Chapter 98

That night, the two of them stayed in the Qin Prince Manor. Outside, the heavy snow fell incessantly, but inside the warm chamber of the bedchamber, it was as warm as spring. The two slept well through the night.

The next day, they didn't wake up until the chen hour, due to going to bed late the previous night. Wei Ji was still groggy, so Chu Shaoling sat up and tucked in the quilt for him: "If you're still sleepy, rest a bit more."

Wei Ji shook his head and rubbed his brow. Seeing that he looked like he hadn't slept enough, Chu Shaoling smiled and said: "In any case, breakfast hasn't been served yet. You can lie down a while longer."

Chu Shaoling lifted the quilt, got out of bed and went to the outer room to have the maids attend to him as he washed up and got dressed. Wei Ji rolled over and lay on his stomach on the bed. On the shelf by the bed was a pot of narcissus. The room was warm and the flowers were blooming beautifully, looking lovely with the colored glaze pot and the colorful jade shards and soil inside.

Wei Ji fiddled with the narcissus for a bit before also getting out of bed. He was not used to people waiting on him, so after washing up himself and changing clothes, everything was ready and breakfast had also been delivered. The two ate together.

"Your Highness, this official heard Eunuch Wang say that the date for Your Highness's ascension to the throne has been set." Wei Ji picked up a shrimp dumpling for Chu Shaoling. "Which day is it?"

Chu Shaoling nodded: "I forgot to tell you, it's the fifteenth day of the first month."

Wei Ji thought for a moment and said: "Shouldn't it be before the late emperor's funeral procession? Why is it so late?"

Chu Shaoling smiled: "There were no good dates before. By the way, your son is almost a hundred days old, right? Have you finally decided on a name?"

"The hundred day celebration is next month." Wei Ji gave a wry smile. "The name still hasn't been decided. Big brother's eldest son's name was set long ago - Wei Jing. This official originally came up with Wei Yu, but it turned into quite a joke. Everyone in the family asked this official why the child was given a name that sounded like feeding fish*. This official has been pondering for so many days but still can't decide which one is good."

*T/N: Wei is also the word for 'feed', and Yu for 'fish'.

Chu Shaoling couldn't help laughing: "Forget it, I'll think of one for you. This generation uses the jade radical for names, right? The character with the king radical on the side."

Chu Shaoling thought for a bit and said: "How about Wei Yao? It's the 'yao' character from 'you throw me a peach, I give you fine jade in return'. It also means beautiful jade, with good meaning, and rolls off the tongue nicely when said aloud."

Wei Ji repeated it a couple times and nodded: "It really is good. But isn't this character a bit too gentle when used as a boy's name?"

"What's wrong with that, do they all have to be like you brothers with names that carry a murderous aura to be good?" Chu Shaoling gave a faint smile. "This child is born with a rich and noble fate. In the future he's sure to be clothed in brocades and satins with a bright future ahead. This name suits him very well."

Wei Ji smiled and nodded: "Many thanks to Your Highness for bestowing the name. Wei Yao is quite good. When this official enters the palace today, I'll tell big brother. The family has long been waiting for this name."

After the two finished eating, they returned to the palace. Wang Muhan had long been waiting in Chengqian Palace. Seeing Chu Shaoling return, he hurriedly changed Chu Shaoling into mourning attire. Wei Ji went to kneel together with the court officials. Chu Shaoling went to the main hall to offer incense, then knelt down to burn paper money. Wang Muhan approached and said in a low voice: "Your Highness, the matter at the villa has been cleanly dealt with. Your Highness can set your mind at ease."

Chu Shaoling nodded indifferently and said softly: "Send away all those who know about this matter, give them more silver, and only have them return after a few years."

Wang Muhan bowed his head in assent. Chu Shaoling then said: "Next month is the hundred day celebration for Wei Ji's son, Marquis Changping. Prepare a generous gift early to be sent over."

