"What did you put on that silk flower?"
Once they exited the palace gates and boarded the carriage, Wei Chan immediately shed her gentle and dignified facade, glaring furiously at Wei Rao as she demanded. Fortunately, she still had some sense of propriety, keeping her voice low to prevent those outside the carriage from hearing.
Wei Rao directly tossed the crabapple silk flower in her hand over.
Wei Chan grabbed the silk flower, sniffing it repeatedly like a pig rooting for food, but detected no fragrance at all.
She looked suspiciously at Wei Rao: "If you didn't put anything on it, then why did that butterfly land on it?"
Wei Rao chuckled lightly: "Go ask the butterfly. How would I know?"
"Enough." Old Mrs. Wei, sitting between them, finally spoke, casting a stern look at Wei Chan. "Last year when you got stung by a bee on the neck, did you put perfume there? It was just an accident. It's foolish enough that you suspect your own cousin, and now you're still questioning her after smelling the flower? Is Rao Rao really that despicable in your eyes?"
Wei Chan turned her face away, protesting indignantly: "Why are you scolding me, Grandmother? You heard what people said at the banquet. Even outsiders talk like that, so what's wrong with me asking? Anyway, it's all her fault for wearing that wretched silk flower. If she just followed the rules and wore proper jewelry, she wouldn't cause trouble and make us all lose face along with her."
Old Mrs. Wei sneered: "Afraid of losing face, are you? Fine. From now on, if there are any banquets, I'll only bring Rao Rao. I won't force you to come."
Wei Chan panicked, pouting: "Grandmother, you're being too biased!"
Old Mrs. Wei couldn't be bothered with her and closed her eyes, leaning back against the seat.
Wei Chan turned to glare at Wei Rao.
Wei Rao tugged pitifully at the old lady's sleeve: "Grandmother, Third Sister is still glaring at me."
Old Mrs. Wei abruptly opened her eyes, but Wei Chan had already turned away in anger. When she looked at Wei Rao, the girl gave her a playful smile.
Old Mrs. Wei sighed and gently patted her youngest granddaughter's hand.
Wei Rao rested her forehead against her grandmother's shoulder, her gaze drifting to the carriage window. The Cheng'an Marquis's household ranked lowest among the nobles and high officials present today, so they had to wait for all the other carriages to depart first. The silk curtain was embroidered with flowers and birds, several mountain birds perched irregularly on flowering branches, carefree and untroubled.
Wei Rao smiled bitterly to herself.
She used to not care about those rumors, but now that she wanted to marry into a prominent family, these discussions would make her path to a high-status marriage even more difficult. And then there was Qi Zhongkai - such a perfect candidate for a husband in her eyes. Handsome, young and accomplished, enthusiastic toward her, with a simple family structure. Unfortunately, the most crucial person, Qi Zhongkai's mother, the Madam Marquis of Pingxi, disliked her. Disliked her so much she couldn't even be bothered to maintain basic courtesy.
Wei Rao wasn't so desperate to marry that she would grovel where she wasn't wanted.
Marrying into a prominent family was meant to make the Empress Dowager think twice about sending assassins to trouble her, but Wei Rao wasn't actually afraid of those assassins. She just thought that if she married well, her grandmother and maternal grandmother would be happy and relieved.
If it really came to it, she simply wouldn't marry. The Empress Dowager was already so aged and frail - she might pass away in another year or two. And Wei Rao was still young - was she afraid she couldn't outlive the Empress Dowager? Her aunt had found a good match even after remarrying. Even if Wei Rao waited until her twenties to marry for the first time, it wouldn't be too difficult. And even if it were difficult, she wasn't afraid. At worst, she wouldn't marry at all. She had maids to serve her, land and businesses to manage - her life would still be fulfilling and enjoyable.
"Madam, it's our turn now."
The coachman reminded them from outside.
Wei Rao responded on her grandmother's behalf. The coachman cracked his whip, and the Cheng'an Marquis's carriage slowly began to move.
Marquis of Pingxi's residence.The forty-year-old Marquis of Pingxi entered the inner chamber, removed his official robes, and found the underwear beneath soaked with sweat under the arms and across the back.
He simply stripped off the underwear as well, taking the damp towel handed to him by the Marchioness to vigorously wipe his back.
"What exactly happened with Miaomiao?"
The Marquis looked at his wife as he asked. At the time, there were too many people around, all female guests, making it inconvenient for a man like him to inquire further.
The Marchioness sighed. "She was being greedy—took a large cherry. Tribute fruits are surely sweeter than what we buy at home. She ate too hastily and accidentally choked on it. It took quite some effort to cough it out—gave me such a fright."
The Marquis said sternly, "Teach her some manners later. At five years old, developing a habit of greediness is no good. And as for Ming'er, tell the wet nurse to keep a closer watch—don’t let anything happen again."
Ming'er was the young son of Qi Bowei and Deng Shi, just two years old this year.
The Marchioness nodded. "I’ll give the orders shortly."
The Marquis continued wiping his sweat. He was a true military man at heart, rarely involving himself in the upbringing of his grandchildren. In a few years, when his grandsons were older, he could personally teach them martial arts.
