Wanjin Lady

Chapter 479 Copying Books
Faced with the suspicion of her partner, the death of her brother and sister-in-law from her natal family, and the covetous harem, Empress Wei's life was like walking on thin ice.

But even though she was in pain, her back remained straight, like a pine tree that could not be crushed by heavy snow.

That is the pinnacle of power, but it is also an invisible shackle.

Wen Wan hadn't seen her two children for a long time, and she held them one by one for a while with heartache. Children grow fast, and after only two or three months of not seeing them, Wen Wan felt that they had grown a lot taller.

Zhao Zhao seemed to not recognize her at all, and kept kicking and struggling in her arms. Seeing that her little mouth was about to burst into tears, Wen Wan quickly stuffed Zhao Zhao back to the wet nurse and spanked her twice, "You heartless little thing, you've forgotten your old mother so quickly!"

Hun Ge'er has a conscience. When he saw her, he giggled with his baby teeth showing, and he was very warm and gave his mother a loving hug.

Wen Wan was so moved that she pecked Hunge'er on the cheek several times. Hunge'er immediately showed disgust and struggled with his hands and legs. The palace maid beside him laughed and said, "The young master remembers you. Even when you are not around, the first thing he says is to call you mother."

Wen Wan was shocked, "Brother Hun can speak now?"

"He can only say a few words. For example, eat, mother, no, and water. I have never seen such a smart child."

When talking about the child, Queen Wei's expression brightened slightly. She wiped away her tears and smiled, "Huan'er is just like Jinyu when he was a child. He has a dull personality, but he is smart."

Empress Wei spoke in a gentle tone, and Wen Wan immediately took the olive branch thrown to her, "What about Zhao Zhao?"

The old nanny beside the empress smiled until her face wrinkled. "Miss Zhaozhao is slow to speak. Perhaps it's because she's heard the empress nagging her. Now she can only call her aunt. Whenever she's hungry or thirsty, she calls out aunt aunt. The empress has corrected her several times, calling her aunt grandma, but she still calls her aunt aunt."

The old maid glanced at Empress Wei's face from the corner of her eye, her smile becoming increasingly flattering. "Every time Miss Zhao Zhao calls her aunt, the Empress will take care of her without taking off her clothes."

Wen Wan felt warm in her heart.

Although Queen Wei always claimed that she was not her real mother-in-law, she had raised Wei Zheng for many years and must have regarded Wei Zheng as her own child.

Family members are connected by blood and cannot be separated.

Especially Wen Wan heard that... Zhao Zhao looked very much like Wei Zheng's deceased elder sister.

The Queen pinched Zhao Zhao's chubby cheeks, her face full of love and indulgence. "You black-hearted little girl, you've always been ordering your aunt around! I really owe you a debt of sin!"

The atmosphere in the room improved. Wei Zheng had returned from Zhenghe Hall. When Queen Wei saw Wei Zheng's wheelchair, her face changed immediately. Her eyes were like knives, and she wanted to execute Wen Wan by slow slicing.

Wen Wan held Hun'er in her arms guiltily, letting him block Queen Wei's sight.

Silently say in your heart: Raise a child for a thousand days, use him for a moment.

Empress Wei finally found Wen Wan's favor, but now her heart was burning with anger again. "I have already invited the director of the Imperial Hospital and summoned the best trauma doctors in all of Kyoto. They should have arrived at the Duke's Mansion by now. Don't worry, I will let you ride horses, hunt, and gallop across the battlefield like before."

"Thank you, aunt!" Wei Zheng was sitting in a wheelchair. He had just come out of a small court meeting where he had gone through a two-hour work report and even brought the remains of the Duke and Zhao Yingzhen into the court. It was conceivable that there were many exchanges of words at the court meeting.

Queen Wei saw Wei Zheng constantly looking at Wen Wan's face and snorted coldly, "She's not cold, she's hungry!"

She waved her sleeves and took a seat. "As a father, you have no sense of responsibility at all. You abandoned your child and ran into that den of thieves! If anything happens to you, I will go to the underworld and apologize to the ancestors of the Wei family!"

Wei Zheng and Wen Wan both admitted defeat.

