Guanyun Courtyard.
Wen Qianyue looked at the sumptuous feast on the table and was quite satisfied.
"Have those people been dealt with?"
Making an example of the top - ranking people, the subordinates indeed behaved themselves a lot.
"Yes. At first, they were all reluctant. Later, I directly sent a few guards and escorted them away." Yue Heng remembered something and told it to Wen Qianyue as a joke. "Among those people, there were a few who claimed to be related to our young prince."
Wen Qianyue burst into laughter.
Xie Yunxiao had no relatives in Lingzhou. They were probably related to Meng Ruoxue!
Yue Heng worried, "I heard that the young prince was called to the Bingqing Small Courtyard as soon as he came back. Will he...?"
Wen Qianyue replied, "Don't worry. It'll be okay."
She had already thought it through.
Sure enough, just after dinner, Xie Yunxiao came.
Wen Qianyue pretended not to notice him while reading a book. She let him pace back and forth, looking hesitant to speak.
Finally, Xie Yunxiao couldn't hold it back any longer. "I heard that you're not satisfied with the stewards in the mansion?"
Here it comes.
Wen Qianyue turned a page. "Sort of."
Xie Yunxiao said helplessly, "But some of them are Ruoxue's relatives. She told me today that those relatives have been pestering her."
When he came back this afternoon, he heard that Meng Ruoxue was ill again and no doctor had been called. Worried, he went to check on her.
Only then did he learn that she had been troubled by some relatives.
Wen Qianyue said calmly, "Then we should help Meng Ruoxue get out of this misery even more."
"Ah?" Xie Yunxiao was a bit confused.
"I've checked the mansion's accounts. There are many items of income that don't actually exist in the mansion. That means someone has embezzled the silver."
"Think about it. These people are all related to Meng Ruoxue. If we let them go on like this, people who don't know might think that Meng Ruoxue is deliberately indulging them."
Xie Yunxiao frowned. "Impossible. Ruoxue isn't such a person."
Isn't she? Wen Qianyue was itching to wake him up with a slap.
"But others don't know," Wen Qianyue said earnestly.
Xie Yunxiao thought for a while and felt that what his mother said seemed reasonable.
"You're right. You did the right thing in this matter."
Ruoxue was so kind. She couldn't let others ruin her reputation.
Wen Qianyue nodded and handed him the book in her hand. "I remember you were reading this book a few days ago, right?"
Xie Yunxiao's heart skipped a beat. He hesitated slightly. "Maybe."
"I've also read it these days. I found a few interesting parts and want to discuss them with you."
"Er..." Xie Yunxiao racked his brains. "I suddenly remembered I have something to do. Let's do it next time."
Saying that, Xie Yunxiao rushed out in a hurry.
Wen Qianyue watched his departing back and almost couldn't sleep all night out of worry.
Xie Yunxiao went to the study. He honestly took out the book again and scratched his head while reading it for another time.
No! He couldn't let Princess Mother look down on him.
He wanted to work hard in secret and then amaze everyone.
Especially Princess Mother.
...
Meng Ruoxue thought that after Xie Yunxiao went there, things would take a turn for the better. Even if the stewards couldn't come back, according to Xie Yunxiao's character, he might even drive Wen Qianyue out of the mansion.
Unexpectedly, Xie Yunxiao did nothing.
Could it be that he was really interested in Wen Qianyue?
No. She would never allow this to happen.
"Go and tell the young master that he must get rid of Wen Qianyue. With her as a variable, it might ruin our grand plan."
...
Xie Yunxiao worked hard all night. Early the next morning, he went to Wen Qianyue's courtyard.
Facing the questions Wen Qianyue raised, he answered fluently.
Wen Qianyue hid the smile in her eyes and praised him without reservation.
Xie Yunxiao couldn't help feeling proud. "It's nothing." He even boasted, "Not to mention this. As long as it's a book in my study, you can pick any one. I've read them all carefully."
Wen Qianyue asked, "Really?"
Xie Yunxiao suddenly regretted his words. He hesitated for a long time. "A, almost."
Not even close. He had hardly flipped through any of the books in the whole study.
The problem was that there were quite a few books in his study. He bought them just for show, but he never thought they would one day give him trouble.
Wen Qianyue wasn't in a hurry. "It's okay. Let's do it next time. After all, it's been such a long time. In a few days, you can pick a book you've read thoroughly, and then we'll discuss it."
Reading was not something that could be achieved overnight. It was better to take it slowly.
As long as Xie Yunxiao made progress and lived well, she would be satisfied.
In fact, these days, Xie Yunxiao found that he wasn't as averse to reading as before.
Previously, as soon as he got a book in his hand, he would have a headache and couldn't read a single word.
He breathed a sigh of relief and his mood brightened.
Fortunately, he still had time to prepare. He had to go back and study hard tonight.
Wen Qianyue looked at the side - face of the young man. If his facial features were more delicate and his lines softer, he would be very much like her daughter in memory.
She fixed her gaze on her son. "Since you came to Lingzhou, have you heard any news about your sister?"
The smile on Xie Yunxiao's face faded. "No."
Actually, according to the court rules, Xie Yunxiao was allowed to return to the capital once a year. After he came here, he used to go back once a year at first. But after Xie Yunhuang married into the Zhou family, he never went back again.
Wen Qianyue was so observant that she immediately noticed something was wrong.
"What's going on?"
Was there some conflict between the siblings?
Xie Yunxiao turned his face away and was silent for a moment.
"That year when I went back to the capital, I heard that Xie Yunhuang was going to marry into the Zhou family. I quarreled with her and... I never went back again."
Wen Qianyue was puzzled. "Quarreled?"
Did Xie Yunxiao notice something at that time?
Afraid of being scolded, Xie Yunxiao lowered his head even more and nodded slightly.
"Didn't you want your sister to marry into the Zhou family?" Wen Qianyue asked gently.
Xie Yunxiao answered obediently, "...Yes."
"Why?"
Xie Yunxiao thought for a while and said, "I just looked down on the Zhou family. Xie Yunhuang clearly had better choices. It's as if she was bewitched by that Zhou guy."
Looking at Xie Yunxiao's frustrated look, Wen Qianyue couldn't help thinking.
Weren't the siblings just the same?
They were really worthy of being siblings.
Wen Qianyue said helplessly, "Don't call her Xie Yunhuang. She's your elder sister."
So disrespectful.
Xie Yunxiao fell silent.
Wen Qianyue changed the topic. "Then why are you so certain about Meng Ruoxue?"
"...When I first came to Lingzhou, I accidentally fell into the ice - lake. In such cold weather, only Ruoxue saved me regardless of her own safety. She even hurt herself... If I don't marry her, won't I be an ungrateful person?"
Wen Qianyue was puzzled. "How can you be so sure that Meng Ruoxue definitely likes you?"
Xie Yunxiao stared wide - eyed. "She risked her life to save me. Isn't that proof enough?"
Wen Qianyue listened calmly.
Didn't Xie Yunxiao ever think that someone might have deliberately made him fall into the lake and then arranged for someone to save him?
Otherwise, how could a child at that time have appeared just in time and saved him so coincidentally?
Wen Chengen was about the same age as Xie Yunxiao at that time, but he already had such scheming. It was really terrifying.