But after waiting for a long time without seeing anyone, she got dressed and went out to look for them herself.
Wei Hong was surprised that Yao Youqing would come to find him, and when she asked him what was bothering him, he was both amused and exasperated.
He gave Cui Hao a wink, signaling him to take his men away, before whispering something to Yao Youqing.
Yao Youqing felt a flush on her face in the winter night, unsure of what to say to him.
She turned to leave angrily, but Wei Hong pulled her back by the waist.
"Good Ning'er, good Ning'er, don't be angry. I've just been holding it in for too long."
Yao Youqing's face burned even hotter: "Let go! There are people watching!"
Wei Hong carried her to a large, sturdy tree and gently kissed her forehead.
"Don't worry, Ziqian has his men on guard around here, no one dares to look in our direction."
He grew bolder as he spoke, pinning her against the tree trunk and kissing her repeatedly.
This place is quite far from the campsite and very secluded, so even if he does something, he won't disturb anyone else.
Wei Hong thought it over and over and felt that the time was just right. He pressed Yao Youqing tightly between himself and the tree trunk, his voice filled with undisguised desire: "Ning'er, allow me one time."
Yao Youqing was dizzy from his kisses, but still somewhat conscious, and asked in a trembling voice, "Is...is it here?"
"Here."
After Wei Hong finished speaking, fearing that she would refuse, he kissed her again.
The woman in his arms struggled, but gradually softened under his kisses and gentle coaxing, her weak arms clinging limply to his shoulders.
Wei Hong reached into her clothes with one hand and unfastened his own trousers with the other, breathing heavily. Just as his trousers fell down with a swish, Cui Hao's voice came from afar: "Your Highness, Mother Zhou says the young prince is crying terribly and wants to see his mother."
Wei Hong: "..."
I've already taken my pants off, and this is what you're telling me?
Chapter 133 Take Care
Wei Hong was unhappy.
Wei Hong was very unhappy.
He used to see his son as his own son, but now he sees him as a fake son.
Young Wei Qi'an was completely unaware of this until he smelled his mother's familiar fragrance, at which point he gradually calmed down and stopped crying.
Yao Youqing looked at his red and rosy face from crying and felt very sorry for him. She said to Wei Hong, "Your Highness, let Chen'er sleep with us tonight, okay?"
Wei Qi'an is a boy, and Wei Hong believes that boys should act like boys and should not be spoiled, even if they are only a few months old. Therefore, he never allows him to live with his mother.
Since Wei Qi'an was born, he has never slept with his mother. Every night, Wei Hong would have his wet nurse take him away. He thought the child should have gotten used to it by now, but for some reason, he started making a fuss in the middle of the night.
"They were probably frightened."
"That's what the wet nurse said."
"The young prince had just woken up and was nursing when he suddenly heard the calls of night owls and started crying. We can't soothe him no matter what we do."
She had intended to explain why she hadn't been able to soothe the children and had disturbed them in the middle of the night, but Wei Hong's expression worsened upon hearing this. However, this expression wasn't directed at her, but at his son.
Wei Hong's child is afraid of owls? How shameful!
And it was a boy.
"You can't spoil the child; let him sleep on his own."
Wei Hong, with a stern face, instructed the wet nurse to take away Wei Qi'an, who had calmed down and stopped crying.
The wet nurse dared not object and immediately offered to take the child.
Yao Youqing was reluctant and pleaded with Wei Hong, "Your Highness, Chen'er rarely cries at night. He must have been terribly frightened just now. Please let him sleep with me for one night."
Wei Hong's attitude towards Yao Youqing was naturally not so harsh, but he did not back down either. He said gently, "You let him sleep with you for one night today. He knows that he can sleep with you if he cries. If he cries and makes a fuss again tomorrow, do you expect him to sleep with you all the time?"
"Besides, what's so scary about an owl's call? He's such a coward, he should really practice!"
He gestured with his chin toward the wet nurse and said, "Take her away."
The wet nurse agreed and took the child from Yao Youqing's arms.
Although Yao Youqing was reluctant, she had no choice but to let go.
But as soon as Wei Qi'an left his mother's embrace, he burst into tears again.
"Chen'er!"
Yao Youqing quickly took the child back.
After being held by his mother several times, Wei Qi'an became fixated on her scent and refused to let anyone else hold him.
Yao Youqing was afraid that he would cry himself sick, so no matter what Wei Hong said, she refused to let the wet nurse take the child away and insisted on keeping him with her.
That night, Wei Qi'an became a separate person between Wei Hong and Yao Youqing.
Looking at his wife and children sleeping peacefully, Wei Hong knew this was the first time, but it would never be the last.
That brat Wei Qi'an will definitely be caught between him and Ning'er a lot from now on.
He was once again certain in his heart that his son was not as considerate or as well-behaved as his daughter, and that he must have a daughter next time!
...
When Wei Hong and his party reached Qizhou territory, a messenger arrived from the direction of Huaicheng.
The man delivered two letters, one to Yao Youqing and the other to Wei Hong, saying that a girl named Qiongyu had asked him to deliver them.
The messenger, Cui Hao, looked unfamiliar and had doubts about the two letters, but he still showed them to Yao Youqing so she could identify the handwriting.
