The woman who was originally engaged to Wei Hong was Ji Yunshu, the eldest daughter of the Ji family. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the late emperor passed away just as the two were preparing for their wedding.
After the then Crown Prince, who is now Emperor Wei Feng, ascended the throne, in order to show his benevolence and filial piety and his respect for the late emperor, he issued an edict for three years of mourning throughout the country, and banned marriage, singing and dancing, and all entertainment.
This applies to ordinary people as well, let alone Prince Wei Hong of Qin, who is the son of the late emperor.
Therefore, Wei Hong and Miss Ji's wedding date was postponed for three years, and they would get married after the three-year period was up.
However, just as the national mourning period was about to end, Ji Yunshu's mother passed away due to illness, and she had to observe three more years of mourning.
But Wei Hong was already nearly twenty years old at that time, and if he was in a hurry to get married, he could have simply called off the engagement.
Just when everyone was worried that he might break off the engagement, he sent a letter to the Ji family, telling them that he was deeply in love with Miss Ji and was willing to wait until she finished her mourning period before getting married.
The Ji family was reassured, thinking that the marriage would not be affected. However, half a year ago, Ji Yunshu went to a Buddhist temple outside the city to burn incense. On her way back, a rockfall startled the horses of her carriage, and she and the carriage fell into the ravine. By the time they were found, it was too late to save her; only her skeleton remained.
Ji Yunwan's eyes dimmed slightly as she said, "My sister's greatest wish before she died was to marry the prince, to be by his side every day, and to take care of him for the rest of her life, regardless of the weather or wealth."
"Now that she's gone, if I'm fortunate enough to marry into the Prince's mansion in her place, I will do as she wished, take good care of the Prince, and do my best to be the Princess Consort of Qin."
Panxiang nodded, his expression revealing a hint of disdain and smugness.
"They're both men, but when the madam passed away, the prince was willing to wait for the young lady. Yet the Qi family broke off their engagement with you, young lady! They're truly heartless and unjust!"
"I wonder if they'll be furious when they find out you're going to be the Princess of Qin?"
"Stop talking nonsense," Ji Yunwan said lightly. "Since I have broken off my engagement with the Qi family, we have nothing to do with each other anymore. Whether I become the Princess of Qin or marry someone else, what does it have to do with them?"
Panxiang stuck out her tongue: "This servant misspoke."
But she knew that the second young lady was as gentle as the eldest young lady and wouldn't punish her for such a small matter, so she didn't take it seriously.
As the master and servant were selecting jewelry from the box and discussing which piece would best match which outfit, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.
The person who came was a servant of Ji Huai'an, the head of the Ji family. She said that the master had something to discuss with her and asked her to go to the main courtyard immediately.
Ji Yunwan smiled and put down the jewelry, saying, "Is it the Prince who has arrived? So soon? I thought he would be here in a few days."
Today, the King of Qin entered the capital, and many people went out to see him and his Jingyuan Army, which was said to be invincible, hoping to take this opportunity to witness the prowess of the Great Liang's God of War. However, she did not go.
Because she knew it wasn't necessary.
In the past, whenever Wei Hong came to the capital, he would always visit the Ji residence within two days at the latest, and sometimes he would even come on the same day.
So while others went out to see him, she didn't. She waited for him to come to her, bringing gifts as always, each one being her favorite thing.
Ji Yunwan stood up, smiling, and prepared to go to the main courtyard with the servants. However, she saw that the other person looked embarrassed and avoided her gaze, saying, "Second Miss, His Highness Prince Qin did not come. Master asked you to come over because he has something else to tell you."
Ji Yunwan noticed her expression was off, and the smile on her lips faded slightly: "What is it?"
The servant thought that the news had already spread throughout the capital and she would find out soon, so telling her in advance might give her some time to prepare. So he told her the truth.
"At today's grand court assembly, His Majesty bestowed a marriage upon His Highness Prince Qin, betrothing his daughter, Miss Yao, to him. His Highness... accepted."
Ji Yunwan's mind went blank for a moment, and her body swayed slightly. She reached out to steady herself by holding onto the dressing table, but she accidentally knocked the box on it down, and the newly made jewelry fell to the ground.
Panxiang exclaimed in surprise, trying to help her up while also picking up her jewelry. In a flurry of activity, before she could even react, the usually dignified and proper second young lady had already lifted her skirt and run out quickly, stepping on a hairpin without even noticing.
