Chapter 15: Wei Lu
The next day, Wei Liuying spent the day by making the summary of a new book. Her mother's servant delivered it to her this morning, asking her to finish it as soon as possible so that Wei Hong Zheng would be able to study it. However, it was a brand new book, so Wei Liuying needed to read and understand the content first.
If not, she wouldn't be able to make a good summary for Wei Hong Zheng.
"Miss, it's time for lunch," Xiao Qing reminded.
Wei Liuying raised her head and put away the brush in her hand. She washed her hands in the basin of water that Xiao Yu prepared.
"Is there any new news?"
Xiao Yu nodded. She didn't stay near Wei Liuying most of the time as she often roamed around in the residence. Most of the time, she would be able to hear some pieces of news here and there. "Master is going to the palace today, and it's unlikely for him to return anytime soon."
"Oh, is there any problem in the north?" Wei Liuying wiped her hand unhurriedly.
"I don't know Miss, but there are several rumors."
"Rumors?"
"Yes. Some said that we lost big time, so it's impossible to defend the border without reinforcement. Some said that Xiong proposed a peace treaty and…."
Wei Liuying shook her head. "That's unlikely."
"But they sound very possible."
Xiao Qing rolled her eyes. How could that be possible? Those were only baseless rumors that didn't seem to have any relation with the truth whatsoever. Their military couldn't possibly win overwhelmingly. Similarly, it was impossible to lose so miserably so suddenly without any warning.
"It's just some baseless rumors," Wei Liuying said unhurriedly as she finished her food.
Xiao Yu waited until Wei Liuying finished eating before she proceeded. "Also, Second Master Wei will come in the afternoon."
Wei Liuying's eyes lit up when she heard the name. Second Master Wei referred to Wei Hong's brother, Wei Lu. Wei Lu was a few years younger than Wei Hong, and he became a lower-tier official because his result in the examination back then was not too good. However, he had slowly risen in position over the years.
"Help me change, Xiao Qing."
"Yes, Miss."
Xiao Qing and Xiao Yu were also smiling. The two of them knew that there were only a few people who treated Wei Liuying well, and Wei Lu was included in those few people. He was not overly friendly, but because he didn't have children and his wife had died a few years before, he often came here for a visit.
Back then, he was friendly to all children, but they didn't really like him. After all, Wei Hong disliked his younger brother. However, Wei Liuying was the sole exception because she found her uncle to have interesting views and all.
Afterwards, he kept came here occasionally to meet with her.
Wei Liuying dressed up properly then headed to the main hall. She could see Wei Hong Zheng was already there, but he had a dark expression on his face. He didn't like Wei Lu, but they all have to be polite to him, so someone had to keep him entertained.
"Third Sister," Wei Hong Zheng greeted.
"Second Brother," Wei Liuying greeted back. She looked at Wei Lu and curtsied once more. "Uncle Wei."
Wei Lu had a similar appearance to Wei Hong. He had defined feature and looked a bit older than his real age suggest him. Today, he was wearing a dark grey robe that suited his status as third rank official.
[A/N: the higher the rank, the smaller the number will be. For example, a second rank official is higher than third rank official and so on. The lowest number would be 9]
"Xiao Ying, you look thinner," Wei Lu said with a frown.
Wei Liuying smiled. Her uncle was the only one who would call her using endearment. The others simply didn't care at all. "Uncle Wei must be joking. I still look the same as before."
[A/N: Xiao here refers to small, which was one of the endearments that Chinese people usually used. Only those who were close to each other would use this type of endearment]
Wei Lu laughed.
Wei Hong Zheng stood up and stretched his body. "Uncle Wei, Third Sister, I still have to study so I'll excuse myself first."
"Study well, Second Brother."
Wei Lu also nodded, and Wei Hong Zheng hurriedly departed. He couldn't stand in the same room with Wei Lu for a long time because he didn't like his uncle. Only Wei Liuying could stand hearing his story for several incense sticks' (A/N: several hours) time.
"Xiao Ying, I brought you a new book. It's a story of a traveler in the north," Wei Lu said with a smile.
Wei Liuying's eyes sparkled. She was not allowed to have other books except those that were useful for her brother's study. The only one who gave her story books would be her uncle.
"Thank you, Uncle Wei!"
"Hahaha, I know that you'll surely like it," Wei Lu said and motioned his servant to bring the book out.
The servant stepped forward and handed the book to Xiao Qing, who was standing by the side. They were only standing guard near the wall as if they were wall's decoration. However, it was important to have them around because if not, some nasty rumors might spread.
Wei Liuying smiled, a rare kind of genuine smile that she would never show to her other family members. "Uncle, I want to know more about the war."
"War?"
"Yes, the war in the north."
"Ah." Wei Lu smiled bitterly. "You must have heard that Prince Ji Sheng had returned yesterday, right? You don't have to worry about the war. The two sides are in balance, and even though some villages were attacked, the damage is not that big."
Wei Liuying frowned. "That's not what I'm worried about, Uncle Wei."
"Then, what is it?"
"I'm wondering whether there would be an imbalance of power in the north because of Prince Ji Sheng return to the capital city. If I'm not wrong, Prince Ji Sheng played a pivotal role in making sure that Xiong Tribe couldn't win in the war," Wei Liuying said calmly.
Wei Lu was stumped. He looked at Wei Lu with a bitter smile. "Did you read new books again?"
"Two weeks ago, Second Brother has to learn about the war and recently, all the books are history in the north area," Wei Liuying replied. Wei Lu already knew that she was 'helping' her brother in his study. Even though she never divulged the real detail, Wei Lu still knew that Wei Liuying read a lot to help her brother.
Wei Lu nodded. "It's indeed true that Prince Ji Sheng played an important role in the war, but you forget one important point."
"What is it, Uncle Wei?"
"Han Shi Kingdom's North area military power didn't only rely on Prince Ji Sheng."
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