Lu Cheng smiled and said, “In reply to First Miss, it is a coincidence. Last month was the birthday of the head of Zhijiao House. Although he likes to keep things simple, he could not resist the fifth young master who insisted on an act of goodwill. Hence, he agreed to host a few tables for a family banquet. Originally, they only invited the senior members of the clan and the sons and daughters of the next branches who are of good character, but the Sixth Master, which is the one you mentioned, was a county magistrate in Chaoyun County and was always keen to learn when he was in office. He had time last month and went to Fengzhou to seek advice from the head of Zhijiao House, which was coincidentally during the family banquet. Plus, he was also a descendant of the clan. Hence, he joined the banquet.

Wei Changying proceeded to ask, “Then how did the matter of succession come up?”

“It was an elderly from the clan who had met the Fourth Great Old Master before. He was surprised to see the Sixth Old Master and said that he looked very much like the Fourth Great Old Master. When the Family Head heard this, he summoned him and realized it was true! The Family Head couldn’t help but sigh in awe. The elders persuaded him that since the Sixth Old Master resembled the Fourth Great Old Master so much, he should discuss with Marquis Jingcheng about succeeding the Sixth Master onto the Fourth Great Old Master.” Lu Cheng said, “Marquis Jingcheng agreed. Hence, this happened.”

The Fourth Great Old Masterwas Wei Lian.

Wei Changying pondered, “What about Wei… This family uncle’s father's branch?”

Lu Cheng smiled and said, “Sixth Old Master has another half-brother who can help with the family tree.”

“Where is that family uncle?” Wei Changying was stunned. She had always thought Wei Xinyong had no biological brothers! But then again, Wei Xinyong was too young. But he got into a huge fight with his lineal uncle, Wei Qi, before he even got married. There was no greater grudge than that of killing one's father and taking one's wife. Since he didn't have a wife yet, it was highly probable that his father was killed.

Yet it seemed Wei Xinyong had been dealing with Wei Qi all on his own. If he had a brother, why didn’t his brother help him out at all?

Lu Cheng said, “His half-brother is now serving as a magistrate in Ze City, which is under Fengzhou. Marquis Jingcheng has sent him a letter, and he agreed to it as well. In this way, the ancestral hall will be opened and Wei Xinyong was adopted under Wei Lian’s name. Now Wei Xinyong was known as the Sixth Old Master.”

Wei Changying knew that although Old Madam Song was not mentioned at all, she must have been very much involved. It was impossible for Old Madam Song to be so kind for nothing. Hence, she must have her own reasons for doing so.

It only took a moment to guess what Old Madam Song had in her mind. All she cared about in her life were her children and grandchildren. However, due to internal and external conflicts, there were lesser and lesser people who were of great use in Ruiyu Hall. Wei Shengyi, who was in the prime of his life and was from the lineal branch of the clan, was someone untrustworthy, but she had no other choice. The eldest lineal grandson, Wei Changfeng, was young. Old Madam Song placed great hopes on him. The Emperor had also settled on a fiancee for Wei Changfeng to sound him out. But Old Madam Song was dissatisfied with Wei Changfeng’s fiancee.

When it came to Wei Xinyong of the Zhiben Hall, though he wasn’t well known, he was sensible enough and had a great grudge against Wei Qi. Hence, he was indeed a suitable candidate. However, Wei Changying did not think that Wei Xinyong was the kind of person who would be eternally grateful to whoever lent him a helping hand when he was in need.

Wei Xinyong was not much older than Wei Changfeng. Talented and handsome, he was someone who had dignity. As long as someone was behind his back to support him, he didn’t need to worry about his future. And he was also a member of the Wei Family. If they decided to support him without making sure he would return the favour, what if he threatened Wei Changfeng when he was powerful enough in the future?

Of course, Wei Xinyong's elder brother was now working as an official in Fengzhou. It was probably Old Madam Song’s request, or it was on Wei Xinyong's own initiative. But power and fame were such a huge temptation. Who knew if Wei Xinyong would really care about his elder brother at that very moment?

