Chapter 346: Chapter 345: I Only See Him as a Sucker
At dusk, the sky is smeared with a layer of glow, red like fire. The streets have far fewer pedestrians, and the noisy bustle has also come to a close.
Wei Yingying was reluctant to return to the mansion, wandering aimlessly, her heart in turmoil.
"Miss Wei, it’s time to go back," the servant by her side persuaded softly.
"Go back to what?"
Wei Yingying’s tone was very sharp.
"That despicable girl had her matchmaking today, and it’s still the Zhao Family’s young man, who now holds the position of Dean at the Imperial College. Although he is only a Sixth-Rank Official, his father is the Tongzheng in the Tongzheng Department. The Zhao Family’s young man will only do better in future. As a concubine daughter, she must be really smug right now, thinking she’s turned her fortunes around," she said resentfully.
Wei Zhuzhu is no longer a concubine daughter, is she? Now listed under Mama’s name, she goes out as the legitimate daughter, and the Minister of Ministry of Industry, Wei Ce, is willing to invest heavily in Wei Zhuzhu. She might even outshine me, the true legitimate daughter.
Thinking of this, Wei Yingying’s heart shattered. Yet, she couldn’t let go of the desire to outdo the other.
"I certainly don’t want to go back and see that smug face of hers."
"Once the marriage arrangement is settled, believe it or not, she’s probably waiting in my courtyard right now. Likely to humiliate me," Wei Yingying said bitterly.
The thought of this scene made Wei Yingying even more annoyed.
"How can that still be my home? Among all the people in the entire residence, both inside and out, the only one who cares for me is my Mama."
Yet, as the Madam has to appear on behalf of the master, she has to, as a mother, negotiate marriage for that despicable girl. Offering her a ladder to heaven, allowing her to completely trample me, Wei Yingying, underfoot.
But how could she resent Mama?
At this moment, she had another thought.
"Marrying Ji Teng doesn’t sound so bad."
"Though poor and powerless, I’m not expecting him to achieve much. As long as he treats me well, that will do."
"Once I’m in the Third Prince Mansion, I’ll see that despicable girl less. I’ll avoid her in the future to keep from getting angry. But if she provokes me time and again, it’s not like I have no one to support me."
The Hidden Guard sent to deliver the money listened to Wei Yingying speak cheerfully.
"I have Shen Hua, what do I have to fear!"
"When the time comes, I will seek her protection! Wei Zhuzhu will only be left to cry."
The Hidden Guard in the corner stayed silent.
"I surely can’t count on Ji Teng, he’s a Prince, but anyone can kick him around. I can’t always make him offend others for my sake, I have nobody to rely on for the rest of my life!"
The Hidden Guard remained emotionless and silent.
Wei Yingying suddenly thought of something.
"But this isn’t a big deal, if worse comes to worst, I will just plead with Ji Huo. He is the most loyal; perhaps in a fit of loyalty, he would slap the table and vow to protect both Ji Teng and me from now on. With that, we’d have someone to lean on and some hope."
The Hidden Guard’s mouth twitched fiercely.
Wei Yingying sighed deeply and touched her deflated purse: "It’s just that my current trouble is I’ve run out of silver. The latest batch of ointment they just released is expensive, and I really want to buy it."
"That despicable girl came to my room yesterday to show off, pretending to be generous by letting me try it, saying weirdly that a small bottle costs one hundred taels. I was so annoyed, without a second word—and also to save her face—I scooped out almost half the bottle and slathered it on my face," Wei Yingying said indignantly.
Wei Zhuzhu’s face darkened.
But she couldn’t feel happy about it.
The ointment was indeed good.
Wanted to buy.
She also desired to possess it.
Wei Yingying clasped her hands together: "If I can make a windfall, I’m willing to live ten years less!"
As she spoke, she suddenly stepped on something.
Wei Yingying’s foot felt uncomfortable: ???
She looked down.
!!!
Gold!!!
She looked around, then quickly squatted down like a thief, picked it up, weighed it in her hand, and even put it to her mouth to bite it without bothering about the dirt.
It’s gold!!!
"Where did this come from?" the servant’s eyes widened.
Wei Yingying turned her head: "...What did I just say?"
Servant: ...
The two stared at each other, eyes wide.
Wei Yingying didn’t know whether she should hide the gold immediately, struggling with the decision when a gust of wind blew, smacking her face with one hundred-tael silver notes.
Wei Yingying: ...
Soon, she held gold in one hand and a thick stack of silver notes in the other, her expression a bit messy. Then she saw the Shopkeeper of the rouge store, beaming as he approached her from around the corner.
The Shopkeeper bowed slightly: "Miss Wei, congratulations. This is the new ointment we just made, and I see you’re the destined one, so I’m gifting this bottle to you. Please do accept it as a courtesy."
Wei Yingying added a bottle of ointment to her confused collection of hand-held items.
She glanced at the sky, which was about to turn dark, pondering for a moment before making another wish.
"I also want..."
The Hidden Guard in the corner listened very carefully.
Wei Yingying pointed to the sky: "A bolt of lightning to strike Wei Zhuzhu dead!"
Hidden Guard: ...That’s a bit difficult.
Wei Yingying waited, but saw no change in the weather and no lightning. Not wanting to return to the residence before, she now had even less desire to go back, so she quickly scurried off in another direction.
————
Third Prince Mansion.
Ji Teng had just seen off Cui Yun not long ago.
He pondered momentarily, ready to write a secret letter, when he heard footsteps outside.
"Ji Teng!"
It was a familiar voice.
He looked up to see Wei Yingying barging in.
She approached and dumped what was in her arms onto the table: "I must have run into a ghost."
"Have you ever seen it rain silver notes? They fell like crazy, all smashing onto my face! It hurt like hell!"
Ji Teng looked at her worried face and then at the frighteningly thick stack of silver notes. While Wei Yingying wasn’t paying attention, he cast a grave glance at the Hidden Guard who had just returned to the corner.
The Hidden Guard, who had intended to take credit, suddenly felt an inexplicable chill down his spine.
"Why aren’t you saying anything!"
Ji Teng bowed his head with his usual restrained demeanor, speaking softly, "It must be Miss Wei’s fortune arriving."
"Since it has fallen into your hands, you might as well keep it for the time being."
Wei Yingying said: "At first, I was worried it was dirty money and feared it would bring trouble, so I specifically went to Marquis Yangling Mansion to find Shen Hua, thankfully she gave me an answer that cleared up all my doubts."
She paced anxiously back and forth in front of Ji Teng.
"Do you want to hear it?"
Ji Teng asked, "When you encountered this, you first sought out Miss Shen?"
"Of course, everyone is afraid of her—even the ghosts are scared of her."
"Shen Hua said it must be some rich young noble who took a fancy to me. While my appearance isn’t the best, it’s not too shabby either, so this occurrence isn’t too strange."
"He did this deliberately to please me, intending for me to have an affair behind your back."
Ji Teng asked softly, "Do you believe that?"
"I believe it!"
Ji Teng held back his temper, without making a scene. However, he feigned a shocked expression and remained silent for a long time.
It was an expression that strangely made one feel distressed.
Wei Yingying stepped forward and patted his back.
"Don’t panic!"
She thought for a while, "It’s true that we’re short on funds."
"I’ve thought it over on the way here. If that person continues to send money, I’ll just keep accepting it. There will inevitably be some cajoling involved, but don’t be mad; I could never do anything to betray you. All in all, I’m just treating him like a big sucker. What do you think?"
The "big sucker" Ji Teng: ...
What to think?
Could it be that he’s meant to cuck himself?