Her guards

Chapter 71 Insignificant News

"Father said that everyone should be treated equally, and he has also chosen a young lady from the Duke of Ding'an's mansion for you."

Princess Wuyang didn't care whose daughter she was chosen from; what she cared about was the emperor's words: "Treat everyone equally."

Treat everyone equally.

In the emperor's eyes, they were just like the princesses of the Pingcheng era!

This was enough to make Princess Wuyang ecstatic; everything else was insignificant.

Consort Li certainly wouldn't think that way.

Besides, where would the Duke of Ding'an's mansion get so many young ladies?

However, she didn't say anything. After seeing her overjoyed daughter off, she immediately sent someone to inquire.

As night fell over the palace, Consort Li dismissed everyone else and listened to the message delivered by a palace maid.

"The Marquis of Yichun will enter the palace to see His Majesty before dawn today," a trusted palace maid whispered.

Consort Li pondered for a moment: "The Marquis of Yichun actually came in person? Last time, it was only the old lady of the Marquis of Yichun who came to the palace to see the Empress."

The palace maid whispered, "His Majesty has arranged for the two princesses to be daughters of relatives of the Duke of Ding'an."

“I knew it,” Consort Li nodded. “Where did all these young ladies come from in the Duke of Ding’an’s mansion? They’re relatives…”

The hand holding the teacup paused when the word "relatives" was mentioned.

"What kind of relatives are they? That it would require the Marquis of Yichun to intervene."

The palace maid shook her head and said softly, "When Marquis Yichun arrived, Her Majesty the Empress dismissed everyone."

Although spies were planted among the emperor and empress, they could only know who appeared before them, but they could not find out what was said.

"I'll try again..."

Upon hearing the palace maid's statement, Consort Li shook her head to stop her: "You must not be rash. You must not show the slightest disrespect in front of His Majesty. In the eyes of this couple, we are outsiders."

The palace maid responded, "Your Majesty, please don't say that. What do you mean by outsider or insider? You have also given birth to daughters and sons for His Majesty, and His Majesty has been very kind to you. In the rewards given a few days ago, besides the Empress, you also received a share."

Consort Li stroked her cheek, a faint smile playing on her lips: "That's precisely why I must be more cautious, lest I ruin what is already a shallow affection."

After saying that, he stood up and paced around the room.

The palace maid noticed her somber expression and asked, "Is Your Highness worried that this tutor might harm the princess?"

Because the Empress controls the harem, the palace maids and eunuchs around the princess are all under her control. However, at least they are in the palace, and the Imperial Concubine can keep an eye on them. Now that the Emperor has chosen a young lady from outside the palace to accompany the princess, the Imperial Concubine can no longer keep an eye on her. She doesn't know the young lady's character, and what if she leads the princess astray...

Consort Li shook her head: "I just think, how dare the Duke of Ding'an be chosen twice..."

The palace maid scoffed, "It must be because they went so far as to confront the Marquis of Yichun, hoping to get their daughter selected."

Once there is one, there will be two and three.

Under the lamplight, Consort Li's gentle features appeared somewhat grave: "Once is acceptable, but twice or three times? How can the Duke of Ding'an have such a big face in front of the Marquis of Yichun?"

The palace maid chuckled: "It can't be because of the influence of that relative of the Duke of Ding'an, can it?"

But Consort Li did not laugh at the joke. Looking at the palace maid, she suddenly looked surprised and her eyes flickered.

"No way..." she murmured.

The palace maid hurriedly asked, "What is Your Highness thinking about?"

Consort Li did not answer, but looked at the palace maid and said, "Have your uncle come tomorrow."

The palace maids responded with "Yes," though they were puzzled, they did not ask any further questions. Consort Li was cautious in her actions, and they, as maids, should also be cautious. They should know what they should know and not ask about what they should not know.

"Mother Concubine, Mother Concubine..."

A boy's voice came from outside.

Immediately, a series of greetings rang out: "Prince of Linhuai!" "Greetings, Prince of Linhuai!"

Consort Li's face immediately broke into a smile as she looked up and saw an eight or nine-year-old boy dressed in a prince's robes walk in.

A clear, cheerful, and slightly childish voice rang out in the hall.

"...Mother, I'm going to learn to ride a horse tomorrow. My instructor said I can start learning to ride."

"Okay, I'll listen to my master and take my time."

"I will definitely study hard, and then I can go hunting at the palace."

"Before going to the palace, you should ask the King of the East Sea. If he doesn't want you to go, then you shouldn't go."

