Chapter 30 The Person of Wei Liu Niang
Zhu Baoyue was still angry after being provoked by her friend last time. She was unwilling to go to her usual close friends and only talked to Zhu Xuanning. However, because she had something on her mind, Zhu Baoyue's gaze unconsciously wandered to other places, making her seem somewhat absent-minded.
“Sister, there are more people here now, and it’s going to be noisy and give us a headache. Let’s go over there for some peace and quiet.” Zhu Baoyue’s eyes glanced casually to the side and saw her old friends coming over in twos and threes.
She still kept Yanzhu's repeated instructions in mind, and made a move to get up and pull Zhu Xuanning away to another place.
Zhu Xuanning was only there to accompany Zhu Baoyue at the banquet. Since the ink-splashing incident didn't bring news of Yu Xuan's attendance, she was somewhat uninterested and therefore didn't go against Zhu Baoyue's wishes.
But before Zhu Xuanning could finish looking up from her seat, she heard a commotion around her.
"Heavens, it really is the Princess."
The whispers among the noble ladies reached their ears. Zhu Xuanning looked up and saw that groups of maids and servants had formed a circle around her to clear a path. Wherever the young woman passed, most of the noble ladies and wives of noblemen bowed in greeting.
Zhu Baoyue almost instinctively looked at her elder sister. Her gaze was worried. She quietly moved closer to Zhu Xuanning and whispered, "That is Lady Wei. She was frail since childhood but was favored by the Empress Dowager. Because of this favor and the merits of her father and brothers, she was granted the title of Lady and received a stipend of 600 shi of rice. Now the imperial family has acted as matchmaker and bestowed a marriage upon my cousin. After April, she will be our sister-in-law."
It was her.
Zhu Xuanning did not consider Mei Jiashan as a target, so she did not care about his marriage. She knew that Mei Jiashan's fiancée came from a good family, but she did not know that she was so good.
Looking at the grand spectacle, Zhu Xuanning's eyes flickered with a faint longing, and she couldn't help but say from the bottom of her heart, "What a wonderful marriage."
Zhu Baoyue heard this and saw Zhu Xuanning smiling, but she felt she couldn't understand that smile. The girl was stunned for a moment, and then asked in a daze and with a sense of bewilderment, "Why did you say this is a good match, not a match made out of mutual love and sincere desire? Is it really a good match?"
Zhu Baoyue didn't quite understand. Her heart ached a little, but she also felt a strange, sullen anger. However, she didn't get an answer from Zhu Xuanning before Wei Mingzhu walked over.
Both of them bowed.
The sickly-looking girl didn't let the head maid do it for her this time, but instead helped the two of them herself.
"My two sisters from the Zhu family, please rise." Wei Mingzhu's voice was gentle, though not very strong. After helping the two up, she paused slightly before continuing, "I see you're staying in this deserted corridor, so you must prefer quiet. I happen to have a good spot here. There are many beautiful koi in the pond behind. We can lean against the pavilion, feed the fish, admire the weeping willows, and enjoy the warm breeze. It would be quite pleasant."
"What does the Zhu family's younger sister think?"
When Wei Mingzhu said her last sentence, her gaze clearly shifted towards Zhu Baoyue.
Zhu Baoyue lowered her head, pursed her lips, and remained silent.
Upon hearing the news of the ink splash, Zhu Xuanning naturally understood the crux of her younger sister's problem. She put her arm around Zhu Baoyue's arm, gently squeezed her hand, and then said softly to Wei Mingzhu, "I heard that the koi was a tribute from the state, and it's extremely beautiful. None of us have ever seen koi before, so naturally we all want to go. However, Baoyue is a little shy and is too embarrassed to agree."
Zhu Xuanning spoke first, and Zhu Baoyue nodded slightly in response, her voice becoming much softer: "Yes, Your Highness, please don't misunderstand."
Upon hearing the title "Prince," Wei Mingzhu couldn't help but burst out laughing. The maids and servants around her, instead of being happy to see her laugh, became extremely tense, their eyes darting around as if they were about to rush at her at any moment.
Wei Mingzhu waved her hand, then dismissed the servants, leaving only two head maids by her side. She then pulled one of them by the hand and said, "Don't call me Lady. I'm older than both of you. Just call me Sister Wei. If you can't, just call me Sixth Sister or Shi Sui."
Wei Mingzhu was kind and eloquent, and it didn't take long for her to stir up Zhu Baoyue's emotions. The two had already started talking. Zhu Xuanning knew that the other party had come for Zhu Baoyue, so she just listened quietly. Even so, Wei Mingzhu deliberately took care of Zhu Xuanning's emotions so that she wouldn't feel neglected.
She seemed like a very nice girl. Zhu Xuanning had interacted with many people, and she could sense that from just this short time together.
The pool is not far from where they first stayed. You can find it by walking through a short corridor, then across a perforated bridge carved with small animals and a standing pavilion.
The courtyard where the Zhenguo Mansion was hosting the banquet was quite interesting. At one end of the pierced bridge were the female guests' seats, and at the other end were the male guests' seats. The two seats were not far apart, but not far either. They were separated by only a section of the bridge, and they could almost see each other, which was quite reminiscent of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meeting across the Magpie Bridge.
The reflecting pool is conveniently located. After crossing the arched bridge, turn right and pass a pavilion to find it. It is neither too far nor too close to the male seating area, and because of the surrounding artificial hills and lush trees, it is difficult for ordinary people to notice that there are people here.
The Zhenguo Mansion had long implemented strict management of its servants, and it would be even more impossible for them to bring guests this way, lest they ruin things.
"Come on, feed the fish." Noticing that Zhu Baoyue, who had been in high spirits, had fallen silent again in this place, Wei Mingzhu took the fish food that the maid had brought and handed it to her with a smile.
