Broken Jade - Chapter 129

Chapter 129

Sheng Zhaoning helplessly rubbed her brow. “Father, I have no connection with the He Family’s young lady. I’ve only met her once. How could there be any talk of marriage?”

She remembered that the young lady’s name was He Sui. Sheng Zhaoning had seen her once at the banquet welcoming Prince Zhenbei.

Sheng Yuanzhong was still unwilling to give up. “Are you truly not interested in the He Family’s young lady?”

Regardless, she was the only daughter of Grand Secretary He Wenbo. She was well-read and refined, with an illustrious background-a noble lady from a prominent family whom countless people would have begged for the chance to marry.

The Sheng Family had no intention of currying favor with the powerful, nor did they consider trading their son’s marriage for a promising future. Yet no matter how one looked at it, this marriage was an excellent match.

It was not the Sheng Family who had gone to great lengths to seek it out. The He Family had taken the initiative to come to them. If Ning’er truly married her, her future career would surely be smooth sailing, with boundless prospects, and her good name would remain untarnished. It was the best of both worlds.

But all of that was merely Sheng Yuanzhong’s thinking. No matter how good the marriage might be, they still had to respect Sheng Zhaoning’s wishes.

Sheng Zhaoning sighed and looked at Sheng Yuanzhong seriously. “I truly am not.”

With her identity, how could she marry her?

Besides, if she married someone else, what would happen to Wei Heng?

Sheng Yuanzhong naturally had no idea what she was thinking. His eyes shifted as he hesitated for a moment before asking, “I’ve been meaning to ask you this for some time. Have you already taken a liking to another young lady?”

As her father, prying into this sort of matter with his own child was, after all, somewhat embarrassing.

Who would have thought that Sheng Zhaoning would admit it without the slightest hesitation? “I have.”

Sheng Yuanzhong drew in a sharp breath. Forcing down his shock, he cautiously asked, “Who?”

Sheng Zhaoning looked away and picked up her teacup, pretending to be calm. “I can’t tell you yet, but my heart already belongs to someone. As for the marriage arrangement, I hope you can help me turn it down tactfully, Father.”

“…”

The conversation ended after Sheng Zhaoning made an excuse and returned to her own residence.

She did not tell Wei Heng about the matter. She had thought that explaining everything clearly would put an end to it, but two days later, news arrived that the Mistress of the He Family had personally come to visit, intending to discuss a marriage arrangement on behalf of her daughter.

At the time, Sheng Zhaoning was on duty at the Court of Judicial Review and knew nothing about it.

Sheng Yuanzhong had not forgotten her instructions. Nor was he willing to force his child to marry someone she did not love. He therefore gave Madam He a tactful hint, implying that Sheng Zhaoning already had a young lady she favored.

Madam He was surprised to hear this. Fortunately, as the Grand Secretary’s Wife, she was not the sort to lose her composure. She made only a few discreet inquiries. After learning that even the Sheng Family did not know the woman’s identity, she returned to the He Family.

Sheng Yuanzhong suppressed the news of the He Family’s visit and ordered everyone in Sheng Mansion to keep silent.

Since the marriage had not come to pass, the He Family naturally would not bring it up in front of outsiders either.

And so, the matter quietly faded from view.

Even so, everyone in the capital’s circle of noblewomen knew that He Sui had been in extremely low spirits lately. She was listless all day, constantly wiping away tears, as if she had suffered some heartbreak. Speculation spread among them.

When Sheng Zhaoning heard the news, her feelings were complicated as well.

She had never meant to stir the young lady’s heart or disturb her peace, and she could not help feeling somewhat guilty.

Fortunately, Wei Heng knew nothing about the matter. Otherwise, she truly would not have known how to explain herself.

…

Capital City, Zhenbei Prince’s Mansion.

By the time Han Xu delivered the news to Wei Yi, the wooden carving beneath the carving knife had already begun to take shape.

“Your Highness, not long ago, people from the He residence went to the Sheng Family. They said they were… discussing a marriage alliance.”

Even Han Xu’s tone had turned slightly unnatural as he said this.

After all, they both knew that Sheng Zhaoning was a woman. Speaking of the matter now made it feel rather strange.

Sure enough, Wei Yi’s carving knife paused.

His gaze fell upon the unfinished wooden carving in his hand. His expression was dark and unreadable, but his tone carried a hint of mockery. “Sheng Zhaoning certainly has quite a talent for winning people over.”

Chi Yu was one thing, and Wei Heng another.

But now even women were so thoroughly bewitched by her that they were clamoring to marry her.

Han Xu lowered his head slightly. “Still, I imagine this matter is certain to fall through.”

There was no way Sheng Zhaoning could actually marry a woman.

Either she had politely refused, or both sides had avoided discussing the matter until it quietly came to nothing.

Wei Yi set down his carving knife and let out a cold laugh. “This one, naturally, will not happen.”

The marriage with the He Family would not happen, naturally. But what about the others?

What about her and Wei Heng?

A breath gathered in his chest and lodged there, leaving him stifled and uneasy.

Wei Yi found himself unable to resist being swept into this chaos. He lost his composure and his usual confidence, becoming anxious over what he might gain or lose.

He began to wonder what exactly was so good about Sheng Zhaoning that she was worth tolerating again and again.

Wei Yi could not figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

Yet his thoughts began to sink into another realm, twisting as they grew.

He tilted his head and raised the unfinished wooden carving in his hand, blocking half the slanting sunlight coming through the window. His eyes were pitch-black, dark as an abyss.

Wei Yi sounded as though he were asking a question, yet also as though he were talking to himself. “As long as she remains in the Capital City, will she never turn back?”

Han Xu looked at him and frowned slightly, saying nothing.

The wooden carving covered Wei Yi’s face, leaving it shrouded in shadow.

A chilling curve gradually formed at the corner of his lips, while the darkness in his eyes deepened. “Tell me, if everything she had were destroyed, and she were left with nowhere to turn, would she come back to me and seek my protection?”

Han Xu’s brow twitched abruptly. “Your Highness, are you suggesting…”

Wei Yi briefly closed his eyes. “Go do it.”

…

The forces of the Zhenbei Prince’s Mansion were already preparing for the journey back.

In recent days, the court had found no shortage of excuses to try to keep him a little longer. They did not want to let him return to Liangzhou so easily.

But in the end, they could not find a suitable excuse.

A charge capable of dealing Wei Chengjun a fatal blow was not easy to find. Other than treason, there was no better pretext.

Yet without concrete evidence, no one could convict him of such a crime.

On the contrary, if they acted too hastily, they would only give others grounds to criticize them and allow Wei Chengjun to turn the tables.

Unable to find a charge, the Emperor of Wei did not dare act rashly. Now, he had no choice but to let Wei Chengjun return to Liangzhou.

Being constrained at every turn was an unpleasant feeling. The emperor wore a dark expression for days on end, and the atmosphere throughout the court grew tense and stagnant.

The army was scheduled to set out at the end of the month.

For some reason, even though everything had been prepared and they could depart at any time, Wei Chengjun was willing to remain for another month.

The emperor naturally had no intention of letting the matter rest.

Even with only one month left, the layers of schemes targeting Wei Chengjun never stopped taking shape.

In the Capital City, in the unseen darkness, one conspiracy after another was already unfolding.