Chapter 344: Chapter 344

Deliberately emphasizing the words "biological older brother" with added weight, An Ning made no attempt to conceal her displeasure.

Unless absolutely necessary, even mentioning him felt unlucky.

As her elder sister had correctly pointed out earlier, among the three siblings of the original body, the original host was indeed the most unfortunate one.

Back then, although their unlucky father had messed up his official duties and caused quite a problem, he wasn't particularly bold after all, and his position wasn't high enough to warrant the entire family's complete downfall.

Most crucially, this father was truly timid; he had only been in prison a short while, hadn't even waited for a verdict, and was already gone.

He had literally scared himself to death!

Perhaps the officials handling the case found it utterly absurd, so the matter was hastily concluded.

As family members of a convicted official, aside from the already married elder sister, the original host and her brother should have, by regulation, been consigned to the Xin Zheku registry. However, that was during the Three Feudatories Rebellion, a time when the military needed personnel. This brother was clever; he spent a significant sum of silver, pulling strings everywhere, and finally managed to get himself enlisted in the army.

Thus, he escaped a fate of servitude.

In her previous life, after the original host was enfeoffed as a concubine, this person did try hard to send messages and attach himself to her. Later, seeing that the original host wasn't favored, had no children for a long time, and didn't even have a proper title, he immediately vanished.

What a true biological brother! One could say he was extremely pragmatic.

Therefore, hearing him mentioned now, with a tone that seemed to suggest a desire for promotion, An Ning's expression was indescribably exasperated; even her originally teary eyes couldn't hide her utter annoyance.

Regardless of whether this was sincere or a test, she swiftly disentangled herself from him:

"Please don't! Since he didn't show up before, you might as well act person doesn't exist!"

"And don't talk about shared bloodlines, bones being broken but tendons connected; I've never believed in that set of ideas anyway."

Not to mention an actual official position, even an empty title made her feel extremely vexed.

"Or is it... you think my status is too lowly, that currently occupying the consort position shames you, Your Majesty?"

Perhaps because she had just shed tears, her eyes were exceptionally clear and bright at this moment, especially when she looked directly at him, clearer than the lakes at the border frontiers.

Kangxi quickly averted his gaze:

"Nonsense! I merely mentioned it once, and you have so much to say!"

"Have you considered who this is for?"

His words made it sound like she was ungrateful. She scoffed lightly in her heart:

"Anyway, I don't feel embarrassed. As for other people..."

An Ning wore an expression that said "what does it have to do with me, let them do as they please."

Seeing her , the person opposite her momentarily had a complex look in his eyes. He raised his hand and took a sip of light tea, then after a moment slowly spoke:

"How old are you, still acting so willfully, leaving not even the slightest room for maneuver for yourself..."

She didn't detect criticism or testing in his tone.

An Ning's tone unconsciously softened as well. The vermilion-red jade tassel in her hand swayed back and forth, like a playful, happy child:

"Just for the sake of some uncertain future retreat, I should constantly endure irritation in the present...

I am still young; whether it's my appearance, my energy, even my body is still at its peak, free from illness and disaster. If even under these circumstances I have to constantly worry and can't make myself as comfortable and happy as possible!"

"Then frankly, I don't even want to discuss this so-called 'future'."

The person beside her said mildly, clearly not agreeing.

An Ning snorted but didn't say more. She just casually picked up the jade pendant hanging at his waist and began idly playing with it in her palm.

The bright yellow silk cord continuously twisted and turned between her jade-like, luminous white fingers, inexplicably captivating.

Because of the close proximity, even the surrounding air carried a faint, light fragrance.

Like a clear lotus after a summer rain, exceptionally pleasant.

For no reason, someone's breathing suddenly hitched for a moment.

His hand, poised to reach out, hadn't yet moved when, the next moment, a radiant face, bright as morning clouds, suddenly leaned close. As if remembering something, her bright eyes once again sparkled as she looked at him:

"Ah, that's right, speaking of rewards, if Your Majesty truly wishes to reward me for my hard work handling palace affairs these days, how about bestowing this promotion upon my elder sister instead!"

