Chapter 110
**Chapter 110: Naming the Daughter**
The Crown Prince said lightly, “Yuan Li, your leg injury hasn’t healed yet. You should return to the palace and take care of yourself.”
Prince Heng scoffed, “Take care of my injury? How can I do that? In a couple of days, I need to visit the Yan Wang Fu to show off my brotherly bond with Second Brother.”
The Yan Wang was plotting to frame him for assassination, yet Prince Heng insisted on visiting the Yan Wang Fu. He was determined to maintain the facade of brotherly affection. If he couldn’t kill the Yan Wang, he would at least annoy him.
Out of the corner of his eye, Prince Heng caught sight of the Yan Wang Fei arriving late. He took the initiative to greet her, “Oh, Second Sister-in-law, you’re here.”
The Wang Fei nodded slightly and bowed to the Crown Prince. In front of outsiders, she naturally had to present herself as a virtuous wife and good mother, anxiously wanting to enter the room to see the Yan Wang.
Prince Heng deliberately raised his voice, twisting his tone, “Oh, don’t worry, Second Sister-in-law. Yan Wang’s wound has been treated; he just needs to sleep for a couple of hours to wake up. Even if he were to die, it wouldn’t be bad for you. Cheng Ke, this child, can inherit his father’s legacy—how wonderful!”
The Wang Fei nearly stumbled, her hidden prayer beads almost slipping from her sleeve.
The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes, warning Prince Heng, “Yuan Li, don’t speak nonsense!”
Prince Heng clicked his tongue, his sharp eyes scanning the Wang Fei’s face. He raised an eyebrow—was she really showing a guilty expression as if her secret had been exposed?
Could it be that she had actually considered the idea of “inheriting the father’s legacy”?
Prince Heng couldn’t help but chuckle. It seemed that if he wanted to eliminate the Yan Wang in the future, the Wang Fei would be a promising entry point.
Today’s injury to his thigh was not in vain.
He gently closed the white jade fan in his hand, supported by his guards, and took a stroll around the Ministry of War, deliberately limping in front of the officials, before leaving with a pronounced limp.
The Crown Prince stood under the eaves, watching Prince Heng’s departing figure. After a long while, he sighed silently and entered the room to check on the Yan Wang’s condition.
...
Inside the room, the Yan Wang remained in a coma. His strong upper body was bare, his shoulder wrapped in white bandages, his lips devoid of color.
The Wang Fei felt a pang in her heart, tears uncontrollably streaming down her face.
After all, they had once shared love; seeing the Yan Wang unconscious made her heart ache painfully.
She intended to stay by his side until he woke up. But less than an hour later, Qian Mama, who served the Empress, arrived on imperial orders to check on her.
Qian Mama informed the Wang Fei, “Your Highness, the Yan Wang is out of danger. There’s no use waiting here. The Empress requests that you return to the Yan Wang Fu to manage affairs. Once the Wang Ye wakes up, guards will personally escort him back.”
With the Yan Wang injured, the Wang Fu was undoubtedly in a state of panic.
At this moment, it was essential for the head matriarch to stabilize the hearts of the people and prepare for the Yan Wang’s recovery, ensuring order within the Wang Fu.
“How can I ignore my husband’s injury?” The Wang Fei frowned, feeling quite unwilling. She hoped that when the Yan Wang opened his eyes, the first person he would see would be her, perhaps rekindling their marital feelings.
But the Empress’s cold decree came crashing down, demanding her return to the Wang Fu to manage affairs?
Qian Mama calmly replied, “Your Highness, do not defy the Empress’s orders. She is thinking of your well-being.”
The Wang Fei tightened her grip on the prayer beads hidden in her sleeve.
After a moment, she forced a smile, albeit reluctantly, “If that’s the case, I can only obey the Empress’s wishes.”
With a heart full of grievances, the Wang Fei had no choice but to return to the Wang Fu alone.
Upon her return, she found the Wang Fu as orderly as ever, with servants bustling about in an organized manner, the entire household showing no signs of turmoil.
Her resentment towards the Empress only grew. The Wang Fu didn’t need her to worry too much; it maintained its stable order without her intervention.
Frustrated, the Wang Fei returned to the Kunyu Courtyard, kneeling in front of the Buddha hall to burn incense. The fragrant sandalwood smoke wafted around her, and she tried to calm her restless heart.
