Golden Branch

"After all, it's still a little bit off."

Wang Heng sighed silently in her heart.

She knew that Lu Jue was the best in terms of background, status, appearance, talent, emperor's favor, etc.

He is one of the very few young men in this world who can be compared with Lou Yu.

but--

"Sister Langya, you don't know that this crabapple forest was created by my brother who lives thousands of miles away."

When Princess Hengyang saw Wang Heng staring at the crabapple trees in a daze, she mistakenly thought that she was moved.

She deliberately used a storytelling tone to subtly reveal Lu Jue's feelings.

"My brother is in love with a young lady. After careful observation, he found that she likes crabapple trees."

"Since the girl I admire likes it, I will just go out of my way to build this crabapple garden for her."

"Hundreds of crabapple trees, sourced from all over... Unfortunately, they're past their blooming season, so we won't be able to see the beautiful sight of a garden filled with crabapple blossoms this year."

Princess Hengyang said it was a pity, but in fact she was still praising her brother.

It's not difficult to find out the preferences of the person you secretly love.

It is not difficult to copy the favorite item of the person you secretly love with your own hands and present it to her with both hands.

In just one month, a crabapple garden with crabapple trees transplanted from various places was erected. It was not just the word "thought" that was spent. The manpower, material resources, financial resources and other resources consumed during the process were absolutely enormous.

The fact that he could treat his secret crush so generously was enough to prove that Lu Jue not only had true feelings for that woman, but also had absolute power and ability.

Wang Heng: ...It’s really good!

It's a pity that everything she experienced from childhood to adulthood was the best.

Having tasted top-quality bran, this level of "thought" was not enough to impress her.

What's more, this "surprise" has errors.

However, Wang Heng also understood that she couldn't be too harsh.

We should not compare Lu Jue and others with someone else.

"Lu Jue and others" may not be so perfect, but they are not domineering perverts!

Wang Heng smiled, but she had made a decision in her heart.

Let's give it a try.

"Hengyang, the brother you mentioned, could it be Mr. Lu Jue?"

"It's really rare for him to have such affection for his beloved."

Wang Heng spoke softly, her clear eyes sparkling with envy and yearning for beautiful love.

Princess Hengyang had been observing Wang Heng the entire time. Seeing her expression, she secretly rejoiced: Hey! It worked!

She knew that no little girl in this world could resist such a romantic gesture.

Wang Mian followed Wang Heng on the other side. After hearing what Wang Heng and Princess Hengyang said, she couldn't help but curl her lips:

That's "rare" at the moment.

From childhood to adulthood, for nearly ten years, Wang Mian has witnessed countless "big moves" of Lou Yu with his own eyes.

It's just a garden, and it can't even be compared with a zoo for rare animals.

The rare animal park is just one of many "surprises".

Wang Mian had to admit that the little pervert was not only a pervert, but also the most perfect and desirable male god.

"Sister Langya also thinks my brother's kindness is 'rare'?"

Princess Hengyang smiled with her eyes curved. She happily went along with it and said, "Sister, can I just call you sister?"

"I don't know why, but the first time I saw my sister, I felt a sense of familiarity."

Hehe, now she is the elder sister, and after some time, she will be the aunt-in-law.

Princess Hengyang was very happy to become close friends with her future sister-in-law. She truly respected and loved her brother, so she was able to "love the house and love the dog as well."

"of course can!"

Wang Heng sensed Princess Hengyang's kindness and nodded, "Then I'll call you 'Wuyou' too, okay?"

The Princess of Hengyang was named Wei Wuyou.

Those who can call her by her name are only elders or close relatives.

"Yeah! Sis!"

Princess Hengyang nodded happily, looking cute and lively.

"Wuyou! I've been looking for you for a while, and you've been hiding here!"

A cold voice came from the other side of the crabapple forest.

Hearing this voice, Princess Hengyang's eyes lit up, "It's my cousin."

She turned around and took the initiative to greet the newcomer: "Sister!"

Wang Heng's eyes flashed, and she looked at the group of young ladies walking towards them without leaving any trace.

The leader was a girl of fifteen or sixteen years old, with bright eyes, white teeth, a slim figure and a cool temperament.

She is reserved and proud. Although she is young, she has an air of nobility.

Wang Heng estimated the man's age and began searching through the various family lines in the capital that she was familiar with for someone who matched his age.

Princess Hengyang called her "cousin", so she was the daughter of Jingzhao Wei.

The Wei family is a first-class family in the northern border.

After the establishment of the Xin Dynasty, its power reached a new height.

The Wei family not only had Wei Shilian, the eldest princess's husband, but also an even more powerful celebrity: Wei Lingfu.

Wei Lingfu and Shen Du are respected by the world as "Wei in the North and Shen in the South".

