Even though he had retreated to Qiqing Garden, the administrative duties the Emperor had to handle did not decrease much. After spending half the day reviewing memorials, Wei Jingheng rose and massaged his wrists, deciding to take a stroll through the garden before the sun sank too low in the west.
As they passed the lotus pond, the Grand Steward following behind the Emperor couldn’t help but stop. In his eyes, the Son of Heaven first looked pleased as he paused by the pond, but then, for some unknown reason, his expression faded into indifference.
Li Fuhai, who knew the inside story and saw through everything, chuckled inwardly. He stepped forward and slowly plucked a lotus flower that was leaning out from the pond. The Emperor remained silent, but when Li Fuhai reached for a second one, the Emperor finally couldn’t help but say, “What are you plucking the lotus flowers for?”
The Grand Steward replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Your Majesty has been observing the lotus for a long time. Was it not because you wished to take some back to enjoy?”
Wei Jingheng glanced at this Yuqian Zongguan, who had accompanied him since childhood. He did not blame him for acting on his own, merely saying:
“The seeds of this flower are already large. It will only bloom for a few more days before withering. Isn’t it a pity to pluck it? Why not leave it in the pond to bear its seeds?”
The Grand Steward glanced at the blooming lotus in his hand, its seeds indeed large, and smiled. “Though the lotus is bearing seeds, it remains elegant and beautiful. There is no harm in plucking it to admire. Even if a newly bloomed lotus were taken back, it wouldn’t last many days more. Besides, Your Majesty possesses everything within the four seas and has plenty of lotus seeds. What does it matter if there is one less or one more?”
These words carried a deeper meaning. Li Fuhai smiled as he offered the plucked lotus to the Emperor.
After they had parted on bad terms the previous day, although the Emperor had shown no outward anger, Li Fuhai, having served him for many years, could still detect a trace of it.
Hearing this, Wei Jingheng turned his head away and fell silent. Only after a moment did he scold, “You truly love to run your mouth.” Yet, his hand reached out and took the lotus.
“Yes, yes, yes. May Your Majesty forgive me.”
Li Fuhai immediately gave himself a light slap to beg for mercy, lowering his head to hide a smile. He thought to himself:
As a servant, sometimes you must say the things your master is embarrassed to say and do the things your master is embarrassed to do. Only then can you serve by your master’s side for a long time.
However, the season for the lotus pond had ultimately passed. Half of the flowers had already withered and turned into seed pods, making it far less beautiful than it had been on that misty, rainy day. Wei Jingheng took a brief look and had no desire to go further into the pond area. Instead, he chose a path he had never taken before and walked straight ahead.
The apricots in the grove were past their prime, with only a few late-season fruits scattered on the trees. Wei Jingheng did not linger. After rounding several bends along the small path, the view suddenly opened up, causing him to stop in his tracks once more.
Li Fuhai followed the Emperor’s gaze and saw a beautiful woman over by the pavilion. He immediately reached out to stop the three Neishi behind them, sighing inwardly at the sheer coincidence.
The person over there was none other than Yu Yihe.
Yu Yihe had just arrived at the designated spot. Seeing the pavilion occupied by a master and two servants, she noticed the master’s back was turned to her. He was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, his back slightly hunched, with visible white hairs in his head. She didn’t know why he was there.
Filled with doubt, she stood outside the pavilion and sent Qingshuang forward to inquire. “Excuse me, sir, was there someone else here just now?”
Only then did the master turn around to reveal his true appearance. His eyes were small, his nose was rounded, and his jaw merged into his neck. His temples were greying, and he looked to be at least forty years old. He was truly… a bit of an eyesore. Yu Yihe took only one glance before lowering her head, refusing to look at him further.
The man did not answer Qingshuang but instead stared fixedly at Yu Yihe. After a long while, he snapped back to his senses and said, “You must be Second Miss Yu. My surname is Zheng, I am Lady Li’s younger brother.”
As the words fell, both Yu Yihe and Qingshuang suspected they had misheard. Seeing their lack of response, Zheng Langzhong cupped his hands in invitation. “Would the lady care to enter the pavilion for a chat?”
