tallest building

Chapter 352 Second Elder Brother

Half a month after Wen Mingqian was granted the title of Noble Lady, her two older brothers entered the capital two days apart.

"Consort Wen, Her Majesty the Empress has granted permission for your two elder brothers to enter the palace to visit you," Yu Lu said to Wen Mingqian with a smile on his face.

"Really?" Wen Mingqian was both surprised and delighted upon hearing this.

“It is true, of course. Your Excellency has not seen the two of them for many years, has he? You must miss them very much,” Yu Lu said. “However, your foot injury has not yet fully healed, so please be careful.”

"I want to go and express my gratitude to Her Majesty," Wen Mingqian said, trying to stand up. "Her Majesty has been so kind to me."

“No need for you to rush, Consort Wen. Her Majesty the Empress is understanding and said there’s no need for you to go and express your gratitude. She even sent me with some gifts for you to keep and give to your family!” Yu Lu said, “You can thank her all at once later!”

Wen Mingqian was naturally extremely grateful and asked Xiaoyue to bring a small box of incense to Yu Lu.

"Oh my, this is too much." Yu Lu looked at the box of incense and hesitated to accept it.

Even though Wen Mingqian is now just a figurehead, his status is different from before, and he can no longer act as casually as he used to.

"Steward Yu, you must accept this, otherwise it would be too formal," Wen Mingqian said. "I may not have many other strengths, but I am good at remembering old kindnesses. I will never forget your kindness to me, so please accept this, otherwise it would be a sign that you are deliberately keeping your distance from me."

"Oh dear, Your Excellency's words make this servant feel utterly ashamed. In truth, it is you who are capable and virtuous; we were merely offering a small favor." Yu Lu said politely for a few moments, but still accepted the incense.

"What kind of incense is burning in your room, Your Excellency? It smells wonderful." Yu Lu said with a smile.

“It’s benzoin mixed with costus root. I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately, maybe it’s because the new place is too big, but I can’t sleep well.” Wen Mingqian said, raising his hand to rub his temples.

Wen Mingqian's two older brothers, Wen Yuzhi and Wen Tuizhi, were both over forty years old, slender and refined, with bright eyes.

"Big brother, second brother..." Wen Mingqian had not seen his two elder brothers for more than ten years. As the years went by, their faces were weathered and worn.

When they parted ways, Wen Mingqian had just started a family and was still a young girl not yet twenty years old.

The two elder brothers were also at the prime of their lives, having just entered officialdom and filled with ambition.

Now, when we meet again, I can still recognize her at a glance, but things are still different.

“Little sister, you have suffered so much all these years. Your brother is incompetent and can’t help you much,” Wen Yuzhi said with shame.

“Brother, I know you sent your trusted confidants to the capital to find the Gong family back then. But at that time, the Gong family believed that I had poisoned the illegitimate son, and even I was kicked out of the house. How could they possibly receive your people?” Wen Mingqian smiled bitterly. “You found out that I had gone to Shuangxi and asked people to look for me several times. Second brother did the same, trying several times to bring me to my post. But at that time, I was disheartened and felt ashamed to face my family, so I didn’t communicate with you.”

During the years Wen Mingqian lived in Shuangxi, her two older brothers were working in the south.

They were separated by thousands of miles, and Wen Mingqian was not free to do as an official. He knew this in his heart, but he did not want to implicate them. Only after he returned to the capital with Gong Chang'an and established himself in the Gong family did he write to his two elder brothers and communicate with them.

“When Father betrothed you to Gong Er, I disagreed.” Wen Tuizhi was more straightforward. “The only sensible person in their family was Old Master Gong, and he passed away early. Although the eldest son’s family is good, they can’t manage the second son’s family. Gong Xu is the most stubborn and unreasonable person.”

"Second Brother, there's no need to be angry about the past anymore. It's all in the past, and I've long since let it go." Wen Mingqian smiled. "Sister-in-law, how are you and your family? My rank in the palace is low, and I wouldn't be able to see you without the Empress's special permission. I'll see you both again when I have the chance in the future!"

"Your family is doing very well, so you don't need to worry. It's just that we never expected you to enter the palace, let alone become a noble person." This was something the two Wen brothers could never have imagined.

"What kind of noble person? They're just a substitute to save the Empress from disaster," Wen Mingqian said. "I don't consider myself a noble person, and neither do my family members."

"Of course, don't worry, we would never use your name to swindle or cheat people. We Wen family members would never do such a thing." The Wen family members are all upright by nature. Her two older brothers are both talented, but because they are not good at currying favor, they have only served as sixth or seventh-rank officials in local areas for many years.

"Why hasn't Chang'an arrived yet?" Wen Mingqian asked Zhang Ma. "I told him yesterday."

"I'm afraid the teacher's lecture hasn't ended yet!" Zhang Ma said with a smile. "Otherwise, we would have rushed over long ago."

The two brothers naturally knew about their prodigy nephew, and although they hadn't met him yet, they were already extremely excited.

After drinking another cup of tea, he heard footsteps outside and said with a smile, "They're here."

Gong Chang'an lifted the curtain and ran in. Upon seeing the two Wen brothers, he immediately stopped and bowed, saying, "Chang'an greets my two uncles."

"Good, good, good, this child is really good!" Wen Tuizhi hurriedly pulled Gong Chang'an in front of him and said affectionately, "You can tell at a glance that he is no ordinary person."

“You’ve grown so much. I heard you studied under Master Zhuge. You are the envy of all scholars.” Uncle Wen Yuzhi also took a liking to the child at first sight. “Mingqian, having such a good son is enough to make up for all the suffering you’ve endured before.”

"Uncle, Uncle, Mother has often mentioned you to me over the years, saying that you were very diligent in your studies and that I should take you as role models." Gong Chang'an had a sweet tongue; if he wanted to, there was no one he couldn't please.

“Your eldest uncle is really hardworking, but I often slack off. Don’t follow my example,” Wen Tuizhi said with a smile.

The family chatted and laughed, and time passed quickly. Wen Mingqian specially invited his two elder brothers to have lunch with him, and then had many things brought over: "These are gifts from Her Majesty the Empress. She specifically instructed me to give them to you."

"This won't do. We can't accept rewards without merit; it would be hard for us to feel at ease," both elder brothers declined.

“You don’t know the Empress’s temper. If she gives you a gift and you don’t accept it, then you will be guilty. Take it. There are many places in the capital where you need money. Settle down first.” Wen Mingqian knew that his two elder brothers had meager salaries and each had a large family to support. Moreover, they often helped those in need. He guessed that they probably didn’t have any savings over the years.

Hearing Wen Mingqian say this, the two stopped refusing.

They've just returned to Beijing and haven't been appointed yet. Who knows how long they'll have to wait? According to past practice, it will take at least a month, and possibly as long as half a year.