His talent and fame were once on par with Shen Du.

Yes, once!

With the destruction of the southern border and the unification of the northern border, Wei Lingfu had already become a powerful court official.

In contrast, Shen Du, after a few years of silence, finally decided to go to Beijing to become an official, but he had already lost the opportunity.

The old sage and the saint were eager to seek talents, and they had great respect for this famous scholar from the southern border.

When Shen Du came to Beijing this time, the emperor immediately gave him the position of Shaoqing of the Honglu Temple.

Shen Du had never entered the officialdom. As a commoner, he started as a fourth-rank Shaoqing, which was an exception.

However, he still cannot be compared with the Shangshu Zuo Pushe, who is of the second rank.

Wei Lingfu has become the prime minister, the head of all officials!

The Wei family, a first-class family, became increasingly prominent.

In addition to the son-in-law who holds military power and the son-in-law who holds the highest position in the country, the Wei family also has a "favored concubine" in the harem.

The newly appointed Zhaoyi by the sage was a daughter of the Wei family.

The sixteen-year-old girl was just sent to the palace this year.

The timing for Wei to send her daughter to the palace was very clever - Concubine Jiang, the most favored concubine in the harem, was pregnant!

The saint did indeed favor Concubine Jiang the most, but he was a man, an emperor.

He respected his first wife, Queen Li, but still favored Concubine Jiang.

He doted on Concubine Jiang, but there were still a large group of women in his harem.

A saint at most loves new things but does not dislike old ones, and he attaches great importance to feelings.

Concubine Jiang's pregnancy is good news for the concubines in the harem and for the noble families in the capital who are eager to marry into the royal family.

Since the good news of Concubine Jiang's death came last year, the concubines have been actively vying for her favor for a few months, while the aristocratic families and nobles have also chosen suitable candidates from their own families and tried every means to send them to the palace.

Wei Zhaoyi was the best among this wave of newcomers, and she was favored by the saint.

In less than three months, she was quickly promoted from a talented person when she first entered the palace to Zhaoyi, the head of the nine concubines.

The Wei family became the second most important in-law after the Li family.

If Wei Zhaoyi could give birth to a prince, Wei might be able to replace Li.

Yes, this is the biggest difference between concubines from aristocratic families such as Wei Zhaoyi and Concubine Jiang.

No matter how favored Concubine Jiang was, she had no family and was like a rootless duckweed.

In Dayu, one cannot climb to the throne of queen just by relying on the emperor's favor.

It was different for noble ladies from prosperous families like Wei Zhaoyi. Their families would invest a lot of resources and do everything they could to push them to the top.

Even if they cannot replace the queen, they can let their sons join the fight for the throne.

The saint is at the peak of his powers now, but what about in a few years or a dozen years?

The prince's position is stable, but he cannot resist the temptation of power.

There is no father and son in heaven, so who can predict what will happen in the future?

As Wei Zhaoyi became more favored, the Wei family secretly developed ambitions.

The Wei family also became one of the most powerful and influential people in Beijing.

The Wei family is prosperous, with many direct and collateral branches.

There are more than a dozen young, unmarried girls in the family.

Wang Heng silently recalled the Wei family's information, further concentrating on the identity of the cold and beautiful girl in front of her.

The little girl must be of noble status, as she can be affectionately called "Sister" by Princess Hengyang.

She should not be a side branch, nor a concubine's daughter.

If Wang Heng guessed correctly, she should be Wei Lingfu's granddaughter, Wei Zhaoyi's younger sister, Wei Prajna.

"Sister, this is my cousin Wei Prajna."

"Cousin, this is Sister Langya!"

The introduction made by Princess Hengyang directly confirmed Wang Heng's guess.

She is indeed Wei Prajna.

As the granddaughter of the prime minister and the sister of the saint's new favorite, Wei Prajna naturally has a noble status and is highly praised.

Just by looking at the little girls surrounding her, you can tell that the dignity of Wei Prajna, this "servant lady", is no less than that of a royal daughter.

In fact, she is more confident.

She has an entire family behind her.

The so-called Princess Langya is just a false title. She has no powerful clan and only a favorite concubine, her mother. Now it seems that the emperor's favor has been snatched away by a newcomer.

In the eyes of many noble ladies of the northern border who were of "good family background", Princess Langya was not "pure" enough.

Of course, Wei Prajna is not a fool like Mrs. Lu. Even if she has the confidence, she will not deliberately give others a handle.

"Your humble servant, Wei, greets the princess. May the princess be well and safe."

Bending his knees slightly and putting his hands together as a gesture of greeting, Wei Prajna remained proud but strictly followed the rules.

"Miss Wei, no need to be polite!"

