Chapter 418
Chapter 418 Please Keep Me Company
“Okay. Just be there with Madam Dowager for a bit. I will send someone to take you home in a while,” Wei Luowen said decisively.
Since he hadn’t decided to marry Wei Yuewu into the imperial palace, it was better for her to avoid meeting the Fourth Prince.
“But… Will Grandmother…” Wei Yuewu murmured uneasily.
“I will talk to her. Don’t worry.” Wei Luowen nodded.
“Thank you, Father. Do you think I should stay at Prince Nan’an Mansion until lunchtime?” Wei Yuewu frowned in concern, looking as if she was still jittery about it.
“No, you don’t have to! I’ll take you home as early as possible.” Wei Luowen reassured, “I’ll say that I have something urgent to talk to you about. Your grandmother and Princess Nan’an will not have any complaints.”
“But Third Elder Sister is also going. Do you want to take her home together?” Wei Yuewu reminded Wei Luowen.
“What? Is Yuejiao going too? Why? Her hand is still injured, isn’t it? Why does she want to leave the mansion instead of staying home to rest?” Wei Luowen was taken aback and grunted in exasperation.
“I’m not sure why. I heard that Eldest Sister specially asked her to go, and Grandmother agreed.” Wei Yuewu blinked her watery eyes and muttered, “Will Grandmother be upset if both of us come back?”
“Since Yuejiao wants to go, just let her stay there for the lunch. Fengyao is closer to her than to you, anyway. They have more things to talk about.” Wei Luowen pondered the circumstances and figured that this was a wiser move. He only had two daughters. Taking two daughters home at once would certainly arouse suspicion. Moreover, there was nothing urgent regarding Yuejiao. Since Wei Fengyao and Wei Yuejiao were quite close, Wei Luowen assumed that Wei Yuejiao was genuinely concerned about Wei Fengyao and therefore wanted to visit her.
“But… It’s not a good idea to leave Third Elder Sister there alone.” Wei Yuewu still had some concerns.
“You don’t have to worry about it. It’s settled. Tomorrow, you will go to Prince Nan’an Mansion as promised, but I’ll send someone to take you home as soon as possible. You need to watch out too. If you bump into the Fourth Prince, avoid him and don’t speak with him,” Wei Luowen reminded her, worried that Wei Yuewu did not understand the situation in the capital. “Qiuju has no choice but to be a concubine because of her illicit affairs with the Heir-apparent of Prince Nan’an!”
“Yes, Father, I understand.” Wei Yuewu nodded and pushed another plate of pastries over. “Father, please eat a little more. Dinner hasn’t been delivered yet!”
Wei Luowen was full of worries and did not have an appetite to eat anything. He looked at Wei Yuewu and reassured her, “It’s okay. I’m not hungry. Go back to your room. It’s a little cold tonight. You may catch a cold.”
This time, Wei Yuewu nodded timidly. She left the pastries on Wei Luowen’s table, bowed at Wei Luowen, and returned to Lotus Courtyard with Shufei.
In Lotus Courtyard, Jin Ling had already been waiting for her. When she heard the voice outside, she quickly lifted the curtain. Immediately, Wei Yuewu felt warm air blowing onto her face.
Compared with the cold weather outside, there seemed to be a kind of warm spring inside the room.
When Wei Yuewu entered the room, Jin Ling and Shufei helped her take off the big robe and drape a light jacket over her shoulders.
After tidying up, Wei Yuewu sat at the writing desk again.
“Where has my father been?” Wei Yuewu asked after taking a sip of the hot tea that Huamo had handed her.
“Plum Blossom Nunnery. Lord Marquis went to Plum Blossom Nunnery,” Jin Ling reported.
“Plum Blossom Nunnery? Did Father go to Plum Blossom Nunnery alone at this time?” Wei Yuewu was stunned. She had thousands of guesses about his whereabouts, but she didn’t expect Wei Luowen to go to Plum Blossom Nunnery at this time.
