C18 I Want to Die

Wen Wan shook her head. "It's not the boots that are strange; it's the person who gave them to me."

"The Wai Duke?"

Ziyu placed a bowl of ginseng porridge in front of Wen Wan. "What's up with the Wai Duke?"

"I can understand why he wanted me to change my shoes, but why did he toss my embroidered ones so far away?"

Earlier at the military camp, she had followed Xiao Chen into the tent. In no time, Xiao Chen handed her a brand-new pair of military boots and asked her to put them on. Once she did, he picked up her poor embroidered shoes and walked out of the tent.

"Was he angry?" Wen Wan took a spoonful of porridge and looked up at Ziyu.

Ziyu frowned. "I doubt it. If anyone should be upset, it should be you. Why would the Wai Duke be angry?"

"But the way he tossed those shoes, it was like they had offended his ancestors..."

"Eldest Miss!" Ziyu exclaimed in surprise.

Wen Wan snapped back to reality. "Ahem... the porridge is quite tasty..."

"By the way, Butler Zhong just came by and said the Old Marquis will be staying at the Feather Forest Battalion tonight. He plans to stay there for a while to catch up with General Zheng. The Old Marquis also asked the butler to tell you to visit him every day to pay your respects."

Wen Wan slowly looked up, bewildered. "Is the food at Silk Hall not good enough? Or is the Bamboo Leaf Green wine not to his liking? Why would Grandfather choose to stay at the battalion and eat camp food?"

Ziyu shook her head, unsure. "A man's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the ocean. They're all the same!"

While Wen Wan was sipping her porridge, a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Is tomorrow the fifteenth?"

Ziyu thought for a moment. "Yes, it is the fifteenth."

"Oh." Wen Wan nodded slightly. "How has Yindieh been these past few days?"

After the last incident at the palace, Wen Wan had deliberately punished Yindieh, learning from past mistakes.

"Yindieh isn't used to hard labor. She's gotten several chilblains on her hands from doing laundry and fetching water... Eldest Miss, could you maybe..."

"I'll go see Yindieh in a bit, don't worry." Wen Wan interrupted, already having a plan in mind.

...

At Sweet Spring Palace, the entire palace was bustling with preparations for Consort De's Thousand-autumn Banquet.

Wen Ruoxuan sipped her tea, the fragrance filling her senses. "Consort De went to the Emperor to seek a match for the Third Prince. I sent her a pair of mandarin ducks; it should be just what she wanted."

"Are we going?" Qiuqing asked, a hint of doubt in her voice.

Hearing this, Wen Ruoxuan glanced at the invitation on the table. "Did she invite Wan too?"

"Besides the Eldest Miss, there are a dozen other young ladies from prominent families," Qiuqing replied honestly.

Wen Ruoxuan exhaled softly. "What do you think?"

"Consort De clearly doesn't regard our Eldest Miss highly. Inviting her seems more like a formality," Qiuqing said, her tone tinged with resentment.

"Just play along," Wen Ruoxuan said nonchalantly while sipping her tea. "If she were serious, I'd have to think twice about turning her down."

Qiuqing was slightly taken aback. "You don't want the Eldest Miss to marry the Third Prince?"

"People outside the palace might not know, but you should. Xiao Yao is weak-willed. He's been indecisive since childhood, even needing Consort De to decide what he eats. There's no benefit in marrying him!" Wen Ruoxuan scoffed.

Qiuqing remained silent, and Wen Ruoxuan continued, "Any news from the Old Marquis?"

"Yes, this morning he took the Eldest Miss to the Feather Forest Battalion. I heard they won't be back tonight and might stay there for a while."

Wen Ruoxuan looked surprised. "The Feather Forest Battalion?"

Xiao Chen is currently stationed at the Feather Forest Battalion!

Could it be that the Old Marquis has his eyes on the Wai Duke?!