Chapter 507: Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet_1

Wei Qingwan hesitated, then replied after a moment of thought, “Due to many years of separation, I wouldn’t say we’re exceptionally close.”

Her intentionally vague response was meant to gauge Qi Shijing’s stance, so that she could decide how she should describe her relationship with Wei Qingruo.

Qi Shijing said, “You and your sister should spend more time together, being sisters and sisters-in-law at the same time is quite a rare relationship.”

“Your servant understands,” Wei Qingwan replied.

Once Wei Qingwan understood Qi Shijing’s attitude, she dared not let Qi Shijing know about her real relationship with Wei Ruo.

“By the way, do you know about Doctor Xu, the late divine doctor of the King Rui Residence?”

“Your servant doesn’t know much, he was an acquaintance that my sister knew from before,” Wei Qingwan answered.

Wei Qingwan wasn’t able to confirm before, but when the King Rui Residence auctioned off the Scar Removal Cream, she was certain that the Divine Doctor Xu of Capital City and the Divine Doctor Xu of Taizhou prefecture were the same person.

From this, it could be inferred that Wei Qingwan must have been acquainted with Doctor Xu.

“Oh? He was an old friend of your sister’s?” Qi Shijing revealed a surprised expression.

“Most likely.”

“Why does your tone sound unsure?”

“Because my sister lived in the countryside for a while due to health reasons and became acquainted with some unusual folk. She never spoke to us about it, so we are not very clear. The only reason I suspect this is because I have seen her with Doctor Xu on a few occasions,” Wei Qingwan responded.

Wei Qingwan deliberately obscured the relationship between Wei Ruo and Doctor Xu.

“I see,” Qi Shijing expressed understanding, then quickly added with regret, “It’s a pity Doctor Xu has passed away. Otherwise, it would have been great if he could treat my brother.”

“I don’t know why my sister did not agree at the time. If I had known earlier, I would have definitely gone to the King Rui Residence to beg her to treat your brother,” Wei Qingwan said hurriedly.

Wei Qingwan was worried that Qi Shijing might blame her for the King Rui Residence not allowing Doctor Xu to treat Qi Zhen.

“No matter, I have learned a little about this matter. At that time, King Rui was unwell, and Doctor Xu needed to take care of him. Additionally, due to the hot weather in the Capital City, King Rui went to the Tongshan Temple in Hejian Prefecture to escape the heat and pray for blessings, which is why he missed the opportunity,”

Looking at Qi Shijing’s gentle and understanding demeanor, Wei Qingwan felt somewhat inferior.

After that, Qi Shijing talked with Wei Qingwan for an hour, enthusiastically inquiring about every aspect of her life, which made Wei Qingwan feel a little overwhelmed.

The frustration that she hadn’t been able to see the Prince last few days was completely swept away.

Leaving the Cuiting Pavilion, Qi Shijing sneered and said to the person next to her, “I thought Wei Qingwan was some sort of a remarkable person. As it turns out, she’s nothing special. She may have a pretty face, but that’s all she has. She’s just a toy serving men with her looks.”

“Your Highness, why were you so attentive to her just now? Addressing her as a sister, a person of her origin is not worthy to be addressed as sisters with you,” Qi Shijing’s personal maid, Tingxue, asked.

“Although she is insignificant, her connections could potentially help the Prince get closer to King Rui.”

“But back then, the King Rui Residence didn’t let Doctor Xu treat the Third Prince…”

“Enduring minor grievances prevents major conflicts. The blame for my third brother can be addressed in the future. The most important thing now is not to have a falling out with the King Rui Residence. If we lose sight of the big picture because of such a thing, it would be a case of losing more than we gain,”

“But King Rui is terminally ill, why does your Highness bother to build good relationships with him?”

“Although King Rui himself doesn’t pose much of a threat, he is in the Emperor’s favor and might be able to put in a good word for our Prince. Furthermore, there are still some people in the imperial court who honor the late Duke Xu, and therefore King Rui does have some influence. Now that our Qi Family has definitely fallen out with the Lu Family, it is very possible that the Lu Family will lean towards King Jing’s side. We must try to draw as many people as possible to our side. Not only me, but even my aunt is trying to maintain good relations with the people in the King Rui Residence,”

“I see, I was foolish.”

“So we should treat Wei Concubine well these days. Whatever she needs, let someone attend to it.”

“Your servant understands.”

“In a while, bring the first-class maids from the backyard to me. I’ll pick a few with good looks to elevate them to concubines and thus supplement the Prince’s harem.”

“Your Highness, you’re going to add more people to the Prince’s harem?”

“Why not? I am the queen, no matter how many women in the harem, they are just concubines and servants, none of them can surpass me. My focus should not be only on competing for favor in the harem. Even my cousin wouldn’t want me to be so. But remember, everyone who’s favored must drink the child-avoidance soup. The eldest son can only come from my womb, and no one else’s.”

Qi Shijing was born into the Qi family, where from a young age she was taught not only how to be a good housewife, but also how to be a future queen or even empress. She had also witnessed a lot of how her mother managed the women in their backyard.

Hence, she knew exactly how to handle the women in the harem from a young age.

“Your servant obeys.”

###

Fifteenth of August, Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Emperor held a banquet in the palace, where all the imperial relatives and important ministers of the court attended with their families.

This time, Wei Ruo was unable to avoid it.

Wei Ruo dressed up and accompanied Wei Jinyi on the palanquin heading to the palace.

Because of Wei Jinyi’s condition, the Emperor took special care of him. So, unlike the other princes who had to arrive early for the banquet, only close to the start of the banquet did he and Wei Ruo take their seats.

In front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, there was a huge crowd.

The center of the square was covered with a five-meter-wide red carpet, with exquisite dancers in flowing dresses performing on it.

Court musicians were playing music on the side. The beautiful music flowed from their fingertips, accompanying the dancers.

On both sides of the carpet were tables made of huanghuali wood, each covered with gold-rimmed Yunjin brocade tablecloths, and adorned with gold plates, silver bowls, jade green liquor pots and colorful porcelain plates filled with delicacies.

The Emperor sat in the main seat, with Qi Imperial Concubine on his right and Hui Concubine on his left.

King Rui, King Jing, King Yu and several other princes sat below.

The seat allocated to Wei Jinyi was the one closest to the main seat, and Wei Ruo sat beside him.

This was the first time that Wei Ruo had seen the Emperor.

He was in his fifties, with graying hair and visible wrinkles. His face showed signs of fatigue, and he did not seem very spirited.

According to the original story, the Emperor did not have much longer to live, and after his death, Chu Lan would ascend the throne.

According to Wei Ruo’s judgement at the moment, the Emperor’s current state matches the original setting.

Unlike everyone else drinking wine, Wei Jinyi had tea in front of him. Wei Ruo could pretend to attend to Wei Jinyi, so she did not have to interact too much with others.

Sitting opposite Wei Ruo was King Jing, Chu Lan himself. When Wei Ruo casually looked over, she happened to catch Chu Lan looking at her with an inscrutable gaze…