His eyes remained fixed uncomfortably on Yu Yihe.
Now, there was no mistaking it. Yu Yihe looked up at Zheng Langzhong, her feet feeling as though they were rooted to the ground.
Waves of anger surged within her, crashing against her already fragile defenses.
How had she ended up being matched with someone like this?
Putting aside looks—for appearance is given by one’s parents and cannot be changed—let’s just talk about age. This Zheng Langzhong was old enough to be her father.
Yu Yihe even began to doubt if she was Madam Yu’s biological child. If she were, could her mother truly be so careless? To not even inquire about his age before haphazardly calling her daughter to meet him?
Just thinking about such a thing happening to Ningning made Yu Yihe’s blood boil. Putting herself in that position made her heart ache even more.
The favoritism since childhood and every little grievance were things she couldn’t tell outsiders, but of everything that had happened in the three years since she returned home, which act could be considered that of a good mother?
Abandoning her on the mountain behind the temple, bringing her into the garden only to have her bear a child for the younger daughter, and now, seeing that the plan had failed, finding just any family to marry her off to—every single thing was done for the sake of profit, reeking of favoritism and a total lack of love…
Yet she knew she was indeed born of Madam Yu; her features were modeled after her mother’s. It was precisely this that was most agonizing. If she weren’t biological, she could comfort herself, and she wouldn’t feel so indignant. It was because she was biological that this pain cut so deep.
It took immense effort to suppress her tumultuous emotions. Yu Yihe walked toward Zheng Langzhong step by step, thinking that even if this didn’t work out, both sides still needed to save face. However, when she was still two steps away from him, she stopped.
She couldn’t bear it. Looking at this face, she feared she wouldn’t be able to eat her meals in the future.
“I am afraid Zheng Langzhong and I are not a good match.”
Yu Yihe cast aside her mask of compliance, revealing her stubborn nature, speaking without a trace of hesitation.
Zheng Langzhong paused. Perhaps knowing he was much older than her, he spared no effort in listing other benefits, seemingly certain that Yu Yihe would be tempted:
“Though I am much older than you, I am the only son in my family. My family’s estate is quite vast. I will certainly provide you with fine food and silk clothes, no less than those of the nobility. I heard you also have a daughter; I will treat her as my own and give her ten thousand taels of silver as a dowry.”
Later, he even lowered his voice, winking and gesturing suggestively. “Furthermore, if you and I have a son, I can hand over eighty percent of the family property to our child…”
These words were disgusting to Yu Yihe’s ears. They sounded beneficial to her, but in reality, he was just like her parents—someone who favored beauty over principle and was unfair to his children. She was young and beautiful now, so he promised a vast estate, but she would eventually grow old and lose her looks. Could such a promise still be fulfilled then?
“No need. Regardless of anything else, the age difference between us is too great. It is truly inappropriate.”
Seeing Yu Yihe’s cold expression, Zheng Langzhong’s face darkened as well. He said loudly, “Second Miss Yu, if you act like this, it might be difficult for your younger brother to take Zheng Shaofu as his master.”
Zheng Shaofu was a famous scholar of the current dynasty and also his uncle. He didn’t believe the second daughter of the Yu family wouldn’t consider her brother’s future. But to Yu Yihe, these words were the straw that broke the camel’s back.
He saw the woman two steps away freeze for a breath, and then she let out a scoffing laugh, as if she had heard something extremely ironic. She laughed until she was doubled over, appearing somewhat strange.
Everyone present was drawn to Yu Yihe’s reaction; no one noticed several people walking out of the woods to the south.
Yu Yihe slowly checked her laughter and spoke to the man before her once more. “There is no fate or bond between us. I wish you, sir, a good wife soon. I shall take my leave.”
How did she have the time to go on a blind date with such an ugly thing?
Yu Yihe turned to leave, unaware that the man behind her was also striding forward.
At this critical moment, the sound of clapping suddenly rang out. Yu Yihe turned toward the source of the sound and instantly froze in place, her mind going completely blank.