Wei Shuwan said, "Well, those ideas weren't fully formed yet. We need to think carefully about where to go and what excuse to use to coax Uncle to come along. There's no rush. Let's discuss it after the Autumn Festival."
Pan Wenjun smiled, wanting to express her gratitude, but hesitated to say it. Finally, she bit her lip and openly encouraged her, "Shuwan, just do whatever you want without worry. I know you're doing everything out of good intentions, wanting to help me and your uncle. So no matter what you do, I won't blame you, and I'll still be grateful to you."
After saying these heartfelt words, Pan Wenjun felt a little regretful, and upon reflection, she felt somewhat ashamed.
She jumped off the chaise lounge, pursed her lips tightly, and reminded him, "You understand what I mean... but tonight you have to pretend I was never here, and that I never said those things to you. I... I'm leaving now!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Pan Wenjun dashed out of the tent.
Wei Shuwan watched her leave with a smile on her lips, thinking that if she had been this fast in the mountains today, she probably wouldn't have needed her uncle's life-risking protection.
Once the tent flap closed, Wei Shuwan's smile slowly faded.
Although it wasn't exactly honorable, now that she had found out Sister Pan's intentions, she was determined to do it that way.
Time waits for no one; only that way can solve the problem once and for all. After all, saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda.
*
Without the commotion at Fuquxuan, the Wei family mansion seemed unusually quiet tonight, and even the lights in each courtyard were turned off a little earlier than usual.
Wei Ping personally carried a lantern to the gate of Fuquxuan, her eyes fixed on the inside, as if waiting for someone to come out.
Today's trip to the hunting grounds in the northern suburbs was a complete failure for her. The groom, whom she had painstakingly bribed at great expense, had finally managed to tamper with Pan Wenjun's horse, intending to either disfigure her or seriously injure her. Who would have thought that Sun Xingjian would be able to protect her and bring her back unharmed, even managing to hunt down a black bear.
All her money and effort had gone down the drain, how could Wei Ping not be angry? But being angry was useless, she still had to figure out her next move.
Even if we can't hurt Pan Wenjun, it's good to be able to create some trouble using this matter.
As Wei Ping was pondering these thoughts, she spotted a figure moving in the distance. Since the stone lanterns had all been extinguished early, she couldn't make out the appearance of the person approaching, but she surmised it must be Xiao Ke. Zi Qiao and Miao Xiang had both gone to the hunting grounds with Wei Shuwan, and the other servants in Fuqu Pavilion were naturally taking a break and going back to their rooms to sleep; only Xiao Ke was still working.
Ever since Xiao Ke betrayed her master and came to Fuquxuan, she has been eager to prove herself, so she has taken on all the chores, such as fetching water in the morning and pouring water at night.
Wei Ping raised the lantern in her hand and slowly swung it around twice. Sure enough, the people in the courtyard noticed them. They stood there dumbfounded for a moment, but then they heard what was happening.
"Aunt, why are you here?" Xiao Ke looked at Wei Ping uneasily, but she knew perfectly well that Wei Ping had come to tell her something. This was precisely why she was flustered, because ever since Wei Ping caught her having an affair, she had no way to refuse her orders.
Wei Ping's expression, which had been somewhat unpleasant due to the day's less-than-smooth events, had transformed into a smiling face as Xiao Ke approached. Before she could even speak, she noticed Xiao Ke's trembling and gave a disgruntled snort, "What, are you that afraid of me?"
Xiao Ke frowned deeply, not daring to look up at Wei Ping. Her hands were clenched tightly together, her fingertips turning white. It was as if she was waiting for some terrible verdict.
Wei Ping understood her thoughts, but she was even more furious! If it weren't for Xiao Ke's betrayal, how could her Cai Die have been imprisoned in a place like jail? Now it was her daughter who was waiting for the official's verdict.
Moreover, since Cai Die entered the case, she had spent countless sums of money, yet she hadn't even been able to see her once. It wasn't a particularly serious case, so she couldn't understand why it was being handled so harshly. She secretly wondered if the second branch of the family had also secretly spent money, intentionally trying to make things difficult for her in the government office.
However, these are all just Wei Ping's own speculations, without any evidence, and it's not appropriate to directly question them. The most important thing right now is to try to repair the relationship with the second wife and get them to agree before the court hearing.
Thinking this, Wei Ping didn't bother with Xiao Ke anymore and just picked out the important things to tell her: "Xiao Ke, your young lady will be back early tomorrow morning. I heard that she fell off her horse and got injured, and she has to use crutches to walk."
"What?" Xiao Ke looked up at Wei Ping in shock, her eyes searching for the truth. "Auntie, are you telling the truth?"
"Of course, why would I lie to a little girl like you? Besides, you'll know whether it's true or not when Shu comes back tomorrow evening."
Although Xiao Ke hadn't been with Wei Shuwan for very long, she felt a special kind of gratitude towards her. When she was trying to raise money for her ailing father's medical treatment, she had sold herself in the street, sticking dry grass in her hair. Wei Shuwan passed by, gave her some money, but didn't demand that she immediately come to the Wei family as a servant. Instead, she allowed her to go home and take good care of her father.
Although her father passed away a few days later, Xiao Ke had done her best in her final moments, leaving no regrets for the rest of her life. Therefore, she entered the Wei family's gate with a heart full of gratitude.
Wei Shuwan had been kind to her, so when she heard that Wei Shuwan had fallen from her horse and was injured, Xiao Ke was genuinely worried. She knew that Wei Ping wouldn't lie to her about something so easily exposed, so she hurriedly asked, "Aunt, how badly is the Third Miss injured? Has she been seen by a doctor?"
After asking this question, Xiao Ke suddenly realized something and asked in confusion, "But the Third Miss left the city and was in the hunting grounds. How did Aunt know about the situation there...?"
As soon as she asked the question, Xiao Ke seemed to have already thought of an answer: Wei Ping must have followed her to the hunting grounds, unwilling to give up, and was up to some bad intentions.
"Could it be...could it be that the Third Miss fell off her horse because of Auntie?" Xiao Ke asked incredulously, otherwise she couldn't understand why things would happen so coincidentally.
Wei Ping rolled her eyes and glanced at the horizon: "Of course I didn't do it! Besides, even if I did, it wouldn't be aimed at your third daughter."
What's infuriating is that the person she tampered with was unharmed, while the person she didn't tamper with was injured. It's truly a case of fate being against us.
"Is the Third Miss seriously injured?"
"How would I know? You'll see when she comes back tomorrow." Wei Ping was getting a little annoyed by Xiao Ke's questions, so she got straight to the point: "I have a small favor to ask you to do tomorrow."
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