Yesterday, when I went out for a stroll, I deliberately waited at the entrance for Wei Tingyu for a long time, but he never appeared! Only upon returning to the residence did I hear that Liu Shen had accidentally fallen into the river while going to sell He Weifang's dowry shops. Of course, with the Princess's resources, it wasn't difficult to find out the truth behind the incident! After all, there were many people present at the time; just the two young attendants accompanying Liu Shen witnessed the entire process.
It occurred to me that He Weifang had spent the past year so submissively in her husband's family, so how did she suddenly become so assertive now?! She even risked conflict with her father-in-law to forcefully reclaim her shops! This clearly showed that she was relying on someone for support! And last night, He Weifang actually stayed overnight in Wei Tingyu's small courtyard again, while the entire Liu family pretended not to see anything, closing their eyes and feigning blindness! They completely condoned their daughter-in-law's affair with an outside man!
The Princess, who felt great contempt for the entire Liu family, was now even more confused about the relationship between Wei Tingyu and He Weifang. Judging from the current situation, it seemed that things were not developing as she had imagined! Wei Tingyu seemed to genuinely like He Weifang! If things continued this way, he probably wouldn't abandon He Weifang when he left Dongdu later, would he?! Thinking of the difference in Wei Tingyu's attitude towards herself and He Weifang, Princess Jian felt irritated again.
"What is that He woman?" The maid beside her quickly lowered her head and replied, "Let alone Marquis Wei, when has even Young Master Liu of this residence ever thought highly of her? Princess, please don't take it to heart!"
"If Marquis Wei truly had no place for her in his heart, then why would he help her so much?" However, Princess Jian was naturally not easily convinced by the maid's pleasant words. The maid, seeing the Princess's expression, was immediately speechless. At this point, even a blind person could tell that the Princess's feelings for Wei Tingyu had far exceeded mere curiosity!
But then again, when the Princess first met Liu Chang three years ago, it was nothing more than an admiration for his handsome appearance and his passion for poetry and painting. The Princess, who was still naive at the time, thought he was the best gentleman in the world, and so she fell deeply in love! Although Prince Ning forcibly separated them due to Liu Chang's family status, in a way, it did save the Princess. After all, even these maids could clearly see the dirty dealings within the Liu residence now! If this young lady, who had grown up under Prince Ning's protection, had truly married into this place, she would certainly not have been happy for long before all her illusions were shattered by the suffocating atmosphere of the Liu family.
Later, the Princess was forced by her father to marry a man she didn't know at all, becoming a tool for Prince Ning's political marriage. The indignant Princess endured three years in her husband's family without consummating the marriage with her nominal husband! And the other party, intimidated by her status as a Princess, dared not force her! Furthermore, her nominal husband was already gravely ill and frail, and he passed away after only three years! The Princess, still a virgin, became a widow!
She had originally thought of coming to Dongdu to rekindle her past romance with her idealized love, only to unexpectedly find Marquis Wei appearing halfway, completely captivating her heart, which had matured significantly from before! Looking at it this way, it wasn't bad. Marquis Wei's status was much higher than the Liu family's, no matter what! If Prince Ning knew, he probably wouldn't obstruct it as much as before. However, although Marquis Jining's family came from a military background, it had declined in recent years. There were basically no family members serving in the military or the imperial court, so a marriage alliance with him wouldn't be of much help to Prince Ning. Therefore, the maid wasn't very optimistic about the possibility between the Princess and Wei Tingyu.
Of course, there was another important point: Wei Tingyu already had a legal wife at home! How could a dignified Princess possibly marry as a concubine?! Even as an equal wife, Prince Ning probably wouldn't accept it!
"Princess, why don't we stop thinking about Marquis Wei?" The maid thought this, her eyes darted around, then she looked up at her mistress and said, "Let's quickly return to the capital! Don't let the Prince worry!"
"My father won't be worried!" Princess Jian, however, pouted and said, "He's currently preoccupied with befriending new influential ministers in the imperial court; he has no time to care about me, his daughter!"
"Please trouble the Princess more!" At the banquet the next day, an official respectfully knelt beside the Princess's table, raising his cup to her with a flattering expression. However, although Princess Jian nodded in response on the surface, her beautiful eyes had already passed through the bustling crowd in the banquet hall, firmly fixed on the distant figure who was playing touhu (arrow-throwing game) with several young masters.
This Wei Tingyu! He'd rather chat and play with those not-so-familiar young masters than come and talk to me for a few words?! Does this Princess really annoy him that much?! Princess Jian frowned and withdrew her gaze, then looked at Dou Zhao and the other two women seated not far away! The three of them, as Wei Tingyu's legal wife and noble concubines, were naturally sought after by other women at the banquet. However, what angered Princess Jian the most was that He Weifang, the Liu family's daughter-in-law, was also so intimately close with the three women! She didn't even go to the seat prepared for herself but instead sat openly with the three women, chatting and laughing.
