Chapter 237 He is the emperor. He can pamper you, but he won’t love you.
Wei Ting paused when he heard the sound.
Madam Wei's cane made a sound as it leaned against the ground.
He said in full force: "Are you going to look for the Empress now? Don't you see what time it is now?"
Wei Ting glanced at the moon hanging in the sky.
She said nonchalantly, "Young man is still energetic at this hour, grandma, you should go and have a rest."
The servant at the door respectfully passed on the message: "Madam Wei has already gone to bed. She said she will return to the palace after lunch tomorrow."
Wei Ting said with a long "oh", "Then I'll go tomorrow."
Only after seeing her troublesome grandson return to his room did Mrs. Wei go to rest.
Wei Ting entered the house and waved away the servants.
When he raised his eyes again, there was no trace of drunkenness in them.
He sat down with a clear mind, looked at the Welwitschia in his hand, and fiddled with the petals with his fingers.
Then he picked one and put it back into the brocade box containing old things.
The next day, early in the morning.
Wei Liru accompanied Old Madam Wei for breakfast. The two of them didn't talk much and were very polite to each other, with a sense of coldness and alienation between them.
When the meal was almost over, Wei Ting arrived late.
Wei Ting's face was tired from a hangover. Even if he was not really drunk last night, the emperor did make him drink a lot, so he couldn't avoid a headache the next day.
He sat down without a care in the world and was given a cold stare by the old lady.
Madam Wei asked, "Why didn't you go to court today?"
Wei Liru put down the bowl of soup in her hand and continued, "Grandma, please don't be angry. Just look at my brother's face and you can tell that he is not feeling well."
Madam Wei's tone towards her became much gentler.
"Your Highness, you don't know that Wei Ting had a drinking contest with His Majesty last night and came back drunk."
Today, there was no news that Emperor Wu Su had stopped attending court.
The emperor always attended the morning court on time, but Wei Ting took leave and stayed in his house, which caused unnecessary criticism.
Although Madam Wei's tone was stern, she still instructed Madam Cao to set the table for him and asked the kitchen to add a few of his favorite breakfast dishes.
Wei Liru asked expectantly, "Did the emperor drink last night? Did he have a good chat with my brother?"
Seeing that Madam Wei looked unhappy, Wei Ting remained silent.
The corners of Wei Liru's mouth also drooped.
Ever since she learned that Wei Ting was demoted for committing a crime, she had been looking for an opportunity to come back. This time, it happened to be Princess Qingyun's wedding, so she went to ask the Queen Mother to let her return home to visit her parents.
Fortunately, the Queen Mother was in a good mood because of the happy event, and she gave her a day and a half to return home as a reward.
Now, not only has the wind direction of the previous dynasty changed, but even she in the harem has been implicated.
The servants in the palace were used to changing their attitudes according to the situation, and there were quite a few of them whom she could no longer control.
Wei Liru sighed and said, "Brother, are you talking back to the Emperor again? How can you be so foolish?"
Wei Ting didn't hear any concern from her words, but rather more blame.
He finished drinking half a bowl of soup that the old lady had served him, and then he said, "It's not that I mean to contradict you, but the emperor's mind changes every now and then, and I can't cope with it."
Wei Liru put down her bowl and chopsticks and lost her appetite.
He said anxiously: "Thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the emperor. Brother is a subject and should obey."
Wei Ting picked up another piece of rice noodles with chopsticks and put it in the bowl, then glanced at her.
"The emperor wants to take my military power. Do you think I should give it to him or not?"
Wei Liru was so shocked that she was speechless.
It turns out that the emperor wants his brother's military power. If he doesn't want to give it to him, his brother can only fight against it.
As a result of the struggle, Wei Ting lost his position as General Zhenbei and is now demoted to the commander of the vanguard battalion.
But if she gave it to him, no matter what the Wei family did, her future in the harem would end there, and she might even be bullied in the future.
After the brother and sister finished their meal in silence, Madam Wei wanted to worship Buddha, so the two of them left the yard.
Walking into the pavilion, Wei Liru asked her maid Bitao to wait beside her.
There was no one else around, so Wei Liru asked nervously, "What do you think about the military power, brother?"
Wei Ting said meaningfully: "I would like to hear what you think."
Wei Liru paused and did not mention the issue of military power.
Instead, he asked, "Brother, what happened with Ji Qingwu is true. I haven't seen you mention it in your letters home before. Were you really together in the Northern Border Army?"
Wei Ting looked at her and asked, "Do you care about this?"
Wei Liru said, "I mentioned this to my brother last time. The Emperor is very particular about Ji Wu. I initially thought she was from the same clan as the Empress Dowager. The Emperor would not allow the Ji family to become too powerful. As long as she doesn't enter the palace, she will pose no threat to me."
"But I got news from the Queen Mother that one day, Ji Qingwu stayed in the Emperor's Qinzheng Palace for a long time before coming out."
Wei Liru continued, "It was the day you and Prince Yong were punished to kneel outside the palace."
Wei Ting's body stiffened for a moment.
Not knowing how much Ji Qingwu meant to her brother, Wei Liru observed his expression.
"If my brother wants military power, he must not think of marrying Ji Wu."
That day, Ji Qingwu was indeed inside, and he thought he had mistaken the back of the person dressed as a palace maid.
There are only a handful of women who can enter the Qinzheng Hall.
Only the Queen Mother and Concubine Wei had been to the Phoenix Palace, but they were only there for official business and stayed for a short while.
But once Ji Qingwu goes in, he can stay there for several hours.
No matter what the emperor means, whether to take her into the harem or not, Ji Qingwu is the emperor's woman and he cannot touch her again.
Military power and her, these two things are both the Achilles' heel of Emperor Wu Su.
If Wei Ting wants both, his greed will lead him into an irretrievable disaster.
Wei Liru turned her head and looked at Wei Ting's tense jaw.
If my brother offered his military power in exchange for the emperor's power, the emperor might agree to his previous proposal of marriage.
Wei Liru pretended to be indifferent and asked, "What does brother want more? It all depends on what you want. I can do whatever you want."
Wei Ting turned around and looked into her eyes, and said directly: "What if I say that I want military power more?"
The moment he said this, a deep sense of loss flashed across Wei Liru's eyes.
The morning sun was not very warm, and it felt warm on her body, but Wei Liru felt cold all over.
Wei Liru's skills were totally insignificant in Wei Ting's eyes.
"Li Ru, you have been in the palace for several years, but you still haven't learned to hide your thoughts."
Under the light, Wei Liru's face was so white that it was almost transparent.
She said frankly: "I don't want Ji Qingwu to enter the palace."
"Obviously, before she appeared, the Emperor treated me most specially in the harem. Even if she hadn't..."
Wei Liru lowered her head and said, "The emperor would come to my Guanju Palace every month, but now, it's hard for me to even see the emperor."
Wei Liru was a proud person, she had never looked so lonely.
Wei Ting sighed: "Li Ru, I have said it before, he is the emperor, he can pamper you, but he will not love you. You insisted on entering the palace, you thought you would be the exception, but what about now?"
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