"I had someone keep watch around the Prince's mansion. Not long after the goods were delivered, a carriage carrying two cartloads of goods came out of the side gate of the mansion."
"Although the contents of the carriage were packed in boxes and couldn't be identified, just to be on the safe side, I still sent someone to check it out, and then we discovered..."
"Those two carts of goods were the gifts you bestowed upon Princess Qin, and the person sitting in the carts... is Miss Ji the Second."
Chapter 39 Bellyband
Ji Yunwan was unaware that the people from the palace did not leave immediately after delivering the gifts, but instead stayed around the Qin Prince's residence, and even sent people to follow her all the way to the Lu family in Lintong.
Otherwise, even if she had eight times the courage, she wouldn't dare to openly take those things away and then show them off.
However, Wei Hong and Cui Hao were well aware of the ways people behaved in the palace, but neither of them warned her.
Wei Hong didn't care at all, and at the time, she was preoccupied with the fact that Wei Chi had given Yao Youqing something, so she was just sulking and didn't want to pay any attention to her.
Cui Hao felt that Miss Ji's behavior was inappropriate, and since the prince had not specifically instructed him to, he naturally wouldn't kindly remind her.
Anyway, everything given to her was given out of the book. Even if the people in the palace found out, it didn't matter. Without the prince's permission, no one could step into the palace to check the whereabouts of those imperial gifts.
After they returned to the capital and reported to Wei Chi, they would return with the imperial edict to verify it. By then, the Prince's residence would have already received word and prepared a substitute, ensuring that no one would discover anything.
So even though the palace maid knew that Ji Yunwan had taken the imperial gift, she didn't say anything and went back to tell Wei Chi directly.
Because he knew in his heart that since the King of Qin dared to send it, it meant that they would definitely not be able to find any fault with it.
Since there was no evidence against him, his protests at the time were of no use.
Wei Chi was naturally aware of this, and didn't blame him for it. He simply repeated with a gloomy expression, "Miss Ji?"
“Yes,” the palace maid said, “I later personally confirmed that it was indeed Miss Ji Er.”
"Miss Ji left the capital half a year ago under the pretext of visiting her seriously ill aunt, but she has not returned since. Many people in the capital have been spreading some bad rumors, but no one has thought of Prince Qin. After all... she is the eldest daughter of the Ji family, and Prince Qin is already married. Given the Ji family's status, it is unlikely that she would become a concubine."
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes this time, I wouldn't have believed that she actually went to Shangchuan and stayed there for so long without returning."
Wei Chi pursed his lips and his hands on his knees tightened.
"Although the Ji family had a marriage agreement with the Prince of Qin, I have never made things difficult for them because of it. Yet they secretly tried to collude with the Prince of Qin, even going so far as to send their daughter to be a concubine!"
“That’s right,” the palace maid chimed in. “In the past, the two families had some contact because of the marriage bestowed by Emperor Gaozong, but now that Miss Ji has passed away and Prince Qin has married Miss Yao, they still want to get related to Prince Qin. If you say they don’t have some ulterior motives, even I don’t believe it!”
"Besides, this servant saw that Miss Ji was not unwilling at all. She left the palace with a big smile on her face. After returning to the family where she was staying, she showed off the things that Prince Qin had given her everywhere, as if she was afraid that others would not know."
"show off?"
Wei Chi sneered, his expression growing increasingly sinister.
He leaned back in his chair, twirled the ring on his finger, and suddenly brought up something else.
"I am not young anymore. There is only the Empress in the harem now. It is time to select some more people to enter."
The palace attendant was taken aback for a moment, but quickly understood what he meant. He bowed and smiled, "Yes, His Majesty has been busy with state affairs since ascending the throne and has not yet held a selection of concubines. It is time to put it on the agenda."
Wei Chi nodded and let him make the arrangements.
As the palace servants left the main hall, the young eunuch whom he had adopted as his godson immediately came forward and followed closely behind him.
Upon hearing that His Majesty was preparing to select a concubine, the young eunuch suddenly realized and murmured, "The Prince of Qin married the woman His Majesty loves, so His Majesty selected his beloved woman to enter the palace, and so on..."
"Pooh!"
Before he could finish speaking, his godfather slapped him on the head and scolded him in a low voice.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Be careful someone overhears this and chop off your head, and you'll drag me down with you!"
The young eunuch chuckled sheepishly, "I misspoke; I won't do it again."
The palace servant glared at him: "If your father hadn't helped me once, I wouldn't have recognized a stupid and clumsy guy like you as my godson!"
"How long has Miss Ji been staying in Shangchuan? If Prince Qin really liked her, would she still be living in Lintong? Wouldn't she have entered the Prince's mansion long ago?"
The eunuch was puzzled and scratched his head: "But if the King of Qin didn't like her, why would he give her those imperial gifts so readily? Wouldn't that be disrespectful to the Princess Consort?"
The palace servant clicked his tongue and raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know about other things, but I know that the King of Qin definitely doesn't have those feelings for her. Otherwise, Miss Ji would already be his legitimate concubine, so why would she stay in Shangchuan without a proper title?"
Even if she was a concubine, at least she had a title.
What is Miss Ji now? She's not even a mistress!
"And this is probably the first time the prince has given her something."
He paused here, then asked the young eunuch, "Do you know why?"
Although the young eunuch was not as clever as him, he was not really stupid either. After being reminded by him, he immediately understood.