“Your Highness, the steward Fu Gui requests an audience.” Liu Mama entered the Buddha hall.
The Wang Fei added three sticks of incense to the altar and asked, “What does he want now?”
Liu Mama replied, “Your Highness, Steward Fu Gui says that autumn is approaching, and the crops in the Wang Fu’s fields are thriving. He wishes to ask you to determine the rental shares for the tenants. Additionally, the dessert shop in Yanjing has suffered significant losses in the past two months; he’s unsure whether to close it.”
The Wang Fei felt a headache coming on.
Back when she was still in her maidenhood, she had indeed learned some management skills. But after marrying into the Yan Wang Fu and having children, all her energy had been devoted to her children and religious practices, leaving her no time to deal with the tedious household matters.
“Let Fu Gui handle it himself. He’s the steward of the Wang Fu; he should be taking the burden off his master’s shoulders.” The Wang Fei’s tone was impatient.
Liu Mama conveyed the Wang Fei’s instructions to Steward Fu Gui.
Fu Gui felt overwhelmed. He had been running around all day, first punishing the gossiping servants, then tirelessly dealing with the various matters of the fields and shops.
He had come to the Wang Fei for decisions, only to be met with her refusal to engage.
Fu Gui had a premonition that one day he would wear himself out from all this running around. But if he were to retire, he would feel guilty for the Yan Wang’s past kindness.
...
Ministry of War.
The Yan Wang remained unconscious until dusk, slowly regaining consciousness. The Crown Prince was busy handling state affairs nearby, with piles of documents accumulating on his desk. He frequently coughed, clearly struggling to keep up.
“Brother.” The Yan Wang struggled to sit up.
The Crown Prince quickly set down the documents, relieved to see the Yan Wang’s complexion improving. He lowered his voice, “Yuan Jing, you’ve gone too far today. Didn’t you promise me you wouldn’t get hurt?”
Recently, the Yue Kingdom had been provoking attacks, even starting to sell ordinary citizens from the borders of the Qing Kingdom. The Yan Wang and the Crown Prince wanted to send troops to capture three cities on the Yue Kingdom’s border, to crush their arrogance.
However, the officials in the court who sided with Prince Heng were all submitting memorials opposing the invasion of another country. The Yan Wang had staged a self-directed “assassination by Yue Kingdom assassins” to silence these officials.
The Crown Prince thought the Yan Wang was just putting on a show and hadn’t really been hurt. But who would have thought that he had actually been shot in the left shoulder?
The Yan Wang said, “Brother, it wasn’t the assassin’s arrow that went astray; I was just distracted—please, could you get me some paper and a brush?”
The Crown Prince fetched the paper and brush.
The Yan Wang grasped the brush and quickly wrote the characters “Li Le You” on the rice paper.
The Crown Prince was puzzled, unable to recall anyone by that name in the court: “Who is Li Le You?”
The Yan Wang replied proudly, “At that time, I was traveling with Yuan Li, passing by the lotus pond in the East District, watching the fish frolicking in the water, carefree and happy. I thought, if Wei Wei gives birth to a daughter in the future, we could name her ‘Le You.’”
Since deciding to name Shen Wei’s unborn child, the Yan Wang occasionally had bursts of inspiration, coming up with one suitable name after another.
For his son, he had thought of three names: Cheng De, Cheng Ze, and Cheng Zong.
For his daughter, today he had thought of one: Le You.
He would jot down any better names for his daughter in a little notebook later.
At the time of the arrow, the Yan Wang could have dodged it, but he had been distracted and was accidentally hit. Fortunately, the poison from the arrow was not severe, and it hadn’t caused serious consequences.
The Crown Prince: ...
The Crown Prince rubbed his forehead, “Since you’re injured, you should return to the palace to recuperate for a few days and pretend to be gravely ill. The plan to attack the three cities of the Yue Kingdom has already been set, and Father’s decree is being rushed to the border.”
The Yan Wang summoned the Tiger Guards and set off back to the Yan Wang Fu.
The golden sunset enveloped the Yan Wang Fu, casting a golden hue over the two solemn stone lions at the entrance.
The Yan Wang’s injury was not serious; he could walk on his own. But to silence the gossip in the court, he deliberately allowed two Tiger Guards to support him, creating the impression that he was gravely injured.
As soon as he stepped into the Wang Fu, the Yan Wang suddenly heard two crisp calls:
“Father!”
“Wang Ye!”
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