Wenwan is more cowardly.

Her head looked like a wilted eggplant, her jaw almost touching her collarbone. In a daze, her palms itched, and Wei Zheng's fingers reached out from his sleeve to poke at them.

Wen Wan glared at him and pinched him.

The situation is critical, and you still dare to flirt in front of the Queen?

Empress Wei was anxious. Without waiting for Wei Zheng to see the child, she had the wet nurses take the child away and leave. "Your Majesty, have you said what to do with Zhao Yingzhen?"

Wei Zheng's expression darkened slightly. "Zhao Yingzhen has confessed to the smuggling, but he is currently meeting with His Majesty alone. I don't know the content of their conversation."

Just as he finished speaking, Ah Lan returned and whispered something to Empress Wei, who then said, "A quarter of an hour ago, His Majesty sent someone to the Tianzhang Pavilion to retrieve the late Emperor's daily records from twenty years ago."

What on earth is Mo Sufang planning to do?!

"Your Majesty is most afraid of anyone prying into your whereabouts. Your Majesty, please do not send anyone to inquire about your whereabouts. The situation is turbulent now, so it is better to remain still than to act. Even if Your Majesty wishes to punish Zhao Yingzhen, he will not make the decision today."

Empress Wei naturally understood this truth. She gritted her teeth and said, "We must not let Zhao Yingzhen leave the gates of Kyoto alive! Now that his body has been brought home, we should choose a day for him to be buried early. The rest of the matter will be handled by us living people."

"In that case, I will take Wen Wan and the children home first."

Empress Wei looked at Wen Wan and said in a tone that left no room for doubt, "Take the two children back for now. Wen Wan stays here. This woman is sharp-tongued, stubborn, and uneducated. If you don't want the whole of Kyoto to laugh at you for marrying a merchant's daughter who has no talent or moral integrity, then keep her here and I will personally teach her."

Wei Zheng was about to argue when Wen Wan stepped forward and bowed in a standard manner. "Your Majesty, I am sorry for the trouble. I am just a naughty and foolish woman. Thank you for your patience and guidance."

Queen Wei smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will teach you to behave properly."

Wen Wan bid farewell to Wei Zheng outside the Queen's palace. She kneaded the blanket for him and kissed the two children tenderly. Then she smiled and said to him, "Don't worry. Although we just spent a few moments together, I know that the Queen is a reasonable person. It has not been easy for her to be alone in the palace these years. I also want to spend more time with her and fulfill my filial duty on your behalf."

Wei Zheng squeezed her hand and said, "I will take good care of Zhao Zhao and Hun Ge'er, as well as father and mother."

"You must take good care of yourself. Make sure you keep me informed of your leg injury's progress every day. Don't slack off for even a single day, and don't become like the women in the inner chambers, complaining about themselves. If I knew you were trying to push me away again, I would not forgive you."

Wen Wan came closer and whispered, "And Sun Lanzhi from the Jiaofangsi, please help me take care of her."

Wei Zheng raised his eyes.

He sat in a wheelchair, and because of the case, his entire body was thin, and his eyes became more and more bright. He hummed meaningfully: "Speaking of which, Xiu Wen is also in Kyoto--"

Wen Wan laughed at him, "You can drink sour and smelly old vinegar?"

"Who was it that repeatedly picked on Miss Xu?"

"Stop." Wen Wan felt a little guilty. She saw the nanny beside the queen clinging to the window, her ears seemingly listening to the noises coming from this side. She restrained her expression and bowed seriously, "My Lord, please return home soon. Don't worry about me."

Wei Zheng was reluctant to leave. "Outside the Queen's Palace, there's a eunuch named Ming who has been delivering messages for me for many years. If you need anything, go find him."

The couple said goodbye reluctantly.

Wen Wan turned around and walked into the house when the nanny came to her with a stack of books, including "Female Admonitions", "Female Training", "Four Female Books", "Inner Training", etc. "Madam Wen, if you want to become a wife of a noble family, you must be chaste and obedient, set an example of filial piety and respect for elders, manage the household chores, and lead the sacrifices. The Empress wants you to start by copying the books today."