"Because the Ji family is of high social standing, even if those imperial gifts are precious, the Second Miss Ji will not be as conceited and boastful as someone from a humble family who has never seen the world."
“If the King of Qin frequently sent her gifts, she would have gotten used to it by now, and wouldn’t be in this state.”
However, her unusually smug demeanor in front of the Lu family suggests that the King of Qin did not often send her gifts, and it may even be the first time he has ever done so.
At least during the time she stayed at the Lu family's house, this should have been the first time.
The palace servant nodded in satisfaction: "Not too stupid."
No sooner had he finished praising her than the young eunuch asked, "Then why did Your Majesty choose her to enter the palace?"
If the King of Qin likes her, then His Majesty can still annoy him by taking in Miss Ji.
But the King of Qin didn't like her, so taking her in wouldn't have any impact on him.
Then why do it?
The palace maid angrily raised her hand and slapped him on the head again: "Who said His Majesty was going to select Miss Ji to enter the palace?"
The man in the inner chamber frowned: "Then why did His Majesty suddenly bring this up..."
Before the words "talent show" could even be uttered, the young eunuch suddenly realized something again.
"It's all for naught!"
If the imperial concubine selection is on the list, Miss Ji Er will definitely rush back from Hu City.
Once she returned to the capital, she was still not selected for the palace. Could she then use the excuse of visiting her aunt to leave the capital and head to Shangchuan again?
The Ji family is, after all, a scholarly family. Using such an excuse once is acceptable, but if it is used again and again, who knows what kind of rumors will spread in the capital? In that case, the reputation of their entire family will be ruined. Ji Huai'an will not take such a risk for something that may not even succeed.
The palace maid smiled, nodded slightly, and began to hum a soft, drawn-out tune.
"I only hate that she's so malicious, always smiling, sweet-talking but ruthless, two-faced, clinging to those above while kicking those below, always taking the initiative in good things and shirking the bad..." [Note 1]...
Wei Hong said he would be able to return to the manor in ten days or half a month, but in the end he only left for seven or eight days before returning.
Although he was never slow in handling matters, he wouldn't rush back to Hucheng unless it was something urgent.
Because no one was waiting for him there, and he had nothing to worry about.
The vast palace was just a place to live for him. Since leaving the capital and building his own residence outside the palace, it didn't matter to him where he lived.
But now, the thought of a little woman living in the Prince's mansion filled him with an urgent desire to finish his business and return as soon as possible.
He traveled through the night without removing his armor, and entered Hu City before dawn, carrying a chill with him as he entered the palace.
The servants of the Prince's mansion had not received prior notice of his return. The people in the front courtyard were fine, as they were already used to it, but the people in the inner courtyard were startled and hurriedly went to inform him, but he stopped them. So it wasn't until he arrived at the main gate that Zhou Mama knew he had returned.
“Your Highness,” Zhou Mama hurriedly bowed, then glanced into the room, “The Princess Consort is still asleep. Shall I go and wake her?”
"No need."
Wei Hong waved his hand and tiptoed inside, leaving her outside as usual.
It was still early, far from Yao Youqing's usual time to get up.
She was sleeping soundly and peacefully, wrapped in the blanket with her eyes closed.
Wei Hong walked over, stood by the bed, and leaned slightly down to look at her, the coldness in his eyes gradually dissipating.
These days, without that familiar scent around him, he always felt something was missing. Although it didn't keep him awake at night, he just wasn't quite used to it.
Habit……
These two words made Wei Hong slightly lost in thought. He reached out to touch the girl's cheek, but stopped just before touching her, afraid that his cold fingers would wake her up.
It hasn't been long, but he's already gotten used to her being around.
And what about her?
Looking at the girl's sleeping face, Wei Hong felt the chill that had just dissipated on his face return, and his expression became displeased.
She seemed more used to not having him, and slept much more soundly than when he was around a few days ago.
This thought made him feel a little frustrated, but he couldn't bear to wake the person in bed, so he didn't make any noise to disturb her.
He walked to the clothes rack, intending to remove his armor, change his clothes, and lie down next to her to sleep a little longer. But when he got there, he found a set of girls' clothes hanging on the rack. He didn't know if it was what she had changed out of or what she was going to wear that morning.
Wei Hong stared blankly at the clothes, remaining motionless for a long time, because hanging on it was a... bellyband that looked somewhat familiar to him.
The last time he wanted to consummate his marriage with Yao Youqing, he half-pulled off her clothes, revealing a corner of her bodice underneath. If he remembered correctly, it was the one hanging there now.
Wei Hong's thoughts immediately returned to that night, and his body, which had been somewhat chilly due to the late autumn chill, began to feel hot.
This undergarment is a girl's intimate clothing; I wonder if it also has a faint fragrance like her.
Thinking this, he inexplicably took the undergarment off the clothes rack and smelled it.
It smells so good...
These days, he's been spending time with a group of rough-looking soldiers, surrounded by the smells of blood and sweat. But then, unexpectedly, he smells this familiar fragrance again, and he's almost intoxicated by it, unable to resist taking a deep breath.
Just as he was completely absorbed in the moment, he suddenly felt something was wrong, his body stiffened, and he turned to look at the bed.
The girl, who had been sleeping, had woken up at some point and was looking at him with a terrified expression. Her round, bright eyes met his.
Chapter 40 Wounded
Wei Hong had never been so humiliated in his life. His mind went blank, and he wanted to explain but couldn't.
There is no suitable reason to explain his current behavior, and he is not used to explaining himself to others.