Chapter 506 - 506 Wei Qingwan’s Wedding Night_1

Wei Qingwan’s wedding dress and dowry were far inferior to Wei Ruo’s.

The person who came to welcome the bride was not King Chu Heng himself, but the steward of King Yu Residence.

Despite her resentment, Wei Qingwan had no choice but to accept.

As Wei Qingwan’s older sister, Wei Ruo should have returned home to attend the wedding, but she excused herself, claiming that King Rui was unwell and needed her care.

Her excuse was plausible, leaving others speechless.

Even though the Wei Family and Wei Qingwan were upset, they had no power over Wei Ruo.

Of course, rumours about a strained relationship between the sisters also circulated. After all, Wei Ruo had attended the birthday of the Lu family’s elder but was mysteriously absent from her own sister’s wedding, even if King Rui was unwell, he did not necessarily require constant care.

Wei Ruo was not affected by such speculations. She had no desire to pretend she was close to Wei Qingwan.

She did not want to waste her time visiting the Wei Family. Recently opened were the branches of the Four Treasure House and a preserved meat shop in the Capital City, and she had newly acquired properties and farmland to manage. On top of all this, she had to oversee the harvest of rice. She had no intention to spend her time fawning over her family.

Xiu Fengyuan and Lu Yuhong, being good friends with Wei Yichen, attended the celebratory event of the Wei Family.

Given recent events, they naturally became the focus of attention.

Both of them were in good condition, able to walk on their own, with no visible injuries.

Even Xiu Fengyuan’s arm injury was barely noticeable beneath his clothes, as long as he didn’t reveal it himself, nobody would be able to tell.

Contrastingly, Qi Zhen did not attend the wedding at King Yu’s Residence. As the bride’s brother, he should have been there, reinforcing the external speculation that the third son of the Qi Family was in a grave condition.

It was clear that Qi Zhen, Xiu Fengyuan, and Lu Yuhong had all suffered injuries at the same time. Even though the severity of their injuries varied, there was a vast disparity in their current conditions.

This naturally led people to once again marvel at the skill of the Divine Doctor from King Rui’s Residence.

What a pity, the doctor’s prodigious skill was short-lived as he had already passed away.

###

Wei Qingwan was carried into King Yu’s Residence in a bridal sedan chair.

While the queen, Qi Shijing, entered through the main gate, she entered through a side door.

After leaving the sedan chair, Wei Qingwan was supported by her maid, Cuihe, and led to her residence, Cuiting Pavilion, by a maid of the Wang Residence.

Most of the people in King Yu’s Residence were visiting the queen, making Cuiting Pavilion comparatively deserted.

At night, Wei Qingwan sat on the edge of her bed.

The occasional crackling sounds of the candle filled the room with silence, where Wei Qingwan could hear her own breathing and the sound of servants moving outside her room.

Her accompanying maid, Li Momo, and Cuihe were waiting in the room.

Most likely, King Yu would not be visiting the concubine’s chambers tonight, but Wei Qingwan held out a sliver of hope for an audience with him.

As time ticked past, King Yu did not appear in Cuiting Pavilion as she had hoped.

By midnight, without any sight of King Yu, Li Momo and Cuihe helped Wei Qingwan undress and prepare for sleep.

As she undressed from her meticulously prepared wedding attire, Wei Qingwan’s mood visibly darkened.

King Yu had not set eyes on her in that wedding dress.

Noticing Wei Qingwan’s gloomy mood, Cuihe comforted her, “Miss, you must get some sleep. There’s a reason the Prince couldn’t come tonight, don’t take it to heart.”

“I understand.” Wei Qingwan’s disappointment was palpable, yet she could sympathize.

After all, she was just a concubine and had entered the residence on the same day as Queen Qi Shijing, the principal wife, she had always been mentally prepared for this.

However, she had, after all, married into the Wang Residence, and she was sure her life would progressively improve.

Wei Qingwan, brimming with regret yet filled with anticipation for better days, drifted off to sleep.

In the days that followed, Wei Qingwan lived her days in anticipation, yearning for King Yu to visit her chambers.

Yet, she was met with disappointment time and again. King Yu hadn’t once visited her chambers, he always stayed in the Queen’s room.

Wei Qingwan’s heart was filled with smothered grievances – but there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t even see the face of King Yu, what could she do about her dissatisfaction?

August fourteen, the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Qi Shijing paid a visit to the Cuiting Pavilion.

Wei Qingwan stepped outside to welcome her.

Wei Qingwan lifted her gaze to see Qi Shijing, beautifully elegant with her eyebrows like painted strokes, skin as white as lotus root, adorned in a wide-sleeved long dress with golden threads.

Her makeup was extravagant and stately, but underneath all that was a face that held an air of youth and innocence.

Qi Shijing was not much older, only just turned fifteen this year, not much older than Wei Qingwan, yet her overall demeanor made her come across as extremely mature and seasoned.

Wei Qingwan’s heart involuntarily sank, a hefty sense of worry seeping into her being.

“I pay my respects to older sister Queen,” Wei Qingwan bowed down, head drooping, acting subdued and respectful.

Qi Shijing remained quiet, sizing up Wei Qingwan.

After a little while, she said, “Lift your head.”

Per her command, Wei Qingwan raised her head.

“As expected, you truly are a beauty. My brother was not mistaken in his praise,” commented Qi Shijing.

Upon hearing her words, Wei Qingwan didn’t dare to respond.

“Sit. Don’t just stand there. We’ll be sisters in the future, there’s no need to be so formal,” Qi Shijing kindly said with a subtle smile on her lips.

Wei Qingwan paused; Qi Shijing’s behavior towards her was far better than she had anticipated.

Seeing Wei Qingwan’s hesitancy, Qi Shijing smiled gently, “Don’t worry, the Prince is nobility of the highest order. There won’t just be me, or even just you and me in his life. I don’t need to bear you any animosity, and neither do you need to be so stiff around me.”

“The Prince is busy with many things every day. As the women in the Prince’s backyard, we should get along and manage the backyard together, sparing the Prince from unnecessary worries.”

Qi Shijing didn’t use formal Royal title while addressing Wei Qingwan, instead, she employed the informal “I”, creating an amicable atmosphere. Her candid words made her seem especially approachable.

Upon hearing this, Wei Qingwan’s earlier anxieties dissipated.

All these days, she had been worried Qi Shijing would bear her ill will or even try to trip her up. As she still wasn’t favored by the Prince, life in the Wang Residence would undoubtedly be difficult.

“Thank you, older sister Queen. I will keep a low profile and not cause any trouble for the prince and elder sister Queen,” Wei Qingwan spoke quickly.

“That’s good then. If there’s anything you don’t understand or need in the Wang Residence, let someone relay it to me and I’ll have it arranged.”

“Everything is wonderful here at the Wang Residence, it is truly my good fortune to be here,” Wei Qingwan expressed her gratitude.

Qi Shijing smiled approvingly and continued, “By the way, you and your sister, Queen Rui, must share a close bond, don’t you?”