Chapter 128: The Ruse of Suffering

Chapter 128: The Self-Sacrifice Ploy

"The self-sacrifice ploy?" Wei Xun murmured.

He had played weak in front of A Yuan before, but each time, she saw right through him effortlessly.

Even if she didn’t expose him, A Yuan never pitied him.

Wei Xun suddenly felt as though several arrows had pierced his chest—it hurt like hell.

This time, if he were to use this trick, it had to be genuine.

"Where is Prince Jing now?"

The abrupt shift in topic threw Chang Yuan off. "He should have just passed Jinan."

"Good. Spread the news that I’ve filed a report accusing Prince Jing and Su Wenxuan—the sooner, the better."

Back when Su Wenxuan was exiled, that crafty old Su Quan only directed his hatred toward the Crown Prince, clueless about Wei Xun's hand in it. Now, with Prince Jing being sent to the imperial mausoleum, Wei Xun had landed several solid hits on Prince Jing’s faction.

Once the truth came to light, he doubted Su Quan would just sit back.

"My lord, you’re walking into the lion's den," Chang Yuan remarked.

Prime Minister Su was not someone to mess with. His master’s all-in bet was truly risky.

"Get moving!" Wei Xun urged. If he didn’t sell it well enough, how could he deceive A Yuan?

As soon as Wei Xun released the news, Prime Minister Su got wind of it.

"Your Excellency, what's your take on this?" A Su family advisor feared it might be a trap.

Wei Xun himself was sharp as a tack, and it was said that the Emperor intended to promote him to Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review—the imperial decree had already been drafted.

With the backing of the Marquis of Anning’s household and Marquis Wei, whoever could win him over would get a leg up in the struggle for power.

But at this critical moment, with Prince Jing just punished by Emperor Chengyuan, the secret letter landing in his hands reeked of a setup.

Offending the Marquis of Anning’s household now would be unwise.

The advisor assumed Prime Minister Su wouldn’t believe it, but he overlooked one thing—Prime Minister Su was also a father.

Su Wenxuan was his only son. No matter how disappointing the boy was, he had still watched him grow up with his own eyes.

Wei Xun had caused his son to suffer four years of exile. The rage in Prime Minister Su’s heart boiled over.

"Gather the shadow guards. I will make Wei Xun get a taste of his own medicine!"

A Man had stayed in the palace for several days. Initially, the Crown Princess was reluctant to let her return, but Zhou Chen, seeing how cooped up she felt in the palace, spoke up to send her home.

......

Watching the girl leave, the Crown Princess turned to the Crown Prince, choking up.

"Our son's grown wings—it seems this son of ours was raised to leave the nest."

The Crown Prince laughed lightly. "If you miss him, just have Chen'er stay close."

They had been married for several years and had only this one child. None of the concubines or consorts in the Eastern Palace had had any children either.

The Crown Prince doted on this son just as much.

The Crown Princess’s lips stiffened slightly, but she quickly regained her radiant smile.

“Forget it. He finally has someone to keep him in check and is willing to eat. I won’t be the one to spoil it.”

Moreover, aside from her maternal affection, she had her own hidden agenda.

The Crown Prince’s health was poor, and no one knew when he might pass. She needed to conceive more children while he was still in good health, and she also had to guard against those scheming concubines in the rear courtyard.

She didn’t want Chen'er to have any half-brothers competing for the throne.

As soon as A Man returned, she rushed to A Yuan’s courtyard. The girl had brought back an armful of gifts, all of which she presented to her mother.

"Look, Mother! All these were given to me by Auntie the Crown Princess."

A red glass hair set, pigeon-egg-sized pearls from the East Sea, and Western-imported diamond jewelry—any one of these could become a family heirloom.

The child didn’t grasp their worth, only that they sparkled beautifully and suited her mother.

A Yuan smiled and stroked her daughter’s hair. The Crown Princess’s fondness for her might cause trouble later.

But the future was uncertain. All she wished for was her daughter’s carefree growth.

“They’re very pretty.”

“Then they’re all for you, Mother!”

The girl complied readily, pushing the jewelry at her mother.

A Yuan chuckled softly. "These were given to you by Her Highness. Keep them for yourself and have Matron Xie store them safely for you."

Matron Xie had been assigned as governess after their return to the capital.

Though not born into the household, Matron Xie’s husband had once fought alongside Xie Zheng on the battlefield. She doted on A Man, who adored her.

“Alright.”

The girl’s compliance deepened the smile on A Yuan’s lips.

"Word came from the Marquis’s residence. Grandpa Wei misses you. Would you like to visit him tomorrow?"

A Yuan still remembered her request for Grandpa Wei’s help. With her daughter home, it was the perfect time for her to go.

"Grandpa misses me? Then I’ll visit him tomorrow!"

A Man hadn’t been to the Marquis’s residence since before the New Year, and now it was already March. She'd been missing him terribly.

A Yuan lowered her gaze and gently stroked her daughter’s head. "I made a sachet for Grandpa. Could you give it to him for me tomorrow?"

"Of course!"

......

Marquis Wei had meant to go to the military camp in the morning, but upon hearing his granddaughter had arrived, he immediately dropped everything.

"Is A Man really here?"

His son hadn’t yet reconciled with his wife, so seeing his precious granddaughter was entirely up to her mother.

Moreover, A Man had been training with Xie Zheng, giving Marquis Wei even fewer opportunities to see her.

"Grandpa!"

A Man came running in from outside. After just a month or two apart, the little girl had already changed.

Thanks to her martial arts training, she had grown taller quickly, and the once soft, pudgy child now had a touch of a young girl's grace.

But in Marquis Wei's eyes, it just made his heart ache.

"You've gotten so thin! Didn't the general's household feed you?"

He knew exactly how much A Man could eat. For a little girl with such an appetite to lose weight, it must mean the general's household had mistreated her.

"Not at all! I eat until I'm full every day! Mom says I'm just growing!"

The little girl was quite pleased with how she looked now. She wanted to grow up to be as beautiful as her mother someday.

"Little girls should be chubby and rosy-cheeked to be cute..."

Marquis Wei grumbled, but the little girl put her hands on her hips and frowned.

"Grandpa, if you keep saying that, I won't give you the pouch!"

She absolutely refused to get fat. Even when that mean princess called her "chubby bun," she had been furious.

"Alright, alright, Grandpa won't mention it again."

Marquis Wei quickly covered his mouth. He wasn't afraid of Emperor Chengyuan's temper, but he dreaded the thought of his little granddaughter ignoring him.

"So, what pouch is this? Let Grandpa see."

Still sulking, the little girl reluctantly handed it over. "Here. Mom made it and told me to give it to you."

"Your mother made this?"

Marquis Wei accepted it eagerly. The last time A Yuan had given him knee protectors, he had treasured them endlessly, and all his old army buddies had been jealous as could be.

If only A Yuan were his daughter-in-law. All because Wei Xun couldn't get his act together.

"Hmm? There's something inside."

As soon as he held the pouch, Marquis Wei felt something odd.

He opened it and pulled out a letter.

Was this from A Yuan?

Marquis Wei couldn't imagine what she'd written to him and read the letter with suspicion.

Just two pages—he finished them in seconds.

By the time he was done, his face darkened.

"Those two good-for-nothings!"

He had thought Wei Xun was already disgraceful enough, but it turned out Wei Cong was no better. Both brothers were pulling the same bullying tricks.

Harassing a dismissed concubine, and the second daughter-in-law even showing up to cause trouble. Outrageous!