Wang Heng's smile can also be regarded as a model of etiquette.

She is not only a fake princess, but also a girl from a noble family!

"..."

Princess Hengyang blinked her eyes. Although she didn't know why, she felt that the atmosphere at the moment was inexplicably weird.

Is it possible that my cousin and elder sister are not on good terms?

No reason!

Wei Prajna is Princess Hengyang's cousin from the next room. Princess Hengyang has lived in the princess's mansion since she was a child and is not very close to the women of the Wei family.

But, they are a family after all. Every year on the birthdays of her grandfather and other elders, New Year's Day, Mid-Autumn Festival and other festivals, Princess Hengyang would return to the Wei family.

She also had contacts with cousins ​​such as Wei Prajna.

We are not very close, but we still feel like family.

Especially Wei Banruo, her grandfather, who once taught Lu Jue personally and was considered half a teacher to Lu Jue.

In the study of Wei Xianggong (another title for the prime minister), besides Lu Jue, there were several children of the Wei family studying together.

Among them was Wei Prajna.

In a sense, Wei Banruo can be considered as Lu Jue's "junior sister" from the same school, and the two also have a childhood sweetheart friendship.

Wang Heng: ...We are a pair of friends who grew up together.

She is simply a replica of her and Lou Yu.

Wang Heng complained silently and became more cautious.

Even Princess Hengyang noticed that something was amiss in the atmosphere. How could Wang Heng, who was born with an extremely keen intuition about people's good and evil, not feel it?

This noble lady of the Wei family has ill intentions towards her!

Is it because of Lu Jue?

Wei Prajna is in love with Lu Jue, but Lu Jue took great pains to build a crabapple garden for Wang Heng, a young girl he had just known for less than a year?

Wang Heng thought to herself, but always kept a proper smile on her face.

The group greeted each other, walked around the garden, and then went to the courtyard on the other side.

There is no way, just like what Princess Hengyang said, it is really not the time to appreciate flowers.

The crabapple tree's flowering period has long passed, and the crabapple fruits are in the green and yellow stage, half-ripe.

Flower viewing, no!

Pick the fruit, it’s not ripe!

For a group of young men and women, being able to stroll in the woods for a while was already a reward for the host's "kindness".

Moreover, it was already noon.

The sun in early summer is still very scorching.

The pampered little nobles naturally cannot stay in the wild for too long.

When we arrived at the courtyard, tea, snacks, meals, etc. had already been prepared.

In the main hall, each person has a dining table and eats quietly, then moves to the garden to engage in various entertainment activities.

The princess's residence made very thorough preparations for this banquet, taking into account the preferences of all guests.

If you like quietness, you can feed fish and enjoy flowers by the pavilion in the water.

Talented people can recite poems and paint under the shade of flowers.

If you like to be active, you can play tossing pots and shooting arrows in the yard.

If you really have no interest or your status is not noble enough, you can just be a spectator.

There were more than a dozen young men and women from the top noble families in the capital. They were all young, dressed in gorgeous clothes and showed off their talents.

The whole yard was filled with laughter and the faint sounds of sheng, xiao, qin and sering.

Among all the guests, no matter what everyone thought, Wang Heng, the Princess of Langya, had the highest status.

The master, Princess Hengyang, was willing to make friends, so even if someone had ill intentions, Wang Heng would still safely sit in the master's position.

She is lazy by nature. Although she wants to expand her social circle, she is still reluctant to be too active in front of others.

She leaned on the table and watched other guests' performances leisurely.

If you are really bored, just chat with Wang Mian next to you.

Wang Mianruo went to socialize with other guests because of business such as the glass workshop, and Zheng Shisan was there as a substitute for Wang Heng.

She was not isolated.

But he is not the most glorious or popular person.

Wei Prajna is the most influential person at today's garden party.

Her grandfather was the famous scholar Wei Lingfu, and she was personally taught by her grandfather.

Her calligraphy has some traces of Wei Lingfu's style.

His Feibai calligraphy became famous in Beijing a few years ago.

Wei Prajna was also good at Go, and he was not at all inferior to big guys like his grandfather when playing against them.

In addition to literature, Wei Prajna's riding skills are also not bad.

Whether it is hunting in the autumn exam or playing polo in daily life, she can also shine.

It can be said that Wei Prajna is a typical noble lady from aristocratic family, who is talented, beautiful, and has a good background and temperament.

She lived up to her origins, nor did she disgrace the reputation of her famous grandfather.

Wang Heng: ...Huh?

It’s so strange, it seems like I have suddenly become someone’s control group!

The three words "control group" were naturally told to her by Wang Mian.

Wang Mian also told her many classic plots from legendary novels: for every shining heroine, there are always one or two female supporting characters as a control group!