Chapter 47: The Filial Piety of Children

The Emperor agreed. Princess Pingcheng, like a child who had received her fill, did not linger any longer and took her leave happily.

As she walked out of Kunning Palace, she looked back to see that the palace maids and eunuchs who had been standing guard outside, including the two elderly servants of the Dowager Marchioness of Yichun, had all entered the hall.

Allowing attendants to enter meant that the arguing and disputing would cease.

Princess Pingcheng breathed a sigh of relief and walked out with slow steps.

However, her brow furrowed slightly again. Had her father and mother actually quarreled because of the Duke of Ding'an? And it sounded as if her maternal grandfather and grandmother were also helpless to intervene.

Her maternal grandfather, the Marquis of Yichun, held an extraordinary status.

The title of Marquis of Yichun was bestowed by her father, yet it was not truly his creation.

In the previous dynasty, the Chai family had held the title of Marquis of Yichun.

During the chaos of Emperor Ai's reign, the then-Marquis of Yichun, Chai Yan, had married his granddaughter, Chai Feng, to her father, forming a kinship bond. He then mobilized the entire strength of the Yichun Marquisate to assist her father in his campaigns.

With this support, her father became like a tiger with wings, sweeping through his enemies with irresistible force. He crushed Zhao Tan, pacified the various regions, and secured the throne.

At that time, many sought to recruit Chai Yan, but he chose only her father. Consequently, her father was deeply grateful to the Chai clan and vowed to make them a centennial noble house, thus preserving the title from the previous dynasty.

In contrast, the Yang family, the Dukes of Ding'an, could not be compared to the Chai family at all.

In the previous dynasty, the Yangs were merely wealthy locals, not a prominent aristocratic clan. They were simply from the same region as her father and had looked after him during his childhood.

Later, when her father went out to fight and rebelled against Zhao Tan, he instructed his guards to contact his neighbors back home; the Yang family had then taken the opportunity to join the rebellion.

In truth, the Yang family was mediocre in warfare and lacked outstanding scholarly strategic minds; they were simply well-known and trusted by her father to guard the rear. Surprisingly, they were even granted a noble title in the new dynasty.

This had caused much surprise and resentment among many at the time.

However, the Emperor had stated that a debt of a single meal must be repaid. Without the Yang family, he, Deng Shan, would have died long ago. This silenced the skeptics, leaving them to only mutter privately that the Yang family was merely lucky.

But being lucky and having the Emperor's backing did not mean they could do as they pleased, especially when facing families with genuine meritorious service.

Why did such a family seem to make her grandfather's family so... conflicted?

Princess Pingcheng then remembered that before she went to the Imperial Academy to select a study companion, her father had mentioned that she should grant the young lady of the Duke of Ding'an's manor a sense of dignity.

That was why she had specifically called Yang Hui over to speak.

In reality, from the time she could remember, the Duke of Ding'an's manor had rarely visited the Imperial City, coming only during festivals to pay respects. They did not appear to hold much prestige before the Emperor.

Yet, she vaguely remembered that when the Duke and Duchess of Ding'an celebrated their birthdays, the Emperor would actually bestow rewards, which was highly unusual.

It was truly strange.

From the recent quarrel, it seemed that the three families shared a different connection prior to her father's ascension.

What kind of connection was it? Her mother never mentioned the Duke of Ding'an's family, and while her father appeared close to them, he never spoke of the past.

It was all her fault for being born too late. She had been born in the Imperial City, where the distinction between ruler and subject was absolute. She was not like her elder brother, the Prince of Donghai, who was born while their father was still at war. He had either been with his father in the army or at her grandfather's house, where he often saw her father's comrades-in-arms and heard their private conversations.

Princess Pingcheng nodded thoughtfully; she would find a time to ask her brother.

A sudden whistle interrupted her thoughts. She froze for a moment, then a smile broke across her face. Looking up, she called out, "Wei Jiao."

Wei Jiao stood before the palace, swaying slightly as he watched her.

"Are you here to see my father?" Princess Pingcheng looked around; she had already walked near the Emperor's study.

The study her father had specially prepared for her was located here—a privilege her brother did not even enjoy, and one the other princesses were not qualified for. This showed how much he favored her as his eldest legitimate daughter.

Wei Jiao bowed deeply.

"So busy so early in the morning?" Princess Pingcheng said. "Have you uncovered another case?"

Wei Jiao raised an eyebrow. "If it's a case handled by me, does the Princess dare to listen?" He smiled again. "The Princess is much bolder than the Prince of Donghai. Whenever he sees me, he turns and walks away, never daring to ask about my cases."

Princess Pingcheng shot him a glance. "My brother has a grudge against you involving incense ash; he simply doesn't want to deal with you."

"The first time we met, you didn't hold a grudge or despise me even after I strangled your precious parrot," Wei Jiao said, waving his hand to stop her from speaking. "There is no need for the Princess to be modest. You are indeed better than the Prince of Donghai. It's a pity you are a woman; otherwise, the Crown Prince position should belong to you."

Princess Pingcheng spat in disdain. "Don't talk nonsense."

Wei Jiao was unrestrained; others regarded him as a madman, but she could not accept certain things he said, so she hurriedly changed the subject.

