walked towards Ting'er, and he looked up at her. Yi Ning softened her voice and touched his head: "What's wrong with Ting'er?"
Ting'er looked at her silently. Yi Ning touched his hair, which was a little prickly, and felt very distressed. She took Ting'er back to Old Madam Wei, hoping that he would live with her in the future. He was old enough and would not cause any trouble to the old lady. After all, how could a maid get close to him?
Ting Ge'er knew what she wanted to do and immediately broke free from her hand: "I don't want to... I'm going to the guardhouse to practice horse riding with Master Yang." He felt a little awkward and not as close to her as before. "You can leave after you get married. I... I don't want to follow my grandmother."
As children grow older, they tend to become distant from others. Yining had no other options. She couldn't possibly bring Ting'er to the Luo family; after all, he was the young master of the Duke of Ying's mansion.
Yi Ning told Old Madam Wei about this. She was silent for a long time and then sighed. "It's because there's no mistress at home. Your father wants to send him to Tianjin Wei. The commander of Tianjin Wei is one of your father's old subordinates. This is for the best. I can't discipline him. When your father is away, I'm afraid he'll grow up with those playboys and learn bad habits. It's better to send him to Tianjin Wei, where he can grow up through hardship. He can't stay in the capital and be a spoiled prince."
The Duke of Ying's family has been able to survive for so many generations because they have always had talented people among their descendants. Sending Ting'er to the garrison is also a good idea, although he will naturally become less and less close to the people once he's away from them. But the garrison is truly a place where people can be trained.
Yining thought of the child watching her from afar and sighed slightly. Old Mrs. Wei patted her hands and took Yining out. Outside, the women were eating pomegranates.
Old Lady Song and Old Lady Fu shared a pomegranate and ate the seeds. One of the ladies smiled and said, "Eating this pomegranate reminds me of the pomegranate grove behind the Xiangyun Restaurant. The view was so beautiful that the restaurant set up a stage and a troupe. A lot of people came to see the opera, and a famous singer named Liu Baisheng became famous. It's a lively time right now, and those who go to the opera are given plates of pomegranates."
The ladies all said it was interesting. Since there was no top scholar to watch, it would be nice to listen to a play.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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