Chapter 433
Chapter 433 Duke of Yan State Mansion’s Tree-Viewing Party
An invitation card from Yan Huaijing?
Wei Yuewu was surprised as she received it. After looking at the content of the invitation card, she was stunned for a moment. As an heir-apparent, Yan Huaijing was different from other people who would either host a flower-viewing party or a lantern-viewing party. He was actually inviting her to a tree-viewing party!
What was so nice about viewing trees?
Then, she suddenly recalled the tall trees she saw in the palace that day. Yan Huaijing claimed that those were the trees from the State of Yan. Could it be that he wanted to invite everyone to view those trees?
However, the Duke of Yan State Mansion did not have a mistress, and Jing Wenyan was the person who signed the invitation card, saying that given the friendship between the two families, Yan Huaijing wanted her to entertain his guests in the inner courtyard on his behalf. Moreover, Jing Wenyan was actually asked to assist Yan Huaijing in serving his guests, particularly at this crucial time. It was interesting to contemplate the hidden meaning behind this.
Could it be interpreted as a hint that the Duke of Yan State Mansion wanted to make this top-ranked beauty its mistress?
If that was the case, wouldn’t Third Princess and Fourth Princess actually turn into a joke?
“Miss, what does the Heir-apparent of Yan mean?” Jin Ling peeked over and asked in surprise.
“Since the State of Yan and the State of Jing have always been close, I assume that the Heir-apparent of Yan and Eldest Miss Jing should be well acquainted. Am I right?” Wei Yuewu thought for a moment and asked softly.
“Yes, they are. The State of Jing has always been flattering the State of Yan. What’s more, Eldest Miss Jing would visit the State of Yan from time to time. Princess of Yan also liked Eldest Miss Jing very much, so that was why there was a rumor regarding the marriage alliance between the two states. However, the heir-apparent opposed it later on, so this matter was left unsettled. Following the episode, the State of Jing was then wiped out by the State of Yan.”
Jin Ling replied after thinking for a while.
“The State of Jing has always been flattering the State of Yan? Isn’t the Duke of Jing closer to the Emperor than the ordinary dukes?” Wei Yuewu thought of something. She had always thought that the State of Jing’s arrogance was to blame for its destruction by the State of Yan. However, judging by Jin Ling’s story, that did not sound right.
“I am not too sure about this. However, I heard that the State of Jing secretly maintained covert communications with the capital while expressing its submission to the State of Yan. Some of the military secrets of the State of Yan were thus revealed, and His Highness was quite displeased with this,” Jin Ling replied.
“Miss, should we attend the party?” Huamo approached with caution and asked, not understanding what they said.
She would follow Wei Yuewu’s instructions in every way.
“Of course!” Wei Yuewu looked at the note attached to the invitation card silently and answered helplessly.
After opening the invitation card, there was a tiny note attached to the back layer of the card. The invitation card felt somewhat different the moment she got a hold of it. Wei Yuewu carefully removed the tiny note from the back layer.
The not-so-large note was unfolded. Two flamboyant words, “DO COME”, were written on it.
The handwriting was different from that of the card. In fact, it had greater vitality and was more powerful. Needless to say, Yan Huaijing must have written this himself.
“Is there anything to take into account when preparing a gift in the State of Yan?” Wei Yuewu asked Jin Ling as she folded the note in her hand and put it back into the card.
“The State of Yan isn’t as particular as the capital. A casual gift will do, Miss.” Jin Ling shook her head, but then she was a little worried. “Miss, if there are not many young ladies of aristocratic families attending the event, won’t our presence be too eye-catching?”
“They are definitely going,” Wei Yuewu replied as she nonchalantly closed the card. “Since everyone wants to see what is going on between the Heir-apparent of Yan and Eldest Miss Jing, so not only will they go, but there will be many people going too, including Third Princess and Fourth Princess.”
Since it was a banquet, everyone was welcome. Why would Third Princess and Fourth Princess miss out on this chance?
Compared with other young ladies of aristocratic families, Third Princess and Fourth Princess should be more concerned about the matter of Yan Huaijing.