Wei Changying had met this family uncle they mentioned before, and her impression of him was that he was a very wise, mysterious, and calculative person. People like him tended to be very ruthless. It might be considered a threat and trouble to commoners, but it might not be so for people like him.

Besides, Old Madam Song was getting older. Who knew if Old Madam Song could still be in power over Wei Xinyong when he gained wealth and fame in the future? Especially, Old Madam Song wanted Wei Xinyong to make further advancements in the capital. Would it be too much for her to control if she wasn’t in the capital herself?

Wei Changying frowned for a long time before saying, “Regarding this sixth uncle, did grandmother or mother ask you to tell me anything?”

Lu Cheng took a look around and saw that Wei Changying had already dismissed everyone else that were irrelevant and those present were all the servants of the Wei Family whom he personally knew or had heard of, so he said quietly, “Old Madam said that the Sixth Old Master has great talent, and it would be a pity if it went to waste. Even if he has other ill intentions, Old Madam has her ways, too. Hence, she asked for you to introduce Sixth Old Master to the first-rank officials so he would have a chance to be promoted to a higher rank.”

Wei Changying looked at him suspiciously and said, “That’s it? What about Mother? Did she say anything?”

“The first madam only instructed me to check how you’re doing so far. And if possible, I would like to take a look at little young master. I will report the details to her when I return.” Lu Cheng said, “Old Madam said the same thing. There are no other words.”

After thinking about it for a while, she thought that there might be some things that her grandmother could not write down in the letter or tell Lu Cheng. She couldn’t help but sigh. Being so far away from her maternal family caused problems like this. When she heard Lu Cheng mention her son, she smiled bitterly and said, “You are a few days late. Shuguang’s grandmother will be raising him instead, so you won’t be able to see him here. I’m too occupied with family affairs, and she was a little worried that I won’t be able to take care of him well. Hence, she took him over to raise him temporarily.”

Lu Cheng apologized profusely, “It's all my fault. I should’ve reached earlier. Now I’ve missed the chance to see the little young master.”

Wei Changying said indifferently, “It's none of your faults. By the way, Grandmother asked me to introduce this sixth uncle to everyone else, but where is he now? Is he still in Fengzhou? Or has he already arrived at the capital?”

Lu Cheng said: “After the Sixth Old Master’s succession to the Fourth Great Old Master, the head of Zhijiao House examined the Sixth Master's studies and thought it would be a waste of talent for him to be a county magistrate in Chaoyun County. The Family Head didn’t want his talents to go to waste. Hence, he asked Sixth Old Master to resign from his position and personally wrote a letter of recommendation for him. The Sixth Old Master should be reaching the capital in another two or three days. Old Madam asked me to come here first, as I was supposed to deliver the congratulatory gifts on time. Also, she was afraid that you would stop the Sixth Old Master because you weren’t informed of this.”

Wei Changying pondered, “I see. Is there anything else?”

Lu Cheng shook his head and said, “No.”

“You can excuse yourself and rest for a while. I will prepare some gifts and a letter for you to bring back later.” Wei Changying took a sip of her tea, and Lu Cheng excused himself.

When he had left, Wei Changying excused everyone else except Mrs. Huang, “Wei Xinyong is succeeded to Ruiyu Hall. Aside from Grandmother’s worries about the second uncle, I think there’s something going on with him. Otherwise, why would Grandmother promote Wei Xinyong? It’s not like he’s a trustworthy person anyways.”

Mrs. Huang thought for a moment and said, “Even though Wei Xinyong is incredibly wise and smart, he is still young. Not to mention his lack of reputation so far, even if he has a brother, he isn’t someone famous or mighty. In my opinion, I’m sure Old Madam has her other plans to back him up. She is always very cautious.”

Wei Changying frowned and said, “It’s not that I don't trust Grandmother. It’s just that it doesn’t seem like something Grandmother would do. I think it is for the sake of the situation. But neither Grandmother nor Mother mentioned anything about this in their letters, and Lu Cheng didn't say anything, either. I always feel a bit worried when I think of Changfeng's marriage earlier.”

