Honored Consort Deng didn’t leave the Imperial Study until Jieyu Miao had arrived. After she left the banquet, Jieyu Miao had a bath and then dressed up before briskly heading for the Imperial Study. Given an excuse by Honored Consort Deng, Jieyu Miao stayed with His Majesty here. Therefore, Honored Consort Deng finished her task and then returned to her palace, exhausted.

Servants had placed buckets of ice in the pavilion earlier, so it was pleasantly cool now. Lying on the soft bed in the pavilion, Honored Consort Deng felt at ease, with the soft breeze blowing against the hanging curtains. On the table was a plate of sliced fruit cooled in a well. They looked nice.

After Honored Consort Deng drank a cup of ice Agarwood drink and ate a few pieces of fruit, she narrowed her eyes cozily. As she took the handkerchief out of her sleeve to wipe her fingers clean, she asked the only maid in the pavilion, “What do you think of Wei Changying?”

The maid answered prudently, “She is beautiful.”

“The beauty is not rare, because it is easy to find that she is gorgeous. However, an gorgeous but elegant beauty is rare. Well, appearance is not the most important thing,” said Honored Consort Deng faintly. “I’m curious about her character. Liu Di has served her today, and how does she feels about her?”

The maid responded after thinking for a while, “First Miss of the Su Family and Fourth Miss of the Shen Family both chatted with her. It seems that she is popular despite being new here. Later, she came to Qianqiu Pavilion, and it was not proper for Liu Di to go there. When Wei Changying came back, Liu Di found that she cared about Fifteenth Miss.”

Deng Wanwan was Fifteenth Miss of the Deng Family.

After hearing this and then considering for a few seconds, Honored Consort Deng said, “Su Yuli is a daughter of Wei Changying’s lineal aunt, so it is not strange that she gets along with her. As for Shen Cangning, she seems to be willful, but she has sense of propriety. She always cares for her family; otherwise, Shen Xuan would not spoil her like this. These could not prove that Wei Changying is popular. Moreover, how does she get along with her sisters-in-law? They neither came to talk with her nor asked servants to greet her. Therefore, her bond was not strong with them after her marriage.”

She also asked, “Did she notice Wanwan? Perhaps Song Zaishui told her something about Wanwan.”

The maid said, “Your Highness are right.”

“If so, she might not be spoiled. Su Yuli and Shen Cangning are respectively the apple of her own families’ eye. They would not flatter Wei Changying even if their elders asked them to do so,” said Honored Consort Deng. “She is not quite sophisticated, or her two sisters-in-law would not ignore her. Moreover, Su Xiuman was present. They would have behaved in a virtuous manner in front of Su Xiuman. Wei Changying doesn’t get along with her two sisters-in-law. So, how could she be sophisticated? Su Xiuman’s first daughter-in-law and second daughter-in-law are virtuous in the Capital City. So, I guessed that Wei Changying is beloved, so she behaved like this. Even if the elders told her what she should do, she didn’t follow their advice. So she is not close to her sisters-in-law.”

Kneading the corner of her forehead, Honored Consort Deng was puzzled, “Yao Tao, does Zongqi like Wei Changying? If not, it is unnecessary for us to pick him a wife like Wei Changying.”

Yao Tao was stunned, and hesitantly answered, “Young master never likes any ladies before. However, after coming back from Qingzhou, he wrote a poem about a beauty in red wandering in a bamboo grove as well as along the river in early morning. He seems to be attracted by her. According to the servants who came to Qingzhou with the young master, they had walked past many bamboo groves, but never met a lady in red there. However, on their way to Qingzhou, they stayed at Little Bamboo Hill outside Fengzhou. Because young master quarreled with Wei Changfeng, he and Gu Ziming went on the hill to bid farewell the next morning. Wei Changfeng told them there were females, so only young master and Gu Ziming went there, without any servants following them. If something about the poem is true, it might happen there.”

Honored Consort Deng let out a sigh and said, “Song Zaishui reached the Capital City last year. Although she and Zongqi were on the same way to the Capital City, Zongqi didn’t care much about her. Wanwan gets along well with Song Zaishui, so I think that... Song Zaishui has been a little disfigured, but she has no engagement now. If Zongqi likes her, I will make an arrangement for him. However, Wanwan said that her acquaintance with Song Zaishui was not arranged by Zongqi. He even told Wanwan not to go to the Song Mansion, because second young madam of the Song Mansion, Madam Duanmu, is envious and Wanwan is about to 15 years old. He was worried that Wanwan would have trouble if she did so. I heard that there were only two ladies in Little Bamboo Hill. If not Song Zaishui, it must be Wei Changying.”

