Chapter 66 – Choice: The Qin Music For The Captive-Offering Event
Wei Yuewu was helped to the qin stand.
The stove was on the left of the stand, so Wei Yuewu walked to the right side to avoid the stove. On the other side of the stand were the curtains. Now she was getting close to the curtain at the corner. An accident occurred. Nobody knew whether the curtain tripped up Wei Yuewu or Wei Yuewu accidentally got caught by the curtain outside the tent.
Just as she was about to walk around the stand, she suddenly staggered. Jin Ling, who was supporting her, gritted her teeth under Wei Yuewu’s gaze and forcefully pushed Wei Yuewu to the side. Although it looked like Jin Ling was helping Wei Yuewu, she was dragged along and fell forward.
The jade bracelets on Wei Yuewu’s wrist coincidentally hit the stand. The clear jade looked very translucent. The bracelets were especially put on her wrist by the Madam Dowager for the occasion of entering the palace. However, they were broken immediately when she knocked them hard on the stand. The slippery and smooth jade fragments weren’t sharp-edged, but when Jin Ling pressed them down hard, it was a different case.
Even the slipperiest and smoothest pieces would cut the delicate skin.
Consequently, blood flowed out.
“Ah, miss.” Jin Ling cried out in alarm as she held Wei Yuewu who was about to fall.
“What’s wrong?” The Crown Prince jumped to his feet and asked, while the Third Princess looked at Wei Yuewu with increased thoughtfulness.
“Your Royal Highness, my mistress has hurt her hand. Please… please call a doctor to take a look.” Jin Ling was so anxious that she almost shed tears. She was genuinely anxious.
She thought that only a small cut would be caused, but when she saw the large amount of blood that suddenly appeared on Wei Yuewu’s hand, her face immediately turned pale.
“Send for the imperial doctor. Hurry.” Seeing that Wei Yuewu was pale and almost couldn’t support herself, the Crown Prince waved his hand. A palace maid immediately walked out and called a doctor. The doctor and the Crown Prince’s attendants were in a smaller tent behind this tent.
As the tent at the front blocked the view, no one noticed it.
Seeing Wei Yuewu’s injury, the imperial doctor also became anxious. He hurriedly came over to apply a plaster and wrap bandages. Fortunately, the doctor acted quickly. The wound was actually not a big one. Wei Yuewu knew that she broke a large blood vessel when she saw the cut, so she used the method her granny taught her at once and pressed down on her arm to slow down the bleeding.
With the medication and bandaging used by the imperial doctor, her hand soon stopped bleeding.
Nevertheless, her physique used to be weak. At this moment, she was enfeebled by the loss of a large amount of blood. Her face was pale without a trace of rosiness. Even her lips were faintly grey. Only her clear eyes remained as limpid and charming as ever.
She didn’t panic because of this accident.
“How is it?” The Crown Prince had already walked to Wei Yuewu’s side. He asked the question with a frown when he saw that the imperial doctor finished wrapping the bandage.
“Your Royal Highness, there’s nothing serious with this young lady’s injury now, but she must not touch water for some time. And she had to be careful with her wound. This young lady is weaker than average people, which is probably because she was born with some congenital deficiency.”
The imperial doctor reported respectfully to the Crown Prince.
Actually, Wei Yuewu knew about her congenital physical weakness. Her granny once told her that her mother had a difficult delivery when giving birth to her. Her mother almost died together with the baby. In the end, although her mother managed to give birth to her, she was born with a weaker body than average babies because she was stuck in her mother’s womb for too long.
Later on, she read some medical books and knew that the best condition for her congenital weakness was, as her granny said, to remain placid without fluctuations of the mood. That was why she had been cultivating her character and kept a low profile at her maternal grandparents’ house. This was the best way to benefit her body.
However, her peaceful life had been disturbed ever since she entered the capital where the weak were the prey to the strong. If she wanted to survive, she could not retreat…
“Sixth Miss Wei, I didn’t expect such an accident to happen. It was my fault.” The Crown Prince looked closely at Wei Yuewu with an apologetic expression on his face.
“No, it has nothing to do with Your Royal Highness. It was all my own fault.” Wei Yuewu raised her pale face. Her lips were gray. Her bright eyes looked even more sparkling on her pale face and there was a kind of arresting purity in them. Yet anyone could see that she was forcing a smile on her face.
The extremely pale face instantly lit up Wen Tianyao’s eyes. His expression froze for a moment but he immediately lowered his head to hide the trace of guilt in his eyes.
When he raised his head, Wen Tianyao had his usual calm smile on his face. He said to the Third Princess, “Third Younger Sister, it’s better that you play the qin by yourself.”
“Eldest Brother, I…” The Third Princess looked at the qin stand and then at Wen Tianyao with an awkward expression. “Eldest Brother, Sixth Miss Wei only hurt her wrist…”
“Enough. Just play a little for appearance’s sake.” Wen Tianyao gently interrupted the Third Princess. “I know it is unjust for you.”
“No… Eldest Brother…nothing of the sort…” With her present look, the Third Princess seemed obviously wronged. Tear filled the corners of her eyes and were about to fall. Nevertheless, she forced a smile on her face, which indeed made people feel sorry for her.