Wang Muhan nodded, then couldn't help asking: "Your Highness, this old slave has a matter he doesn't understand. Could Your Highness enlighten this old slave?"

"Speak."

Wang Muhan lowered his voice and said: "Your Highness clearly already had plans for Duke Wei's matter, so why bother leaving descendants for Duke Wei? This official previously thought Your Highness did this out of fear that people would criticize Duke Wei, out of fear that Duke Wei's line would end. But since Your Highness wants that, in the future wouldn't Your Highness's descendants be Duke Wei's descendants? Why go to the trouble of elevating that child?"

Chu Shaoling gave a faint smile: "I suffered a lot from a young age due to imperial power, so when arranging matters for the next generation, one always has to be a bit more careful. As long as things involve power and money, they can never be clearly explained. As long as Wei Ji is by my side for a day, there will be petty people slandering him behind his back for a day. If the Wei family can always respect and provide for him like they do now that would be good. But what if one day someone suddenly becomes discontented?"

Although Wang Muhan had always known that Chu Shaoling was very thorough in his considerations, he didn't expect that he would think this far. He smiled and said: "Your Highness is really overthinking. These days, the Wei family does whatever Lord Wei Zhan says. Lord Wei Zhan treats Duke Wei very well, how could such a thing happen?"

"I'm not talking about now, I'm talking about the future." Chu Shaoling took a piece of paper money and placed it in the incense burner, saying indifferently: "What about when Wei Jing and Wei Yao grow up? Will someone suddenly feel that Wei Ji has disgraced the family name? Hehe, other than oneself, one absolutely cannot rely on others. I don't know what kind of people the Wei family will produce in the future. For example, the late emperor. He originally relied on the late empress' families to become emperor. After securing the dragon throne, he felt it was inglorious to rely on maternal relatives to gain the position and turned around to frequently suppress them. I've seen too much of this kind of thing."

"I can't let the Wei family rise because of Wei Ji and end up biting the hand that fed them and hurting him. The best method is to let the Wei family have Wei Ji's descendants." Chu Shaoling said slowly: "This is also why I went against popular opinion to bestow a title on the infant Wei Yao. Among the next generation of the Wei family, Wei Yao has the most noble status. This way, Wei Ji will always have a say in the Wei family. Even after Wei Ji passes away, the Wei family will always respect him. To be honest, I feel that just having Wei Yao alone is not enough."

Wang Muhan understood and sighed, nodding: "Your Highness really has thought of everything on behalf of Duke Wei. Like this, regardless of whether Duke Wei is in the palace or the Wei Manor, his position will be as secure as metal and rock. No one will dare bully him again."

Chu Shaoling chuckled lightly: "He's my person, who dares bully him?"

"Duke Wei..." The young eunuch outside couldn't help gently reminding. Wei Ji had been standing outside the hall for quite a while, neither entering nor having someone announce his presence. What was he trying to do? The young eunuch asked softly: "Duke Wei, do you need this servant to go in and announce you?"

Wei Ji came back to his senses and shook his head: "No, no need..."

The young eunuchs' hearing was not as good as Wei Ji's and they couldn't hear Chu Shaoling and Wang Muhan's conversation inside the hall. But they didn't expect Wei Ji to hear it clearly without missing a word. Wei Ji felt complex emotions for a moment. So Chu Shaoling had been planning so much for him in secret?

Inside, Chu Shaoling heard the movement. Wang Muhan raised his voice and asked: "Who's outside?"

The young eunuch quickly said: "Duke Wei is requesting an audience."

Wei Ji had no choice but to go in. Seeing Wei Ji's slightly reddened eyes, Chu Shaoling asked suspiciously, "What's wrong?"

Wei Ji shook his head. "Nothing, just now outside they were burning paper money, and the ashes got into my eyes, making them red from rubbing."

Chu Shaoling raised his phoenix eyes slightly and turned his head to say in a low voice, "I am feeling unwell. I will go back to Bitao Palace to rest for a while first. If there is anything, report it to Bitao Palace."

