Duke Ying’s household had naturally been on the invitation list to this birthday banquet. Wei Luo didn’t have time to greet her family members and had only seen Wei Chang Hong sitting next to Wei Chang Xian at the beginning of the banquet. Wei Chang Hong Luo had left Lin De Hall shortly after the banquet had began and hadn’t returned to the hall after leaving, so Wei Luo thought he had already left the palace.
Wei Luo pointed towards the inside of the hall and truthfully said,
I was feeling uncomfortable. Zhao Jie went inside to say his goodbyes to imperial father and mother. We were planning on returning home soon.
Then, she asked,
Why are you here? I saw that you left the hall a while ago.
Wei Chang Hong saw that her complexion didn’t look good and couldn’t help feeling worried. He wasn’t in a hurry to go back inside anymore and stood with her outside. He said,
Prince Rui’s heir urged me to use five minerals powder. I used an excuse to refuse, then I came outside to walk around for a bit.
Prince Rui’s heir had been sitting next to him during the banquet.
(T/N: Five minerals powder was what Chang Hong had been addicted to in his past life. If you want to refresh your memory, the more detailed explanation is in the second half of chapter 50.
Just in case it was too long ago, Prince Rui is the emperor’s only remaining brother. He’s mentioned in chapter 125.1. His heir, Zhao Jue is mentioned at the end of chapter 73.1.)
Under the morals of this time period, it wasn’t uncommon for the sons of aristocratic families to use five minerals powder as a popular pastime. Every time there was a banquet, people would use five minerals powder to add to the festivity. But, the type of people that would use five minerals powder had loose morals. They were deviant lounge lizards. Noble men that had even the slightest self-discipline would politely decline from using this drug.
Wei Chang Hong was fully aware that Wei Luo was extremely repulsed by people that used five minerals powder. He remembered a childhood memory of a man with untied hair and an open wide jacket walking close to them when they had gone outside together. At the time, Wei Luo had nervously clutched his hand and her body was faintly trembling. She had been clearly feeling alarmed and extremely repulsed by this man, but she had still steadily protected him as if she was afraid of him having the slightest contact with that man.
Wei Chang Hong would never do anything that disgusted Wei Luo. So, when Prince Rui’s heir had invited him to use five minerals powder, he had firmly refused. However, the distance between them was too small. He had inadvertently inhaled some of the smoke and his entire body had felt hot, so he had come outside to be cooled off by the chilly wind for a bit.
Hearing his words, Wei Luo anxiously grabbed his arm. She tilted her head and asked,
Did you use any of it?
Wei Chang Hong shook his head. He curved his lips into a smile,
I didn’t. I only accidentally inhaled some of the smoke. I was fine after walking around and getting some fresh air.
He lowed his eyes and looked at Wei Luo’s slightly curved belly. After he had heard about her pregnancy, he had visited her once and saw that Zhao Jie had her surrounding space tightly encircled by guards. Any unrelated person or a servant who didn’t have a specific job wouldn’t be able to enter Prince Jing’s residence’s inner court. When he had gone to see her, she had been lying on Zhao Jie’s lap as she serenely slept in the inner room. Chang Hong hadn’t woken her up. He had only looked at her for a bit before leaving.
Wei Luo was still worried. She carefully looked him over again. After she confirmed that his body didn’t show any symptoms such as a having a high temperature, she opened her mouth and sighed in relief. Wei Luo showed a serious expression on her small face and said,
In the future, no matter who gives you five minerals powder, you’re not allowed to use it.
She definitely didn’t want to see the fallen Wei Chang Hong from her past life.
Wei Chang Hong rubbed her head and said with a smile,
Don’t worry. I won’t do anything that you dislike.
After they finished discussing this topic, Wei Chang Hong’s gaze fell on Wei Luo’s belly. He attentively asked,
How’s my little nephew?
Wei Luo’s hands were resting on her belly and her eyes were curved into smiling crescents.
It’s so mischievous. It causes trouble for me all day long. I can’t eat well or sleep well. It’s been slightly better lately. There was a period when I wasn’t even able to eat anything without throwing up.
She suddenly thought of something. Wei Luo blinked her eyes and curiously asked,
Did you see Miss Gao when you came out of the hall? I saw that she had come from the same direction as you. But, her expression didn’t look good. I wonder what happened.