Honored Consort felt pity, “Because of his father, Zongqi has suffered a lot since his childhood. I want to pick up a proper wife for him to have a better life, but why does he like this lady with an engagement?” She told Yao Tao, “Look for a lady who is similar to Wei Changying in character. If she doesn’t have an engagement, I would ask Zongqi about his opinion.”

Yao Tao answered respectfully, “Yes.”

Honored Consort Deng added, “You must keep the secret that Zongqi likes Wei Changying. There must be no one else knowing it.”

Yao Tao said seriously, “I know the importance of this.” She added, “Don’t worry your Highness. I asked servants to fetch the poem written by young master and then I burned it personally. I warned those servants who knew it. Their families all live in the Capital City, so they dare not speak it out.”

“You have burned it. Good job,” said Honored Consort Deng, letting out a sigh of relief. And then, she said attentively, “Without any evidence, who dare say that Zongqi likes his colleague’s wife? That would be a slander. He doesn’t have the protection from his parents, so, as his aunt, I don’t allow others to insult him.”

Yao Tao said, “Yes.” She then asked, “The wife of young master is chosen according to the standards of Wei Changying. And what about Fifteenth Miss’s marriage?”

Deng Wanwan didn’t look like Sixth Prince. As a lineal niece of Honored Consort Deng, she was less cared by her aunt. Deng Zongqi was concerned about his sister, so Honored Consort Deng said after thinking for a while, “If you have a proper candidate, tell me in time. I will scrutinize him. The siblings have been bullied by their families due to their parents, so they had better marry someone from a simple, honest family in case they would be bullied again.”

Yao Tao said, smiling, “If an honest man is proper, I have a candidate.”

“Who is he?” asked Honored Consort Deng. She didn’t expect Yao Tao had a candidate so quickly.

“He is Wei Qing, a guard of the Wei Family in Fengzhou. A servant who came back to the Capital City with young master mentioned him,” replied Yao Tao, beaming. “I heard that he seems to be nice.”

Honored Consort Deng was unhappy to say, “Is he a guard? Although his family name is Wei, he must be a descendant from a collateral branch. The Deng Family in Rong City is not better than the Wei Family in Fengzhou, but Wanwan is a lineal daughter of the Deng family’s clan. As an orphan, it is not easy for her to marry a common son of the Wei Family. As with a son from a collateral branch, Wei Qing’s status in the family is not high enough though.”

“You may not know that Wei Qing is in the ordinary clan. However, I heard that he had escorted Wei Changfeng to return home when Wei Changying and Wei Changfeng were assassinated last year,” Yao Tao immediately explained. “He is not a son from a collateral branch, because his grandfather and Old Duke Jingping are brothers.”

“Is he from the Wei Family’s clan?” Honored Consort Deng looked less serious and said, “He has rescued Wei Changfeng. If Wei Changfeng is a powerful man in the future, and this guard doesn’t make big mistakes, he would not be in a low status in Ruiyu Hall. What’s more, Wei Changfeng is an only son, he is likely to trust this guard. But Wei Changfeng is still young and Wei Shengyi is in the prime of life, Wei Huan and Old Madam Song are old, so everything will be unexpected.”

Honored Consort Deng seemed to be not satisfied with Wei Qing, but after considering for a while, she asked, “What about Wei Qing’s family?”

“His parents have passed away, and he has two sibling sisters,” said Yao Tao without any hesitation.

Honored Consort Deng was pretty surprised to ask, “Why do you know so much about him?” Yao Tao inquired about Wei Qing from the servants following Deng Zongqi to come to Qingzhou. However, they were servants, and Wei Qing was not only Wei Changfeng’s guard, but also a descendant of the Wei Family. He might have a talk with the servants of Deng Zongqi, but how could he tell them that his parents had passed away and he had lived with her two sisters?