"My father is accompanying my mother, and my grandmother has also arrived. They will likely come after they finish their meal. Come back later."

Wei Jiao let out a "Ha!" "That's wonderful!"

Why was it "wonderful" again? Although she and Wei Jiao were among the few who could converse comfortably, Princess Pingcheng was still frequently stunned by his words.

"Actually, I didn't come to discuss a case with His Majesty. Sigh—" Wei Jiao explained with a long sigh. "The case His Majesty ordered has made no progress. I had no desire to see him at all."

He sounded annoyed as he continued.

"But my father sent someone to request an audience, so he asked me to come and inquire."

Having said that, he gave a formal bow.

"Thank you, Princess. This official takes his leave."

With a pivot of his toes, he turned and departed with a graceful, fluttering gait.

Princess Pingcheng felt as if she had watched a butterfly fluttering to and fro; she was both annoyed and amused. Wei Jiao truly acted in a wild and erratic manner.

However, he was handsome.

She actually couldn't remember the parrot he had strangled; she only remembered how handsome the youth holding the parrot had looked at that moment.

Much more handsome than a parrot.

...

...

Wei Jiao returned to the Embroidered Uniform Office with a light step.

The members of the Embroidered Uniform were either scattered outside on intelligence missions or in the cells conducting interrogations. The office was always quiet, which added to its eerie atmosphere.

However, today there were seven or eight people squatting, standing, or leaning against the corridor pillars in the courtyard.

Seeing Wei Jiao enter, several of them hurriedly stood up. One young gentleman looked quite displeased.

"Wei Jiao, you—" he began.

Before he could finish, an older man stopped him.

"Wei Xu, do not be disrespectful to the Third Young Master," he said, then gave Wei Jiao a kind smile. "Ah Jiao, you're back? Has His Majesty granted an audience?"

Wei Jiao shook his head. "Seventh Uncle, your timing is off. His Majesty is dining with the Empress and the Dowager Marchioness of Yichun. You won't see him today. I'll look into it for you tomorrow."

*What kind of meal takes all day?* That was far too dismissive.

The men exchanged glances, and another middle-aged man spoke up: "We shall submit our own petitions to request an audience. It would be too much trouble for the Young Master to keep running back and forth."

Wei Jiao's brows shot up. "What kind of talk is that!"

The men were stunned by his sudden change in expression, only to see him smile again the next moment.

"My father sent someone to seek an audience; how can I, as his son, ignore it?" he said. "How can it be called 'trouble' when a son eases his father's worries? This is only natural!"

The middle-aged man gave a bitter smile, about to say something, when Wei Xu could no longer restrain himself and stepped forward.

"Wei Jiao, are you intentionally looking for trouble?" he shouted. "This matter shouldn't even involve you. We were traveling via the official courier stations, but you had your Embroidered Uniform officers intercept us halfway and lock us up in this office. What are you trying to do—"

Before he could finish, his vision blurred, followed by a sharp *slap*.

Wei Jiao had slapped him across the face.

Wei Xu immediately tumbled to the ground.

The others were startled. "Wei Jiao!" "Why are you hitting people!" they shouted, surrounding the young man to prevent Wei Jiao from striking again.

Wei Jiao gently rubbed his own hand.

"What is so strange about me hitting someone? Have I been away from home for over five years and forgotten that I have a sickness that makes me like to hit people?" He looked at them and smiled again. "But my sickness has improved much now. When I hit people now, I have a reason, unlike before when I was just acting out of madness."

Indeed, the entire Wei clan knew that the youngest son of Wei Cui was a madman.

A madman with immense strength.

The man called Seventh Uncle looked at the struck Wei Xu. This was his son, whose face was now swollen from the slap, blood leaking from his nose and mouth.

Suppressing his rage, he asked with a grim face, "And what is the reason?"

Wei Jiao looked at him with a beaming smile. "Seventh Uncle knows I am the Commandant of the Embroidered Uniform, right? And you know what we do, don't you?"

He toyed with his fingers.

"Inspecting officials, the extravagance of nobles, violating protocols, and breaking the law."

"His Majesty has summoned my father to the capital several times, but he did not come, sending you instead. And now you walk brazenly into the official office to request an audience. This is showing utter contempt for His Majesty."

"This is a violation of protocol and the law."

Even though Lord Wei Seven was in Longxi, he was naturally aware of the reputation of the Embroidered Uniform.

Violating protocol and breaking the law—being beaten by the Embroidered Uniform was the light punishment; usually, it resulted in the seizure of entire households.

Wei Jiao indeed had a reason for striking him.

He said through gritted teeth, "The Great General did not come because of unavoidable circumstances... which have been reported to His Majesty. That is why he sent us to seek an audience and beg for forgiveness."

Wei Jiao hummed in agreement and crouched down to look at the bloodied Wei Xu on the ground.

"So, I'll hit him first, and His Majesty won't have to," he said with a serious expression. "I am doing this to save your lives, and to save my father's reputation!"

Lord Wei Seven stared at him, his face twitching. Finally, he lowered his gaze. "Thank you, Third Young Master, for handling this."

Wei Jiao smiled brightly. "You're welcome. It is what a son should do."