Seeing this scene, Princess Jian suddenly felt a little envious! She really wanted to know what these women were discussing, and if it was about Wei Tingyu? However, as a dignified Princess, and the woman with the highest status at this banquet, she couldn't actively go up and gossip with them!
The official who had originally been flattering the Princess, seeing this situation, also knew that anything more he said now would be useless. He could only sigh and then stand up and leave.
"Finally, they're gone!" Princess Jian also sighed in relief at this moment. Having grown up in the inner quarters of the Prince's residence, she was originally socially anxious and very averse to conversations with unfamiliar people! However, for the sake of her father, Prince Ning, she couldn't offend all these officials, so she could only force herself to engage in polite conversation and nod. Now that the other party had left discreetly, the Princess felt relieved, and then she saw Wei Tingyu ahead! He wasn't playing touhu anymore? Instead, he was walking directly towards her.
What is he doing? Is he coming to sit here and talk and drink with me? Thinking this, the Princess immediately sat up straight, and even subconsciously smoothed her hair bun, adjusting the hairpins and jewelry. The maid beside her was even more speechless upon seeing this scene. Perhaps the Princess herself hadn't realized that she was now like a young woman in love, whose heart had just opened, about to meet her lover?
The Princess, sitting primly, naturally wouldn't stare directly at Wei Tingyu's figure. Instead, her eyes were unnaturally fixed straight ahead, but her peripheral vision stealthily watched his movements. When she realized that he was indeed getting closer and closer, her heart couldn't help but pound faster.
"Marquis!" Just as Wei Tingyu walked to the Princess's side and prepared to sit down, the Princess's maid proactively stood up, bowed, and greeted him. At this moment, Princess Jian finally felt relieved. Indeed, Wei Tingyu had come to find her! However, the act still had to be played out. Princess Jian displayed an expression as if she had just noticed him due to a reminder, glanced at Wei Tingyu, then moved her lips without speaking. It wasn't that she didn't want to speak, but rather that she simply didn't know what to say! She was truly afraid that if she opened her mouth, she would reveal her long-held desire for Wei Tingyu to come and accompany her.
Wei Tingyu saw her deliberately serious small face so tightly pursed, yet her eyes flickered with a nervous look, and he immediately understood. Sigh! It's all my overwhelming charm! Even Princess Jian, Li Youzhen, has inexplicably fallen for me like this! But then again, Wei Tingyu truly hadn't actively flirted with Princess Jian! This young lady was simply driven by curiosity and directly plunged into his river of love! He really couldn't be blamed for this!
The Princess, from the corner of her eye, saw that Wei Tingyu's gaze was full of teasing, as if he knew all her thoughts and desires at the moment. She immediately panicked. Thinking this, she quickly winked at her maid, asking her what to do? However, the maid was also anxious; she had never been in love herself, so how would she know what to do in this situation? She could only pretend not to see the Princess's wink, and proactively stood up to pour Wei Tingyu a cup of wine.
"Princess!" Wei Tingyu couldn't help but chuckle at the amusing interaction between the mistress and servant. He raised his wine cup and toasted Li Youzhen. Seeing Wei Tingyu toast her, Princess Li Youzhen's heart blossomed with joy. It seemed she still held a little place in his heart! After all, this was the first time in days that she had seen Wei Tingyu proactively toast someone! Of course, given Wei Tingyu's personality, it certainly wouldn't be because of her status as a Princess; it must be because of her as a person. Thinking this, Li Youzhen also quickly raised her wine cup and lightly clinked it with Wei Tingyu's, then both of them drank the wine.
"Princess, don't be sad!" Wei Tingyu put down his wine cup and said to Li Youzhen, "I didn't come to the lake tour outside the city yesterday because I was afraid you would be slandered!"
"As for Young Master Liu not going, that must be because the Liu residence is busy, and as the only son, he couldn't get away, it wasn't intentional neglect!"
Princess Li Youzhen was startled upon hearing Wei Tingyu's words, then she felt a little happy. Although she knew that Wei Tingyu's excuse about fearing she would be slandered was utter nonsense! After all, as a widow, her reputation was already not good; what more was there to fear?! Wei Tingyu clearly didn't come yesterday because he went to help He Weifang reclaim her two dowry shops; it wasn't at all for the sake of her reputation. However, even knowing that Wei Tingyu was coaxing her, Li Youzhen felt very comfortable. After all, he was willing to come and explain to her, which meant that she had a place in his heart! Knowing just this, Li Youzhen was already satisfied! At least, that cup of wine wasn't drunk in vain! Of course, why Liu Chang didn't go, she hardly cared at this point! She hadn't even thought about Liu Chang before Wei Tingyu mentioned him.
