Chapter 481: 481 Everyone's Thoughts_1

Old Madam Lu looked at the young people on the training ground and nostalgically said to Wei Ruo, “Many generals have emerged from this field. My late husband used to train our four sons and their disciples here.”

The Lu family is famed for their loyal warriors, all four sons of the elder Lu couple died in battles, with only the eldest son’s own progeny, Lu Yuhong, surviving.

Thus, the old couple did not want Lu Yuhong to join the military again. However, Yuhong yearned to become a respected military general like his grandfather. He has expressed several times his desire to go to the front line.

If it hadn’t been for the elder Lu’s hard-nosed objections, Yuhong might have already been on the battlefield.

Now, although the old couple’s sons are gone, the disciples they trained are holding important positions in various armies.

Therefore, the old couple holds a high status and is not feared by the Emperor.

Wei Ruo could sense that when the old madam spoke these words, her thoughts returned to the past. Her remarks, seemingly directed at Wei Ruo, were more of a heartfelt sigh. Thus, Wei Ruo did not respond to the old madam’s words.

Wei Ruo’s eyes were on the training ground, where Lu Yuhong was playing happily with several young lads.

Their contest involved archery, probably considering that the elder gentleman’s birthday shouldn’t involve violent activities. Causing injury wouldn’t be appropriate.

In the crowd, Wei Ruo spotted a few familiar figures, one of them being Xiu Fengyuan. He had become a ranked scholar and intended to stay in Capital City, so the Xiu family from Taizhou Prefecture had bought a house there.

Therefore, he had been spending these days in Capital City and had come to attend old Lu’s birthday party at Yuhong’s invitation.

Another familiar face was Wei Yichen, who was in conversation with several men older than him.

He had joined the Hanlin Academy and become a Hanlin Academy Scholar, a position of sixth-rank.

He had been very busy lately and had only come today because it was old Lu’s birthday.

Then Wei Ruo saw Wei Jinyi, disguised as “Wang Jin”, standing with General Han of the Shen Shu Camp. Others merely saw him as one of General Han’s attendants.

But Wei Ruo knew that General Han was an old acquaintance of the Xiu’s Residence, and he was Wei Jinyi’s man.

Although the Xiu Residence had collapsed, it left behind quite a number of loyal followers unknown to outsiders.

General Han was one of them, but unlike Zhang Yi and Ke Chongshan who had protected Wei Jinyi in secret, he had chosen to stay in the army. Nearly twenty years later, he became the Commander of the Shen Shu Camp.

Wei Jinyi’s reemergence in front of the Emperor owed a lot to him.

Since Wei Ruo married into King Rui’s Residence, Wei Jinyi no longer evaded her, so Wei Ruo was aware of this.

Next, unsurprisingly, Wei Ruo saw Chu Lan. He, however, wasn’t participating in the contests, but stood in the hallway, watching the people on the training ground as a spectator.

The other two were Qi Zhen and King Yu. The two were engaged in a conversation; Qi Zhen, with a smile on his face, seemed graceful yet greasy. King Yu, serious and slightly contemptuous, seemed disinterested in his surroundings.

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Meanwhile, the people in the training grounds also noticed the pavilion.

It was Old Madam Lu accompanied by the ladies in the family to watch their contest.

Chu Lan instantly spotted Wei Ruo among the crowd. Not because Wei Ruo had an outstanding appearance that could be recognized at a glance, but because the color of her dress was especially eye-catching.

From such a distance, the faces weren’t clear, nor was the makeup or jewelry noticeable. But an uncommon color was easily noticeable.

He had no significant interest in Wei Qingruo. However, whenever he saw her, he would be reminded of the King Rui Residence, and inevitably, Xu Heyou, who had chosen to serve King Rui.

Thinking of Xu Heyou, Chu Lan’s chest involuntarily surged with agitation.

What was wrong with him? Why should he feel so frustrated because of a man?

Even if Xu Heyou had saved his life, even if he chose his brother over him, what difference did it make?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Chu Lan didn’t understand and, therefore, became increasingly bothered.

But Chu Lan only allowed this emotion to surface momentarily before regaining his composure.

Many others in the training ground, like Chu Lan, noticed the situation at the pavilion. Chu Heng specifically searched the crowd for Wei Qingruo.

“Which one is Wei Qingruo?” Chu Heng asked his attendant.

“Replying to the Prince, it’s the one wearing the purple dress.”

“The purple dress…” Chu Heng’s gaze returned to the pavilion.

Indeed, he spotted Wei Ruo in a purple dress at once.

“This woman is indeed a beauty,” Chu Heng commented, then turned to Qi Zhen, “It seems your words are true. If the elder sister is so beautiful, the younger sister will not be far behind.”

Qi Zhen, who had been staring at Wei Ruo, suddenly laughed, “It seems women are prone to jealousy.”

“What do you mean?”

“According to the second Miss Wei, the eldest Miss Wei is rather crude, slightly pretty but obsessed with farming, without doubt a peasant. But the one I see today is not only good-looking but also elegant, far better than the second Miss,” said Qi Zhen.

“Most women are like that. That’s why I’ve always told you not to waste too much time on them,” Chu Heng sneered.

“Don’t worry. I can distinguish the essential from the non-essential. The arms of a woman are pleasant, but they are not the place for a hero,” replied Qi Zhen, confidently and elegantly.

It wasn’t just other women – Wei Qingwan was no exception to his rule.

Subsequently, Qi Zhen’s gaze shifted to the contestants competing in archery, “Aren’t you going to try, my lord?”

Chu Heng snorted lightly, “Are you hoping to see me make a fool of myself?”

“Your Highness, your equestrian archery is excellent. How can you say it will make you look like a fool?”

“If I compete, Chu Lan will surely follow suit, and that would be like slapping my face.”

While it was true that Chu Heng’s equestrian archery was not bad, Chu Lan had always been better than him. He had lost to Chu Lan several times during their princehood, which annoyed him greatly.

“So what if he does? The Emperor isn’t looking for champions in archery or generals for battles. What the emperor wants most is someone to solve the problem of the deficits in the national treasury and the poor grain harvest throughout the land,” pointed Qi Zhen.

“Do I need you to remind me?” Chu Heng snorted and added, “Instead, why don’t you go and compete with them? It shouldn’t matter whether you win or lose.”

“Alright, then I’ll go and have some fun with them,” said Qi Zhen. Since he didn’t care either way, this gave him an opportunity to meet other people.

As Qi Zhen headed towards the contest stage, a middle-aged man under the not-so-distant corridor also got up. Without uttering a word, he silently headed towards the contest stage…