Chapter 357

“Sixth Miss Wei, so nice to see you here.” Qin Wenyu walked over slowly with a smile on her face. She was the daughter of Grand Scholar Qin, and she had a scholarly air about her. Her faint smile was enough to make people have a good impression of her.

Wei Yuewu hid the torn sleeve to the side and smiled slightly. “I’ve met Miss Zhao several times, so she is my acquaintance. I have nothing to do today and came over to chat with her.”

“Sixth Miss Wei, I heard that you really like to read books. What kind of books do you usually read?” Qin Wenyu smiled and sat on the other side of Wei Yuewu.

“Oh, nothing serious. I like to read some simple poems and such.” Wei Yuewu rested her fair fingers on the edge of her sleeves, looking rather nervous.

“What happened to your sleeve?” Qin Wenyu asked with a surprised expression, landing her gaze on Wei Yuewu’s sleeve.

“She accidentally tore the sleeve just now,” Zhao Ruo’e cut in and explained.

“Oh… It’s not nice to go back like this, right? Why don’t you come to my place to get changed?” Qin Wenyu asked kindly.

“Thank you for your kindness, but Miss Zhao has already lent me her clothes, so I’ll go back and change them!” Wei Yuewu smiled and shook her head.

“Why are there two sets of clothes?” At a glance, Wei Yuewu could tell that Qin Wenyu was keen and sensitive. Qin Wenyu looked at the dresses in Jin Ling’s hand and changed the topic.

“I didn’t bring many clothes to the Palace, so Miss Zhao lent me an extra set,” Wei Yuewu explained, looking a little embarrassed.

“I heard that your Fourth Elder Sister has received a lot of rewards from the Crown Prince, and among them are some gorgeous clothes. Didn’t she lend you a few sets?” Qin Wenyu asked with a smile.

“Well, those clothes are hers. Also, they were bestowed by His Highness. How can she casually give them away? Even if we are sisters, we must be aware of the properties,” Wei Yuewu replied with a smile.

The matter of Wei Qiufu entering the Crown Prince Mansion was now almost confirmed. It was the perfect timing to mention it at this moment.

Qin Wenyu didn’t ask further and changed the topic, “Sixth Young Lady, actually, I have a few extra clothes. Why don’t you borrow two sets from me?”

“No, thanks. Thank you for your kindness, Miss Qin!” Wei Yuewu politely refused. “Miss Zhao, my clothes are torn, so I can’t stay here for long. I’ll take my leave first!”

“You can’t go back like this. What if someone spotted you?” Qin Wenyu also stood up and sincerely suggested.

These words reminded Zhao Ruo’e, and she quickly nodded. “Sixth Miss Wei, it is indeed inappropriate for you to go back like this. Why don’t you get changed before you leave? You can get changed in my room and take the other set with you.”

“Uh…” Wei Yuewu hesitated while looking at her torn sleeve. She could still hide it when she sat, but once she stood up and walked around, she couldn’t hide it properly, and someone may spot it.

“Sixth Miss Wei, please go ahead and get changed,” Qin Wenyu urged.

“Well… I’ll have to trouble you, Miss Zhao!” Wei Yuewu thanked her.

“You’re welcome. I’ll take you there!” Zhao Ruo’e felt apologetic after thinking of how she had almost carelessly let Wei Yuewu go back just like that. She personally led Wei Yuewu to the door of her room and asked her maid to help Wei Yuewu change her clothes.

Seeing Wei Yuewu enter her room, Zhao Ruo’e returned to the pavilion.

“Miss Qin, why are you here at this time?” Zhao Ruo’e asked in surprise. Although they were both the Third Princess’ study companions, they were not very close because of their different temperaments.

“I came to see you. I heard that something happened here!” Qin Wenyu looked at Zhao Ruo’e calmly and said. Then, she sat down on the side.

Something happened here? Zhao Ruo’e’s heart skipped a beat. She did not dare to mention the matter of the Empress reprimanding for her clothes, so she forced a smile and faltered, “How could anything happen here? Nothing happened!”

Nevertheless, this particular effort to deny made her look a little guilty.

“Did Her Majesty send someone to reprimand you later?” Qin Wenyu asked with a smile.

“N-No!” This matter was a thorn in Zhao Ruo’e’s flesh. Not only did she not gain any benefits from entering the Palace this time, but she had also annoyed the Empress. Even though the Third Princess said that she would explain the matter to the Empress, she did not know when the matter would come to an end.

Thinking that she might be reprimanded by her father and brother after she went back, Zhao Ruo’e sounded bleak and lethargic.

“Why would Her Majesty reprimand you for no reason? Is it because you are not respectful to the Third Princess?” Qin Wenyu continued to ask with a smile, as if she did not see Zhao Ruo’e’s dispirited appearance.

“How could I be disrespectful to the Third Princess!” Zhao Ruo’e was unhappy and her face darkened.

She felt that she was more respectful to the Third Princess than the others.

“Then why did Her Majesty do this? Her Majesty has always been magnanimous. You must have done something that irritated Her Majesty so much that she reprimanded you. The same thing happened to Fourth Miss Wei because she remained close to the Crown Prince when she didn’t have any official status. Her Majesty chided her for this, right? But you are not close to His Highness.”

Qin Wenyu continued to look at her blankly, as if she was really looking for a reason.

Her remarks irritated Zhao Ruo’e even more. Zhao Ruo’e would have accepted it if she had been reprimanded by Her Majesty because of the Crown Prince, but this was not the case. She was reprimanded inexplicably because of a piece of cloth that Wei Yuewu had given her. She felt so wronged and upset.

