Wei Shuwan remained silent, listening quietly to Wei Shuyao's unfounded complaints. She didn't get angry, but felt a lump of ashes in her chest, and a strange tightness in her chest.
Wei Wenshi grew increasingly worried as she listened, leaning on her cane and muttering, "The Wei family has been around for a hundred years... the Wei family has been around for a hundred years... we can't just let it fall like this."
Wasn't the century-old Wei family mansion in Wu County sold by her eldest uncle long ago? From that moment on, the Wei family was finished. Wei Shuwan thought to herself, but remained silent on the surface.
After pondering for a long time, Lady Wei Wen finally said in a deep voice, "Third daughter, although your father now holds a real position and is temporarily acting as the Water Conservancy Commissioner to supervise the construction of the Jiangzuo Dam, he is only a fifth-rank official, and it may not last long! Not to mention that you can't afford to offend a family like the Prince Jing's Mansion, even if your father came, he would have to kneel down and pay his respects to His Highness Prince Jing!"
"What does Grandmother want to say?"
Hearing Wei Wenshi repeatedly use her father as a pretext, Wei Shuwan felt slightly annoyed and looked at her with a cold, clear gaze.
Normally, Madam Wei would have scolded her for having no respect for her elders, but now she still had to rely on her to bow her head and save the Wei family from disaster, so she could only sigh and say earnestly, "Third girl, Grandmother knows you feel wronged, but there is often no reasoning in the face of power."
“Since you have a grudge against that Princess Yun’an, it is best to resolve it. After much consideration, your grandmother suggests that the Sheng family take the lead in mediating between you. You can then personally apologize to Princess Yun’an and ask her to be lenient. In that case, out of respect for the Sheng family, this matter will most likely be resolved.”
After saying that, Lady Wei added, "Even Lian Po, a high-ranking minister, could bare his chest and carry thorns to apologize in person. Why do you young ladies have so many concerns?"
It would have been better without that sentence; adding it only fueled Wei Shuwan's anger. Suppressing her rage, she calmly asked, "Grandmother, do you mean that the Prince Jing's Mansion is secretly ruining my reputation, yet I'm going to apologize to them?"
"By bowing your head, you can bring peace to your whole family. Besides, even if you don't bow your head, will you not be laughed at? Listen to what's being said outside these days; these rumors will only spread further and further. How will you get married in the future?!"
Wei Shuwan clenched her fists tightly into her hands, which were hidden in her sleeves, and finally, with red eyes, she left Songheju.
Behind them came the great-grandmother's incessant grumbling: "Mother, look at this child! He's getting more and more unruly! Even now, he only cares about his pride and doesn't care about the well-being of the family!"
"This will inevitably bring disaster to your family sooner or later!"
...
Wei Shuwan struggled to lift her chin, suppressing the tears welling in her eyes. Even in this second life, even knowing that her grandmother wasn't her biological grandmother, she still cherished that familial bond. But today, her heart was utterly chilled.
Zi Qiao and Miao Xiang had been waiting outside Songhe Residence since early morning. When they saw Wei Shuwan come out alone, they hurriedly went to greet her.
Miaoxiang: "Miss, are you alright?"
Zi Qiao: "What's wrong? Did the old lady scold you again? Don't take it to heart. The old lady has always been biased!"
Wei Shuwan forced a smile and said, "I'm fine. By the way, has my benefactor left yet?"
This morning, Li Qingchen said "leave," and she is still unsure whether he meant leaving the Wei family.
Zi Qiao looked around cautiously and whispered, "Miss, the young prince disappeared last night!"
Wei Shuwan had her answer in mind. She simply hummed in agreement and said nothing more.
When they returned to Fuqu Pavilion, Zi Qiao had already ordered hot water to be prepared. While helping Wei Shuwan undress, she said, "Whether it's to get rid of bad luck after being punished, or to warm up your body in the damp and cold confinement room, Miss, you must have a good soak today!"
"Yes, I have prepared jasmine petals for you, Miss, which are good for sleep. I will also burn some calming incense later, so you can have a good sleep after your bath and regain your strength."
Wei Shuwan finally felt a little comforted. Having two such considerate maids was more comforting and heartwarming than having some relatives.
While taking a bath, Wei Shuwan couldn't help but doze off. Once the water cooled down a bit, she moved to the couch to sleep, and slept straight through until the afternoon.
Miaoxiang had prepared a table full of delicacies, and after Wei Shuwan enjoyed them, all the gloom in her heart vanished. At this moment, the gatekeeper came to report that someone had delivered a box, specifying that it was for the Third Miss, and asked if she wanted it carried to Fuqu Pavilion.
Wei Shuwan wouldn't accept an unnamed gift directly, especially with the Prince Jing's residence constantly causing trouble, which made her very wary. So she asked the gatekeeper to open it a crack first to see what was inside.
Soon the gatekeeper came back and said that the passageway was filled with wooden chips, but its purpose was not clear from the small crack in the door.
"Since it's just wood chips, let's bring it in first," Wei Shuwan said, puzzled.
Before long, the box was carried to Fuqu Pavilion by two gatekeepers. Upon seeing the color and style of the box, Wei Shuwan was shocked. These were the very boxes that Li Qingchen had hidden underwater, exactly the same as the ones she had seen at the farmhouse last time!
After the gatekeepers left, Wei Shuwan hurriedly asked Ziqiao to open the box. Sure enough, it contained only stacks of thin wooden pieces, not the swords, spears, and halberds she had seen before. Her heart finally settled down a little.
The wooden pieces were only the size of ordinary books. Wei Shuwan picked one up casually and found that it was made of fine pear wood. When she turned it over, she found that there were densely engraved characters on it.
Her fingertips gently traced the neat handwriting:
"I have heard that the most important duty of the emperor is to uphold propriety, the most important aspect of propriety is the distinction of roles, and the most important aspect of distinction is the naming of officials. What is propriety? It is the establishment of rules and regulations. What is the distinction of roles? It is the relationship between the ruler and his subjects. What is the naming of officials? It is the distinction between dukes, marquises, ministers, and high officials."
After reading only the beginning, Wei Shuwan froze, standing there like a half-built wooden stake: "This is..."
"What is it?" Ziqiao and Miaoxiang asked hastily when they saw that her expression was off.
They had never read the Zizhi Tongjian, so they didn't know that this box contained the very thing their master had been longing for! Wei Shuwan had only complained about this to one person.
Therefore, this set of printed editions of the Zizhi Tongjian was a gift from Li Qingchen to her...
He actually thought of using printing plates instead of bamboo slips!
After a long while, Wei Shuwan finally exhaled, her voice a mix of a smile and a sigh: "These are the treasures Ah Xiu wanted most. Let's go to Yizhu Garden!"
...
In late autumn, everything withers and falls. A gust of wind blows, and the bare branches in the courtyard tremble wildly, but the green bamboo in Yizhu Garden remains lush and upright.
When Wei Shuwan arrived, Wei Chengxiu was reading in the study. In fact, he had already memorized all the books in his hands, but thinking that each word was written by his elder sister, he couldn't bear to let them gather dust on the bookshelf, and would take them out from time to time to touch them like treasures.
Hearing footsteps approaching from the courtyard, Wei Chengxiu initially assumed it was a servant bringing tea. However, once the footsteps entered the house, he felt an unusual sense of warmth and familiarity.
Wei Chengxiu rose from her chair with a smile and groped her way out to greet her: "Sister."
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