Zhu Baoyue hummed in agreement, broke off a piece, and casually tossed it into the pool. The once calm surface of the pool instantly splashed up, and the beautiful fish vigorously swung their tails and opened their mouths to snatch the food.
Perhaps this anger infected Zhu Baoyue, because she couldn't help but throw down another piece.
"Pat-pat".
The fish shook their heads and tails, fighting even more fiercely for the food.
Wei Mingzhu's eyes gradually lit up as she looked at Zhu Baoyue, and she couldn't help but smile. She slowed her pace and tugged at Zhu Xuanning's sleeve: "Let's go play on the other side. There's a small pond next to the main pool."
Zhu Xuanning followed her gaze and, through the lush low trees, saw two boys walking together in this direction.
"Okay." She responded softly, and then quietly followed Wei Mingzhu away.
When alone with Zhu Xuanning, Wei Mingzhu spoke to her gently, without any of the arrogance of a noble lady. As they talked, they arrived at the small pond.
Wei Mingzhu leaned against the chaise lounge, tossing fish food down, and not forgetting to ask someone to pass a piece to Zhu Xuanning.
"Xiao Wu, may I call you that?" Wei Mingzhu's gentle voice made Zhu Xuanning pause for a moment as she was breaking up fish food.
"Yes, Sixth Sister." In an instant, Zhu Xuanning accepted the title.
Wei Mingzhu smiled with her lips pursed: "It's quite a coincidence. When I was a child, I had a playmate who was also the fifth child in his family. I didn't like to call him by his name and often called him Xiao Wu. As I got older, I changed my way of addressing him to avoid any awkwardness."
Zhu Xuanning listened quietly. Wei Mingzhu dropped another piece of fish food, and amidst the scrambling sounds of people grabbing the food, she slowly spoke, "He didn't make things difficult for you, did he?"
Zhu Xuanning gripped the fish food tightly, unsure of Wei Mingzhu's meaning, and thus remained silent without answering immediately.
"Xiao Wu." Wei Mingzhu called her again, propping herself up and sitting down next to her.
Wei Mingzhu broke the distance the two had been maintaining, which made Zhu Xuanning subconsciously uneasy and want to distance herself from them.
Wei Mingzhu gently pressed down on her sleeve and whispered, "I don't mean anything else. I just want to tell you that we will be family from now on. If there is any misunderstanding, I will mediate and never let him bully you."
He's like you; although he's made mistakes, he's actually a good kid.
Zhu Xuanning suddenly raised her head, and her gaze met Wei Mingzhu's. There was no feigned emotion in her eyes, no resentment or hatred, only a warm and accepting look.
Wei Mingzhu is a good person, but even under such tolerant gaze, Zhu Xuanning does not feel that her behavior is despicable. If she had a choice, why would she do these things?
Wei Mingzhu was stunned, then stroked her sleeve, leaned forward, broke off a piece of fish food from her hand, shook her head, and whispered, "I know you have no feelings for him, and actually I don't care about those things either. I married him just to fulfill my parents' wish. I'm telling you this to put your mind at ease and to tell you not to be afraid."
"Did Yan Xiaowu cause you trouble because of your affair with Young Master Mei?" Wei Mingzhu brought it up again, and this time, Zhu Xuanning nodded.
“That guy.” Wei Mingzhu smiled helplessly, then said, “I apologize to you on his behalf, and he will apologize to you properly another day.”
Zhu Xuanning immediately shook her head. Although she felt good about making Yan Hengdan bow her head, she absolutely could not afford to offend anyone right now, so Zhu Xuanning had no intention of accepting Wei Mingzhu's kindness.
When Wei Mingzhu saw Zhu Xuanning shake her head, she only needed to think for a moment before she understood.
Thinking of Zhu Xuanning's situation, Wei Mingzhu couldn't help but feel sorry for her, so she whispered, "Yan Xiaowu's situation is actually somewhat similar to yours. Don't be fooled by his arrogant appearance; he's actually soft-hearted."
Wei Mingzhu's words revealed a great deal of information, and Zhu Xuanning couldn't help but clench her fingers. She remembered Yan Hengdan's change in attitude, which seemed to have happened after she burned her manuscript and cried that night.
"Thank you, Sixth Sister." Zhu Xuanning smiled gratefully. Wei Mingzhu's mood improved as she looked at her. She patted Zhu Xuanning's hand and said, "That's right. You look even more beautiful when you smile than I thought. It makes me feel good."
This straightforward praise made Zhu Xuanning blush.
Although she could feel that Wei Mingzhu was genuinely kind to her, Zhu Xuanning didn't dare to discuss anything too deep. Wei Mingzhu accommodated her and only talked about things that were neither too close nor too distant.
After a while, Wei Mingzhu looked tired, but she didn't want to go back to her room, so she leaned against Zhu Xuanning and closed her eyes.
Not long after, a series of light footsteps came from afar. Zhu Xuanning was a little nervous but dared not move. Fortunately, Wei Mingzhu's head maid was quick-witted and immediately went out to stop the person.
But in just a short while, the footsteps that had stopped grew closer and closer. Zhu Xuanning wanted to wake Wei Mingzhu, but after hearing the rhythm of the footsteps, she stopped moving.
"Shh." When the handsome young man with delicate features and a slender figure emerged from the lush greenery around the corner, Zhu Xuanning raised her slender finger to her lips and gently shushed him.
Yan Hengdan stopped abruptly, his gaze falling blankly on the girl breathing lightly before slowly moving to Zhu Xuanning's face.
Yan Hengdan dared not move or utter a sound, but stood in the dense shade of the trees and opened her mouth.
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