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墨書 Inktalez
Qing Wu had not yet returned to her courtyard when she encountered Second Brother Liu An Ting on the way.
He was dressed in a deep blue long robe, walking with a calm and steady pace. Compared to the past, he now exuded a more refined scholarly air.
Seeing Qing Wu with a smile at the corners of her lips and her eyes curved in delight, Liu An Ting couldn't help but smile back. He gently asked, "Where did you go just now, sister? Why are you only returning now? Did something good happen?"
His question seemed natural, but Qing Wu's smile faltered slightly, unsure of how to respond.
She was happy because she had met Wu Linxi and exchanged a few words about old times with an old friend.
But where had she been—
Qing Wu knew that this matter wouldn't be so easily brushed aside. After all, Liu Anmeng and her group had already been sent to Jingzhao Prefecture. She briefly explained the situation to Liu An Ting: "When I was at the tavern, I ran into Liu Anmeng and her group, and there was a bit of conflict. Liu Anmeng tried to plot against me." After recalling the words she had agreed upon with Huo Yun'ai earlier, she added, "Fortunately, General Qin's friend was also there and recognized me, coming to my rescue. Otherwise, I might have fallen into her trap."
Qing Wu usually didn't exaggerate matters; she tended to share only good news and never spoke of worries. However, this time she revealed what Liu Anmeng had done against her. Although it was just a few simple sentences, Liu An Ting sensed that things might not be as straightforward as they seemed. He pressed her for more details about what had happened.
Feeling Second Brother's concern, Qing Wu couldn't help but recall the nervousness and fear she felt at that moment. After a pause, she recounted how the girls surrounded Dou Mama and how Liu Anmeng had tried to grab her face.
Liu An Ting was so angry that his body trembled. He exclaimed furiously, "That arrogant person! Such malicious intent! I must go find her and settle the score!" He immediately started to rush out.
Qing Wu appreciated her brother's concern. However, in such a situation, how could he confront them head-on? She quickly reached out to stop him but couldn't hold him back; she could only grasp his sleeve to prevent him from leaving.
"They have already been sent to Jingzhao Prefecture by Dou Mama; they won't be leaving anytime soon. Where do you think you're going to find them?"
Liu An Ting refused to relent.
He huffed in response, "Even if I can't find her, I will seek out Uncle San and the others instead. I want to ask them how they raised their children. Back then, when they did wrong, they always used 'youth' as an excuse. Now that they've grown up, let's see what excuse they can come up with!"
As Liu An Ting was about to break free, Qing Wu became anxious.
She regretted telling Second Brother so early and thought it would have been better to discuss this matter in front of their parents.
Just as she was at a loss for what to do, she spotted Liu Anfeng coming from a distance and hurriedly shouted, “Brother San! Brother San! Come quickly and hold Second Brother!”
Liu An Ting was usually gentle and polite, often unaware of Liu Anfeng's recklessness. Although Liu Anfeng accepted this, he still felt somewhat dissatisfied.
Now seeing Second Brother looking as if he were about to seek revenge, even without knowing the details, Liu Anfeng felt a sense of joy. He thought it was finally an opportunity to give him a piece of his mind, so he rushed over to help Qing Wu hold him back.
After much effort, they managed to pull Liu An Ting into the house. When Liu Anfeng asked what happened, he learned that it was because his sister had been bullied that Second Brother looked this way. He immediately became indignant and exclaimed, “Those Hooligans! What kind of skill is it to bully Qing Wu! If they have the guts, let them come find me! I'll make sure to beat them to a pulp!”
With that, he rolled up his sleeves to reveal the muscles on his arms and angrily slammed a fist on the table.
Ever since being beaten by the Wenwu Brothers years ago until he couldn't stand up, Liu Anfeng seemed to have become obsessed with practicing martial arts. Over the years, he had indeed developed considerable strength. Moreover, he had grown rapidly in height, becoming tall and imposing—taller than both his brothers, Liu Anzhi and Liu An Ting.
Now seeing that Third Brother was also getting anxious, he realized that if his impulsive nature led him to confront those people, it would surely escalate the situation.
Thus, Liu An Ting remained calm.
He stopped Liu Anfeng, thought about the situation carefully, and said to Qing Wu, “Sister, don’t be afraid. Let’s inform Mother about this first and then plan our next steps.”
Seeing her brothers no longer acting impulsively brought relief to Qing Wu, who replied, “That’s exactly right.”
The three siblings then headed towards the He Family.
Upon arriving at the courtyard of the He Family, they looked around but couldn’t find anyone. After calling for Perilla, they learned that the He Family had just received an invitation from Madam Wu and had gone over to the neighboring Wu Manor.
