“Oh.” Chu Mingyu answered, looking in the direction her sister indicated. She had to say, all three brothers in her brother-in-law’s family were very good-looking—you could even say they were Talented and Handsome Youths. She observed for a bit, then turned back and leaned closer to her sister.
Chu Mingxi also tilted her head slightly, listening for what she had to say.
Chu Mingyu lowered her voice. “Sister, Brother-in-law is the best-looking among the three brothers. You didn’t lose out by marrying him.”
Chu Mingxi: …
“Hahahahaha.” Seeing her sister’s complex expression, Chu Mingyu was thoroughly amused.
There were many people in the garden, but at least she knew to cover her mouth with her silk handkerchief.
Chu Mingxi gave her a helpless sidelong glance and took a sip of the Fruit Syrup in front of her.
“Wei Jiewu turned sixteen last month, in actual age. During the Battle of Huazhou, he led the Skirmish Vanguard. When the army returned to court, the court assessed merits and gave rewards, and he was conferred the rank of Sixth Rank Zhaowu Captain. He is of common birth, but military officers win their fame and rank through battle achievements. One day, his time will surely come.” She set her cup down and gently held her sister’s hand. “I know you have no patience for hearing these things, but Binding Hair as husband and wife is ultimately a matter for a whole lifetime. I tell you all this so you can consider it yourself. If you have no feelings about it, that’s fine too. Take your time looking; you will eventually meet someone who suits your heart.”
Hearing up to here, Chu Mingyu suddenly raised her eyebrows, her eyes flashing brightly as she looked at her sister.
Seeing this expression from her, Chu Mingxi understood perfectly and immediately put on a stern face. “Don’t you dare make fun of your brother-in-law and me!”
“Hehehe.” Found out! Chu Mingyu didn’t feel embarrassed at all, just pursed her lips in a smile.
The two sisters talked for a while longer before Wei Qingchen came over, followed by her third brother, Wei Jiewu.
“Greetings to Second Sister-in-Law.” Wei Jiewu bowed to Chu Mingxi, then turned to look at Chu Mingyu, his eyes lighting up. “Greetings to Second Young Miss Chu.”
Chu Mingyu looked at him with curiosity for a moment. Chu Mingxi said, “This is the Third Young Master of the Marquis Mansion, Wei Jiewu.” Chu Mingyu nodded demurely and returned the greeting.
Wei Jiewu was utterly satisfied and left, highly pleased.
Chu Mingyu turned her head just in time to see her brother-in-law holding her sister’s hand.
Probably realizing her younger sister’s gaze, Chu Mingxi casually withdrew her hand.
Chu Mingyu inwardly: Tsk tsk tsk.
Wei Qingchen smiled faintly. “I’ll be going over there now.”
Today’s banquet also included a few other relatives; she had to sit at the male guests’ table.
Chu Mingxi said, “Go on.” She paused, then added, “Drink less wine.”
Wei Qingchen beamed. “I know.”
After the two brothers had left, the sisters settled themselves back down. Chu Mingyu twirled the rim of her cup between her fingers and leaned a little closer to her sister’s shoulder.
Chu Mingxi thought she was about to tease her about Wei Qingchen again, but she just said casually, “If Sister and Brother-in-law think well of this person, then it must be fine. In that case, let’s go with what Sister says.”
Chu Mingxi was taken aback and looked at her. Seeing her sister indeed looking completely unbothered, she said calmly, “There’s no need to rush like this. After all, he’s not my brother. Why not take another look around? What matters is whether he pleases your eye.”
Chu Mingyu shook her head. “I don’t care much either way. Whom I marry isn’t all that important. But being able to keep Sister company in the Jingyuan Marquis Mansion—that would be nice. And this way, Mother can also rest easy. After all, since Father passed, she’s always been afraid she’s not doing well enough, afraid people will look down on us when we’re being evaluated for a match.”
“Silly girl.” Chu Mingxi reached out and gently grasped her sister’s hand.
Unknowingly, her sister had already grown so much. Thinking about the family, worrying about Mother now.
Young maids came carrying seasonal snacks to replace on the table. Among them was a plate of freshly cleaned, fresh lotus pods. The lotus seeds, still with their green skins, were arranged in a circle—delicate, exquisite, and vividly green. Chu Mingxi picked one out, carefully peeled off the green outer skin, extracted the bitter lotus plumule, and placed the pristine white kernel into the small bowl in front of her sister.
A while later, a burst of rowdy laughter suddenly came from the other side of the flowering trees. Chu Mingyu looked up. The Eldest Young Master Wei Chengxian, whom she had seen from afar earlier, was approaching with a young woman. The woman was styled in a married woman’s coiffure, still dressed in light-colored silk damask. She wore a Hetian Green Jade Bangle on her wrist. Her pair of peach blossom eyes lifted slightly when she smiled, exuding endless charm.
