Chapter 532: Chapter 532 Major Changes in the Situation_1

“I won’t let her have her way! She must want me to commit suicide to apologize on behalf of the entire Wei family and the King Yu Residence! I absolutely won’t do that!” Wei Qingwan gritted her teeth, her eyes bloodshot.

“That’s right, miss, we can’t let her have her way. Even if we must risk our lives, we can’t just let this go!” Cuihe encouraged.

“Cuihe…”

“Miss, don’t be sad, my mother and I will always stay by your side, we will find a way to help you!”

Wei Qingwan slowly lifted her head, looking at Cuihe beside her, “Cuihe, I’m useless, I’ve involved you and your mother, forcing you to endure cold indifference and contempt in the back yard of the Wang residence.”

The more difficult her circumstances became, the more Wei Qingwan cherished the people who still stood by her side. Madam Li and Cuihe were truly the people who had stayed with her longest and showed the most loyalty.

“What are you saying, miss? Serving you has been my life’s duty since the moment I understood the world. If I’m not on your side, whose side can I be on?” replied Cuihe hurriedly.

Wei Qingwan was touched, “Perhaps I won’t receive any more favor.”

“Miss, don’t lose heart, did you forget that Young Master Qi promised to help you?”

“In my current condition, how could he still help me? Besides, he is still recovering. He can’t have the energy to assist me.”

Wei Qingwan no longer held hope for others. Only her hatred for Wei Qingruo gave her the strength to keep going.

Wei Qingwan gritted her teeth, “Don’t worry, even if there is no one left to help me, even if I no longer have the chance to be favored, I will never give up. I will find a way to make Wei Qingruo wish she were dead!”

Even if I die, I will take Wei Qingruo down with me!

As long as she stayed as King Yu’s concubine, she still held hope!

Waiting for King Rui to die and for King Yu to ascend to the throne, only then could she step on Wei Qingruo.

That day will come eventually!

###

Several days later, news came from the Wei family, Wei Mingyong’s eldest son, Wei Yipeng, second son of the Wei family, had hit Wei Yichen.

Wei Yipeng initiated the attack, but Wei Yichen did not retaliate.

Wei Yichen holds an official title in the court. This fight almost landed Wei Yipeng in prison. However, this time Wei Yichen forgave Wei Yipeng on the condition that Wei Mingyong agrees to split the family.

The specific details of the whole process remain unknown to outsiders, but the result is that the elders of the Wei family have formally agreed to split the family.

However, since the Wei family is a noble house, the split didn’t happen immediately.

Moreover, Wei Mingting was still fighting the Japanese, so the official family separation had to wait until he returned, at least until next year.

However, the news that the second and third households of the Wei family were incompatible had become common knowledge, indicating an intense and hostile relationship.

This became a topic of discussion in Capital City, and people said that the Wei family had lost a great deal of face.

###

On the twentieth day of October, the weather had turned quite cold, so as soon as it grew dark, people returned to their homes.

But tonight, the usually silent streets were unexpectedly noisy.

Despite being in the Wang Residence, Wei Ruo could hear the sounds of marching troops outside, the clopping of horse hooves, and the advancing soldiers clad in armor.

The King Rui Residence was close to the Imperial Palace, and there were usually soldiers patrolling outside, but there had never been as big a deployment as today’s.

The noise continued until the middle of the night before it ceased.

When Wei Ruo got up early the next morning, she put on a coat and came out of the inner chamber.

“Lin Fang.” Wei Ruo called for Lin Fang outside the door.

Lin Fang came into the room, “Miss, why have you gotten out of bed so early? It’s cold now, you should take care of your health.”

“What happened last night?” Wei Ruo wanted to know the situation of last night.

“In response to the miss’s question, last night the soldiers of the Armed Forces Department surrounded the Qi family’s residence and have handed Qi Yansong over to the Inspection Institute.” Lin Fang answered.

“Was it all planned by King Jing?”

“Yes, King Jing had set up a trap for Master Qi, that fake Sheng Tong. Master Qi really sent someone to assassinate him, but he was caught by King Jing, confronted before the Emperor, and finally the Duke Xu’s case was exposed.”

“I heard that the Emperor was furious, he thundered in anger and immediately ordered to confiscate all the possessions of the Qi family. It happened in the middle of the night and startled everybody in Capital City.”

Lin Fang reported to Wei Ruo.

“So the big commotion last night was about confiscating the Qi family’s possessions?” Wei Ruo asked again.

“Not just that, but also a few other families closely related to the Qi family. The servants of the Qi Residence resisted, and a fight broke out with the men of the Armed Forces Department. However, King Jing was a step ahead, having already prepared his soldiers. After a standoff of over an hour, the Qi family’s men were defeated, some were killed and others captured.”

“This King Jing really hid his cards well. Even the people from the Armed Forces Department moved according to his orders, yet he remained covert.”

Lin Fang couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.

“Hmm.” Wei Ruo wasn’t surprised by Chu Lan’s victory or his early arrangements.

Wei Ruo thought for a while, then asked, “What is the situation with Imperial Concubine Qi and King Yu?”

“When the incident occured, King Yu was still an infant. He might be neglected by the Emperor, but would probably not be severely punished. As for Imperial Concubine Qi, we’ll have to wait for the results of the interrogation. For now, she has been confined to Jingren Palace by the Emperor.” Lin Fang replied.

After hearing Lin Fang’s words, Wei Ruo fell into contemplation.

If the original story proceeded as planned, after Chu Lan exposed this incident, Imperial Concubine Qi would be demoted, King Yu would be neglected, the political situation would change, and Chu Lan would become the most popular candidate for the Crown Prince.

After this storm, the Emperor’s health would decline, and gradually, he would transfer official duties to Chu Lan to handle.

By the time of the Emperor’s demise, Chu Lan would have complete control over the political situation, and his ascension to the throne would be a natural progression.

After thinking, Wei Ruo turned around and walked back into her room.

“Miss, what are you going to do?” Lin Fang asked with concern.

“Nothing, I’m going to change my clothes and get ready for breakfast.” Wei Ruo answered.

In matters such as this, she chose to trust her second brother. She could only do what was within her ability, and leave the rest to her second brother.

She had her own worries and tasks to attend to.

Winter had already begun, and there was some final work on the farm to be done, as well as preparations for next year.

Now that she owned more land and, consequently, had more accounts to manage, it was a good thing that her subordinates were competent. She only had to grasp the general direction.

Of course, she couldn’t let down her guard because more land meant more people to feed. She had to be responsible for those who worked for her.

###

The Qi family had fallen. To most people in Capital City, it was an unexpected event.

For a time, the city was panic-stricken.

Those in the court who had originally supported King Yu were becoming agitated.

The Wei family was in complete chaos, Wei Mingyong, who had previously been jubilant, was now in a panic.

He hurriedly went to find the Wei family elders, worrying that the matter would affect him.

Everyone in Shou’an Hall held a long discussion, but since they didn’t have a clear understanding of the court affairs, they couldn’t reach a conclusion.

They had to wait for Wei Yichen to return from the Hanlin Academy and then enquire about the details.