CH 8.1

When Wei Wang saw Linzi Wang and Baling Wang, he smiled and asked, “I was looking for both Junwangs just now. It’s rare for you to leave the palace, so why didn’t you attend the banquet, and come to the back instead?”

This was the Empress’ most trusted nephew. He raised the issue several times in front of the Empress that the crown prince wasn’t loyal and wanted to abolish the Zhou and restore the Tang Dynasty. If it weren’t for the old officials headed by Old Di who vouched for him strenuously, the crown prince and his sons would most likely already be dead.

Even the crown prince constantly lived in fear, living from hand to mouth, so when Baling Wang saw Wei Wang, he instinctively felt afraid. On the contrary, Linzi Wang was quite calm, and he said with reason, “My fourth younger brother and I were ordered by our Imperial Grandmother to leave the palace, and we dare not neglect our filial piety. Aunt Taiping and my father have a deep sibling relationship, so we only visited our aunt to fulfill our filial duty, we do not dare to be careless. “

On the surface, Linzi Wang’s words seemed submissive, but every sentence contained soft spikes. First, he brought up the Empress to warn Wei Wang not to act rashly, and then he pulled out Taiping Gongzhu, implicitly reminding Wei Wang that the crown prince, Taiping Gongzhu, and the Empress were blood-related next of kin, which was an entirely different relationship from one with nephews, like Wei Wang, which was separated by a whole clan.

Wei Wang watched Linzi Wang closely, his gaze was very dark. Ding Wang looked around, and suddenly cast his eyes on Ming Huazhang and Ming Huashang, and asked, “Who are these people?”

Ming Huashang was on edge observing the confrontation between the Li family and the Wu family when suddenly the attack was directed at her; she was stunned. Fortunately, Ming Huazhang stood in front of her the whole time. The young man’s back was slender and straight, shielding her from the indiscernible scrutiny. He cupped his hands and answered, “This is Ming Huazhang of the Zhen Imperial Duke manor, this is my younger sister.”

Hearing the Zhen Imperial Duke manor, Ding Wang had a slight impression, and asked curiously, “Could it be that you two are the dragon and phoenix twins?”

Ming Huazhang nodded slightly, “Exactly.”

When Ding Wang was young, he was famous for being a handsome man. Now that he was middle-aged, his appearance and figure were still very good, and even gained a bit of elegance and calmness that young people didn’t have.

His gaze swept over Ming Huazhang. He hadn’t attended a banquet in a long time, so he had no idea when such a handsome young man appeared in Luoyang.

In fact, both men and women of the Wu family were good-looking, and the Empress’ “beautiful appearance” from when she was young deserved a special mention in the official records. But this young man was different. His good looks belonged to the type that was noble and aloof. He was born with contemptuous good looks, completely different from the soft and charming appearance of the Wu family as if he was born to be worshiped by others.

His temperament reminded him of a person from the past—Taiping Gongzhu’s first husband, her deceased husband Xue Shao.

Ding Wang noticed that the young man had been subtly blocking the girl behind him, he smiled lightly and said, “Dragon and phoenix twins are good. Gongzhu likes such auspicious omens the most, have you two seen Gongzhu yet?”

“Replying to Ding Wang, this subject has already greeted Gongzhu.”

When Taiping Gongzhu heard that Wei Wang had run into Linzi Wang and Baling Wang, she had already rushed out of the hall. She was holding a big red cloak on her arm, and as if she hadn’t noticed the obviously strange atmosphere on Wei Wang’s side, she walked over with a smile, “Wei Wang, Fuma, why didn’t you two come inside after arriving? It’s windy outside, and it’s probably going to snow again tonight. No wonder it’s so cold. Come in quickly, just in time to accompany me in a match of backgammon.”

Once Taiping Gongzhu appeared, Linzi Wang quietly relaxed his shoulders, knowing that he was safe for the time being. Sure enough, Wei Wang couldn’t make trouble after seeing Taiping, and walked towards the hall and asked half-jokingly and half-probingly, “There are so many young talents here today, so why are you staying here alone playing backgammon instead of visiting the poetry gathering, your Highness?”

