Chapter 100: Grandparent and Grandchild Meet

Chapter 100: A Grandfather Meets His Granddaughter

"Is she really that beautiful?" Prince Jing was indeed intrigued.

To be honest, he had been curious about Wei Xun's concubine three years ago, but somehow never got to see her. Now that Shen Qiuyu mentioned her, Prince Jing was genuinely eager to meet her.

"Would I lie to you, A Yu? Moreover, this concubine seems to have hit the jackpot—she is actually the younger sister of General of the Valiant Cavalry Xie Zheng. Xie Zheng holds military power and enjoys the Emperor's favor. If you could get him on your side..."

She trailed off, but Prince Jing understood perfectly.

To take the throne, military power was indispensable.

So A Yuan... He had to have her!

......

Xie Zheng thought his boss was acting strange today.

Though Marquis Wei and he both served in the Ministry of War, they rarely saw each other. Yet today, the Marquis had been sitting at his desk without leaving.

"My Lord, is there something you wish to instruct me on?"

Xie Zheng had already refilled his tea ten times, but the Marquis still hadn’t gotten to the point, so he had to ask directly.

Marquis Wei coughed lightly, a little awkward. His advanced age made it hard to endure drinking so much water in one go.

But too proud to ask outright, now that Xie Zheng had spoken first, he took the chance. "I’ve heard that your sister has given birth to a daughter. Is this true?"

He tried to stay calm, but the excitement in his eyes was unmistakable.

Xie Zheng had long known that A Man’s existence couldn’t remain hidden. However, he was unwilling to send her back to the Marquis’s estate.

"It’s true. But A Man is my sister’s life. Even if you are my superior, I cannot let you take her away."

Xie Zheng’s face was stern, his wariness evident. Marquis Wei’s chest tightened.

"Who do you think I am?"

He scowled, and Xie Zheng awkwardly replied, "If you’re not taking her, then why ask about A Man?"

"You little brat! A Man is my little granddaughter. Shouldn’t I meet her?"

Just because Wei Xun was a disgrace of a son, did that mean he couldn’t even acknowledge his own granddaughter?

Xie Zheng nodded. "Of course you should. But A Man is scared of strangers. I worry she’ll make you mad."

He hadn’t yet consulted his sister and didn’t dare make any decisions lightly.

"You don’t need to bring her before me. Just let me peek at her from outside."

Marquis Wei was also afraid of frightening his little granddaughter. Even the children of the second branch cried at the sight of him—how much more a tiny, shy girl?

"Very well. Once you’re off work, follow me home. I’ll have the servants bring A Man to the parlor, and you can peek at her from outside."

"Why wait till later? Let’s go now!"

Marquis Wei couldn’t wait another moment. Since there was nothing urgent going on at the ministry, he might as well go home to see his granddaughter.

Though before leaving, he’d need to make two bathroom trips.

...

Xie Zheng and Marquis Wei rode back on horses, while A Man and her maid were playing kick shuttlecock in the courtyard.

Though the weather was cold, the young maid couldn’t stand being stuck inside.

Chun Yu, naturally lively, loved playing with her. A Yuan was busy and had told them not to let her get cold, so she left them to it.

When Xie Zheng sent someone to call for A Man, the little girl was having too much fun.

She pouted and asked, “What does Uncle need? Can’t I go later?”

“He said he has two fun toys to show you.”

“Fun toys? What are they? I want to go!”

Hearing there was something fun, A Man stopped complaining and excitedly took Chun Yu’s hand, hurrying toward the flower hall.

The little girl wore a pomegranate-red jacket and skirt, her hair in two little buns tied with red ribbons, bouncing like butterflies as she ran.

Marquis Wei hid behind the corridor next to the flower hall, watching the girl skip toward him, grinning the whole time.

“She’s so pretty—definitely a Wei through and through.”

“Hmph!”

Xie Zheng couldn’t help himself, even if Marquis Wei was his superior.

“A Man’s the spitting image of my sister as a child.”

So, A Man’s beauty came entirely from the Xie family and had nothing to do with the Marquis’ side.

But Marquis Wei wasn’t listening—his eyes were only on his little granddaughter.

A Man came running up, out of breath, and Chun Yu, worried she might catch a chill, quickly dabbed her face with a handkerchief. Once done, A Man asked sweetly, “Where’s Uncle?”

Xie Zheng stood in the corridor, still standing there, when a nudge from behind startled him.

“Uncle!”

A Man rushed over and hugged his leg, lifting her flushed little face expectantly. “What cool stuff did you get me this time?”

She already had more treasures than she could count—gold, silver, jade, you name it, endless clothes and shoes. Uncle had already gotten her shuttlecocks, footballs, tangram puzzles, Chinese rings… She couldn’t think of anything she hadn’t played with yet.

Xie Zheng hadn’t actually prepared anything—this was Marquis Wei’s idea—he’d even handed Xie Zheng two small gifts.

He handed her the short sword and small bow he’d hidden behind his back, wondering if such grown-up gifts would interest her.

“Here, for you.”

A Man took them curiously. “What are these?”

Chun Yu, trained in martial arts since childhood, recognized the weapons instantly. She demonstrated for A Man.

“Little mistress, this is a bow. You notch an arrow and shoot like this…”

With a *whoosh*, the arrow flew out, sending a bird tumbling from the tree.

A Man’s mouth fell open. Xie Zheng worried she might be frightened—but the next moment, she clapped excitedly. “Wow! That’s amazing! I want to learn!”

Behind the long corridor, Marquis Wei finally felt relieved.

He had been regretting his impulsive decision earlier—other little girls liked flowers and plants, yet he had made a small bow and sword in a moment of excitement. What kind of girl would like such things?

To his surprise, his little granddaughter really liked them.

Marquis Wei grinned from ear to ear as he watched Xie Zheng and Chun Yu teach A Man how to draw the bow. His chest puffed up with pride.

"Cough! Cough!"

The sound of coughing kept coming from behind the long corridor, making it impossible for Xie Zheng to pretend he didn’t hear it.

Having served under Marquis Wei for over a decade, he knew exactly what the old man meant.

Looking at A Man’s innocent and adorable face, Xie Zheng paused before speaking, "A Man, would you like to meet the person who gave you these toys?"

"Wasn’t it you, Uncle?"

Xie Zheng shook his head. "It’s a really amazing grandpa. Would you like to meet him?"

"How amazing is he?" The little one always liked to ask lots of questions.

"Once, he pierced right through an enemy’s gate with a single arrow and saved tens of thousands of soldiers."

Marquis Wei was a legend of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Without him, the dynasty wouldn’t enjoy the peace and prosperity it does today.

A Man listened with a puzzled look. She was still too young to understand things about war, but she could tell the grandpa was very impressive.

The little girl cocked her head, eyes shining with curiosity.

"Is he like you, Uncle—a super strong general?"

Xie Zheng laughed softly and shook his head. "He’s way more awesome than Uncle."

"Wow! A Man wants to be a general too, protecting people just like you do!"

"That's my Wei family blood!" he said proudly. "Grandpa supports you!"