Now that their parents were not at home, and their elder brother Liu Anzhi had gone to visit a teacher early in the morning and had yet to return, the three siblings could only set this matter aside for the time being, preparing to discuss it further once their parents returned.
Just as they had finished discussing, a lazy voice sounded nearby.
"Oh, what's this? Has Qing Wu been bullied? What happened? Let me hear about it."
The three siblings turned towards the voice and saw a person leisurely strolling over; it was Zheng Ning, Qing Wu's teacher.
Zheng Ning was unmarried and had been teaching Qing Wu at the Liu Residence in the northwest for several years. During his free time, he would also offer guidance to the three siblings. Thus, upon returning to the capital this time, the He Family and Liu Fangyi had arranged a separate courtyard for him to stay.
Zheng Ning and Zheng An had never gotten along, and since he often roamed outside, he was not close to his family. It was also for this reason that he lived alone in such a desolate place.
Now, everyone at the Liu Residence had already regarded Zheng Ning as one of their own and naturally did not want him to remain alone there; they kindly insisted he stay.
Zheng Ning secretly lamented. Although he enjoyed being with the people of the Liu Residence, he feared that Huo Yun'ai would be unable to meet Qing Wu privately later on, so he repeatedly declined.
However, Liu Fangyi was determined to have him stay.
Ultimately, unable to refuse their hospitality any longer, Zheng Ning could only agree for the time being, planning to find Huo Yun'ai later to figure out a way.
Having just heard that the young lady had returned, Zheng Ning thought to come find her. Little did he know that he happened to overhear the siblings discussing Liu Anmeng's matter.
Facing his teacher, Qing Wu had nothing much to hide and recounted the incident again.
When she mentioned "a friend of General Qin," Zheng Ning knowingly curled his lips into a smile. Upon hearing that those troublemaking young ladies had all been sent to Jingzhao Prefecture, without needing Qing Wu to elaborate further, Zheng Ning asked, "Who were they?"
Qing Wu naturally did not know their backgrounds. However, those around Huo Yun'ai were quick to gather information; they had only just arrived at the palace when news was already reported to Huo Yun'ai. After she woke up, Huo Yun'ai roughly explained the identities of those young ladies to her.
Now, when Zheng Ning asked, Qing Wu explained everything to him.
"Who would have thought that a few families are involved in this. Although they are just merchants, they are quite troublesome," Zheng Ning's smile gradually faded as he asked, "Afterwards, their families might find us here. What about him? Has he mentioned any way to break it?"
Qing Wu knew he was referring to Huo Yun'ai and shook his head, saying, "He hasn't mentioned it to me."
"If he isn't discussing it with you, he must already have a plan. Or perhaps he hasn't considered the consequences of this?"
Zheng Ning pondered for a moment and murmured, "He doesn't seem like someone who wouldn't consider the consequences; it's more likely that he has a plan. However, to be safe, we should think of other methods as well."
With that, he no longer lingered and turned to leave. "I'm going out for a while. If someone comes to the residence, don't panic. Just hold them off; I'll be back shortly. If it really doesn't work out, we can go hide at the Wu Family."
Zheng Ning, usually so laid-back, treated this matter so solemnly that Liu An Ting couldn't help but think deeply about it.
Liu Anfeng, however, didn't ponder as much as Liu An Ting did. He hurried after Zheng Ning and shouted, "What are you afraid of? Even if those people really come over, we have the upper hand; why should we fear them?"
Zheng Ning turned around and scoffed at him.
Liu Anfeng pursed his lips and fell silent.
...
As soon as He Family entered their own gate, they heard a commotion coming from the street outside.
She had just received an invitation from Madam Wu and visited Wu Manor, unaware of what had happened at home. Hearing the noise outside, she thought it was just someone passing by and didn't think much of it.
However, after she had walked inside for a short while and heard the sound of sticks banging against the door, she realized that things might not be as simple as she had imagined.
The He Family, although born into a scholarly lineage, had learned how to deal with various emergencies due to the continuous wars of recent years.
When she realized that those people were targeting her family, she decisively called for help and used various methods to block the main door. She also sent someone out through a side door to find Master Liu Fangyi.
Even though Liu Fangyi had not been in the capital for six years, many of his good brothers from when he served in the military were still working in the capital. Moreover, those brothers from Jingzhao Prefecture were still around. As for anything else, it was completely possible to protect their home!
Inside, the He Family was urgently responding, while outside, the intruders were extremely arrogant.
Other masters did not intervene. Liu Fangshi alone led a group of thugs sent by several families and shouted at the gate of Liu Residence.
“Liu Fangyi! You coward! If you can't bully me, you resort to bullying my daughter? Let me tell you! I won't fall for this trick!”
Years of extravagant living had drained him.
Now, his eye sockets were sunken, and his complexion was dark.
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