She pondered, “Granny, think about it. There are people outside who may know how second aunt died, not to mention second uncle and his family. He may not have been deeply devoted to second aunt. But as a man, he couldn't even protect his own wife. I think second uncle wasn’t happy about this too. This was a matter of their mother’s life when it comes to Wei Changjuan and my cousins! Grandmother has always guarded second uncle all along while taking advantage of him. Now that she's done this, he'll be worried. Grandfather has always considered him to be quite talented. I think since he's been praised by Grandfather like this, it’s impossible for him to not realize what Grandmother had in mind, so how would he go along with her wishes?”

Mrs. Huang said, “Young madam, what do you mean?”

“Second uncle is not willing to be manipulated by Grandmother. Hence, he’s trying to find another way out.” Wei Changying rubbed her brows and said, “Originally, it seems that there was some collusion between my second uncle, those from the Zhiben Hall, and granduncle. But Marquis Jingcheng is now in Fengzhou, and he was even forced by Grandfather to hand over Wei Xinyong. My granduncle is now gone. The only choice second uncle has now is either the Liu Family or His Majesty himself!”

Mrs. Huang sighed, “Young madam, you’re becoming more and more thoughtful these days.”

“Now that Grandfather has already set his mind on choosing second uncle, neither the Liu Family nor His Majesty can force him to change his decision.” Wei Changying ignored her compliment and went on, “Since second uncle has lost his hope of being the Family Head of the family, his status and value on both sides are not high anymore. Even if he is willing to betray Ruiyu Hall, the Liu Family and His Majesty might not dare to grant him anything, considering how powerful Grandfather is. I've heard that the second uncle's family is very quiet these days?”

“After the second madam passed away and the second and third young madams were in charge, they treated the Seventh Miss very badly.” Mrs. Huang said, "After I went to Fengzhou, the second madam left only a few spies who were hidden in inconspicuous corners. To prevent from being noticed, they do not pass on any news easily. What I heard of recently are all unimportant matters. Oh, there is one thing though. It seems that the Eleventh Miss of the Liu Family has gone to see the Seventh Miss while disguising herself as a maidservant.”

Wei Changying fixed her gaze as she said, “When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Mrs. Huang explained, “I was only told about it today. The person who sent the news was very cautious because he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. Hence, he asked the person who told him about it to reconfirm its validity before he dared to report it to me.”

She summarized what she knew, “First Miss had always disliked the Eleventh Miss of the Liu Family even before the second madam's death. She forbade the Seventh Miss from being close to her, but she didn't obey. After the second madam's death, First Miss went back to her mother's house to offer her condolences. When she returned to her husband's house, she specifically instructed the guards to not let the Eleventh Miss into the house to see the Seventh Miss. Who’d know that the Eleventh Miss would somehow find her way to the corner door and bribe the guards there, who pretended not to know and let her in to see the Seventh Miss? I heard that she stayed for one night.”

Wei Changying immediately said, “Fine. They’re so easy to be bribed, but it's not like Wei Changjuan lives right next to the corner door, so how could Liu Ruoye not have noticed others on her way in and out? The two cousins who are now in charge of the house, or at least one of them, must have let it happen on purpose?”

Mrs. Huang said with a smile, “Young madam, you’re so smart. That's how it is. Although I have not received any news about these two young madams, it is well known that they do not like the Seventh Miss all this while.”

“If they didn't like Wei Changjuan, they could have just asked someone to expose them when Liu Ruoye left so that Wei Changjuan could be reprimanded.” Wei Changying pondered for a moment and said, “But they didn't, and they actually helped Wei Changjuan to cover it up instead. Could it be that Liu Ruoye's meeting with Wei Changjuan or Liu Ruoye's motives were right up their alley?”

Mrs. Huang wasn’t sure about this either, so she said, “The two young madams were both chosen by Old Madam, and the second madam has never favored them. They also liked Old Madam more. However, I’m afraid I’d be alerting them, and I’d trigger Second Old Master if I reach out to anyone near the two of them. I’m scared of spoiling Old Madam's plans.”

“Wei Xinyong will arrive in two or three days.” Wei Changying thought for a moment and said, “I'll ponder over it during these two days. When he arrives in the capital, I'll definitely meet him and ask him about it.”