The Marchioness sat on the edge of the bed, watching her burly husband, her brows furrowed over Old Mrs. Wei’s words. She disliked Wei Rao and didn’t want to owe her a favor, so she had suggested sending a gift of thanks. But Old Mrs. Wei had to go on about the Wei family’s principle of doing good without expecting reward—as if the Qi family’s way was to seek repayment for every kindness.
A family of fallen status, yet they wouldn’t take the face offered.
In another courtyard of the Marquis of Pingxi’s residence, the Young Lord Qi Bowei and Deng Shi stood side by side at their daughter Qi Miaomiao’s bedside.
Qi Miaomiao had already fallen asleep. After the scare at noon, her complexion still looked pale.
Deng Shi grew more fearful the more she thought about it, her eyes reddening again. Recalling the danger of the moment, she couldn’t help but say to her husband, "Today, we were truly fortunate that the Fourth Miss of the Wei family acted in time. Otherwise, I dare not imagine what would have happened to Miaomiao."
Qi Bowei asked in surprise, "The Fourth Miss of the Wei family?"
Deng Shi replied, "Yes. I was panicking at the time, tried the methods others mentioned—feeding water, holding her upside down—nothing worked. It was the Fourth Miss of the Wei family who ran over, held Miaomiao’s stomach and kept pushing upward until the cherry finally came out."
Qi Bowei tried to recall the scene at the palace banquet, but all he could remember were his wife and daughter. Half ashamed and half reproachful, he said, "Then why didn’t you tell me at the time? I could have thanked her in person. Now it’s come to this—making Father and me appear discourteous."
Deng Shi had been entirely focused on their daughter and truly hadn’t thought of it. She leaned close to her husband’s ear and quietly recounted what happened afterward.
Qi Bowei’s eyes widened in shock!
If it had been a peasant woman or even a maid or palace servant who saved their daughter, his mother giving a bracelet as thanks would have been perfectly appropriate. But that was the Fourth Miss of the Cheng'an Marquis’s household—a young lady of noble birth. Even a sincere verbal thanks from his mother would have been more fitting than offering a vulgar token! Giving a bracelet—wasn’t that no different from slapping her in the face?
"How could Mother be so thoughtless?" Qi Bowei’s face darkened.
Deng Shi then mentioned how Wei Rao’s silk flower had attracted butterflies. On this point, she stood with her mother-in-law: "The Fourth Miss Wei is frivolous and improper—no wonder Mother dislikes her. Although our family was somewhat discourteous, associating with such a girl would only tarnish our Marquis household’s reputation."Qi Bowei didn't see it that way and criticized Deng Shi: "Regardless of her character, she is Miaomiao's savior. I will go pay her a visit to express gratitude."
Deng Shi anxiously pulled back her husband who had already stood up: "Fine, go if you must, but first inform Father and Mother. Also, when you go, say only that Miaomiao told you about this. Don't drag me into it—I'm afraid Mother will be displeased."
Understanding her concern, Qi Bowei went to the main courtyard.
The Marquis of Pingxi and his wife were about to take a nap when they heard their eldest son had arrived. The couple got up again, changed clothes, and went out to receive him.
Qi Bowei went straight to the point—he wanted to visit the Cheng'an Marquis residence to express thanks.
The Marquis of Pingxi turned to blame his wife: "Such an important matter, how could you not mention a word of it to me?"
Knowing her husband's temperament of always repaying favors, and seeing that her eldest son had covered for her by not mentioning the bracelet she had given, the Madam Marquis of Pingxi smiled awkwardly: "At the time I was too worried about Miaomiao to tell you. But I've already expressed my gratitude later, so Bowei need not make another trip."
As she spoke, she shot her eldest son a meaningful glance.
Qi Bowei lowered his eyes and said: "I am Miaomiao's father. It's only right that I personally express thanks."
The Marquis of Pingxi declared: "Exactly so. Don't go empty-handed—bring a gift for the Madam Cheng'an Marquis."
This kind of formal visit with gifts was entirely different from casually giving a bracelet at a banquet.
Qi Bowei then took his leave to make preparations.
Showing sincere intentions, Old Mrs. Wei and Wei Rao politely received him.
Among official families, there were no real secrets—even matters within one's own courtyard could spread, let alone dramatic events that occurred in public.
Within a few days, what had happened among the female guests at the palace banquet had spread through various households.
Given that Shou An Jun, Big Zhou, and Little Zhou had always had poor reputations, and Wei Rao—as the fourth young lady of Cheng'an Marquis residence who was close to the Zhou mother and daughter—also had a bad name, the commentary from various households' women about her was filled with negative subjective speculation. Some claimed Wei Rao had tampered with the silk flowers to attract talented young men from the Six Armies, deliberately being flirtatious. Others mocked that she had eagerly rescued Qi Miaomiao to curry favor with the Madam Marquis of Pingxi, only to end up being publicly humiliated when the Madam Marquis gave her a bracelet.