“Did Lord Marquis go there to visit Marquise?” Shufei asked in surprise. Just like Wei Yuewu, she couldn’t figure out why Wei Luowen would go there at this time.
“No.” Wei Yuewu shook her head. Wei Luowen didn’t have to go to Plum Blossom Nunnery if he wanted to visit Mother. Previously, she had told him to go to Mother’s courtyard when he had time. On one hand, he could reminisce about the past when he missed Mother. On the other hand, his visit would attract the attention of the servants, and they would be more respectful toward Mother’s courtyard.
“Why did Lord Marquis go to Plum Blossom Nunnery at this time? He did not stay there for long. He went and left in a hurry. It seemed like he went there to meet an important person. Miss, Yan Feng did not dare to be too close to him, but he said that Lord Marquis rushed into Plum Blossom Nunnery angrily. At that time, a nun greeted him at the gate of the nunnery. He ignored her and went in directly, but he looked worried and confused when he came out.”
Jin Ling told Wei Yuewu everything that Yan Feng had witnessed.
Plum Blossom Nunnery? How come it was Plum Blossom Nunnery again?
Wei Yuewu inexplicably thought of the nun who had saved her. The nun was injured, but she had no intention of asking for compensation. After that, she left as if she was in a hurry.
Could it be that there was some motive behind the nun’s actions?
“Didn’t father say that he would take me to Plum Blossom Nunnery? We’ll see what happens then.” Wei Yuewu’s gaze turned gloomy. “We’ll stay in Prince Nan’an for a short while tomorrow. I bet that Madam Dowager and Concubine Dong will not expect me to come back so soon!”
“Miss, I have already instructed Shopkeeper Liu to act according to the plan!” Jin Ling nodded. She had already told Yan Feng that tomorrow was the highlight. It would be the ultimatum to whether Wei Yuewu could rightfully obtain Madam’s dowry.
Concubine Dong had always put on a disguise that she respected Miss and Madam. Tomorrow, everyone would see how greedy Concubine Dong was and how she secretly embezzled Madam’s dowry.
The next day, a few carriages parked outside the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang’s gate early in the morning. Madam Dowager, Wei Yuejiao, Wei Qiuju, and Wei Yuewu walked to the carriages that were waiting for them at the door.
Needless to say, Madam Dowager sat in one carriage. Wei Yuejiao was arranged to share a carriage with Wei Qiuju, while Wei Yuewu sat in a carriage alone.
Wei Yuejiao was very dissatisfied with this arrangement, but she didn’t dare to express her discontent in the face of Madam Dowager’s cold expression. She gritted her teeth and entered the carriage in great dismay. Then, she glared at Wei Qiuju as the latter entered the carriage timidly.
She was much more dignified than Wei Qiuju! How could she share a carriage with this concubine-born daughter?!
Besides, how could Wei Yuewu have a carriage all to herself? After all, Wei Yuewu was younger than her. The more Wei Yuejiao thought about it, the angrier she became. She glared fiercely at Wei Qiuju, causing the latter to lower her head in fright.
The convoy of carriages slowly headed toward Prince Nan’an Mansion.
Wei Yuewu’s carriage was very spacious, and Old Li drove very steadily. She brought Jin Ling and Huamo with her. Because their carriage was the slowest, they were the last carriage in the convoy, and they kept a discreet distance from the two carriages in front.
After passing through a street corner, Wei Yuewu asked Jin Ling to get off the carriage, and she and Huamo remained in the carriage.
Jin Ling got off the carriage, identified her current location and the surrounding roads, and turned to a small road…
When the convoy of carriages arrived at Prince Nan’an Mansion, Princess Nan’an assigned the Heir-apparent of Prince Nan’an to personally greet them at the gate. When he saw Madam Dowager, he hurried forward and bowed. “Greetings, Madam Dowager. Mother Consort has been waiting for your arrival!”
