Chapter 96 If
Wei Junming nodded suddenly, "It's Madam Chen, the girl who saved A Yan at the hunting ground." He tutted his words in a lingering manner, "I heard recently that the patrol department has solved several cases in a row. It's not easy."
Wei Mingzhu looked at Wei Junming rubbing the jade ring with his fingertips, and said nothing more. She just picked up the kettle and filled it with hot water for him.
The father and daughter chatted for a while longer, when a young eunuch suddenly burst in. It was Xiao Fuzi, the eunuch from Concubine Yu's palace. He knelt on the ground and announced, "Your Majesty, Concubine Yu has a high fever and is talking nonsense in the palace."
Wei Junming frowned and subconsciously stood up. Wei Mingzhu, who was beside him, twisted the lid of the teacup and said casually, "Empress Yu is a woman of noble character."
"Father, you said that although both daughters belong to the Yong'an Marquisate, their personalities are quite different. Commander Lu is the legitimate daughter of the family, with a rough and unruly temperament. She only cares about working for the court."
"And what about Concubine Yu? She is like a delicate flower blossoming in the palm of your hand, shattered by the wind."
"Marquis Yong'an is blessed. Both his hands are treasures. It's hard to say which one he favors more."
After hearing this, Wei Junming raised his hand, picked up the teacup, took a sip slowly, and said to the young eunuch in a cold voice: "If you are sick, go find the imperial physician. I am not from the Imperial Hospital. Can I treat her?"
The kneeling eunuch's face froze, he whispered "yes", and ran away in shame.
As if nothing had happened, Wei Mingzhu stood up and massaged Wei Junming's shoulders and temples. She accidentally caught a glimpse of the white hair on Wei Junming's temples, and her throat choked for some reason.
In the morning, she summoned the Imperial Physician Mi from the Imperial Hospital to inquire about Wei Junming's health. Physician Mi only said that His Majesty had become ill due to overwork in his early years. Although he looked healthy on the outside, he was empty on the inside.
I'm afraid he's the one who needs to take better care of himself—
——
Prime Minister's Mansion:
Inside the room, Shen Yuheng woke up first. He turned his head and looked carefully at the person in his arms. The person was breathing very rhythmically and was sleeping soundly like a baby.
He felt both amused and angry, and couldn't help but recall what happened yesterday.
Jiang Weimian had planned for him for half a month, but it was ruined after only two or three days.
It’s just that - she took the initiative to seduce me like that, I guess she must like me.
Otherwise, who can force her?
Thinking of this, Shen Yuheng felt happy again. He moved the person in his arms closer, held her hand naturally, and closed his eyes to rest.
For more than twenty years, he came from a noble family and he had always been in charge of visiting his parents every morning and evening. He had never overstepped his bounds, let alone doing anything extraordinary or breaking the rules. Even the time for his daily meetings would not be a minute early or a moment late. Everything was done according to the rules.
It was not until she was by his side that he realized that everything in this world could not be calculated or planned in advance.
This feeling of losing control and falling is like the seduction of a fairy, making people willing to sink into it. It is fresh and exciting.
Suddenly, there was a sound of light footsteps in his ears, "Young Master, Young Master." A Yaoyuan called a few times through the screen.
Shen Yuheng got up quietly, put on his clothes and went to the front hall.
A Yao didn't dare to look up at him, and her ears turned red.
Because the young master has fair skin, any red marks or bruises are particularly eye-catching. Now there are several glaring teeth marks on that jade-like neck, which are neat and delicate, like the edge of a mulberry leaf.
After calming down, A Yao said seriously, "Sir, contrary to what you suspected earlier, many dignitaries from the capital have recently gone to Guanglin Temple. Not only Guanglin Temple, but also Xuanpu Temple and Yonghe Temple. They are all not far from the capital, and some of them are small Taoist temples newly established in the past three years."
Shen Yuheng paused as he was stringing beads, a chill in his eyes. "Everyone here is a scoundrel. We need to investigate thoroughly."
"No one will stop you from collecting the Ministry of Revenue's accounts under the pretext that Prince Ding'an is investigating the brothels in the Jiangnan area."
Looking at the current situation in the court, those who are smart can see that the wind is blowing in Wei Yan's favor. So at this time, whether it is to check land tax payments or corvée labor, no one will stop it, and no one dares to stop it.
If anyone dares to stop him at this moment, wouldn't it prove that he has done something wrong?
A Yao looked at Shen Yuheng's frosty face and sighed inwardly, thinking that the young master was angry.
——
The palace banquet arrived as scheduled. Lu Qiaoxiao got up early to dress up, which surprised Bai Zhi for a while: "Why are you willing to spend so much time on your appearance today?"
Lu Qiaoxiao raised her hand and inserted a gold-inlaid jade hairpin embroidered with butterflies and flowers into her bun:
"Today's banquet was hosted by Consort Li. She wants to be close to me, so I must go down the stairs and dress appropriately to avoid gossip."
Lu Qiaoxiao just finished speaking when he realized something:
She naturally tied herself to Shen Yuheng, and her every move would affect others' evaluation of Shen Yuheng.
Is that why she cares so much?
Of course, there was a deeper reason why she dressed up for the event, which was that she wanted to see how her second sister was doing in the palace.
I heard that His Majesty doted on her, but because he was wary of the Empress Dowager's attitude and the power of the Li family, he didn't dare to favor her.
Lu Qiaoxiao thought of another possibility. Could Princess Mingzhu have also been behind this?
She remembered Murong Xue's introduction to her, saying that Princess Mingzhu had a cold personality and rarely socialized with the other women in the family because they couldn't find common ground. While others preferred quiet pursuits like flower arranging and embroidery, Wei Mingzhu didn't particularly care for them.
When Murong Xue talked about this matter, she also joked that it was impossible for Her Royal Highness the Princess to talk about her own male lover with her sisters.
To be honest, when Lu Qiaoxiao heard this, she thought about it carefully and suddenly felt a little envious of the man.
Why can the emperor have three thousand concubines, but the princess can’t?
Why can men have three wives and four concubines, but women can't? But Lu Qiaoxiao thought about it in his mind and didn't say it out loud.
When she finished dressing, the carriage was already waiting outside. Shen Yuheng stood on the steps, like a fresh and straight bamboo, with a distant eyebrow and coldness, as if he had walked out of a painting.
Lu Qiaoxiao secretly complained in his heart: No matter how he actually does things, everyone will praise him as a gentleman with a bright and elegant demeanor.
The carriage entered the palace. Lu Qiaoxiao looked at the towering red walls, his mind drifting away, and his hand was suddenly wrapped in warmth.
"What are you thinking about?" The man's voice was gentle, and his eyes seemed to be able to suck her in.
"I was thinking, if I could be with you earlier, many things would be different."
Lu Qiaoxiao's eyes flashed a few times, and what emerged in her mind was the figure who had stood in front of her monument for a long time in her previous life.
Pity for her——
Sad for her -
Wandering for her,
Stop for her too.
If only she could realize earlier, earlier, that Shen Yuheng was not as terrifying as he appeared.
Even, how nice it would be to be with him early on—
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