"I'm not interested in what Zishu thinks! Whether he goes or not makes no difference to me!" Li Youzhen said this directly, turning to look at Wei Tingyu. This was probably her bravest attempt for her love. Wei Tingyu, however, was somewhat bewildered at her words. Good heavens! Is she confessing to me that Liu Chang holds no place in her heart? But looking at it this way, Liu Chang was indeed quite pathetic! His lawfully wedded wife had already been taken to bed by him, and his idealized love, whom he had thought of for years, had transferred her affections in such a short time! However, Wei Tingyu felt no guilt towards Liu Chang! After all, it was only right for such a self-righteous pretentious person to suffer a little; otherwise, it would mean Heaven was blind!
"Princess, you specially rerouted your return to the capital to Dongdu for Young Master Liu, so why are you indifferent to him now?" Wei Tingyu chuckled after hearing Li Youzhen's words, then asked rhetorically. However, as soon as he said this, Li Youzhen's face immediately became serious. She did feel a bit annoyed by Wei Tingyu's question.
She had indeed come to Dongdu specifically to rekindle her past romance with Liu Chang. Who would have thought that she would now be completely in love with Wei Tingyu? However, her original purpose for coming here had now become a somewhat embarrassing reason for her. Especially since Wei Tingyu was bringing up such an uncomfortable topic, clearly trying to embarrass her! Thinking this, Li Youzhen took a deep breath, then looked at Wei Tingyu beside her with a slightly annoyed expression and said, "Marquis is pretending to be confused while knowing full well! Don't you know what's on my mind?!"
As Li Youzhen spoke these words, not only Wei Tingyu but even her maid beside her was stunned. These words were practically a direct confession! And most crucially, Princess Jian had directly lowered her status in front of Marquis Jining, addressing him as "Marquis"?! Before, Li Youzhen had always referred to Wei Tingyu as "Marquis Wei"! Although "Marquis Wei" and "Marquis" only differed by one character, the meaning represented by this title was vastly different. "Marquis Wei" basically meant that their statuses were equal; both were titled individuals, and neither could dominate the other. However, "Marquis" directly placed herself beneath the other's status, adopting a posture of looking up to him. Li Youzhen's change in address clearly demonstrated her submissive side as a woman to Wei Tingyu! If the two of them could truly achieve something good in the future, she would definitely prioritize her husband and see him as her heaven, never putting on the airs of a Princess in front of him!
"Princess, your words truly make me feel a little overwhelmed by favor!" Wei Tingyu chuckled. In any case, polite words were certainly necessary. Li Youzhen naturally heard the perfunctory nature in his words and also felt a little angry. She had lowered her posture so much; wouldn't he give her a promise? However, when her eyes looked at Dou Zhao, Miao Ansu, Zhao Zhangru, and He Weifang not far away, she immediately understood. That's right! At present, Wei Tingyu has a legal wife and noble concubines at home, and there's also a woman with an ambiguous status waiting to enter the residence. He can't give me any promises! Sure enough, I still have to be more proactive! There was nothing for it! Who made her regard Wei Tingyu so highly?
"Overwhelmed by favor?" Thinking this, Princess Jian smiled faintly, then stared into Wei Tingyu's eyes and asked, word by word, "What nonsense is the Marquis saying? You have so many women around you; are a few more different ones too much?"
"Your legal wife and noble concubines are naturally taken into the residence as the Marquis pleases, but I didn't know you also had a preference for married women?"
"..." Wei Tingyu felt a little awkward upon hearing Princess Jian, Li Youzhen's words. However, this awkwardness only lasted for a second. Then, he shamelessly—no, he was psychologically strong—smiled and said, "Princess doesn't know! Married women also have their advantages! The taste within, you wouldn't understand!"
"I don't understand!" Li Youzhen sighed, "But I am also a married woman; why is the Marquis always so cold towards me?"
Are you a married woman? You're clearly a widow! Wei Tingyu inwardly scoffed, but the more he looked at the pretty, newly widowed woman in front of him, the more pleasing she became to his eyes! After all, Li Youzhen was originally a typical Tang-style beauty, and now, being newly widowed, there was an even fainter hint of sorrow in her brows! This even reminded Wei Tingyu of the series of short films he had seen online before he transmigrated, featuring "unmarried widows"… But the female protagonists in those films were truly far inferior to Li Youzhen in front of him! Ah! No! How could he compare the dignified Princess Jian to actresses in those adult films? Just thinking about it was a sin!