“It is a coincidence,” said Yao Tao with a crafty smile. “When young master and his companions lodged for the night in Little Bamboo Hill, he borrowed clothes from Wei Qing because his own had been wet. As young master of the Duanmu Family saw that the clothes were exquisitely embroidered, he praised that Wei Qing’s wife was good at embroidery. However, Wei Qing said that his mother had already gone and his clothes were all made by his sisters.”

“And why did you know that he has two sisters?”

Yao Tao said, smiling, “Sixteenth young master of the Liu Family praised that these two styles of embroideries were excellent. Young master had lent clothes from Wei Qing, so he complimented Wei Qing’s sister that she was adept at two genres of embroidery despite she was young. Unexpectedly, Wei Qing explained that he had two sisters, and they in turn embroidered clothes for him. So there were two different styles.”

Consorted Deng returned a smile and said, “What a coincidence!”

Yao Tao asked, “What about Wanwan?”

“Wanwan is about to turn fifteen years old,” said Honored Consort Deng. “She has two or three years to consider her marriage. You might be mistaken by the servants walking past Fengzhou. What’s more, Zongqi has only a sister, so he is not willing to have his sister marry a man far from the Capital City,” said Honored Consort Deng with hesitation. “Even if Wei Qing is not bad, he is Wei Changying’s brother of the family and is also close to Wei Changfeng. If Wanwan were to marry him, Zongqi would see Wei Changying again. There would be some potential troubles.”

Yao Tao briskly answered, “Although young master is young, he is always prudent. Even if he likes Wei Changying, he has never told you that. He has hidden his emotions out of politeness. I didn’t come to Little Bamboo Hill, but it must be lush green there. So it should be an attractive scene that Wei Changying, as a beautiful lady in red, walked along the river. If a young man saw it, couldn’t he be attracted by her? If young master witnessed the scene like this for many times, he would not be attracted anymore. Young master is so polite that he doesn’t go to the entertainment place. He seldom meets the charming ladies, so he…”

Upon hearing these, Honored Consort Deng was remainded, so she said, clapping her hands, “You are right. Wei Changfeng and Gu Ziming were there. Even if Zongqi saw Wei Changying and even saved her, he would say some polite words, and how could he like her? It is my brother’s fault. Zongqi’s father is bad, but he should not maltreat this young boy. He even withholds the asset of Zongqi and his sister, so that they had a hard life. Zongqi spent his salaries buying makeups for his sister after he became a Standby Guard. So he didn’t buy anything for himself. How could he expand his view in the entertainment place? He is young and hasn’t meet many ladies, so it is not strange that he likes that lady in red beside the river.”

“You had better not overly fear for young master. It is normal that the young would encounter an attractive person. However, they would find that it is not a special thing after they meet more beauties,” said Yao Tao, with a smile. “You once said that the Empress’s eyes were attractive. However, after seeing Jieyu Miao’s eyes, you found the ones of the Empress were as blank as a golden fish’s.”

Honored Consort Deng liked others to discuss the Empress. So after hearing these words, she laughed, “You are right. It will be difficult to deal with it if he falls love with her at first sight. But if he only likes her appearance, it will be less difficult to cope with. You are supposed to inquire about a charming girl, and I will arrange a date between them. After he sees more lovely girls, he will know that Wei Changying is beautiful, but there are more gorgeous girls in the Capital City. Liu Ruoye is good-looking, but she is evil. Even if she doesn’t favor Weiyang Palace, I still worry that Zongqi would be misled by her.”

Tao Yao said, “In my view, if you are afraid that young master’s career would be ruined because he likes Wei Changying, you could send some innocent beauties to him. If he saw them, he would not easily be plagued by that beauty.”

“I’ve also considered about this,” Said Honored Consort Deng, shaking her head, “However, Zongqi and his sister mutually depend on each other for survival, without any support of the elders. Wanwan is not sophisticated. Fortunately, their old servants are so loyal that they have arranged domestic things in order. If these beauties make troubles, Wanwan won’t have the ability to manage them, so it will be Zongqi’s turn to do it. If so, Zongqi will be mistaken that he is addicted to beauties. It would be difficult for him to marry a lady from a great family.”

Yao Tao hurried to say, “I didn’t think about it so deeply. You are sensible; otherwise, I would bring troubles to young master.”

“He had better marry a wife,” Honored Consort Deng didn’t scold at her, but said seriously. “If he still remembers Wei Changying, he will marry a beautiful concubine in the future.”