The Trick to Teasing a Noble Family's Son - Chapter 32.2

“Your subject is here.”

Wei Lan stood up gracefully, kneeling at the small table. The Emperor looked her over and laughed, “I expected Wei Shizi to be a robust man, yet you are no different from the young gentlemen of the capital. The Empress said you had a jade-like demeanor, but I didn’t believe it. Now, seeing you, ‘jade-like’ is too modest.”

” Your Majesty and Empress’s praise humbles me,” Wei Lan replied respectfully. The Emperor chuckled, “You’re modest. You’re probably blooming with joy inside. By the way, that border general Huan Heng who served with you, is here?”

“Your subject is here.” Huan Heng immediately stepped forward, kneeling beside Wei Lan. Though he tried to appear calm, his eyes betrayed a bit of pride and joy.

Being associated with Wei Lan was always a source of pride for him.

Seeing Huan Heng trying to maintain his composure, the Emperor smiled, but his eyes showed complexity.

Summoning Huan Heng to the capital aimed to nurture him as a left and right arm for his sons and to curb the increasingly untouchable Huan Song. He’d thought Huan Heng wouldn’t come, but he accepted the edict instantly, rushing to the capital. Reports said he missed his friend Wei Lan, even crying to his father to come.

The emperor, hearing this, suspected a scheme. Seeing the gleeful youth now, he wondered if he’d overestimated people’s cunning.

“Young talents,” the Emperor masked his thoughts, appearing as a kind elder, inquiring about the names of the Crown Prince’s companions before raising his cup again. After some more compliments, he stood up and left, leaving the youths to drink and entertain themselves.

Ji Shao and Ruan Kangcheng, being the most outgoing, quickly livened up the group under Wang Qi’s lead. After several rounds of drinks, spirits were high. Ji Shao and Ruan Kangcheng, known for their musical talents, decided to perform together, summoning a zither and a flute.

With silk curtains fluttering in the pavilion, the sound of flowing water, and the moonlight reflecting, the young gentlemen, standing or reclining carelessly, created an elegant scene.

Ji Shao, refined despite youthful features, sat with the zither on his knees, his playful demeanor turning solemn, like a famed scholar under a lone mountain moon. Ruan Kangcheng, holding a jade flute, closed his eyes, and a bold flute melody rang out.

The zither joined, and Wei Lan closed her eyes, sinking into a vision of rustling bamboo groves.

The crowd quieted down. Just then, someone gently nudged Wei Lan.

She opened her eyes to see an unfamiliar eunuch. The eunuch discreetly showed the Emperor’s token and whispered, “Wei Shizi, His Majesty summons you.”

Maintaining her composure, Wei Lan nodded, stood up, and left.

Earlier, Xie Zichen and others had gone to stroll the gardens, so her exit wasn’t conspicuous.

Following the eunuch through various turns, she arrived at the imperial study. The Emperor sat at his desk, diligently reviewing memorials. After Wei Lan respectfully knelt and saluted, she heard him say, “Do you know why I summoned you into the palace?”

Wei Lan’s expression remained unchanged as she knelt, replying earnestly, “I dare not speculate on Your Majesty’s intentions.”

“And why I assigned you as the Third Prince’s companion?”

“Please enlighten me, Your Majesty.” Wei Lan remained calm, and the Emperor paused his writing, looking at the jade-like youth below.

Before naming her heir, he’d investigated her past. Little was known of the Changxin Marquis Manor before her military service, a fading, powerless family, unremarkable. But her military record was clear: concealing her heir status, rising from a lowly soldier, winning against odds, and navigating complex border politics after her father’s discovery.

Many saw only her battlefield glory, not her skill as a statesman. She secured supplies when rations were cut, mediated between feuding generals to advance the front.

Some ministers thought recalling her to capital wasted her military talent, but the emperor knew keeping her at the border would bury her true potential.

He wanted a pillar of the state for Great Chu’s next ruler, and she was perfect.

“I summoned you because without you, your father would be dead,” the Emperor said, washing his hands with a warm cloth handed by a Eunuch.

Her uncles’ schemes were well-known to him. He didn’t need a useless Changxin Marquis heir. Her value preserved the house; without it, he’d let her uncles’ dirty tricks prevail.

Understanding this, Wei Lan immediately kowtowed, “Your Majesty’s grace, this humble subject is endlessly grateful, willing to go through fire and water for you.”

The emperor, pleased with her tact, far surpassing her father’s, watched her prostrate form. “I see you as a pillar of the state. No need for fire and water, no need to be so tense.”

“I have one request.”

Wei Lan listened as he continued, “I want you to loyally serve the ruler, whether present or future.”

She looked up, meeting his smiling face and cold eyes.

“Your master is only the Emperor. Understand?”

“I don’t need you to engage in the dirty business of fighting for the throne,” the Emperor continued, walking over and lifting her chin, gazing into her steady eyes, momentarily dazed.

Her calm composure, unlike a youth’s, resembled a seasoned politician’s, unreadable.

Yet she was barely fifteen, a flower-like age for a girl. Her budding beauty stirred even his seasoned heart, quickening his pulse.

Her skin was smooth under his fingers. What began as a threatening gesture became hard to release. He stared, voice husky. “I want you to be my eyes, the emperor’s sword. Understand?”

Absorbed in his words, Wei Lan caught his tone’s shift, raising an eyebrow inwardly. Despite inner stormy waves, her face remained watertight. She kowtowed, breaking free of his grip, and said respectfully, “I understand. I won’t fail Your Majesty.”

“Good.” Noticing his lapse, the emperor adjusted, handing her a token. “Use this to enter the Imperial Study anytime, unseen. Rise and return.”

“Yes.” Wei Lan tucked the token into her sleeve, bowed, and withdrew. At the door, the emperor added, “You have a sister, Wei Hua, born of the same mother?”

Wei Lan’s heart tightened, but her smile was calm. “Yes, my sister, just fifteen, is betrothed to a physician.”

“Mm.” The emperor’s expression was neutral. “Go.”

Leaving the Imperial Study, escorted near the pavilion, Wei Lan exhaled, hands sweaty. Touching her chin, she thought, Being too beautiful is a burden.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince eyed Xie Zichen. “I arranged you to room with Wei Lan to win her to my side, and you say you’re not confident?”

Xie Zichen gazed at the lake, calm. “Wei Shizi is the emperor’s blade. Your Highness, trying to take His Majesty’s blade might cut your hand.”