Panxiang watched as the exquisite hairpin was trampled and deformed, but she couldn't care less and could only yell "Hey!" and chase after her.
...
On the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, the funeral bell rang in the palace.
Wei Feng ultimately couldn't hold on until the end of the year, and closed his eyes forever on this day.
Before his death, he left an oral decree that, for the sake of the country, society, and people's livelihood, after his death, the whole country should observe the mourning period of 27 days instead of days, and after the mourning period, people should be free to marry and have their music and dance.
When the late emperor died, he ordered the whole country to observe three years of national mourning. Now that it was his turn, he did not need to do so, which won him praise from the court and the public.
Although everyone knew perfectly well that he was doing this to prevent any changes in the marriage between the King of Qin and the daughter of Grand Tutor Yao, they still publicly praised him for his benevolence and kindness, calling him a wise and virtuous ruler.
Yao Youqing is already fourteen years old and is the only daughter in her family. A long time ago, Grand Tutor Yao began preparing her dowry, and now everything is ready, so she can get married at any time.
Before his death, Wei Feng set a wedding date for her and the King of Qin for four months later. Subtracting the 27 days of national mourning, there were only three months left. If Wei Hong wanted to return to the border first and then bring the betrothal gifts to fetch the bride, there would be no time at all.
Wei Feng had clearly considered all of this, and as his elder brother, he offered to help him prepare the betrothal gifts, so that after the national mourning period, Wei Hong could take Yao Youqing directly out of the capital.
The red lanterns that people had hung up in preparation for the New Year were all taken down, and the grand houses that had arranged for craftsmen to repaint their walls all stopped work. The festive atmosphere of the New Year vanished overnight, leaving only a scene of white mourning.
Since Yao Yuzhi fainted at the court meeting that day, although she was rescued and woke up, she has been depressed and bedridden until this evening when she finally managed to sit up and call the steward of the mansion.
"Tomorrow you will personally take my visiting card to the King of Qin and say... I have something to ask to see him."
The housekeeper had served Yao Yuzhi for decades and knew his temperament very well.
The master has always disapproved of the Prince of Qin's reliance on his military power and his abuse of authority. He has never had any private relations with him, and they are always at odds in court. They never even greet each other when they meet. Now, he has taken the initiative to send a visiting card to request an audience. He must have made a tough decision and swallowed his pride for the sake of the young lady.
But... given the King of Qin's temperament, would he agree to meet him?
The steward was uneasy, but dared not say anything. The next morning, he took the visiting card to the post station.
In less than half an hour, he returned home, handed the invitation back to Yao Yuzhi, and said, "Master, His Highness Prince Qin is busy today and cannot spare the time. Perhaps... this old servant will go and inquire another day?"
Looking at the visiting card, Yao Yuzhi's pale and haggard face became even more somber.
"Don't try to fool me with those words. He won't see me, will he?"
The butler remained silent, his face showing helplessness.
Yao Yuzhi took a deep breath and asked again, "What did he say?"
The steward hesitated for a moment before saying, "I didn't see the prince in person. It was his personal attendant who relayed a few words. He said that after the national mourning period, he would take the young lady away from the capital. He wanted you to take advantage of this time to enjoy family time with the young lady. After the young lady gets married, it will be difficult to see her again."
The Prince of Qin's fiefdom is a thousand miles away from the capital. As a vassal king, he is not allowed to return to the capital without permission. Even if he does return, it is uncertain whether he can bring his wife with him. If Yao Yuzhi wants to see her daughter again in the future, wouldn't that be difficult?
Yao Yuzhi closed her eyes briefly: "Anything else?"
The butler exclaimed in surprise, indicating his confusion.
Yao Yuzhi asked, "What else did he say?"
Given the history of conflict between the King of Qin and him, it's highly unlikely that he would simply end things with just a few words.
He knew very well that the butler was hiding something.
As expected, the butler looked troubled upon hearing this, his eyes darting around as he refused to say more.
Yao Yuzhi sat up shakily: "If you won't tell me, I'll go ask you myself!"
As he spoke, he actually started to put on his shoes and change his clothes to prepare to go out.
Left with no other option, the steward knelt down with a thud.
"The King of Qin said... that you don't need to come to him and beg him to treat Miss well in the future. If Miss is not doing well, it will all be your fault as her father. He said that you are... a fraudster who steals fame and fortune. Your so-called noble character is nothing but a means to gain fame and reputation."