There was a strange expression on Wei Chang Hong’s face for a moment before his expression returned to normal.
I saw her.
A light flashed through Wei Luo’s eyes. Just as she was about to ask more questions, she saw Zhao Jie walking out of Lin De Hall from her peripheral vision.
Zhao Jie reached her side and tightened the red cloak that was embroidered with camellia flowers and lined with fox fur that she was wearing before glancing at Chang Hong and saying,
Duke Ying is looking for you.
Then, he said to Wei Luo,
Let’s go home.
Wei Luo nodded, said goodbye to Chang Hong, and followed Zhao Jie out of the palace.
—
Wei Luo didn’t know that Wei Chang Hong had done more than just see Gao Qing Yang. They had also exchanged several words.
Previously, he had been standing in the verandah outside of the hall. His body had been feeling faintly hot, so he been standing in a drafty place and cooling himself with the wind.
After Gao Qing Yang had come back from changing her clothes, she happened to see him standing underneath the glazed roof tiles. He was wearing a loose robe with a wide belt and his sleeves were fluttering in the wind. He looked very handsome. For some inexplicable reason, this sight gave off a sense of uninhibitedness. Gao Qing Yang couldn’t help looking at him for a few extra moments. Just as she was about to leave, she saw him slowly sitting down, lean against a pillar, and close his eyes. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed. He looked as if he was feeling unwell.
Gao Qing Yang looked around. Seeing that he hadn’t brought a guard with him, she considered for a moment before walking forward and asking,
Are you okay?
Wei Chang Hong didn’t reply and kept his eyes closed. He didn’t want to talk. Although he wasn’t feeling as hot as before, he felt lightheaded. He had heard a voice by his ears, but he didn’t feel like opening his eyes, so he pretended that he was sleeping.
However, Gao Qing Yang though he had fainted. She thought for a moment before saying to the servant girl by her side,
Go and bring back an imperial doctor here.
The servant girl acknowledged her order, turned around, and left.
No need.
Wei Chong Hong finally opened his eyes and looked at Gao Qing Yang with a pitch-black and distant gaze. Perhaps, it was because she had disturbed his peace. His tone was slightly unpleasant as he said,
Miss, aren’t you overstepping the bounds of what you should be concerned about?
Gao Qing Yang’s kind intention had been misunderstood. She pursed her lips and looked at Wei Chang Hong. Without changing her expression, she countered,
Your upbringing is pretty good too. You were clearly awake, but refused to acknowledge my words.
She called the servant girl back. Before she left, she glanced at Wei Chang Hong and said,
Cold air can’t remove the heat from five minerals powder completely. It would be better if you use this drug less.
Chapter: 164.2 out of 171
Gao Qing Yang’s father also used five minerals powder, so she was very familiar with its smell. When Wei Chang Hong had still been standing, she already had a rough idea of what had happened. Because Wei Luo and Wei Chang Hong’s faces were very similar, Gao Qing Yang recognized that Wei Chang Hong was Wei Luo’s younger brother. She had only said that last sentence as a kind warning.
Wei Chang Hong didn’t reply. He closed his eyes again. She didn’t know if he would listen to her advice.
This was the reason why Gao Qing Yang had look sullen when she met Wei Luo later.
The servant girl, who was wearing a dark green jacket and skirt, complained,
Miss, that person can’t distinguish good from bad.
Gao Qing Yang returned to Lin De Hall and silently sat down by Duchess Zhen’s side. She wasn’t the type of person that would beam with joy. Duke Zhen’s two daughters had very different temperaments. Gao Dan Yang had a headstrong and proud personality, while Gao Qing Yang was calm and collected. Gao Qing Yang quickly got over her anger and stopped caring about the incident.
However, this incident reminded her of something that had happened during another place banquet. At the time, she had gotten into an argument with Wei Luo, so she had grabbed the peanuts on the table and thrown them at Wei Luo. Back then, she was at age where most children act unreasonably. She was also too spoiled by her family and would get angry at the slightest unhappiness. Later on, Wei Chang Hong had rushed forward, grabbed her hand, and sternly said,
Don’t.
Although this had happened a long time ago and wasn’t worth mentioning again, it explain why there would be conflict between their incompatible temperaments.
—
Not long after Emperor Chong Zhen’s birthday banquet, there was a heavy snowfall in the capital. The thickly falling snowflakes fluttered about in the air like cotton that had been torn apart. The snowfall lasted for a day and a night.