"With status, it would be more convenient for her to enter the palace in the future, or to summon an imperial physician if something happens. With my worries about her gone, wouldn't I handle palace affairs even more smoothly?"

"Your Majesty, don't you agree?"

Several hours later, the imperial edict conferring the official third-rank honorary title was ultimately issued.

Not to mention how surprised Eldest Sister Wei was—having just returned home and still concerned about her younger sister in the palace—when Eldest Brother Wei and his wife, who had just come to visit, heard the news of the elder sister entering the palace, their eyes turned green with envy.

"E... Eldest Sister." Eldest Brother Wei instinctively took a deep breath. Seeming to think of something, he slowly softened his tone, his hand hanging at his side unconsciously clenching into a fist:

"Eldest Sister, about the message I previously asked you to pass to our younger sister... no, to Consort Chen, did you forget something?"

Shooting her unlucky brother an exasperated glare, Wei Yun ignored him completely, directly ordering the servants to close the main gate.

To be honest, over these years, seeing this only brother show complete disregard for their younger sister, Eldest Sister Wei had long since abandoned all expectations of him.

Someone this cold and heartless—what hope could there be?

During this palace visit, not hearing her younger sister mention him even once confirmed that her sister felt the same way.

Since that was the case, what need was there to engage with him?

Even after being shut outside the gate once more, Eldest Brother Wei still couldn't quite process it.

And he simply couldn't understand.

Why? In his view, no matter how favored his younger sister was, her foundation was ultimately shallow, and she had no children. Shouldn't she be promoting him, her own brother, to add support for her future?

What value did their elder sister, a mere woman, have?

No matter how resentful he was, Eldest Brother Wei could only leave indignantly for now. Afterward, he continuously tried to contact old acquaintances, hoping to relay messages into the palace through them.

Unfortunately, after An Ning took charge of palace affairs, while the rear palace appeared largely unchanged on the surface, the difficulty of sending messages to the outside had increased manifold compared to before.

Even some long-established bondservant families found it challenging, let alone Eldest Brother Wei himself, who had little foundation.

An Ning had no doubt that this was also one of the reasons why that somewhat stingy emperor had been uncharacteristically straightforward that day.

Especially since, after An Ning was enfeoffed as a consort, she had almost never acknowledged this brother—not requesting an audience through imperial decree, not even sending a verbal message or indirect rewards.

His Majesty clearly didn't regard this person either. Once the palace's attitude became known, the crowd that had gathered around him soon dispersed.

In everyone's eyes, their understanding of the rumored Consort Chen's peculiar temperament undoubtedly reached a new level.

No matter how strained the relationship, what woman, especially one in the rear palace, would completely disregard her only maternal family brother?

Could it be that His Majesty's taste was so unique, or was Consort Chen truly as breathtakingly beautiful as rumored, unlike a mere mortal?

Was that why His Majesty kept making exceptions for her?

In any case, because of this imperial edict, discussions once again buzzed throughout the palace and beyond.

Meanwhile, outside the training grounds, having finally waited for class to end, the Eldest Young Master, Yinreng, grabbed Yin Zhen, who was preparing to leave. His movement was so swift that Yin Zhi and Yin Zhen, following behind, couldn't stop in time and nearly fell on their backsides.

Ignoring the two confused younger ones, Yinreng took a large stride, his long legs bringing him directly in front of his second brother. He leaned in conspiratorially and whispered by his ear:

"They all say that Consort Chen, newly enfeoffed by the Emperor Father, is like a heavenly fairy. Second Brother, have you seen her by any chance?"

Then he specifically lowered his voice even further:

"Second Brother, come on, tell me secretly, is she really like a fairy maiden?"

Yin Zhi and Yin Zhen, eavesdropping stealthily nearby: "..."