"You, you!" Consort Wei looked at the Second Prince helplessly, a hint of blame in her eyes. "What kind of talk is that? You don't consider the girl's feelings at all. Hurry up and chase after her!"
The Second Prince hesitated for a moment, his feet twitching, but ultimately he did not chase after her.
"Sister!" Wei Yu chased after her.
Consort Wei glared at the Second Prince, who pretended not to see.
With the parties involved gone, the case of the stolen jade pendant could not be pursued further.
Not long after, the palace maid sent to fetch clothes also returned. Wang Qingyao changed and took her leave, with the Second Prince escorting her.
Wang Qingyao could not bring her maid into the palace, but the Second Prince had attendants. Holding a large parasol, they deliberately chose the shady spots to walk.
As they moved further away from Huayang Palace, the Second Prince took the parasol himself, telling his attendants to follow at a distance and not to approach.
"Did you put the jade pendant on me?" he asked Wang Qingyao after a moment of hesitation.
He remembered Wang Qingyao had "accidentally" bumped into him then, and it must have been at that moment.
"Yes," Wang Qingyao did not deny it.
"How did a jade pendant from the Wei family end up in your hands?"
"What was the name of the palace maid who wet my clothes?"
"Hmm? Huixin."
"She's the one who put it there. While I was changing, she secretly placed it on me. She thought I didn't know, and I didn't make a fuss. After going out, I took advantage of Wei Yu's inattention to swap Wei Qing's jade pendant with the one on Wei Yu's waist, and then I put Wei Yu's on you."
Wang Qingyao hid nothing from the Second Prince, but there was one thing she didn't mention.
The one who instructed Huixin was Wei Yu. She had seen Wei Yu and Huixin whispering together.
It was after lunch, when Wei Yu went to the washroom.
Wei Yu thought no one knew, but she didn't know Wang Qingyao had clairvoyant eyes and saw her every move.
Of course, Wang Qingyao wasn't a pervert deliberately peeking at people in the washroom.
She was just highly vigilant. Why else would Wei Qing and Wei Yu look at her so strangely before the meal?
See, there was indeed a problem.
The Second Prince was shocked. "Why would Huixin do that?"
Wang Qingyao met his gaze. He stammered, "Wei Qing isn't that kind of person. Although she's annoying, she wouldn't do something like this."
Wang Qingyao scoffed. Even if she wasn't the mastermind, she still kicked someone when they were down, so she wasn't exactly honorable.
"If you want to know the truth, go ask that Huixin!"
The Second Prince looked back, glancing in the direction of Huayang Palace. "Forget it, I'll escort you first."
----
Yinzhu was getting a bit anxious waiting.
There was lunch provided at the handover gate, so she wasn't starving.
It was just hot, and she didn't dare to drink water, afraid that she would need to go to the washroom just as Wang Qingyao was coming out.
In reality, there was no such coincidence, but she couldn't help but worry.
Yinzhu finally saw Wang Qingyao come out and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's go, home."
The handover gate was a place with many people and gossip. Wang Qingyao couldn't complain. Once in the carriage, she drank a few mouthfuls of cold water and then cursed, "Today is really unlucky."
These words couldn't be heard by others. Yinzhu, startled, quickly looked around, afraid of eavesdroppers.
"My lady, what are you saying? How can entering the palace be unlucky? There are so many noble people in the palace. Be careful they hear you and punish you!"
Wang Qingyao recounted the events at Huayang Palace. Yinzhu gasped, her eyebrows furrowed into a "川" shape. "It's right for our prince to demand money from the Wei family. The Wei family, from top to bottom, are all bad sorts."
----
After escorting Wang Qingyao, the Second Prince returned to Huayang Palace under the scorching sun.
Wei Qing had been coaxed out of crying, but her face was still sullen and unhappy. She was suddenly delighted when a palace maid announced the Second Prince's arrival, thinking her second cousin cousin still cared about her.
Who knew the Second Prince ignored her and went directly to Consort Wei.
The jade pendant incident had delayed Consort Wei's nap. She had just lain down when the Second Prince called her up again.
She was filled with annoyance and in a bad temper. As soon as she heard about Huixin, she immediately flew into a rage.
"Audacious dog!"
Consort Wei hated people who schemed behind others' backs the most.
The Emperor liked her for being pure, innocent, and unlike those seductive harlots in the palace. Her palace servants in Huayang Palace, if not kind and amiable, should at least not be sycophantic and act as henchmen.
She gave up on her nap and sent for Huixin, scolding her fiercely.
She found other excuses, as the jade pendant incident could not be pursued. With all the servants watching, she had to save face for the Wei family.
Huixin was punished and sent to the Laundry Bureau. A moment later, Wei Yu requested an audience.
Wei Yu was well-behaved. She didn't argue this time, admitting her fault with a guilty expression. "Aunt, please don't be angry. It's all my fault. I wanted to help my sister vent her anger."
Consort Wei was surprised. She had thought Wei Qing and Wei Yu were targeting Wang Qingyao because of Xiao Yun extorting money from the Wei family.
"It's not about Second Cousin, though," Wei Yu glanced at the Second Prince, who was still standing nearby. "The Second Prince is gentle and polite to everyone else, except for sister..."
The Second Prince's face flushed, and he turned his head away.
"Actually, it's not Wang Er Guniang's fault, but she just happened to be in the line of fire. Sister saw Second Cousin talking and laughing with her and felt neglected, so she took her anger out on Wang Er Guniang. Alas, it's all my fault. I didn't try to persuade sister, and I was even told by her to help her vent her anger."
She frowned, her cheeks puffed out, looking extremely vexed.
Consort Wei was amused by her. She reached out and pinched Wei Yu's cheek, saying, "You must remember, our Wei family girls are brilliant phoenixes. We have our pride and self-respect. If you must compete, do it openly. You are forbidden to use such wicked tricks in the future."
"Yes," Wei Yu replied obediently, lowering her gaze.
Consort Wei frowned slightly. "Qing'er has become obsessed!" She glanced at the Second Prince. The Second Prince felt something was amiss. Before the blame could fall on him, he found an excuse and slipped away.
Consort Wei did not stop him this time.
Wei Yu gently massaged her shoulders with just the right amount of pressure. Consort Wei began to feel sleepy again. Wei Yu signaled the palace maids to withdraw, draped a thin quilt over Consort Wei's waist, and squatted on the ground to massage her legs.
"...Second Cousin and Sister are not young anymore. If only they could... that would be wonderful," Wei Yu's voice was lazy and soft, as casual as chatting about everyday matters.
Consort Wei chuckled softly. "They are both stubborn."
"It would be great if the Emperor could bestow a marriage. However, Second Cousin will be the Crown Prince in the future, and he will not have only one woman. Sister..."
Consort Wei smiled again. She didn't care which son became the Crown Prince. They were all her children, and she would eventually be the Empress Dowager.
The Emperor could appoint whoever he wished.
As Consort Wei fell asleep, Wei Yu's hand stopped massaging her legs. Looking at her aunt's innocent, childlike sleeping face, her eyes revealed ambition and desire unsuited to her age.