“How is the inquiry going with Nurse Mei?” Wei Yuewu asked Huamo. Earlier on, she had asked Huamo to see Nurse Mei for a chat.
“Lord Tu and Lord Marquis have known each other for a long time, dating back to the year Madam passed away. They immediately became best friends when they first met. Therefore, when Lord Marquis returned to the mansion every year, Lord Tu would come to visit him. Lord Marquis would also take the initiative to go to Lord Tu’s mansion to return the visit. I heard that a favored concubine in Lord Tu’s mansion was actually given by Lord Marquis.”
Taking advantage of the chance to support Nurse Mei earlier on, Huamo had been listening to her from the side. She sorted out the content as she spoke.
“Father even gifted him a concubine?” Wei Yuewu was shocked.
“That’s right. That concubine used to serve Concubine Dong. It seems that she was a maid that Concubine Dong brought from the border, not from the capital. Therefore, nobody is familiar with her,” Huamo replied. “However, in the past, she would occasionally accompany Lord Tu to come over and kowtow to Concubine Dong to express her gratitude.”
Concubine Dong’s maid? What was more, she was brought over from the border. As compared with all the maids in the mansion, she must have been the most trusted servant of Concubine Dong.
In other words, Lord Tu’s favored concubine was also Concubine Dong’s most trusted servant, so she would definitely share some confidential information she knew with Concubine Dong.
“What happened to Lord Tu then?” Wei Yuewu was really curious about him.
“I can’t find out more about Lord Tu. I was only told that Lord Tu was in a difficult situation when he was young, and his family was down and out. After that, he lost his status as the lineal son of the Tu Family and became a member of the side family. However, he was determined to succeed and worked harder after that. After an excellent result in the imperial examination, he progressively revived his family. As for the rest, I know nothing about him. It appears that Lord Tu was separated from his sister when he was young, and he has been looking for her for so many years.”
Huamo compiled the news she had heard previously and reported to Wei Yuewu.
“Is the pastry plate from last time still with us?” Wei Yuewu lowered her head and pondered for a moment. After a while, she raised her head and asked softly.
“Don’t worry, Miss. I have been keeping it carefully!” Shufei added on from the side.
“Bring it with you when we go to the Duke of Yan State Mansion.” Since she couldn’t find anything on her own, it seemed that she would have to bother Yan Huaijing for help. There was no way that no one could recognize such a unique plate. Moreover, Jin Ling had mentioned before that Lord Tu was previously acquainted with Yan Huaijing too.
“Yes!” Shufei nodded knowingly.
“What? I… I was requested to entertain guests on behalf of His Heir-apparent?” Jing Wenyan was shocked as she saw eight maids in front of her. Each of them was holding a beautiful gift box in their hands. When the gift boxes were opened, beautiful pieces of silk and satin were revealed.
“Yes, our heir-apparent asked you to help receive the guests. There is no other old acquaintance around in the capital, except you, Eldest Miss Jing. Since you previously assisted Princess to entertain her guests before in the State of Yan, you must be well familiar with the rules. For this reason, the heir-apparent asked you for a favor, Eldest Miss Jing.”
Yan Huaijing’s eunuch, Little Dezi, said with a smile.
“But this is the capital here…” Jing Wenyan opted out.
“It doesn’t matter much. Everyone knows that the State of Yan and the State of Jing had a long friendship. Eldest Miss Jing, it is reasonable if you do this as a favor. Our heir-apparent also said that if you decline his request, do you think that everyone in the capital knows nothing?” Little Dezi repeated Yan Huaijing’s words.
Although his words sounded polite, how could Jing Wenyan not understand the strong meaning in them?
“Alright then!” Jing Wenyan gritted her teeth. With so many guests to the mansion of the Duke of Jing, even if she declined the request, others would still doubt her relationship with Yan Huaijing. Therefore, she might as well declare that she was doing this as a favor for him.
In the previous incident, Jing Wenyan had offended Fourth Princess. Hence, she wanted to seek protection from Yan Huaijing but was then rejected by him. Fortunately, she reacted quickly and hurriedly went to Crown Prince Mansion, pleading with the Crown Prince to speak something nice for her. Only then did Fourth Princess hold back from raging at her.