Wen Ruoming greeted Madam Dowager respectfully, but his gaze involuntarily fell on Wei Qiuju, who was standing timidly on the side like a delicate little flower. His eyes were full of smiles. Of course, he knew that Madam Dowager’s purpose of visiting today was to discuss his marriage with Wei Qiuju.
Hence, he was over the moon!
“Greetings, Heir-apparent. How is Fengyao doing now?” Madam Dowager asked as she walked in.
“Oh, she…” Wen Ruoming was obviously delighted, but he feigned a sorrowful and worried expression. Madam Dowager noticed his insincerity and was dismayed, but since another young lady of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang would marry into Prince Nan’an Mansion, Madam Dowager swallowed her frustration and heaved a long sigh.
Wei Fengyao suffered from her own actions, so it was no wonder that her own husband despised her.
“Did the imperial doctors also say that she couldn’t fully recover?” When Madam Dowager came last time, Princess Nan’an vowed to get another imperial doctor if the one who checked on Wei Fengyao was not very skilled, saying that they couldn’t just ignore Wei Fengyao and make her injury turn worse. But from the looks of it, she could tell that Wei Fengyao was not doing very well.
“I’m afraid she can’t recover fully. Her hand will remain stiff, and she can only do some simple things with that hand,” Wen Ruoming answered absent-mindedly. His gaze swept over Madam Dowager and fell on Wei Qiuju. They hadn’t seen each other for quite some time, and today, Wei Qiuju looked even more pitiful and fragile. What happened? Did the people in her mansion torment her?
At the thought of this, he subconsciously glanced at Wei Yuejiao, who was standing right next to Wei Qiuju. Wei Yuejiao was pretty too, but she looked rather overbearing and bossy. At a glance, he felt as if the timid Wei Qiuju was being suppressed by the overbearing Wei Yuejiao.
Wei Qiuju looked like a pitiful and sad little puppy!
Wen Ruoming was immediately upset.
The Third Young Lady of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang was such a lousy character. Sixth Miss Wei, who was the legitimate daughter of Marquis Hua Yang, looked so gentle and polite. Yet Wei Yuejiao looked so aggressive and proud that she was obviously showing her aggressiveness to Wei Qiuju.
No wonder the Fourth Prince did not like her. Her appearance was not likable.
“So, are you saying that her hand will be permanently disabled?” Madam Dowager sighed softly.
“I think so, yes. Her hand is still wrapped in splints now. We can only know the specific condition of her arm after the splints are removed,” Wen Ruoming answered absent-mindedly and kept glancing at Wei Qiuju.
Wei Yuejiao noticed Wen Ruoming’s gaze. Her eyes were filled with disdain, and she raised her head even higher.
However, Wei Yuewu looked ever so gentle and elegant as she followed closely behind Madam Dowager. It was as if she did not notice the secretive interaction between the people in front of her.
Wen Ruoming’s eyes finally fell on Wei Yuejiao’s arrogant face. Everyone could see the rage in his eyes. “How dare you look down on me?! You’re just a concubine-born daughter!” Wen Ruoming thought.
However, they didn’t talk to each other. They just looked at each other very unpleasantly.
The group of people continued to head for Princess Nan’an’s courtyard. When they came to the inner courtyard of Prince Nan’an Mansion, it was a courtesy to greet Princess Nan’an first, and everyone knew the rule.
On a small path that was quite curvy, a little maid hurriedly ran over. She was stunned when she turned around and saw Wen Ruoming. However, after thinking for a while, she ran forward and stopped the group of people.
The maid respectfully bowed to Wen Ruoming first before turning to the crowd and uttered, “Madam Dowager, Third Young Lady, Fifth Young Lady, Sixth Young Lady, the Heiress-apparent would like to invite Third Young Lady to keep her company.”
The moment she finished her remarks, everyone was silent…
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