Chapter 187

Of the “sisters” in the Wei family, Wei Qiufu was the most cautious. However, in the Plum Blossom Nunnery on the mountain, Wei Qiufu made a mistake due to her eagerness for quick success, which landed her in a disadvantageous situation. Therefore, Wei Yuewu did not believe that Wei Qiufu would ignore the lesson learnt and chose to attack the most inconspicuous Wei Qiuju at this time.

It was impossible for Wei Qiufu to be ignorant of the fact that she was confronting Wei Fengyao and Wei Yuejiao at this moment. This was the time for Wei Qiufu to watch in safety while the three of them were engaged in a fight. Therefore, it was impossible for Wei Qiufu to attack her at this time.

“Well…she is after all my Fourth Elder Sister. If Mother knew that I sent the writing brush Fourth Elder Sister gave me to Grandmother and provoked Grandmother to reprimand Fourth Elder Sister, Mother would definitely not spare me.” Wei Qiuju also sat down in the corridor beside Wei Yuewu and explained while wiping away her tears.

Wei Qiufu’s mother, Lady Zhang, was Wei Qiuju’s legitimate mother. If she was really annoyed, it was extremely easy for her to deal with a poor powerless concubine-born daughter. Moreover, Wei Qiuju’s birth mother had passed away long before, and she didn’t have anyone to rely on. What she said did sound reasonable.

“Then… what do you want to do? Could it be that you want to accept the writing brush?” Wei Yuewu looked at her and asked with a smile.

“No… I can’t accept it, I really can’t accept it!” Wei Qiuju shook her hands wildly, and she looked quite terrified.

“You can neither keep it or accept it. If anyone finds out and tells Grandmother or Third Aunt, how do you explain it?” Wei Yuewu raised her eyebrows.

“Well… I… I wonder if I can ask Sixth Younger Sister to do me a favor?” Wei Qiuju’s face was filled with apprehension, and her eyes were red as she looked at Wei Yuewu.

However, after seeing Wei Yuewu shaking her head slightly, she disappointedly lowered her head and started wiping tears off her face again.

“Could it be that Fifth Elder Sister wants me to keep the writing brush for you?” Wei Yuewu asked softly.

Wei Qiuju looked up eagerly at Wei Yuewu and said excitedly, “Sixth Younger Sister, it won’t be long. I…After I explain it to Fourth Elder Sister and ask her to return the writing brush to Imperial Academician Xie, the issue will be settled. But you know what happened recently. Grandmother scolded me very seriously. I’m afraid that the writing brush will be discovered by others.”

“Fifth Young Lady, you are afraid of being discovered by others to have a man’s writing brush. But do you think it is OK for our Miss to do so?” Jin Ling couldn’t help but ask at the side.

“Sixth Younger Sister is a legitimate daughter of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. Sixth Younger Sister, I think you have noticed that Grandmother thinks highly of anyone from the lineage of the Eldest Uncle. Although you are new in the mansion, Grandmother didn’t neglect you at all. And Second Elder Sister was even…” Wei Qiuju’s words sounded very self-resentful, as if she was lamenting that her background wasn’t as good as Wei Yuewu’s.

After saying those words, she started to wipe tears off her face again. Today, Wei Qiuju seemed to have endless tears at the corners of her eyes. After saying each sentence, she would wipe tears off her face and her eyes were both red.

“Why did you mention Second Elder Sister? Does Second Elder Sister have anything to do with the fact that Grandmother thinks highly of me?” Wei Yuewu raised her eyebrows and asked in surprise.

Wei Qiuju’s behavior today was truly astonishing. Although she would usually pretend to be sad, she had never shed tears as much as she did today. A trace of coldness flashed in Wei Yuewu’s eyes. She knew that Wei Qiuju was putting on a play, but of course, this play was not for her to watch.

But if she wasn’t the intended audience of this play, who was the audience?

She looked at Jin Ling, and Jin Ling silently shook her head. There were no other suspicious people around, except for a few ordinary maids and old maidservants who passed by, and no one gave them a single glance.

