Ji Yunwan tightened her clasped hands in front of her, and her jaw gradually tensed.
That brat named Chizhu never says anything useful, and every piece of information she receives is unreliable!
“The Prince and Princess have such a good relationship,” she said with a smile. “I was worried that the Prince and Grand Tutor Yao might have some old grudges, and that Miss Yao’s life after marrying into the family would be difficult. It seems I was overthinking it.”
She seemed to be saying it casually, but she was actually reminding Wei Hong that Yao Youqing was Yao Yuzhi's daughter, the daughter of his enemy.
Wei Hong frowned, his impatience growing more and more apparent, and he made no attempt to hide it.
Having lived for over twenty years and constantly navigating the complexities of the court and officialdom, he had risen to his current position through his own abilities. He had seen all sorts of demons and monsters, so how could he not understand the deeper meaning behind Ji Yunwan's words?
In comparison, Yao Youqing, who is always straightforward and whose face, voice, and thoughts are as clean and clear as water, is much more lovable. She would never deliberately say anything in a roundabout or insinuating way.
Although this straightforwardness often left him feeling frustrated, he never found the person annoying.
He's genuinely finding Season 2 a bit annoying now.
Ji Yunwan thought she had hit the nail on the head, reminding him of his grudge against Grand Tutor Yao and Yao Youqing's identity.
She knew that everything should be done in moderation, and that saying more would backfire, so she only touched on it briefly and then stopped, preparing to talk about something else.
Before he could speak, his eyes inadvertently caught sight of a painting on the wall, and he blurted out, "Why is Your Highness hanging a fake here?"
Counterfeit?
Wei Hong followed her gaze and saw that she was referring to the pastoral painting by Master Feng.
"...How do you know it's a fake?"
“Of course it’s a fake,” Ji Yunwan laughed. “Although I’ve never seen the original painting, there are plenty of imitations on the market. Master Feng never painted a rabbit in his paintings. Besides… this rabbit looks like it was added later, and it’s painted really… clumsily.”
Wei Hong remained silent for a long time, giving Ji Yunwan a deep look.
He had seen ignorant people, but he had never seen anyone so ignorant and self-righteous, who didn't bother to examine the painting carefully and just based on a rabbit to declare it a fake.
Regardless of whether the painting in front of her was a genuine work or a fake, even Yao Youqing knew that it was not appropriate to expose such a thing in front of everyone. She should have saved face for him and waited until all the servants had left before quietly telling him. Ji Yunwan actually said it directly in front of the servants.
Does she think that this is the only way to show that she is both talented and beautiful, and has a discerning eye?
Cui Hao suppressed a laugh, while Wei Hong sighed silently, really not wanting to say anything more to the person in front of him.
Just as he was about to make up some excuse to see the guests off, someone came to report that someone from the capital had arrived and informed them that Grand Tutor Yao had been injured during the autumn hunt and had resigned from his post.
Wei Hong was taken aback. He thought he would be happy, but when he thought of the woman in the backyard, he couldn't smile at all.
After the servant finished speaking, he added, "His Majesty sent someone to deliver a reward to the Princess. Palace staff are waiting at the door for the Princess to receive the reward."
Wei Hong's brows furrowed suddenly: "Grand Tutor Yao was injured and resigned from his post. Why would he bestow such a reward upon the Princess?"
The man said, "It is said that His Majesty knows that Grand Tutor Yao loves his daughter dearly and that the only thing he cannot let go of is the Princess Consort, so he sent someone to deliver this reward to comfort Grand Tutor Yao."
After speaking, seeing that Wei Hong remained silent for a long time with a sullen face, she cautiously asked again, "Your Highness, shall we go and summon the Princess Consort to come and receive the reward now?"
Wei Hong stood up: "No need, I'll go."
Chapter 31 Rewards [Second Update]
"Your Highness, where is the Princess Consort? Why didn't we see her come with you?"
The palace servant explained Yao Yuzhi's injuries, but not seeing Yao Youqing, he asked.
"Upon hearing that Grand Tutor Yao was injured, the Princess Consort fainted from shock and worry and was unable to come."
Wei Hong answered casually.
The palace maid was quick-witted and was not dismissed. Her eyes darted around, and a worried expression appeared on her face.
"Oh dear, what should we do! His Majesty sent me here precisely because he knew that Grand Tutor Yao was worried about the Princess. If anything happens to the Princess, then no amount of rewarding Grand Tutor Yao will be of any use!"
"Please allow me to go in and wait a while until the Princess wakes up so I can see her with my own eyes, pay my respects to her, and make sure she is safe before I leave. Otherwise, I won't be able to explain myself when I get back."
He came on behalf of Wei Chi, representing the current emperor. Anyone else would have immediately welcomed him in and served him the best food and drink, but Wei Hong only replied with five words: "Leave your things here, and get out!"
Clearly, no amount of cleverness is useful in front of the King of Qin. When he doesn't like you, no matter how clever you are, you won't get a good look.
The palace servant didn't say anything more upon hearing this. He just smiled and replied, "Yes," and quickly "got out," without making him repeat himself a second time.
After he was told to "get lost," the young eunuch beside him asked, "Godfather, are we just going back like this?"
"What else? Wait to die?"
The older palace maid rolled her eyes and said in a high-pitched voice.
"But... how are we going to explain this to His Majesty?"
"What else can we say? Tell the truth. Do you think His Majesty really expects us to see Miss Yao? As long as we get the things in, that's enough. As for the rest... if we see her, it's lucky; if we don't, that's normal."
Even if the King of Qin didn't like the Queen Consort, how could he allow her to have an ambiguous relationship with her former lover?
Although this reward was sent under the guise of Grand Tutor Yao, they all knew the truth.