Wei Yuewu glanced coldly at the Third Princess. She held Jin Ling’s hand and retreated to the side. Wen Tianyao asked her to sit down in a chair. If the Third Princess felt it unjust to play the qin, what about her? Would she not have the same feeling if she played the qin?
Now that her hand was wounded, even if the Crown Prince wanted to help his sister, he was too embarrassed to ask her again. Moreover, the imperial doctor just said that she should take good care of herself. In any case, the current situation had nothing to do with her. Yet she did want to know what it was that made the Third Princess feel so difficult.
“Your Royal Highness, he is coming.” An attendant lifted the curtain, walked in and reported in a low voice.
“Third Younger Sister, you may start!” Wen Tianyao nodded and said to the Third Princess.
The Third Princess stood up with tears in her eyes, but she did not refuse. She walked to the qin stand and sat down. As her fingers swept over the strings, a melodious sound came from her fingers.
“Is that one in the front the heir-apparent of the Duke of Yan State?”
“Sure enough, he’s a peerless young master. He… looks so handsome.”
“Ah, he … got out of the carriage. Is… is he coming here? He saw me. He actually saw me.” …
Although Wei Yuewu didn’t have a good hearing, the noisy clamour outside easily reached her ears even if she didn’t want to hear it. All she could hear was the irrepressible voices and exclamations of those young ladies.
Wei Yuewu could only be speechless about the ability of this heir-apparent of the Duke of Yan State to attract admirers. That day when she was on the street, her carriage was almost pushed into the river. It could show how popular this peerless Young Master Huaijing was among the girls in the capital.
Even though these aristocratic young ladies were usually very reserved, at this time, they were all captivated by his beauty and couldn’t help saying those words. Moreover, with almost everyone acting the same way, they wouldn’t feel their behavior strange. Wei Yuewu could imagine that these young ladies must be looking at the heir-apparent of the Duke of Yan State with a shy rosy look.
Yet, who could tell whether that peerless young master was really gentle and affectionate?
Wei Yuewu had a bitter smile at the corner of her lips. If it hadn’t been for the urgent situation that day, she would never venture to be mixed up with him. No matter what, this peerless Young Master Huaijing was dangerous. She wondered why those young ladies would think the heir-apparent of the Duke of Yan State was really a gentle and refined young master.
And he even dared to come to the capital to preside over this grand captive-offering event.
It was said that when the Duke of Yan State attacked the other states, he did not obtain the Emperor’s consent!
However, Yan Huaijing dared to send the emperor’s officials to the capital in the form of captives. When Wei Yuewu pondered over this matter, the implication behind it was enough to make her stay far away from it. Almost anyone involved in this kind of thing would definitely be doomed.
Nevertheless, looking at her current situation, Wei Yuewu could only smile bitterly. She had no way to avoid it now.
She already got involved in this matter from the moment she accidentally entered the Crown Prince’s tent. Fortunately, she made a prompt decision to injure her hand.
Needless to say, the Crown Prince and the Third Princess were waiting for Yan Huaijing, the heir-apparent of the Duke of Yan State.
Sure enough, an attendant came to roll up the curtain and opened the tent. Those who got extremely excited at seeing Yan Huaijing were surprised to see that the Crown Prince and the Third Princess were inside the tent. The Third Princess was playing the qin. As for Wei Yuewu, she immediately knelt down when the curtain was rolled up.
The young ladies outside knelt down to Wen Tianyao at the same time.
There was no question that this Crown Prince would succeed the throne. When they saw him, of course they must kneel down to him, especially at this moment when captives were going to be offered. Even though those young ladies were enchanted by Yan Huaijing’s appearance, they were clear about this rule.
Thanks to the kneeling, Wei Yuewu was saved from the gazes of the crowd. Right now, only Wen Tianyao, the Third Princess who was stroking the qin, and the elegant, handsome Yan Huaijing, who was as spotless as an immortal, were entitled to stand.
“Yan Huaijing, the heir-apparent of the Duke of Yan State, presents captives on behalf of Yan State. Long live His Majesty.” Yan Huaijing bowed to salute and uttered those words with a smile.
The heads of the four dukedoms had the right to be exempted from kneeling down when they saluted the Emperor.
This was a rule laid down at the founding of the country. Moreover, the four dukedoms were growing more powerful now. Of course, this rule would not be abolished.
Wen Tianyao did not say anything. He looked at Yan Huaijing’s face with some moroseness that carried a chilling sense.
Since he didn’t utter one word, not a single movement in the surroundings was heard. All the aristocratic young ladies who knelt down sensed the heavy pressure. At this moment, no one dared to steal a look at the heir-apparent of the Duke of Yan State.
Only the melodious sound of the qin was drifting in the air. Yet for some reason, even the music seemed to carry some heaviness and uneasiness.
Wei Yuewu lowered her head. Only now did she understand why the Third Princess felt humiliated. At this time, it was obvious that Yan State forced the Imperial Court to acknowledge this matter and treat the offering of captives as a grand occasion. In reality, however, by doing so, Yan State literally slapped the Imperial Court and the Imperial Family in the face.
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