"But my father said I could also go to the imperial palace to play."

"Even if Father Emperor said so, it won't work. You have to listen to your elder brother."

"Ok."

"Is the midnight snack ready? Bring it on."

The palace in the night was made more lively by the children's voices.

……

.......
The old residence of the Wei family became noisy as Wei Qiye and his entourage stepped in under the cover of night.

"Why aren't the lights on?" As soon as he entered, Master Wei felt that the night was darker than usual.

No, it's that the lights in the house are off.

Just as Master Wei was about to scold the servants he had bought for being lazy and unruly, he saw Nong Ye move and instinctively let out a low shout.

The firelight shone brightly, illuminating a row of embroidered garments.

Wei Jiao sat on the ground, resting his chin on his hand, and looked at them with a smile.

This kid arrived without a sound.

Even though there were people stationed inside and outside the house, there wasn't a single warning...

The thought flashed through Wei Qiye's mind, but then he thought, forget it, it's not really Wei family territory after all, it's this kid's territory.

"Seventh Uncle, you all seem to be living a carefree life, going out for walks every day," Wei Jiao said unhappily. "I think you have no intention of paying respects to His Majesty."

Wei Xu cursed inwardly, thinking, "They're turning the tables on me! It was clearly him who was preventing me from seeing His Majesty!"

But his face, which had already subsided, still hurt occasionally when he thought about it, and he didn't say anything.

Master Wei stepped forward and said kindly, "I just want to see what the capital city is like, after all, this is my first time in the capital."

Wei Jiao stared at him, asking curiously, "You're not looking for someone, are you?"

Wei Xu's heart was pounding, but thankfully he was standing behind him.

Master Wei's expression remained unchanged as he gave a wry smile: "Indeed, I'm trying to see if there are any other old connections who can put in a good word for the General..."

"Have you found it?" Wei Jiao asked with concern.

Master Wei shook his head: "No."

Wei Jiao looked regretful: "If I find it, I can go and raid their house, which will also add to my merits."

The atmosphere in the courtyard froze again.

Master Wei sighed, "Young master, no matter what, the General is still your father. He didn't abandon you on purpose. It's just that Zhao the Traitor is hateful..."

Wei Jiao also sighed: "So I spoke to His Majesty repeatedly, and finally His Majesty agreed to see you."

“His Majesty is His Majesty after all, and you and your father are the ones who are… sigh?” Master Wei Qi continued to persuade, only realizing his mistake halfway through.

"What did you say?" Wei Xu couldn't help but squeeze through from behind, looking at Wei Jiao. "His Majesty wants to see me?"

Wei Jiao stood up with a smile. Although the man was smiling, Wei Xu couldn't help but shiver and instinctively backed away.

“Yes, the palace eunuchs will come to announce the decree tomorrow morning.” Wei Jiao did not rush over to hit him, but said, “Sigh, really, I go to great lengths to deal with this, while you eat, drink, and have fun, and I still get scolded for being unfilial.”

Master Wei hurriedly said, "Young master, you've worked hard." He then gestured to the others.

Wei Xu and the others hurriedly bowed and shouted, "Young Master, you've worked hard!"

Wei Jiao walked past them and left, leaving behind a shout.

"It is only natural to be filial to one's father."

With a drawn-out tone, the horses' hooves thundered, and the dark mass disappeared into the night.

The courtyard remained quiet.

He breathed a sigh of relief after a moment.

"real or fake?"

"You wouldn't use this to scam people, would you?"

"That's hard to say, he has many tricks up his sleeve when he's at home."

People were discussing it animatedly.

Master Wei waved his hand: "No need to think about it, we'll know tomorrow."

He glanced outside again.

The attendants understood and dispersed in the courtyard. After a moment, they nodded to Master Wei.

At this moment, there was no one spying around.

"Alright, go and rest," said Master Wei. "Be well-rested for the audience tomorrow."

The people immediately dispersed.

The lights in the courtyard came on and then went out again. As night deepened, wild birds began to sing.

The door, which wasn't fully closed, was gently pushed open.

Sitting in the dim light, Master Wei looked at the newcomer and asked in a low voice, "How's the investigation going?"

The visitor closed the door and said in a low voice, "Indeed, someone has seen a similar face."

Master Wei stood up abruptly, suppressing his surprise, and asked in a low voice, "Really?"

The visitor whispered, "A shop assistant at the carriage rental shop said that there was a carriage renter who looked very similar to this disguised portrait."

(End of this chapter)