"They even said... that the reason Madam and the two young masters died so young was because your lifespan was too long, taking away their lifespan. What if Miss also..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yao Yuzhi vomited blood and nearly fainted again.
The butler was startled and hurriedly tried to fetch a doctor, but he stopped him, saying, "No... there's no need to go."
He held onto the butler's hand and said, "I'm fine, I won't die! For Ning'er's sake, I won't die!"
He had been holding his blood in his throat for a long time, and now that he had finally coughed it up, he felt much better.
The steward was worried, but seeing his insistence, he didn't say anything more and could only send someone in to clean up the bloodstains on the ground.
Yao Yuzhi lay back down, murmuring, "I want to live, I want to live, for Ning'er, I must live..."
Only if he lives will the King of Qin have some reservations and not harm his daughter excessively.
Otherwise... his Ning'er would truly have no hope in this life!
...
I think it would be best if he died!
Guo Sheng said this in the post station.
"If he dies, Miss Yao will have to observe three years of mourning, and our prince might not have to marry her!"
Cui Hao shook his head: "Since the prince has already agreed to this marriage, why did you say such things to anger Grand Tutor Yao? After all, he will be the prince's father-in-law in the future. Even if the prince doesn't acknowledge it in his heart, this relationship cannot be erased in the eyes of the world."
"If people find out that our Prince's Mansion is so impolite, it won't be good for the Prince. Besides, we're still in the capital, so we should be more careful with our words and actions to avoid giving anyone a handle to use against us."
He concluded by admonishing him, "You must never be so reckless again, or you'll cause trouble for the Prince, and then it will be too late to regret it."
Guo Sheng frowned and gave an "oh," muttering somewhat resentfully, "It was the prince who sent me to deal with the Yao family. He knows I've always disliked them, so he probably wanted me to say something to them and teach them a lesson!"
Otherwise, they should have sent Cui Hao, who is relatively steady in his work.
Cui Hao sighed: "Even so, you should know when to stop. If the prince really becomes mortal enemies with the Yao family, what good will that do him?"
The situation in the court is constantly changing. For someone as respected as Grand Tutor Yao, it is extremely dangerous to offend him, as that would be tantamount to offending a large number of civil officials.
Their prince is stationed at the border and not in the capital. How can he withstand so many people trying to sow discord between the emperor and the emperor every day?
Guo Sheng understood this principle, and although reluctant, he nodded: "I understand, I will pay attention in the future."
Seeing that he had taken it to heart, Cui Hao nodded and said no more, lest he get annoyed and become even more disgusted with the Yao family.
Chapter 4 Meeting
On the fifth day of the first month of the first year of Chongming, the national mourning period had ended, and Prince Qin, Wei Hong, would soon set off to return to his fiefdom.
Before leaving the capital, he went to the Ji residence to bid farewell to Ji Huai'an and said frankly, "The late emperor was quite wary of me, and I imagine His Majesty is the same. Now I am carrying out the late emperor's last decree to marry Miss Yao. If I were to associate too closely with you now, I fear His Majesty might misunderstand the Ji family, which would be detrimental to you."
"That's why I haven't been able to visit you, sir, and I'm afraid I won't be able to come much in the future. I hope you won't mind."
Previously, the Ji family was related to him by marriage, and it was a marriage arranged by Emperor Gaozong himself. It was normal for them to have some contact. Even if Wei Feng felt uncomfortable and suspected them of forming cliques for personal gain, he could not accuse them without evidence.
But now that he is to marry Miss Yao by imperial decree, if he continues to associate with the Ji family as before, the former crown prince, now the emperor, will have even more reason to suspect them.
Wei Hong didn't care. Anyway, he had a large army under his command and would soon be leaving the capital. With the emperor far away, Wei Chi couldn't do anything to him.
But Ji Huai'an and the entire Ji family are different.
Their entire family business was in the capital, and they would have to rely on Wei Chi for their livelihood in the future. When they were engaged to the Prince of Qin, it was understandable that they depended on him. The late emperor did not dare to make things too difficult for them because of the Prince of Qin.
Now that the two families have broken off their engagement, if they were to seek help from the Prince of Qin's mansion again, it would be blatantly going against the new emperor, and how could the new emperor tolerate them?
Ji Huai'an understood this principle and knew that he was doing it for the good of the Ji family. He nodded and said, "You don't need to say it, I understand. You are doing this for our Ji family."
After saying that, he looked at the man who had once been about to become his son-in-law and sighed heavily.