The young eunuch nodded and sighed, "The Prince of Qin is really... just as rumored, he doesn't follow the rules. Isn't he afraid we'll go back and tell His Majesty?"
They actually dared to tell them to get lost.
Although they were slaves, they came by imperial decree.
The palace servant scoffed, "If we dare to complain, he'll accuse us of slander. It's all based on empty words without any evidence. Who can prove anything?"
You must understand that this is Shangchuan. No matter how many people they can prove that the King of Qin was disrespectful, the King of Qin can find just as many people to prove that they maliciously slandered and provoked him.
If His Majesty cannot resolve the matter with the King of Qin, he will have no choice but to deal with these "talking nonsense" servants to quell the trouble.
"Besides, what about the rules?"
The palace servants sneered.
In the capital, and elsewhere in Daliang, His Majesty is the rule.
But here... the King of Qin is the one who sets the rules.
"Follow the rules of your place, and you'll live a long life. Do you understand?"
He didn't say the middle part, but the young eunuch roughly understood and nodded in realization: "I understand, thank you for your guidance, Godfather."
The palace servant nodded: "Have someone keep an eye on them. As long as they don't throw the things out, we'll consider our mission accomplished."
...
When Wei Hong arrived at the main courtyard, Yao Youqing already knew about Yao Yuzhi's injury. She was held back by Zhou's mother and didn't rush out to ask the people from the capital.
Upon seeing Wei Hong enter, she immediately stood up from her chair and quickly walked to him.
"Your Highness, how is my father?"
Her voice choked with sobs, her face streaked with tears, she cried until her eyes were red and swollen like a rabbit's.
Wei Hong had just sent the people from the palace away and had not informed Yao Youqing about this matter beforehand, so it couldn't have been spread by the servants in the front courtyard.
He turned to look at Ji Yunwan sitting to the side, and Ji Yunwan stood up with a smile.
"I just overheard it in the prince's room. I was afraid the princess would worry, so I told her in advance on my way here so she could be mentally prepared."
When someone from the palace arrived, Ji Yunwan dared not let anyone see her, so she immediately went to the backyard.
Wei Hong left in a hurry and didn't say anything about what to do with Ji Yunwan. Cui Hao couldn't just send her away, nor could he leave her alone in the front yard, so he had no choice but to bring her over.
No one knows exactly what she said to Yao Youqing, but it frightened Yao Youqing so much that she couldn't stop sobbing, as if Yao Yuzhi was about to die.
“It’s nothing,” he reassured in a deep voice. “I asked around. He just fell off his horse during the autumn hunt and broke his leg, but it’s been set.”
"Really?"
Yao Youqing said in a trembling voice, "If that's the case, why would Father resign from his post? He served as an official for decades, and even when Mother and Brother passed away, he rarely took leave. If his injuries weren't truly too severe to treat, why would he suddenly make such a decision?"
“He really just broke his leg,” Wei Hong said. “However… because he is old, his injury will definitely not heal as well as a young person’s. He may have some difficulty walking in the future, and it will be inconvenient for him to attend court. That’s why he resigned from his post.”
Yao Youqing's eyes suddenly widened: "Father has been left with a disability?"
“It’s not that serious,” Wei Hong quickly said. “The imperial physician examined me and said that I might have a slight limp, but not to the point that I can’t walk.”
After saying that, he added, "Many people who fall off horses die; your father is very lucky."
When a person falls off a horse, the horse will inevitably be startled. If its hooves trample and break a leg, that's bad enough; but if it damages internal organs, that's fatal.
Yao Youqing was not comforted much by his words; she remained worried and sobbed.
Wei Hong helped her to a chair and was about to say something more when Ji Yunwan said, "Your Highness, please don't be sad anymore. Although Grand Tutor Yao has resigned, His Majesty still favors him greatly. To appease him, His Majesty specially sent many rewards to you from afar."
He looked towards the door and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why hasn't anything been delivered?"
Wei Hong had originally planned to have those things destroyed and thrown away, but now that she had suddenly brought it up, she had no choice but to have them carried up.
Yao Youqing was heartbroken and didn't even look at it. Ji Yunwan, however, went over and took a look, saying, "His Majesty is so thoughtful. In addition to gold, silver, jewels, silks and satins, he also sent a lot of the latest rouge and face powder from the capital, which are the most popular among the women in the capital."
Wei Hong didn't examine the contents of those items closely. Upon hearing that Wei Chi had gifted these things specifically for young women, his face nearly froze over.
Although Ji Yunwan was looking at these things, she kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. Seeing this, her gaze narrowed slightly, and after thinking for a moment, she sighed softly.
“These things are hard to find even in the capital. I’ve almost used up all the ones I brought before, and I was worried about where to buy more. I never expected His Majesty to send so many to the Princess Consort in the blink of an eye.”
As she spoke, her fingertips traced across several exquisite rouge boxes, looking quite envious.
"If you like it, I'll give it to you."
Wei Hong suddenly spoke up.
Ji Yunwan was startled, and her fingers, which were resting on the rouge box, trembled almost imperceptibly.
She maintained her composure and turned to look at Wei Hong.
"Isn't this inappropriate? This was specially sent by His Majesty to the Princess..."
“She doesn’t need these things,” Wei Hong said. “Take them all, they’re all yours.”
Ji Yunwan's breathing faltered slightly, and she turned to look at Yao Youqing.
Yao Youqing also heard Wei Hong's words. Although she didn't care about these things, she still said, "This is inappropriate, Your Highness. These are all imperial gifts. How can we..."
"You like these?"
Wei Hong interrupted, his face grim.
Yao Youqing's eyes were still red, and her voice was muffled: "No, but..."