Wang Muhan and the palace servants bowed their heads. Chu Shaoling took Wei Ji back to Bitao Palace.

Chu Shaoling brought Wei Ji into the inner chamber and pulled Wei Ji to sit on the couch, saying softly, "Is it because you slept too little last night and are tired?"

Wei Ji quickly shook his head. "How could I be so delicate? I am not tired at all."

Chu Shaoling said lightly, "You know I don't like you hiding things from me. Your complexion doesn't look right. What exactly is wrong?"

What Wei Ji feared most was when Chu Shaoling put on a stern face and spoke to him like this. He was afraid of angering Chu Shaoling, so he could only lower his eyes and tell what had just happened. After saying it, he added in a hoarse voice, "Your Highness considers everything for me so thoughtfully. I only hate that my brain is stupid and I don't understand anything. I can only foolishly let Your Highness make arrangements for me, but I can't share Your Highness's worries. I am useless."

Chu Shaoling laughed. "I thought it was something serious. You really scared me." In his heart, Chu Shaoling felt fortunate. Luckily, Wang Muhan did not mention the matter of him wanting to make Wei Ji the empress just now. Otherwise, it would have scared this silly thing to death.

Chu Shaoling held Wei Ji and laughed softly, "If I don't make arrangements for you, who else would I do it for? Besides, who said you are useless? How could Liaoliang have been conquered without you?"

"I just have some brute strength, that's all," Wei Ji said in a low voice, feeling both grateful and guilty in his heart. "I don't understand all the great things Your Highness does. I can't help, and I still distract Your Highness."

Chu Shaoling smiled. "I am happy to make arrangements for you. It's not a big deal. Are you using this as an excuse to act coquettishly with me?"

"I'm not!" Wei Ji's face turned red. He felt that talking like this made it seem even more like he was trying to curry favor with Chu Shaoling. He lowered his head and said nothing more. Chu Shaoling laughed. "Alright, I understand what you are thinking. It's nothing."

Chu Shaoling turned his head and deliberately kissed Wei Ji's ear, teasing, "Watch me treat you even better in the future."

Chu Shaoling pinched Wei Ji's burning red earlobe and laughed. "Forget it. Since we are back anyway, let's lie down for a while longer."

Chu Shaoling held Wei Ji, kissing and doting on him. Looking at Wei Ji's face, Chu Shaoling himself felt puzzled. How could a cold-hearted person like him love someone so much?

If at the beginning it was to repay the kindness from the previous life, or being infatuated with the feeling of being wholeheartedly admired by someone, or simply being attracted to this face, then after such a long time it should have been enough. How could it become more and more unstoppable, more and more fond?

Chu Shaoling gently rubbed Wei Ji's back and thought of the previous life again. Wei Ji had liked him hopelessly for ten years. It turned out that when you truly admire someone, you can really guard everything for them. As time goes by, you only sink deeper.

Wei Ji was still immersed in his own little emotions and couldn't come out of it. While Wei Ji felt gloomy, Chu Shaoling only found it amusing. He couldn't help teasing, "If you really feel that I treat you too well, I will come back early tonight, and you can repay me properly then."

Wei Ji's face turned red. After hesitating for a moment, he mumbled, "Yes."

Chu Shaoling laughed out loud. "What's with you today? You actually agreed?" Chu Shaoling propped himself up and looked down at Wei Ji, saying softly, "You'll let me do whatever I want? You'll be obedient?"

Chu Shaoling originally thought Wei Ji would not answer again, but unexpectedly, Wei Ji endured his shyness and nodded. Chu Shaoling felt warmth in his heart. He lowered his head and gently kissed Wei Ji's lips, unable to resist complaining, "Why isn't it dark yet?"

Chu Shaoling still had to go to the spirit tablet to burn paper money at noon. Otherwise, he would have devoured Wei Ji right away. Chu Shaoling rubbed Wei Ji's body with a moderate force and chuckled, "Wait until tonight."