Then, she thought about the young ladies who used to be close to her but started to distance themselves from her after she was reprimanded by the Empress. At this moment, she was exasperated and sat down with a huff.

“It’s all because of the concubine in the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. She has ulterior motives and wants to harm Sixth Miss Wei, and I was innocently dragged into it and reprimanded by Her Majesty.”

“Marquis Hua Yang’s concubine?” Qin Wenyu blinked. “What does this have to do with you?”

“The concubine got some cloth from god-knows-where, saying that she wanted to use the cloth to make clothes for Sixth Miss Wei. I met Sixth Miss Wei that day and saw that the cloth was beautiful, so she gave me one piece. Her Majesty saw me wearing the dress made from the cloth, and for some reason, she scolded me for that!” Zhao Ruo’e recounted the story in annoyance.

She felt that she was the most innocent in this incident.

“What’s wrong with the dress?” Qin Wenyu asked, puzzled.

“Who knows what’s wrong with that damned cloth? I don’t understand. Maybe it’s Her Majesty’s taboo.” Zhao Ruo’e huffed impatiently.

“Well, if it was Marquis Hua Yang’s concubine’s doing, it had nothing to do with you. Anyway, why isn’t Sixth Miss Wei wearing those clothes?” Qin Wenyu swiftly changed the subject and mentioned Wei Yuewu.

“I warned her and asked her not to wear those clothes!” Zhao Ruo’e barked in a bad mood.

“So, is that why Sixth Miss Wei doesn’t have enough clothes?” Qin Wenyu suddenly went back to the earliest topic.

“That’s right!” Zhao Ruo’e was in the spur of the moment, so she didn’t notice that Qin Wenyu changed the topic so quickly. “What else do you think is the reason that the legitimate daughter of the dignified Marquis Hua Yang does not have enough clothes to wear? She even has to borrow my clothes.”

“I see. Miss Zhao, I have something to do now, so I won’t disturb you. I’ll leave first!” Qin Wenyu seemed to have thought of something and said goodbye with a smile.

“Okay, please go ahead with your business.” Zhao Ruo’e nodded and looked at the door of her room. The door opened, and Wei Yuewu walked out slowly with two maids.

Qin Wenyu smiled and left with her maid, just in time to miss Wei Yuewu who came over.

When Wei Yuewu came over, she only managed to catch Qin Wenyu’s back view as the latter walked away.

“Why did Miss Qin leave?” Wei Yuewu looked at Qin Wenyu’s back, and a faint and deep look appeared in her eyes.

“She said that she had something to do, so she left first. The clothes are really good, and it looks like they were made specially for you,” Zhao Ruo’e looked at the clothes on Wei Yuewu and praised with a smile.

Recently, Wei Yuewu had been growing very fast recently. She was slightly taller now, but there was not much difference between the two of them. The dress was slightly bigger for Wei Yuewu, but it didn’t look odd after she tied the belt on her waist. Zhao Ruo’e chose a light-colored dress, which complemented Wei Yuewu’s temperament very well.

“Miss Zhao, I have to thank you for your generosity. Had it not been for you, I wouldn’t have any clothes to wear tomorrow.” Wei Yuewu thanked her sincerely.

“Oh, you’re welcome. Didn’t Miss Qin say that she could lend her dresses to you too? Anyway, it is rare for her to come here today. We are not very close because we have different personalities.” Zhao Ruo’e casually quipped as she pulled Wei Yuewu’s sleeve.

“But it seemed that you were talking happily just now. What did you talk about?” Wei Yuewu asked in feigned calmness despite the fact that she was intrigued.

“We talked about that concubine who wants to harm you, and I was implicated because of her! Speaking of which, all of these were caused by that concubine in your mansion.” Zhao Ruo’e was indignant when she talked about the matter. She was a dignified young lady of an aristocratic family, but she was implicated by a lowly concubine. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became.

“Did Miss Qin say anything?” Wei Yuewu smiled faintly and inquired. Qin Wenyu had come too suddenly, and it seemed that she had come for her.

The woman who had a private meeting with the feminine prince that day should be the quiet and scholarly Miss Qin!

No one would have thought that she had an affair with someone, and the topic of their conversation was somehow drawn to Wei Yuewu. Hence, after finding Qin Wenyu was paying special attention to her, Wei Yuewu immediately became vigilant.

The Palace was indeed full of schemes and conspiracies. On the surface, it seemed that the Crown Prince Wen Tianyao’s position was as stable as a mountain, but in fact, a lot of people were coveting his position…

To take the place of the Crown Prince, these people could sacrifice anyone, not to mention her, a daughter of a so-called official who had nothing to do with them!

“She didn’t say anything much. She just chatted with me for a bit, but I told her about that concubine in your mansion.” Zhao Ruo’e recalled indifferently.

“Miss Zhao, thank you so much for today. I’ll go back first!” Seeing that she couldn’t get anything else from her, Wei Yuewu uttered with a smile on her face. She even deliberately bowed to express her thanks.

“You’re welcome, Sixth Miss Wei. It’s all because of that concubine in your mansion that we’re implicated.” Zhao Ruo’e supported Wei Yuewu. “If you need anything else, just tell me!”

Marquis Hua Yang was both high-ranking and powerful, so Zhao Ruo’e naturally felt that it was not a loss to be on good terms with Wei Yuewu.

Wei Yuewu bid farewell to Zhao Ruo’e and returned to her own room.

After returning to her own room, Wei Yuewu sat on a chair and thought for a moment. After that, she instructed, “Go and bring the scissors over!”