When she got a clear look at the woman’s face, Chu Mingyu’s eyes filled with surprise.
She had seen this person before.
“That is the wife of the Eldest Young Master of the Marquis Mansion, Wei Chengxian—the Qin family’s daughter, given name Nuannuan.” Chu Mingxi glanced in the same direction and explained, “The Eldest Young Master’s birth mother is a secondary wife of the Marquis. She has been unwell these past couple of days, and Qin-shi has been tending her at her sickbed. Just now, the Marquis likely spoke, having the Eldest Young Master bring his wife and child over.”
Qin Nuannuan had clearly also recognized Chu Mingyu. She walked over with a surprised expression, first greeting Chu Mingxi properly. Yet her smiling eyes kept gazing at Chu Mingyu. Upon hearing Chu Mingxi say this was her own second younger sister, Qin Nuannuan’s smile deepened further. “This younger sister and I have met before.”
“Oh?” Chu Mingxi looked at her, then at her sister.
Chu Mingyu nodded, speaking frankly, “Yes. That day at Treasure Splendor Temple, I met this elder sister.”
“That day, Young Miss Chu rescued me and Bao’er twice. I haven’t yet properly thanked you. I never imagined you were actually the younger sister of Young Miss Mingxi. What a fated connection.”
As if to confirm her words, a tiny child, led by the wet nurse, came waddling over from behind and immediately hugged Qin Nuannuan’s leg, tilting her head up and crying out in her milky voice, “Mother!”
A smile brimmed up to Qin Nuannuan’s eyes as she stroked her head, though her words were: “Look who this is. Has Little Sister Bao paid her respects yet?”
Chu Mingyu watched her radiant smile and suddenly thought: Elder Sister Qin truly lives up to her name. What a warm smile. [T/N: Nuannuan means warm]
Looking down again, she saw tiny little Wei Baoru blink her black gem-like eyes and press both hands to the side of her skirt, obediently saying to Chu Mingxi, “Greetings to Second Aunt. Um…” She looked at Chu Mingyu and hesitated for a moment. Chu Mingyu was about to say, I’ve met you too, but the little one quickly added, “Greetings to this pretty elder sister.”
“Hahahahaha.” Chu Mingyu couldn’t hold back her laughter again.
Qin Nuannuan took Wei Baoru back to her own table. Chu Mingyu was still watching with curved eyes, finally leaning close to her sister’s ear and whispering, “Sister, I think marrying into the Marquis Mansion wouldn’t be so bad.”
Chu Mingxi raised an eyebrow at her, as if asking: Why the sudden change of heart?
After all, she was an unmarried young girl. Even with Chu Mingyu’s mischievous personality, she couldn’t help her cheeks flushing slightly. She covered her face with her round fan and lowered her voice even more: “I think Little Sister Bao is just too adorable. In the future, when you and Brother-in-law have a Little Heir… mm…”
Chu Mingxi’s own face reddened a bit, and she gave her sister a sideways glance, saying oddly, “Don’t tell me you want to… give the Little Heir a sister with the Third Young Master?”
The layers of red clouds on Chu Mingyu’s face stacked one upon another. Feeling the heat herself, she fanned herself with the round fan a couple of times. Seeing her sister still staring at her unwaveringly, she changed the subject by refilling her sister’s Fruit Syrup. “Look how hot it is today, Sister, have a drink.”
She hadn’t refuted it, so… did that mean she was tacitly agreeing?
Chu Mingxi felt a bit like laughing, her gaze drifting far into the distance to the bouncing Wei Baoru. It seemed Little Sister Bao’s charm was considerable.
The marriage between Wei Jiewu and Chu Mingyu was soon settled. The elders of both families exchanged the children’s birth charts and set the wedding date for the following spring. Tong Min’er happily went to find the Grand General and Grand Princess to prepare the betrothal gifts.
The Jingyuan Marquis Mansion enjoyed a few days of peaceful life.
When the autumn wind first stirred, the emperor summoned Wei Qingchen into the palace for an audience, subsequently bestowing a heap of gifts. It turned out the Peaceful Ease Prefecture case was concluded. Governor Wen Minxu had been arrested and brought to justice, with witnesses and evidence all conclusive. He was sentenced to execution after autumn, and his entire family to exile, pending final review by the Ministry of Justice.
Wei Qingchen received the rewards, expressed her gratitude for the Imperial favor, and walked out of the Imperial Study together with the Fifth Prince, Mu Qishao. Coincidentally, they ran into the Third Prince, Mu Qiyuan, and the Fourth Prince, Mu Qipeng. Both princes were already married, enfeoffed as Princes with their own residences, living within the Imperial City. Among them, the Third Prince had been enfeoffed as Prince Qi, and the Fourth Prince as Prince Lian.