Yao Youqing glanced at the envelope and immediately recognized it as Qiongyu's handwriting. She quickly took it, and as she opened it, she frowned and said, "Why is she writing to me when I'm almost there? Is something urgent?"
When she opened it, the handwriting inside was completely different from that on the envelope; it wasn't Qiongyu's, and she didn't recognize it at all.
But the letter contained very little information and was signed.
It says: I'll make you so angry!
The name that follows is... Liancheng.
Yao Youqing: "Young Master Lian?"
He handed the letter to Wei Hong, glanced at it, and asked in confusion, "Is this really a letter from Young Master Lian? Has he... gone mad?"
Wei Hong looked at the letter; he was very familiar with the handwriting—it was the same handwriting Lian Cheng used when they corresponded in the past.
But the letter he had in his hand was written in the handwriting Liancheng used when he was helping Yao Youqing with her bookkeeping in Cangcheng. It read: "Nan Yan Qi Yuan, farewell, take care."
Wei Hong twitched the corner of his mouth and crumpled the letter in his hand into a ball: "Who knows? Maybe he's gone mad."
Chapter 134 reveals the truth (69.4%)
If the messenger has problems, then the messenger will naturally have problems as well.
Cui Hao sent men to arrest the man, but he had already fled to relieve himself. He must have chosen this easy place to escape beforehand and prepared an escape route for himself.
Although the surrounding mountains and forests are dense and there are many streams, it is not impossible to find out if you really want to. After all, this is within the territory of Daliang, and he has only been gone for a short time. It just requires sending more people and more effort.
But Liancheng must have already returned to Southern Yan by now. This man was just a messenger; capturing him would only serve to vent anger, and he wouldn't be of any other use.
Since the letter intended for Yao Youqing was never delivered, Wei Hong didn't dwell on it. He simply threw the letter into the incense burner and burned it, then ordered Cui Hao to continue on their way, ignoring the messenger.
Two days later, Guo Sheng led his men to meet them from the direction of Huaicheng, bringing with him the news that the capital had fallen.
"Was it breached by the Hengyang Army and the Pingdong Army?"
Cui Hao said calmly, not at all surprised.
Guo Sheng nodded: "Not only that, Rongwei Army also got involved."
"The prince will soon arrive in Huaicheng and will soon be enthroned. These people deliberately chose this time to capture the capital as a congratulatory gift for the prince's enthronement."
Wei Hong said he vowed not to attack the capital, but that didn't mean others couldn't.
The capital city was already under siege, and Wei Chi's guards were demoralized and easily defeated. If they wanted to take it, they could have done it much earlier; they just wanted to join in the fun now.
Although whether or not the capital was captured made little difference to Wei Hong, the loss of this territory would leave the Great Liang incomplete. They helped him turn this incompleteness into completeness by presenting it as a gift at the most opportune moment.
Wei Hong had already anticipated this, and like Cui Hao, he wasn't surprised. He simply asked, "What about Wei Chi? How were they dealt with?"
"Naturally, it's reserved for you, Your Highness."
Guo Shengdao.
"There's an interesting story behind this."
Half a month ago, the capital was captured. Several generals from the Hengyang Army, the Pingdong Army, and the Rongwei Army arrived at the palace immediately, all wanting to capture Wei Chi alive.
They originally thought Wei Chi would fight to the death or even commit suicide to avoid being brought before Wei Hong and humiliated. However, when they entered, they found that the palace had already been taken control by Empress Zhu.
Zhu drugged Wei Hong's food and drink, rendering him and his close associates unconscious.
When everyone arrived, Wei Chi was bound hand and foot to a chair and was still unconscious.
Several generals wanted to claim the credit, but Lady Zhu was no ordinary concubine. She was the empress personally chosen by the late emperor for Wei Chi. Her maternal grandmother was the Grand Princess Yuanjia, the younger sister of Emperor Gaozong, and her maternal family was the Zhu family of Yong'an, a family full of loyal martyrs.
Since the Marquis of Yong'an's family did not participate in the assassination attempt on the Prince of Qin, they naturally did not offend the Prince of Qin, so their power is still something to be wary of.
Although the Grand Princess Yuanjia has passed away, she treated Prince Qin very well, just like Emperor Gaozong.
Once the Prince of Qin ascends the throne, as long as the Marquis of Yong'an's family doesn't side with Wei Chi and oppose him, he will certainly not make things difficult for them, nor will he make things difficult for Empress Zhu, who has already married Wei Chi and is the only granddaughter of the Grand Princess Yuanjia.
They knew that taking credit for something would be too risky, so they abandoned the idea and reported the truth.
"The Marquis of Yong'an's residence did not come to Huaicheng. Instead, they handed over the deposed emperor and his entourage to the Hengyang Army, asking them to bring them over to you."
"The deposed emperor has been kept in solitary confinement these days. My subordinates have done nothing but have people keep an eye on him to prevent him from committing suicide."
"However, I interrogated a few of his close associates, and you know what? I actually found quite a bit out of them!"
As he spoke, he glanced at Cui Hao out of the corner of his eye, and their eyes met. He quickly looked away.