Yan Huaijing did not protect her last time, and she even got involved with him this time. Not to mention Fourth Princess, the vague relationship between them would definitely irritate Third Princess as well.
For now, how could she possibly gain the trust of the two princesses? Her mind was spinning rapidly as she tried to come up with a solution.
“Eldest Miss Jing, I will go back to return the message to our heir-apparent now.” Seeing that Jing Wenyan had agreed, Little Dezi smiled and ordered everyone to put down the gift boxes in their hands before bidding farewell to Jing Wenyan.
“Please tell your heir-apparent not to worry. I will go over and help him entertain his guests. However, isn’t there someone else by his side? Why doesn’t he just let her handle it instead?” Jing Wenyan smiled and stopped Little Dezi.
“Eldest Miss Jing, are you talking about Miss Lin?” Little Dezi smiled.
“That’s right. Since she is still in the mansion, why not ask Miss Lin for assistance? She is the daughter of an aristocratic family in the State of Yan. Isn’t she more knowledgeable about entertaining guests than I do? Isn’t she more justified in handling the matter?” Jing Wenyan quietly observed Little Dezi’s reaction.
The two princesses were curious about the woman from the State of Yan’s aristocratic family, but shouldn’t the Crown Prince have been even more so?
If she had the chance to send the woman to the Crown Prince, wouldn’t the Crown Prince value her much more? With that, she could probably get better benefits from him.
As she thought about this, her heart couldn’t help but beat faster. Her cheeks turned slightly red, making her face look like a peach blossom. She looked incomparably beautiful.
“Miss Lin is physically weak. I’m afraid that she won’t be able to entertain guests.” Little Dezi directly refused on behalf of Yan Huaijing.
“Duke of Yan State Mansion is hosting a party. Doesn’t Miss Lin want to come over to take a look? After all, she is a young girl who likes to join in the fun like others. When the time comes, I will send someone to invite Miss Lin too!” Jing Wenyan used the retreat to advance and smiled indifferently.
“Urm… It still depends on Miss Lin’s decision.” Little Dezi couldn’t bring himself to laugh anymore.
“It’s fine. We’re all about the same age, and there are so many young ladies of aristocratic families coming too. I’m sure Miss Lin will definitely enjoy the event. The daughter of an aristocratic family in the State of Yan must be a more straightforward person than the average daughter of an aristocratic family. However, I am not sure what relationship Miss Lin has with Young Master Lin Fang?” Jing Wenyan continued her inquiries quietly.
Yan Huaijing’s Chief Bodyguard, Lin Fang, was the lineal son of an aristocratic family in the State of Yan. Jing Wenyan was acquainted with him previously, and she had never dared to overlook a person like him who seemed to conceal all his evil intents beneath a sincere grin.
“Of course, they are related. Eldest Miss Jing, His Heir-apparent is still waiting for me to return the message. Let’s not talk about it for now. Please come to the mansion early that day, Eldest Miss Jing,” Little Dezi said hastily.
This time, Jing Wenyan did not stop him. She nodded while smiling. After Little Dezi left, she turned and entered the inner room. Her maid, Xuecui, quickly spread out the paper for her. Jing Wenyan thought for a moment before picking up a writing brush and writing on the paper.
After that, she put down the writing brush and looked at the paper a few times. After the ink was completely dried, she folded the paper and put it into an envelope on the side. Then, she handed it to Xuecui and ordered, “Get someone to bring this to Crown Prince Mansion!”
Xuecui replied, “Yes!”
It would be better to report the matter about Miss Lin and her relationship with Lin Fang to the Crown Prince as soon as possible. Since she was brought to the stage and requested to handle the task, it would be convenient for her to investigate more about Miss Lin. Moreover, didn’t Yan Huaijing also pay much attention to the Sixth Young Lady of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang?
After a while, a bodyguard walked out of the mansion of Duke of Jing, got on his horse in a hurry, and rode straight out.
However, the horse was caught by a tripping rope as soon as it just passed a corner of a small alley. The bodyguard lost balance and fell from the horse. Before he could react, a sword sliced through his throat, and blood splattered on the spot…
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