When Wei Luo pushed open the doors to look outside on the next day, she saw an overflowing and thick layer of snow covering the courtyard. The snow was pressing down the courtyard’s plum trees’ branches. She heard the sounds of the servants traveling back and forth from the courtyard as their cotton-padded boots trampled on the snow.
Wei Luo held a pure copper hand stove with a squash-shaped bottom and flower pattern openwork as she stood at the doorway. Her exhaled breath turned into a plume of white steam. She exclaimed in surprise,
It snowed so much!
(T/N: Below is a picture of that hand stove.)
Zhao Jie came outside, took out a creamy white cloak that was embroidered with twinning begonia flowers at the edges, and draped it over her.
You ran out here before dressing properly for the weather. Aren’t you cold?
Wei Luo put on the cloak and walked around the outside courtyard. Because the temperature was too cold, Zhao Jie didn’t let her stay outside for too long. After she had stayed out for the time it would take an incense stick to burn, he brought her back inside.
Wei Luo asked,
Are you going to Shen Ji Barracks today?
Zhao Jie was holding a pair of chopsticks to turn the ashes in Wei Luo’s hand stove.
No, I’ll stay at home to keep you company since it’ll be New Years Eve soon.
Wei Luo took out an osmnathus flower-scented item that had been recently made this year, broke it into two pieces, and put the pieces inside hand warmer. It could mask the smell of burning coals. She raised her small, flushed face. There was a smile in her eyes.
It’s fine if you don’t keep me company. Our little watermelon has been behaving much better recently and hasn’t been bothering me anymore. I rarely throw up after eating now.
Wei Luo has originally called their baby
little watermelon
because she felt as if she was growing a watermelon inside her swelling belly. Over time, she got used to referring to their baby by this nickname.
Wei Luo knew that Zhao Jie was very busy with work lately.
Emperor Chong Zhen had the intention of establishing the next emperor. Zhao Jie was an unrivaled candidate for this position and was entirely worthy of this title. However, there were a few court officials that were completely against this idea. They had presented a petition to the emperor that said Zhao Jie had a naturally cruel, heartless, and tyrannical disposition. It would be hard to convince everyone that he was the best candidate. How would they be able to stop worrying if the world fell under the control of Zhao Jie’s extremely vicious hands in the future? What if there was unending fighting and killing once he assumed the position of emperor? In the future, wouldn’t the common people be living in an abyss of suffering and fear every day?
These imperial censors tied Emperor Chong Zhen’s ability to take action. He had to listen to them endlessly talk without getting to the point every day. In the end, he decided to temporarily set aside this matter to reconsider later.
Wei Luo knew that Zhao Jie’s mood hadn’t been good recently. Wei Luo had smoothed out his creased forehead several times when he was sleeping, but Zhao Jie would never show this side to Wei Luo when he was awake. He was pampering towards her as always. If she didn’t frequently go to the palace, he would have probably been able to successfully hide this issue from her.
There had been one time when Empress Chen inadvertently mentioned an imperial court matter. Wei Luo remembered her words and had to ask Zhu Geng about it. This was how she finally found out about the entire issue.
Wei Luo sat up straight by bracing her hand against Zhao Jie’s shoulder, so that her body could be level with his as she seriously said,
No matter what you do, I’ll believe that your actions are reasonable. Big brother, you don’t have to care about what other people say. They only say you’re cruel because they haven’t seen your gentle side. It’s not like you’re going to spend the rest of your life with them. I’m the one that will be by your side for a lifetime. It’s fine as long as I know how wonderful you are.
She lowered her head so that her forehead was against Zhao Jie’s forehead. Her bright, black eyes were dazzling as she said,
Anyways, I’ll support you no matter what you do.
Zhao Jie looked at her with his deep, black eyes. He didn’t move.
Wei Luo started to feel uncomfortable from his staring. She moved back slightly and asked,
What? Did I say something wrong?
Zhao Jie rose up and pressed Wei Luo beneath his body. He pecked her face a few times and tried to suppress the surging emotions in his heart. He quietly said,
No, my Ah Luo is right.
Zhao Jie’s lips descended and touched Wei Luo’s lips. He gently sucked her lips. This kiss was gently and lingering without any lust. He just wanted to kiss her. Zhao Jie thought, he would never let go of this girl in this lifetime.