The brothers merely exchanged brief salutations outside the Imperial Study. The Third Prince, the eldest among the few, was several years older than the Fifth and patted his younger brother’s shoulder in congratulations. The Fourth Prince’s maternal clan had a military background and he had never gotten along well with Wei Qingchen. They had even gotten into a fight earlier in the year. Seeing them now, he merely gave a cold snort and ignored them.
Mu Qishao knew that their coming at this time meant their father had summoned them for some business, so he didn’t say much more. After they entered the Imperial Study, the two cousins slowly walked down the steps.
“Let’s go together to the Eastern Palace to pay respects to the Crown Prince brother,” Mu Qishao said.
The fact that the penalty for Wen Minxu’s embezzlement was so severe was largely because the Crown Prince’s illness kept fluctuating between better and worse, greatly infuriating the Emperor. If the Censors hadn’t said there were precedents to follow, he would have wanted to sentence Governor Wen to the execution of his entire clan.
Wei Qingchen agreed and went with Mu Qishao to the Eastern Palace.
Mu Qilin was in somewhat better spirits today. The Crown Princess only sat with them briefly before excusing herself on some matter, leaving the room for the brothers to talk.
Wei Qingchen had thought he would ask about the Peaceful Ease Prefecture matter, but the Crown Prince didn’t mention a single word about it.
It wasn’t until she left the Eastern Palace and returned home, with Mu Qishao accompanying her out and nearly at the Carriage Station, that he said: “The Eastern Palace has its own staff. Do you think being Crown Prince is so easy to be?”
These two sentences were vague and disjointed, seemingly disconnected. Yet Wei Qingchen understood the sigh her Fifth Cousin had left unspoken.
At the Jingyuan Marquis Mansion, upon hearing that Wei Qingchen had received rewards from the palace, Wei Chengxian felt deeply resentful. When he later found out it was just a generous bestowal of gifts without any promotion in rank or title, he didn’t say much more, though his expression wasn’t particularly pleasant either.
But he was always adept at maintaining appearances. Hitting and scolding people in his own courtyard were minor matters. Out in public, brothers respectful and fraternal—who could fault him?
Qin Nuannuan watched coldly, beyond the point of advising anymore.
That night, Wei Qingchen and Chu Mingxi rested in their own chamber. Jingyun left a single bean lamp burning in the corner for them and withdrew with the young maids. Silence returned to the room. Wei Qingchen leaned against the pillow, telling her wife about the day’s events in the palace.
Chu Mingxi lay beside her, her brow slightly furrowed, lost in thought about who knew what.
Wei Qingchen talked for a while with no response, turned her head to look, and asked, “Do you have something on your mind?”
Chu Mingxi said, “You know I’ve been searching for a Detoxification Formula for the moldy corn kernels all this time, right?”
“Mm. How’s it going?”
Chu Mingxi shook her head. “I can’t find it. The toxin of this substance is unfathomably deep. Once poisoned, it’s nearly impossible to counteract. I’m very worried.”
Wei Qingchen took her hand, slowly stroking it as if offering comfort. “You’re worried that people will be poisoned again?”
“Yes. When we were in Chen Prefecture, in Peaceful Ease Prefecture, you also saw—the Northern Border is bitterly cold. In winter, there isn’t enough farm produce, so the local people rely on stored grains and dried vegetables to survive the winter. It’s fine during winter, but when spring arrives, in years with continuous heavy rain, these grains and dried vegetables easily grow mold. Whether toxic or not, eating them is ultimately harmful.”
Chu Mingxi spoke for a long time, then looked up to find Wei Qingchen’s clear, bright eyes staring at her unblinkingly. She touched her own face and asked, “What is it?”
Wei Qingchen moved a little closer, carrying a faint smile. “I’ve noticed that when you speak so eloquently like this, you look really beautiful.” As she said this, she raised Chu Mingxi’s hand to her lips, wanting to kiss it.
Chu Mingxi pulled her hand back, not letting her kiss it, but her eyes were smiling, and she teased, “So when I’m not speaking eloquently, I’m not beautiful?”
“You’re always beautiful.” Wei Qingchen nuzzled and nudged until she managed to plant a kiss on her palm anyway.
Chu Mingxi shot her a glare. Knowing when to stop, Wei Qingchen made a suggestion: “Why don’t we talk to My Imperial Uncle about this matter? It should fall under the Ministry of Revenue’s jurisdiction. They manage all under heaven’s Land Tax, Tariffs, and Transit Dues, collecting so much silver from the common people year after year. It’s time they were given something to do as well.”
“You.” Chu Mingxi smiled at her witty talk, then added, “That is a good idea.”
“Since it’s a good idea, shouldn’t Madam reward me with something?”
“Didn’t the palace give you many things today as a reward?” Chu Mingxi knew what she meant and deliberately steered the conversation away.
Wei Qingchen propped herself up and gently lifted her chin. “That was a reward from the palace. I want a reward from my wife.”
“Reward you… with what… mm…” The half-finished sentence was sealed off by Wei Qingchen’s kiss.
