The Lucky Heiress

Chapter 354: The Sixth Prince_l

Wei Mingting frowned, “Madam, I’m sorry for making you feel wronged, but that’s all I can say about this matter.”

“Why? Why can you only say so much? If you have difficulties, why can’t you tell me?” Mrs. Yun tugged at Wei Mingting’s sleeve, her face wet with tears as she questioned him.

“Madam, we’ve been husband and wife for over twenty years. I hope you can trust me this time. There are some things I really can’t reveal, but my feelings for you are genuine,” Wei Mingting told her solemnly.

“How do you expect me to believe you? After everything you’ve done for the child of you and that woman, how can I believe in you?” Mrs. Yun couldn’t accept her husband’s explanation.

Seeing that Mrs. Yun still didn’t believe him, Wei Mingting didn’t know what else he could say.

After a long silence, Wei Mingting said, “You rest for now. Once you’re calm, we can discuss this again.”

Having said that, Wei Mingting stood up and left.

Mrs. Yun watched Wei Mingting leave, then broke down completely, throwing everything within reach to the floor.

Bowls of soup and medicine, as well as the lamps, shattered onto the floor.

The noise brought Cuiping rushing into the room. She was stunned by the scene before her.

“Madam! Madam, what’s wrong?”

Mrs. Yun deflated like a punctured balloon and began to sob. “Why? Why did he do this to me? After being married for over twenty years, I can’t believe I’ve been surpassed by a woman he’s only been with for a year!”

“Madam…”

“He treated me like this, just like this!” Mrs. Yun cried, her whole body trembling and her face as white as a sheet.

Cuiping was terrified. She had never seen the Madam in such a state before.

That night, the lights in Cangyun Garden stayed on until dawn.

As for Wei Mingting, he spent the whole night in the front study room.

###

The following morning, the entire Military Prefecture knew about the arguments that had taken place the night before.

Wei Yichen was leaving for a journey. Usually, Mrs. Yun and the other family members would come to send him off, but that day only Wei Yilin showed up with a look as bitter as a bitter melon.

Last night, when Wei Jinyi wanted to send Wei Qingwan away, Wei Yilin attempted to stop him, but he couldn’t beat Jing Hu.

Then, somehow, he fainted.

When he woke up early this morning, his Sister Wanwan was already gone from the mansion.

“Big brother, Sister Wanwan was sent to the farm. What should we do?” Wei Yilin, with a bitter look on his face, asked Wei Yichen mournfully.

“A person who makes a mistake should be punished,” Wei Yichen said.

“But… but life on the farm is harsh. Sister Wanwan can’t get used to it,” Wei Yilin expressed his worries.

“Your eldest sister lived on He Family farm for thirteen years, didn’t she? Why can’t your second sister endure the hardships that your eldest sister has?” Wei Yichen asked in return.

At these words, Wei Yilin was stunned.

Before, when he heard that the He Family treated his eldest sister poorly and had thrown her on a shabby farm for the past thirteen years, he only thought of her as being somewhat pitiful but didn’t feel it personally.

Not until now, when the same thing happened to his Sister Wanwan, did he realize sharply that life on the farm was much tougher than he had imagined.

Wei Yilin lowered his head.

After a while, he raised his head again to continue questioning Wei Yichen, “Big brother, I heard from the servants that father and mother had a fight last night, and mother cried a lot.”

“I heard about it too.”

“Big brother, aren’t you worried? So many things have been happening at home recently. It feels like everything’s changed, and everyone is different from before,” Wei Yilin said with a downcast mouth, his face filled with anxiety.

Wei Yichen stretched out his hand to ruffle Wei Yilin’s hair. “These disputes have been there for a long time. They’ve been hidden in the family, it’s just that they’ve recently exploded. This might not necessarily be a bad thing for us.” “Is that so?” Wei Yilin asked, confused.

“Yes. Some things, the longer they’re hidden, the more harm they can cause. This is true for your second sister, and it’s true for the discord between our father and mother,” Wei Yichen explained.

“So what should I do?” Wei Yilin asked.

“You just need to focus on yourself, strive to improve your martial skills, and grow into a capable man who can protect and shelter your family,” Wei Yichen advised him.

“Alright, don’t worry, big brother, I’ll try very hard!” Wei Yilin listened to Wei Yichen’s words obediently.

He felt lost and heartbroken before, but now he felt like he had figured out the direction again.

“Hmm.” Wei Yichen nodded, then got into his carriage and set off for the provincial city.

After watching Wei Yichen leave, Wei Yilin returned to the mansion. He had to listen to his big brother’s advice, continue striving, and grow into an upright man who would make his father, mother, and siblings proud.

###

In a little suburban dwelling surrounded by green water and pine trees, Qi Zhen briskly walked through a winding corridor and into a pavilion situated in the middle of a lake.

In the pavilion sat a handsome young man dressed in dark blue brocade and a white jade belt around his waist, with a gold python-designed ornament hanging from it.

As Qi Zhen entered the pavilion, he bowed respectfully, “I pay my respects, your Highness.”

“Rise.” Chu Heng smiled slightly, then invited Qi Zhen to sit, “Cousin, there’s no need to be formal. If you have something to say, let’s discuss it sitting down.”

Qi Zhen sat down, “Your Highness, I have made some progress in the matter you asked me to investigate.”

“Please, do tell.” Chu Heng was quite interested.

“The information your Highness heard is true. There truly is such a thing. It’s hugely powerful, it rapidly kills enemies, and it’s called the Thunderbolt Bullet. It was found by a minor officer in the Anti-Japanese Army. Now this officer, under the Prince’s instructions, has gone to find the ship merchant who provided the Thunderbolt Bullet. In the next couple of days, he will bring the merchant to meet with the Prince and the Guard Commander of the Anti-Japanese Army, Zheng Zhongye.”

Chu Heng’s gaze hardened. He darkened slightly before asking, “In your opinion, can this Thunderbolt Bullet change the battlefield conditions of the Anti-Japanese Army and Japanese Pirates, and help Chu Lan achieve great merit?”

“Although I very much wish that the answer to this question is ‘no’, based on the intelligence I’ve gathered, I’m afraid it might indeed have such a significant impact,” Qi Zhen replied.

On the surface, Qi Zhen might appear as a frivolous womanizer, but when it came to important matters, he never acted carelessly.

When he gave such an assessment, he must have had enough evidence to back his claim. It was definitely not a case of speaking without thinking.

Therefore, Chu Heng’s gaze turned colder, “My efforts for disaster relief have not yet achieved any results, but if Chu Lan is successful in repelling the Japanese Pirates, it would be very unfavorable for me.”

On the surface, it appeared that the Emperor was merely assigning Chu Lan to the Military Governorship and Chu Heng to disaster relief as separate tasks, but who wouldn’t understand the implied meaning behind them?

He was merely testing them both, to see who was more capable.

The one who could achieve merit would inevitably gain more support in court. Those who failed would fall behind.

“Your Highness wants me to prevent this from happening?” Qi Zhen queried.

“I want that Thunderbolt Bullet.” Chu Heng expressed his desire.

After pondering for a while, Qi Zhen said, “If that’s what you desire, your Highness, I will do my utmost to eliminate your concerns.”

Chu Heng nodded with satisfaction, “I’ve heard that the effective disaster relief in Taizhou prefecture is all thanks to a Miss from the Wei Family. Is this true?”