The young lady is delicate and soft, yet she criticizes the powerful minister for bowing and scrapin

Wei Ruowei rushed out with four servants to find the eldest young master at Ruyue Restaurant, and actually brought him back.

The maid Wenshu said to the old lady, "Young Master still cares about blood ties. As soon as the Third Miss left, she brought the Eldest Young Master back. I suppose the Eldest Young Master couldn't bear to hurt his sister's feelings."

The old lady's heart calmed down a little.

Her grandson is always filial and would never hold a grudge against her over trivial matters.

Besides, all men have to go through this. Yesterday, he preferred not to have anything happen with Jinxiu and forced himself to endure the effects of the drug.

Ru Feng was the only one in the courtyard. There was no antidote to this strong medicine. The only way to truly alleviate the situation was to release his emotions when they reached their peak.

Thinking this, the old lady began to worry again: Could it be that Ru Feng could not stay by Nian An's side?

"Madam, the eldest son has arrived."

Wei Jun walked steadily through the corridor towards the inner courtyard.

The old lady's courtyard was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood incense, and she was sitting upright on the couch at that moment:

"Nian'an's here, please have a seat. I just had some rock sugar pear stewed; you've been chatting with your friend all night, so it'll soothe your throat."

Wei Jun bowed slightly, his tone flat, revealing no other emotion:

"I won't drink the pear juice. My grandson came this morning to pay his respects to his grandmother."

The old lady's heart tightened: Has Nian'an stopped drinking the stewed food in her yard?

"Now that Nian'an is here, Grandmother has already had portraits drawn of the daughters of the other two Duke's mansions that I mentioned a few days ago. If you are interested, you can choose from them here; if you find one you like, Grandmother will immediately arrange a flower-viewing banquet so that you can have a good look at it."

"Grandmother, you can send the portrait to Jingchen Courtyard. If Grandmother has one she likes, then please make your choice. Then I won't have to be picky," Wei Jun said slowly.

The old lady forced a smile. How could there be a rift between grandmother and granddaughter? She dismissed the servants.

"Nian'an, there's a hidden meaning in your words," the old lady said, taking her grandson's hand with a loving expression.

Wei Jun withdrew his hand, his tone distant: "I never dreamed that the medicine was given to me by my grandmother. After hearing that it was my grandmother's idea, I drank it without hesitation. It's just that the medicine is very strong, and my body almost couldn't handle it."

The old lady's smile could no longer be maintained: "Grandmother is only thinking of your own good! You are not young anymore, yet there are rumors circulating in the mansion. Besides, you are still young and vigorous, but you have never had anything with the maids in your room. Naturally, you need to find a place to vent, and Grandmother is doing this because she thinks the people around her are trustworthy."

Wei Jun's gaze remained calm.

When he was fourteen or fifteen, the old lady arranged for a maid to be brought into the house. The maid was not favored, so she was replaced batch after batch.

He wasn't unaware of his grandmother's meaning. He tried his best to be the person she hoped for, as bright as the sun and moon, as clear as the moon over a high peak, a grandson standing in the sunlight under a clear sky.

But his grandmother didn't seem to trust him. If he did something wrong, the servants would quickly tell his grandmother.

Even on the question of whether he preferred men or women, his grandmother began to waver and resorted to such methods to test him.

"Grandmother, please don't worry. I'm tired and have official business to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

The old lady sat in the empty inner hall for a long time, without calling for anyone to come and serve her.

"Madam?" Manjushri called out cautiously.

The old lady remained motionless for a long time. Finally, she sighed softly, picked up the bowl of stewed pear with rock sugar, but could not taste any sweetness in it.

"Nian'an is probably... completely disillusioned with me from now on."

Upon returning to Jingchen Courtyard, Rufeng reported: "General Du Fan has returned to the border. His wife's condition has gradually improved, and he is relieved. He rode away last night."

"However, Commander Fu of the Embroidered Uniform Guard wishes to see you."

Wei Jun said, "We will meet at court tomorrow. Tell him to wait."

In the afternoon, a maid from the old lady's courtyard brought in several portraits. Ru Feng blocked the way at the courtyard gate, preventing them from entering. Ru Feng personally unfolded the portraits one by one and presented them to the young master inside the room.

"This is a portrait of Qin Yao, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Qi, and the other is a portrait of Xiao Ying, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Wen. The old lady said that since the young master does not want to get involved in the struggle between the two princes, then he should choose one of the daughters of these two dukes as his wife and settle the marriage as soon as possible."

Wei Jun gently put down his wolf-hair brush and the book, and said with a self-deprecating laugh, "Grandmother is really in a hurry."

Ru Feng dared not offer any more words of comfort. He was still shocked and bewildered by the fact that the old lady had drugged him, and dared not utter any more words about "deep affection between grandmother and grandson".

"What has she been doing these past two days?" Wei Jun asked.

Even his third wife's younger sister got involved. Logically speaking, the entire Dingyuan Marquis's mansion, even the birds on the roof, should have known about this.

She couldn't possibly not know.

"My cousin... does needlework, tends to flowers and plants, and occasionally picks out some books to read and gives to her younger brother, just like always." Ru Feng looked up at her master's expression.

The scrolls on the desk were not weighed down by paperweights and were placed at the very edge of the table. A breeze from the window blew through, turning a few pages and flipping them open. The person sitting at the desk had their hands hanging down at their sides, making no attempt to stop them.

Wei Jun felt a strange sense of joy welling up inside him. On that day when he was filled with anger, grievance, sadness, and a mix of other emotions, at least Qi Yunli was there to keep him company.

Hearing Ru Feng's reply, my heart suddenly calmed down.

He casually glanced at the portraits of the daughters of the two dukes, and finally pointed to the portrait of a woman with a bouquet of flowers in her hair, saying:

"Let's choose this one and tell Grandma."

Wearing flowers in her hair instead of gold, silver, or pearl hairpins suggests she is someone who loves plants and flowers. Once she enters the Marquis's household, she should be more compassionate and tolerant.

Before having dinner, the old lady received news that her grandson had chosen his future mistress, Qin Xue from the Duke of Qi's mansion.

She smiled and said, "Great, wonderful! Since he has chosen, then it's settled. We'll pick an auspicious day and go to his home to propose marriage, and finalize the engagement."

The Third Madam happened to be having dinner with the Old Madam in her courtyard, and upon hearing this, she smiled and said:

"I have met the eldest daughter of the Duke of Qi's family. She is gentle and refined, well-educated and reasonable, and speaks with great insight. The two are truly a match made in heaven. However, I'm afraid they can only know each other through portraits for now, and have never spoken face-to-face, have they?"

The old lady shared the same concern: "Yes, that's right. Right now, we're thinking of getting the engagement settled first. If the other party is willing, we can get married next year. Our Marquis's mansion hasn't had such a lively celebration in a long time. Ordinary women take a year to prepare for their weddings, so we should have a grand and splendid one!"

The Third Madam chimed in, "The Old Madam is indeed very thoughtful. With so many banquets around the clock, it's a perfect opportunity for the two of them to chat and deepen their relationship. But perhaps it wouldn't be good to offend the Rong Prince's residence?"

"It's not that we've offended them. After all, we didn't choose any other princes or nobles. We just made them lose face."

The old lady thought for a moment, then looked at the third wife with a solemn expression: "However, right now, there is a most appropriate way to ensure that neither of the two princes will offend our Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion."