Reborn Lady

Chapter 173

Yin Hui couldn’t help but laugh. Just proposing marriage was one thing; getting married so soon was another matter. Regardless of how eager they were, they would have to wait for spring to bloom, by which time Yin Hui would have recovered.

“Thank you,” Yin Hui said, holding Wei Luo’s hand and smiling more beautifully than a flower.

Wei Luo had only mentioned it to bring joy to Yin Hui. It wasn’t easy for her to have a baby, and he couldn’t do much except offer support.

“Go to bed early,” Wei Luo said, patting her hand and standing up. The house was warm, but a cold wind blew outside. The wind cleared the clouds, revealing a clear night sky adorned with cold stars.

Wei Luo stood under the corridor’s eaves, gazing at the sky for a while before moving to the front yard.

While An Shun’er was attending to his feet, Wei Luo recalled something and inquired, “Have you already sent someone to the Yin family to share the good news?”

An Shun’er replied, “Madam gave the order in advance.”

Wei Luo understood Elder Yin’s worries. Having lost her parents early, she was raised entirely by Elder Yin.

A few days later, King Yan summoned three commanders to discuss with Wei Yang and Wei Luo regarding the recruitment of soldiers by the Three Guards. King Yan had suffered a loss of nearly 7,000 troops out of his 50,000 in the conflict against the Kingdom of Jin.

After the meeting, as the others started to leave, Wei Yang moved to depart as well. However, Wei Luo stood in his place. King Yan, noticing this, asked with a smile, “What’s the matter?”

“I’d like to invite Qi Lang’s great-grandfather and uncle to dinner. Is that alright?” Wei Luo inquired.

Wei Yang raised his eyebrows in surprise.

In the entire palace, the Yin family wasn’t considered significant in-laws. During past festivals, banquets were held, but invitations were never extended to the Yin family.

Initially, Wei Yang had thought that his third brother had an important matter to discuss with him, only to discover it was about this invitation.

King Yan remained silent for a moment, signaling his eldest son and Eunuch Hai with his eyes to step back, and the two left.

Seated behind the desk, King Yan beckoned for Wei Luo to come closer.

Wei Luo circled around the table and stood in front of his father.

King Yan, looking at his grown son, smiled and asked, “Well, do you know how to love your wife?”

Wei Luo’s earlobes turned red immediately. He could come up with many reasons, but how could he deceive his father, who was as wise as he was?

However, King Yan’s smile faded. He squinted his eyes slightly and observed his son carefully, saying, “You now consider the Yin family as relatives, but you didn’t always feel that way. Did you feel wronged, thinking you could have married into a noble family in the capital like your elder and second brothers? Did you believe I was biased and didn’t take you seriously?”

Wei Luo’s expression changed drastically, and he immediately knelt down, kowtowing, “This son dare not.”

King Yan snorted, “If you don’t dare, then why haven’t you invited them to Xiao Heng’s full moon celebration?”

Wei Luo looked at the ground, suddenly at a loss for words.

He was genuinely feeling wronged. Due to his biological mother’s background, he had been looked down upon by his elder and second brothers, as well as the servants in the mansion. Although these blatant displays of disdain occurred when he was a child, and others believed he didn’t understand, he actually did.

So, he worked hard to excel in his studies and martial arts. While his elder and second brothers were still sleeping, he was already up and practicing. He didn’t want to fight with his elder brother for the throne, and he earned his father and the Emperor’s approval through his exceptional martial skills.

Just when he felt he could stand shoulder to shoulder with his second brother, his father asked him to marry a girl from a merchant family.

Both the elder and the second brothers tried to comfort him, unaware that the more they comforted him, the more uncomfortable he felt.

King Yan observed his silent son and sighed, “I know you’ve felt wronged, but it’s not that I don’t value you. At that time, you were the only one not yet married. We received a substantial dowry from the Yin family. I couldn’t have the Yin family’s girl become a concubine for your elder and second brothers, nor could she marry your young fourth brother. What would that make of us?”

Wei Luo’s eyes welled with emotion, and he touched his forehead to the ground, saying, “Father, there’s no need to say more. This son understands. I was indeed confused for a while. When you chose me to come to Beijing to celebrate grandfather’s birthday, I understood.”

King Yan nodded, helped him up, and said, “It’s human nature. Besides, you’re still young. It’s clear that you didn’t invite Mr. Yin into the mansion earlier, not because you held a grudge against me. You were trying to save face and avoid being ridiculed by your brothers and sisters again, weren’t you?”

Wei Luo lowered his eyes and admitted, “My siblings are not that kind of people. It’s my own vanity.”

King Yan smiled, “You are quite articulate.”

Wei Luo bowed his head in shame.

King Yan left the table, hands behind his back, and said to his son, “Vanity, how many people in this world are not vain when it comes to caring about their face? I can understand that now you are doing it for the sake of loving your wife, or perhaps you’ve figured it out for yourself. I’m very pleased with this step. Remember, those who achieve great things don’t dwell on trivial matters. The broader your heart and the more you can tolerate, the wider the road ahead will be.”

They were all princes. The crown prince guarded the capital but preferred to stay away. Other vassal kings like King Qin and King Dai only knew how to indulge themselves. Even after his father scolded him, Wei Luo continued to support him, frequently going to and from the battlefield.

His son had been wronged by marrying a merchant girl. Did he wear a proud expression when arranging the marriage? Everyone in Yandi knew that he had accepted money from the Yin family. While a shameless person might spend other people’s money without concern, he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

When the crown prince succumbed to illness, his father chose to confer the title on his grandson, even if it meant losing face in front of the entire world.

It wasn’t enough to dwell on whether he felt wronged every day. Moving forward, one had to learn to ignore others’ epicaricacy or gossip and focus on walking one’s own path.

Although King Yan didn’t explicitly say these words, Wei Luo, looking at his father’s steadfast back, fully understood his father’s restraint and broad-mindedness. His father didn’t leave him merely to train him but to teach him.

“Father, don’t worry. I’ve taken note of it.”

“Well, you can arrange the invitation for the Yin family yourself.”

“Yes.”

With a wave of King Yan’s hand, Wei Luo departed on his own.

Exiting Qinzheng Hall, Wei Yang stood not far away, seemingly waiting for him.

“Brother,” Wei Luo greeted as he approached.

Wei Yang noticed that his eyes were slightly red and sighed, “Qi Lang was born, and I know you’re happy. But considering the Yin family’s status, why did you say that? Didn’t you just add trouble for Father?”

His third brother must have been scolded by their father, perhaps even shedding tears during the scolding. Meeting his persuasive eyes, Wei Luo said calmly, “The Yin family is the natal clan of Wu Lang and Qi Lang, not outsiders. Father has already allowed me to invite them.” 

Wei Yang was stunned.