“Sixth Younger Sister… I… I didn’t mean that. I didn’t think that Second Elder Sister’s death had anything to do with you… But… but as soon as you came, Second Elder Sister was no longer favored by Grandmother, so she did a lot of unreasonable things. Although she herself was really the person to blame, people could see that in Grandmother’s heart, Sixth Younger Sister’s identity is different. It is also the same case with Third Elder Sister. She has always been the most favored among all the sisters, and even Second Elder Sister couldn’t compete with her.”

Wei Qiuju explained hurriedly, and she reached out to grab Wei Yuewu’s hand with much intimacy.

Although she mentioned both Wei Yuejiao and Wei Yan, the implied meaning of her words was clear: Wei Yan’s “death” was entirely due to Wei Yuewu. It was Wei Yuewu who had caused Wei Yan to end up by committing suicide. Such a fate was truly lamentable for a nice young noble lady.

Wei Yuewu’s gaze fell on two maids who were walking along the path around the corridor.

The two maids wore ordinary clothes like other servants of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. There was nothing unusual with them. Wei Yuewu and Wei Qiuju had been sitting in the corridor. Previously, the two maids were picking something on the other side of the corridor. Now, they probably had finished their work and were about to return, but they took the path around the corridor.

Coincidentally, Wei Qiuju mentioned Wei Yan just as the two maids were passing by.

The only difference was that the clothes of the two maids were slightly new, as if they had just been made.

The servants of the mansion hadn’t received new clothes for the upcoming new year, and they were still wearing the clothes of the previous year. It was impossible for them to wear such new clothes.

Unless they had just received their clothes, which meant that the two maids had just returned to the mansion.

Wei Yuewu noticed that when the two maids heard Wei Qiuju mentioning Wei Yan, their footsteps slowed down, but the two of them still whispered to each other without looking towards the place where she was seated.

It seemed that they were just two ordinary maids, but this did not dispel Wei Yuewu’s doubts.

Wei Yuewu shook off Wei Qiuju’s hand and stood up abruptly. Her expression darkened as she said sternly, “What did Fifth Elder Sister say? Second Elder Sister’s death had nothing to do with me, but you and Imperial Academician Xie both played a part. If Fifth Elder Sister is unclear about something, let’s go and make it clear in front of Grandmother, okay?”

Wei Qiuju did not expect that the smiling Wei Yuewu would turn hostile in an instant. She immediately stood up and hurriedly explained, “Sixth Younger Sister, that’s not what I meant. I just said that in Grandmother’s heart, Eldest Uncle’s daughters were much more important than me. Even if something bad happened, Grandmother would not be too harsh with you for Eldest Uncle’s sake.”

“Take the incident at the banquet for instance. Third Elder Sister was apparently absent from the banquet that day. However, there were still people who suspected me in the end. If Third Elder Sister wasn’t Eldest Uncle’s daughter, how could such a thing happen?”

The more Wei Qiuju spoke, the more aggrieved she became, and tears immediately fell down her cheeks. She pulled the handkerchief with her hands and leaned on the pillar, sobbing with a drooped head.

Wei Yuewu’s eyes turned colder and colder. Wei Qiuju suddenly burst into tears in this place. People who saw this must think that she had bullied Wei Qiuju, or suspected that she wanted Wei Qiuju to do something against her will so that Wei Qiuju cried out of control! Wei Yuewu did not believe that Wei Qiuju would not know what all these meant, not to mention that Wei Qiuju had repeatedly mentioned Wei Yan before.

“What are you two doing here?” A harsh voice came from the corner. Wei Yuewu’s eyes narrowed slightly. Indeed, Wei Qiuju’s performance here was designed to egg her on…

A tall young master with a bit of coldness slowly walked over from the corner.

The two maids outside the corridor hurriedly bowed. “Greetings, Eldest Young Master!”

Then, they walked around and stood behind him.

How could Wei Yuewu not know who this young man was at this time? He must be Wei Ziyang, the Eldest Young Master of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang, the son born by Lady Li! The alarm immediately sounded in her heart. When did Wei Ziyang enter the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang? How come she did not know anything about it?

Her hands slowly clenched tightly under her sleeves and a trace of calm coldness flashed through the corners of her eyes, but in the next moment, she slowly relaxed.

“Greetings, Eldest Brother!” Wei Qiuju bowed. Wei Ziyang waved his hand as an indication for her not to curtsy him. However, his gaze fell on Wei Yuewu, his eyes deep and serene. After a while, he asked, “Sixth Younger Sister?”

