The Lucky Heiress

“I don’t know, too many things have happened today…”

At this moment, Wei Qingwan was in a chaotic state of mind.

Originally, to accompany Prince Yu and the Queen to attend the Mid-Autumn Palace banquet was a great opportunity for her, as she finally had the chance to meet with Prince Yu.

But reality did not meet her expectations, Prince Yu showed no reaction to seeing her.

The only reason he spoke to her was to discuss matters relating to Wei Qingruo.

This made her feel a deep sense of crisis. If she could not win his favor, she did not know what her future status in this imperial residence would be like.

The prince seemed to care a lot about Wei Qingruo’s affairs, and the queen also seemed to hope that she could get along better with Wei Qingruo.

But how could she swallow her pride and form a good relationship with Wei Qingruo? She had assumed the position of Prince Yu’s Concubine in order to trample Wei Qingruo underfoot!

What should she do? How could she develop deep associations with Wei Qingruo without being suppressed by Qingruo?

Another thing that bothered her was the appearance of King Rui.

Although the light during the palace feast was not as bright as in the daytime, it was not too dark either. When King Rui spoke, her distance from King Rui was not too far. Were the chances of seeing him wrongly high under such circumstances?

Wei Qingwan was somewhat annoyed. If she had known earlier, she would have looked closer at Kingdom Rui’s appearance when she went with Queen Yu to toast Wei Qingruo. At that time, their distance would have been even closer, she would have been able to see clearly.

“Miss, Miss, what’s wrong?” Seeing Wei Qingwan in a daze, Cuihe asked worriedly.

“Cuihe, when Second Brother’s body was brought back, did you get a clear look at it?” Wei Qingwan asked.

“This … the servant wouldn’t dare. I heard from others that Second Young Master was gruesomely mutilated by thieves. Combined with the time it took to deliver his body, it had begun to decay. The sight was extremely frightening,” Cuihe replied.

After finishing, Cuihe asked Wei Qingwan, “Miss, why are you asking this? Discussing the dead out of nowhere is frightening.”

“It’s nothing.” Wei Qingwan didn’t know how to discuss the matter.

She must have seen wrongly. One was a Concubine’s son of the Wei family, and the other was a legitimate prince. They had completely different identities, how could they be linked together?

Moreover, King Rui was ill, and his life would not be much longer. Wei Jinyi was healthy and unharmed, he would not have died so young unless he had encountered an accident.

In the depth of night, Wei Qingwan, assisted by Cuihe, washed and dressed. With her heart filled with confusion, worry, and unwillingness, she lay on her bed, staring at the moonlight shining through the window into her room, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

###

King Rui’s Residence.

Upon returning to the residence, Wei Ruo immediately bathed and changed clothes, then threw herself onto the bed.

“I’m so exhausted,” Wei Ruo said, feeling weary all over.

“Miss, I’ve never seen you this tired even when you do a full day’s farm work,” Xiumei teased Wei Ruo, laughing.

“They’re not the same. Farm work tires the body; attending this kind of event, tires the heart! I’m someone who’s not good at being insincere and dealing with them. There are so many rules in the palace. It’s my first time navigating such a situation; wouldn’t it be a big loss if I did something wrong, or said something wrong, and lose my head over it? My head is very valuable!”

Wei Ruo had asked many questions before attending the palace banquet and had been mentally prepared. Still, it was her first time, and she felt she did well without making any mistakes, and calmly answering the Emperor’s questions.

Some nervousness and mental fatigue were inevitable. Not everyone could master this kind of occasion the first time.

Anyway, Wei Ruo couldn’t. She knew she was limited in handling these matters.

“But Miss, you were the one who decided to present this item. Even though it would be very tiring, you still volunteered to do it,” Xiumei said.

“Yeah, who asked your Miss to want to see the Anti-Japanese Army win? And I don’t want to give the credit to others. My second brother said that if this works out, we can exchange it for many rewards. That’s real silver! It might even be gold!” Wei Ruo said helplessly.

Xiumei agreed and nodded, “We certainly can’t give the credit to others.”

While massaging Wei Ruo’s shoulders, Xiumei continued, “Miss, let me massage your shoulders to ease your fatigue. Later, I’ll light the soothing incense you mixed to help you rest.”

“Only Meimei cherishes me.” Wei Ruo smiled brightly.

“If not for me, who would? Miss, you say you’re tired, but there’s not a single thing you want to do that you would give up,” Xiumei exploded in exasperation.

“I have no choice. There are things that are uncomfortable if your Miss does not do them,” Wei Ruo said, eyes half-closed, visibly enjoying Xiumei’s massage.

Xiumei laughed and carried on her massage, “I heard Sister Lin Fang saying that the Prince had other arrangements for the Thunderbolt Bullet and the Mighty Cannon?”

“After seeing the Heavy Front-Loaded Rifled Cannon I presented tomorrow, the Emperor will probably ask about the production of my brother’s. My second brother should have his plans,” Wei Ruo answered.

Wei Ruo didn’t know the details. Her second brother’s words were always interrupted. Her mind is for her own stuff, the struggles of the court, she couldn’t understand. So it’s better to save her brain.

Their tasks have always been clearly divided. She would tell her second brother about the matter she wanted to sort out. If he agreed, they would simply proceed. Otherwise, she would give up temporarily.

As for how to use it afterward, it was her second brother’s business. She was just in charge of earning the money.

Take the “Death of Xu Heyou” as an example: she simply stated her demands – Xu Heyou needed to die. Originally, she intended for Xu Heyou to fall off a cliff or succumb to accidental poisoning. But it was her second brother who arranged the assassination and then set the Qi family and Prince Jing to suspect each other.

This time, it was the same.

After relaxing for a while, Wei Ruo fell asleep peacefully, inhaling the soothing incense she mixed up.

She didn’t know that it was a sleepless night for many people tonight.

###

King Jing’s residence.

Chu Lan’s trusted adviser, Xue Shaoyuan, stood in front of him. Dressed in a neat black fish-patterned robe, his face was cold and stern, a prominent scar on his face.

“My lord, your servant has investigated. Xu Heyou is indeed real. His household registration information can be found in Taizhou prefecture. He is the cousin of deputy commander Xu Zhengyong of the Anti-Japanese Army. Xu Zhengyong’s mother was Queen Rui’s nursemaid, and Queen Rui lived with her nursemaid’s family in Huzhou prefecture. She has a close relationship with the Xu family,” Xue Shaoyuan reported.

After Xu Heyou’s death, Chu Lan ordered Xue Shaoyuan to investigate Xu Heyou’s identity.

If Xu Heyou were Wei Qingruo in disguise, then he should not have corresponding household registration information.