Taiping Gongzhu giggled, and her eyes were charming, “Well, didn’t Wei Wang come to visit? Fuma, don’t take sides today, I want to have a proper match against Wei Wang.”

Wei Wang laughed and said, “What you just said was incorrect. When it comes to picking sides, who knows which side Youji will choose. Youji, tell us, where does your heart truly lie, on my side or the Gongzhu’s?”

Ding Wang, Wu Youji, just smiled gently, escorted by his group of attendants and maidservants, he walked into the spring-like inner hall.

The curtain was lowered, and the laughter inside the hall could no longer be heard. Only then did Ming Huashang finally dare to raise her head. She found that Ming Huazhang was looking in the direction of the palace gate, his eyes were as lacquered as black jade, cold and focused.

Ming Huashang called cautiously, “Second elder brother?”

Ming Huazhang regained his senses, retracted his gaze indifferently, and said, “Let’s go.”

Ming Huashang nodded silently. Linzi Wang and Baling Wang also looked like they had survived a calamity. Ming Huazhang came forward to greet them. The two Wangs didn’t dare to offend anyone at this moment. They returned the gesture politely, but they really weren’t in the mood to exchange pleasantries. The four of them walked together part of the way then parted ways at the fork in the road.

After Linzi Wang and Baling Wang left, Ming Huashang hugged the hand stove, quietly approached Ming Huazhang, and said, “Second elder brother, don’t you feel that Wei Wang was too aggressive today, as if he has some kind of resentment?”

Ming Huazhang was surprised for a moment, apparently he did not expect Ming Huashang to say this. He paused and asked, “How do you know?”

Ming Huashang tilted her head slightly, pouted, and said, “I can’t describe it, I just have a feeling.”

Ming Huazhang didn’t take Ming Huashang’s words to heart, and said, “Wei Wang has always hated the crown prince. Don’t be afraid. No matter how much they fight, it won’t affect you. The Nuan Pavilion where the womenfolk are gathered is in front of us. I’ll take you there first. “

Ming Huashang also didn’t care about the fate of the Wangyes who stood at the top of the dynasty. Whether the next Emperor’s surname will be Wu or Li, and the official name of the nation be Zhou or Tang, how did either matter to her?

She was just a fake daughter, with no wealth, no power, no support, and she will rejoin the commoners in a year. Regardless of who becomes emperor at the top, weren’t the people below living every day just the same, just making a living?

Ming Huashang did not hesitate to forget what she had just heard and what she saw. Soon, they arrived at the Nuan Pavilion which was filled with unmarried womenfolk. It was inconvenient for Ming Huazhang to stay for too long, so he turned around and left after watching Ming Huashang enter.

When Ming Huazhang came over, the Nuan Pavilion became quiet. The womenfolk acted like they were doing their own thing, but in fact, they were all looking at Ming Huazhang from the corner of their eyes. When Ming Huazhang turned around, all of a sudden, the Nuan Pavilion exploded.

“That was second young master Ming? He really is extraordinary.”

“Who was the girl next to him? She could even get second young master to escort her personally.”

Immediately, a group of people rushed up and surrounded Ming Huashang. She was already used to this kind of treatment, and explained calmly and familiarly, “That’s my elder brother, yes, I’m his younger fraternal twin sister.”

The gazes of the women which initially looked like they were judging a love rival immediately turned into flattery. They examined up and down and were very satisfied with Ming Huashang, the younger sister-in-law. They surrounded Ming Huashang and asked all sorts of questions, but the topic always revolved around Ming Huazhang.

Although Ming Huashang was too lazy to socialize and scheme, that didn’t mean she couldn’t understand it. Who Ming Huazhang married was Ming Huazhang’s own business. At the very least, it was the business of the Zhen Imperial Duke manor, which has nothing to do with her.

Ming Huashang didn’t want to be a tool for this group of women, nor did she want to accompany them in acting out the scene of sisters-in-law interacting in harmony. She glanced around but didn’t see Ren Yao, so she changed the subject and asked, “Where is Miss Ren from Pingnan Marquis manor?”