Combined with Wei Rao's earlier bet on Qi Zhongkai and her subsequent attempts to please the Qi family, it became accepted as conclusive fact that she was delusionally trying to attach herself to Qi Zhongkai.
When the Madam Marquis of Pingxi later heard about Wei Rao's supposed ambitions—that saving her granddaughter was actually a scheme to marry her second son—she became furious. She immediately summoned Qi Zhongkai and warned him sternly to stay far away from that little vixen Wei Rao and not give her any opportunity to seduce him.
Qi Zhongkai was completely bewildered.
As an imperial guard, he worked daily at the palace, leaving early and returning late. Not only was he unaware of the messy rumors circulating among women, he didn't even know about Wei Rao saving Qi Miaomiao or his elder brother's visit to express thanks. Suddenly being warned by his mother that Wei Rao intended to seduce him, Qi Zhongkai felt like he was dreaming!
"Fourth Young Lady, seducing me?" Even if it were a dream, the mere possibility made Qi Zhongkai feel lightheaded, and the corners of his mouth began to curl upward.
Seeing this, the Madam Marquis of Pingxi knew things were taking a bad turn and asked sharply: "What? Have you met her?"
Qi Zhongkai suddenly realized—his mother seemed to dislike Wei Rao.Qi Zhongkai temporarily set aside his intoxicating fantasies and frowned in response, "Mother, who told you that Fourth Miss wants to seduce me? This concerns her reputation—you mustn't speak recklessly."
Madam Marquis of Pingxi snapped angrily, "It's all over the streets! Tell me this—during the Dragon Boat Race, didn't she bet on your Imperial Guard team to win?"
Qi Zhongkai: "So what if she did? Can't I possibly win? Others don't believe in me, but Fourth Miss shows me respect—and you're displeased by that?"
Madam Marquis of Pingxi's face darkened severely: "She bet on you because she wants to marry you! But she should look at herself in the mirror—how could our Pingxi Marquis Manor admit a vixen like her?"
Hearing his mother call Wei Rao—the Fourth Miss who made his heart leap with joy—a "vixen," Qi Zhongkai's breathing turned ragged with fury. Were it anyone else, he would have retorted sharply, but this was his birth mother.
"This is pointless—you're grasping at shadows!" Rubbing his heated forehead, Qi Zhongkai brushed past his mother's nagging and strode away.
After leaving the main courtyard, he pondered briefly before heading to his elder brother and sister-in-law's quarters.
There were matters he needed to inquire about from his sister-in-law.
Deng Shi shared all she knew with her brother-in-law. Only then did Qi Zhongkai learn that Fourth Miss had saved his niece, yet received no gratitude in return. Instead of praising her beauty and kindness, his mother and the gossipmongers outside had twisted Fourth Miss's intentions, suspecting her of deliberate seduction. If Fourth Miss truly wanted to seduce him, wouldn't she have flirted with him back in Cloud Mist Mountain?
"It's nothing like what you all think!" His temper flaring, Qi Zhongkai grew agitated with his sister-in-law.
Deng Shi glanced at her silent husband and asked uneasily, "Then what is it? Her reputation was already questionable. With three incidents linked together—the bet, the butterflies, and rushing to save Miaomiao—who wouldn't jump to such conclusions?"
Qi Zhongkai felt even more stifled. He turned to his brother: "Elder Brother, what do you say?"
Qi Bowei: "I don't know about the first two matters, but regarding saving Miaomiao, I owe Fourth Miss a debt of gratitude." With that, he sternly admonished his wife, "I can't control others' tongues, but you must guard yours strictly—not a single word of criticism about Fourth Miss."
Deng Shi hastily agreed, inwardly grateful to Wei Rao herself.
Restless and troubled, Qi Zhongkai rode out of the manor and went to the Duke of Yingguo's Manor to drink with Lu Zhuo.
Lu Zhuo disliked alcohol, so he had a servant bring Qi Zhongkai a jar of fine wine while he sat opposite, sipping tea.
Qi Zhongkai demanded his judgment: "You've seen Fourth Miss before. Tell me, is she the scheming type?"
Lu Zhuo assessed fairly: "She does aspire to marry into a noble family, but the silk flower and rescue incidents were likely coincidences. She holds no particular interest in you."
At the palace banquet, where only women were present, whom could Wei Rao have been trying to impress by attracting butterflies?
If Wei Rao had designs on Qi Zhongkai, with her looks and cunning, she would have long since charmed him into vowing to marry no other.
Since she hadn't attempted to seduce Qi Zhongkai, saving Qi Miaomiao couldn't have been about currying favor with Madam Marquis of Pingxi.
After listening, Qi Zhongkai took a gulp of bitter wine and shot Lu Zhuo a glare.
This fellow—why couldn't he just believe Fourth Miss was kind and pure? How could he be so certain she had no interest in him?
Perhaps Fourth Miss had risked so much to save Miaomiao precisely because she worried he would grieve, and acted out of compassion.
Qi Zhongkai had already decided: he would find an opportunity to ask Fourth Miss in person.
What did Lu Zhuo know? He'd never interacted with young ladies outside his family—utter nonsense!
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