Chapter 3: The Delicate Beauty Songstress vs. The Strong General 3

The Wei family had been loyal generals for three generations.

Wei Chenheng went to war with his father at the age of fifteen, and when he was seventeen, the old general Wei died in battle. Wei Chenheng took over the soldiers his father left behind and fought fiercely on the battlefield.

By the age of twenty-five, he had already achieved remarkable military accomplishments.

While most men at Wei Chenheng’s age had already taken many wives and concubines and had children, the Wei family originally intended to seek a marriage proposal before the emperor, but instead ended up with a courtesan, which made the old general Wei furious.

The trap set by Prime Minister Ma was truly infuriating.

The maid led Ning Wanguan gracefully into the main hall, where she saw Wei’s old lady sitting in the main seat, and beside her was a girl of similar age, whom the system informed her was Wei Chenheng’s cousin, Gu Qingyi.

Gu Qingyi’s resentful gaze seemed as if she wanted to kill her.

Ning Wanguan’s heart sank: undoubtedly, Wei Chenheng’s devoted admirer.

She needed to be cautious.

The maid brought over a teacup, and Ning Wanguan respectfully knelt and bowed, offering tea to pay her respects.

The relationships within the Wei family were not complicated. Besides her Gu Qingyi, who had been raised in the Wei household since childhood, there was also Wei Chenheng’s uncle and his family.

Wei’s second uncle had one wife and one concubine, with one son and one daughter, making it a complete family.

Now, only Wei Chenheng remained.

Although Old Lady Wei disliked Ning Wanguan, seeing her behave properly today, knowledgeable and courteous, she decided to let it go.

After all, she was just a concubine, of low status, but if she could bring a child to the Wei family and atone for her past, that wouldn’t be bad.

Old Lady Wei sipped her tea and said, “Our Wei family doesn’t have that many rules. From now on, you only need to come to pay your respects at the beginning of each month.”

Ning Wanguan bowed slightly and replied softly, “One must not neglect etiquette.”

If one didn’t consider her background, she did have the appearance of a noble young lady.

“Alright, go pay respects to your second uncle and his wife.”

“Yes!”

Ning Wanguan respectfully held the teacup and knelt before Second Uncle Wei and his wife, saying, “Greetings to Second Uncle and Second Aunt.”

Second Uncle Wei had already noticed Ning Wanguan’s beauty, and now, at such a close distance, even though she was lowering her head, the faint scent of a beautiful woman made him feel somewhat restless.

“Hey, get up, get up.”

Just as Second Uncle Wei was about to help Ning Wanguan up, he was stopped by Second Aunt Wei beside him. Seeing her husband mesmerized, Second Aunt Wei felt angry and silently cursed, “Seductive courtesan!”

“You’ve just arrived at the Wei family, so you must not use those vulgar methods like before, bringing shame to the Wei family, understand?”

“I understand.”

“Also, once a woman is married, she must follow the three obediences and four virtues, and must obey her husband both inside and outside, do you understand?”

“I understand.”

Although Ning Wanguan appeared obedient, she had already cursed her in her heart three hundred times. This woman was humiliating her, making her serve tea while kneeling and going on and on about women’s virtues.

One couldn’t tell if Second Aunt Wei was suited for sales; she lectured for half an hour. Old Lady Wei also seemed to want to give her a warning, so she remained silent, letting Second Aunt Wei continue.

Ning Wanguan’s hand holding the teacup began to tremble slightly, cold sweat had already formed on her forehead, and her knees felt completely numb.

Although Second Aunt Wei noticed that Ning Wanguan was feeling unwell, she had no intention of letting her off the hook and began to criticize her, “Your posture for holding the tea is wrong; raise it a bit higher.”

Ning Wanguan obediently raised her arms, holding the teacup above her head.

Her hands ached more, and her legs felt even more numb.

Just as she was about to continue her lengthy lecture, a faint sound came from outside the hall, and Wei Chenheng strode into the main hall with an imposing presence.

Ning Wanguan’s heart skipped a beat, and her hand trembled, causing the cup to shatter on the ground.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry, Aunt, I didn’t mean to…”

Wei Chenheng was about to greet his mother when he heard the noise. His gaze shifted to the main seat and saw Ning Wanguan’s pale face, kneeling on the ground in a panic, her hand cut by the broken cup as she tried to pick it up.

So pitiful.

He couldn’t help but recall how pitiful she looked last night, and his eyes grew deep with concern.

The man quickly stepped forward, “What’s going on?”

Second Aunt Wei took the opportunity to complain first, “Heng’er, you came at the right time. Look at this concubine; she has no upbringing. Just serving tea and she breaks a cup—what bad luck.”

Wei Chenheng seemed to ignore her words and walked up to Ning Wanguan, “Get up first.”

Ning Wanguan raised her eyes and saw a handsome face. His brows were tightly furrowed, seemingly displeased, but his long fingers gently covered her soft little hand, trying to help her up.

The girl bit her red lips tightly, tears welling in her eyes, and her voice was as soft as a kitten’s, “It hurts…”

She truly couldn’t stand up; her whole body felt numb.

Wei Chenheng’s expression darkened. Although he knew it was unintentional, her soft voice reminded him of her adorable appearance.

…

He felt somewhat awkward.

Seeing her in pain, he swiftly scooped her up in front of everyone, cradling the delicate girl in his arms like a feather.

The girl’s face flushed with shame, and she lowered her head, softly saying, “I can walk by myself.”

Knowing she was just saying that out of politeness, he asked directly, “Are your legs injured?”

She bit her lip and dared not speak.

“Second Aunt, what exactly happened?”

His normally stoic face now carried a hint of cold fury, his sharp gaze sweeping toward her Second Aunt.

She trembled all over, unable to form a coherent response.

He looked down at Ning Wanguan again, his tone suddenly softening. “How long were you kneeling?”

She blinked her teary eyes and answered honestly, “Aunt made me kneel and hold the tea cup for an hour. I don’t even know what I did wrong to upset her. I wasn’t feeling well, but I didn’t dare say anything… Husband, please don’t blame Aunt. I know she’s only doing it for my own good.”

Her expression changed instantly. She pointed at Ning Wanguan and snapped, “You’re lying! It was only half an hour!”

Frightened, Ning Wanguan shrank back into Wei Chenheng’s embrace, trembling. “Aunt, I won’t do it again. Please don’t be angry…”

Wei Chenheng’s dark eyes narrowed dangerously. “She’s only been in the manor for one day, and this is how she’s treated? Do you no longer regard me as the master of this household?”

He didn’t name names, but his cold, sharp tone made both Second Uncle and Second Aunt shudder in fear, rendering them speechless.

The Wei Matriarch had been watching coldly from the sidelines. She had tacitly approved of Ning Wanguan’s ordeal, but now, seeing how much her son was protecting this woman of dubious origins, she couldn’t help but tap her staff against the ground.

“Heng’er, are you really going to disregard the traditions of the Wei family for a mere concubine?”