“Greetings, Eldest Brother!” Wei Yuewu had already restored her usual calmness and bowed.

“Fifth Younger Sister and Sixth Younger Sister, why are you arguing here? Eldest Uncle is still on the way back home, but some people have already followed me back first. It’s really indecent of you two to argue here.” Wei Ziyang’s gaze was somewhat serious and masculine.

“Our Miss was…” Jin Ling wanted to speak up for Wei Yuewu, but Wei Yuewu pulled on her sleeve as an indication for her not to say anything.

“Yes, Eldest Brother. Fifth Elder Sister thought of something sad, so she cried out of control for a moment.” Wei Yuewu said indifferently, and her expression was both calm and generous.

By comparison, Wei Qiuju on the side appeared a little undignified.

Seeing that Wei Yuewu talked and behaved quite properly, Wei Ziyang’s expression calmed down and he waved his hand at them. “Well then, you two can go back and rest. Uncle’s things will be carried into the mansion by some servants.”

Since they had just returned from the border, they must have a lot of things to carry into the mansion. Therefore, the servants who carried the things must be men, and Wei Yuewu and other female members of the family had better avoid them.

Wei Yuewu bowed her goodbye. Then she turned around and walked towards the Lotus Courtyard. Jin Ling immediately followed.

Wei Qiuju didn’t expect that she failed to egg on Wei Yuewu. Besides, Wei Yuewu even seemed to be angry with her. She shyly called, “Sixth Younger Sister!”

She actually followed behind Wei Yuewu.

Hearing Wei Qiuju calling from behind her, Wei Yuewu kept on walking, pretending not to hear her. She continued to walk forward, but this Wei Qiuju was really like a sticky candy, and she actually caught up with her.

Under the corridor, Wei Ziyang frowned and listened as the two maids reported to him what they had heard. These two maids were brought back from the border, and their loyalty was unquestionable. Right now, they were reporting on the conversation between Wei Qiuju and Wei Yuewu on Wei Yan.

Hearing that his proud sister had committed suicide, Wei Ziyang did not believe this news no matter what!

Thus, he found an excuse and took leave with his Eldest Uncle and returned to the capital first. He had just been to the backyard to pay his respects to the Madam Dowager. Meanwhile, the two maids were busy clearing out his courtyard and they had just been out to pick some plants Wei Ziyang liked in the garden.

The conversation between Wei Yuewu and Wei Qiuju was really a surprise to him. Was Wei Yan’s death really related to that seemingly generous and delicate girl just now? She was Eldest Uncle’s daughter!

But on second thought, it should be impossible. Hadn’t she righteously required Fifth Younger Sister to go with her and see Grandmother? If she really was guilty, she wouldn’t dare to react like that…

“Sixth Younger Sister, wait for me!” Wei Qiuju finally caught up with Wei Yuewu and gasped for breath while resting her hand on a tree.

“Is there anything else, Fifth Elder Sister? If it’s about that writing brush, I’m afraid I can’t help you.” Wei Yuewu turned around and looked at the panting Wei Qiuju with an indifferent expression.

“I… I’m sorry, Sixth Younger Sister. I didn’t know that Eldest Brother had been back. Just now… What I meant by those words was that in Grandmother’s eyes, Third Elder Sister had more weight than me, not to mention that Sixth Younger Sister is also Eldest Uncle’s legitimate daughter.” Wei Qiuju explained while panting.

She didn’t shed tears, but her eyes were red and she looked as if she would burst into tears the next moment.

“Fifth Elder Sister, I know you didn’t mean it. You can go back now!” Wei Yuewu refused to reconcile.

Wei Qiuju did not expect that Wei Yuewu would actually have no interest in what she had said before. She was stunned for a moment. She had prepared a lot of words, but she was completely unable to say anything for a moment. She felt as if she had hit hard into the cotton without receiving any expected response. She opened her mouth and didn’t know what to say next.

Wei Yuewu had shown such magnanimity that made her seem to be making a big fuss for no reason.

“Is there anything else, Fifth Elder Sister? If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back first. Some male servants are coming to the courtyard. It’s not proper for us to stay here.” Wei Yuewu said gently.