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墨書 Inktalez
After the events of the Floral Banquet, what happened next is unknown to Qing Wu. This is because Huo Yun'ai confronted Zheng An and then took her away from that place, without even looking back at the Imperial Teacher who remained kneeling on the cold ground.
Since Huo Yun'ai had already revealed his identity, the previously hidden Imperial Guards emerged from the crowd and stood by his side.
As they walked, people who had heard the news came to greet the Young Emperor.
Whenever Huo Yun'ai received greetings, he often glanced at Qing Wu, likely aware that she had heard about his appointment.
Not wanting the girl to be scrutinized by curious eyes, he instructed Zheng Ning to take her away first.
On the way back, Qing Wu sat in the carriage while Zheng Ning rode on horseback, and they remained silent.
Once they entered the residence, Qing Wu could no longer hold back and called out to Zheng Ning. When he turned to look at her, she lowered her gaze slightly and murmured, “Sir, I truly… apologize.”
Seeing the guilt on her face, Zheng Ning sighed quietly and asked with a smile, “Why are you apologizing? What have you done wrong to me?”
“It’s about this time’s Competition,” Qing Wu pondered for a long time before finally stammering, “First of all, I didn’t win.”
Previously, Zheng Ning had told her that she must secure first place. For his sake, she had practiced diligently in recent days. Although it seemed like she was working the hardest, she knew that he had put in even more effort than she had.
However, regarding today’s events…
Even though Mr. Wang, Zheng Ning, and Huo Yun'ai had all spoken up for her, after it was announced that she would serve as a Lady-in-Waiting, her ranking in the Competition seemed insignificant. Huo Yun'ai had directly taken her away from that place.
Thus, her rank should still be as previously determined: Second.
As she contemplated this matter, suddenly a gentle touch came from above her head.
Qing Wu looked up in surprise and happened to see the smile in Zheng Ning’s eyes.
"You have done your best and your work is better than others, so why apologize?"
Qing Wu shook her head, pressed her lips together, her voice a bit tense as she softly said, "There are many who doubt me. I suppose I am still not good enough."
"You are overthinking it," Zheng Ning sighed. "Although he and I are biased towards you, we defended you publicly this time because your artwork truly stands out. If there were too many shortcomings, I would not be comforting you now; instead, I would be pointing out your mistakes. Let's set that aside for now. Mr. Wang's judgment cannot be wrong, can it?"
"But Zheng Daren..."
"Zheng An?"
The moment the name was mentioned, the girl's face instantly showed even more guilt.
At that moment, Zheng Ning finally understood that what she was most worried about was not failing to secure first place.
What troubled her the most, what made her feel guilty, was that because of her, he and his brother had come into conflict.
Zheng Ning's heart warmed, and the indifferent smile on his lips faded considerably.
He looked at her seriously and said word by word, "You can rest assured. My relationship with him has been tense for a long time; it is not due to just one day. This incident is merely a spark igniting a fire; it is not a big deal. Do not take it to heart. The reason I teach you is partly due to the Emperor's request and partly because I genuinely want to teach my only disciple well. Do you understand?"
Hearing his words and seeing his sincere expression, Qing Wu felt somewhat reassured.
She had always known that Huo Yun'ai, Zheng Ning, and even Qin Shuying were very "biased" towards her. If she had a conflict with others, these people would undoubtedly protect her without considering right or wrong.
Zheng Ning had not returned home for a long time; she knew that. Moreover, she also knew that someone who used to love traveling had given up that passion to stay by her side to protect her and her family.
So when she heard Zheng An's mockery of him and the discussions around them, her heart felt so conflicted—both grateful and sad.
Watching the girl slowly relax, Zheng Ning's face once again wore that lazy smile he often had.
He was about to say a few more words to her when suddenly a gasp sounded from beside them, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.
In this household, there was only one person who acted like this day in and day out for over a decade.
Zheng Ning let out a heavy sigh and helplessly shrugged his shoulders at Qing Wu.
Qing Wu understood and couldn't help but smile slightly at him. She first called out "Brother San" before turning to look.
Sure enough, the newcomer was Liu Anfeng.
The boy rushed over like a gust of wind, and before Qing Wu could speak, he hurriedly asked in a flurry, "How did it go? What place did you get? Mother has prepared a lot of delicious food since early morning, just waiting to celebrate with you. If you won, we should definitely celebrate well. If you didn't win, don't take it to heart. With Brothers around, what does it matter how well you draw? Just relax. We will take care of everything for you. Now hurry up and tell me the result!"
He asked in rapid succession until he finally paused for breath.
Qing Wu chuckled in disbelief, "You speak so fast that I can't understand."
"Don't say you can't understand; even we are completely in the dark."
Accompanied by gentle words, Second Brother Liu An Ting stepped forward, coming to stand beside Zheng Ning and Qing Wu. He smiled and said, "He's been bouncing around all morning, constantly asking us what kind of results Mist would get today. Earlier he was even shouting that he wanted to personally go to the Palace to pick you up. Who would have thought that before he could make any plans, you would already be back?"
"Exactly." The He Family also approached with their eldest son Liu Anzhi accompanying them. "We could have remained calm, but he kept rambling on, making us anxious too. Just now someone came to inform us that you had passed the intersection and turned the corner, so he dragged us along to welcome you."
Qing Wu didn't expect her mother and Brothers to come personally to greet her. Overjoyed yet somewhat embarrassed, she said, "Actually, I got Second."
"Second?" Liu Anfeng exclaimed with wide eyes, then let out a joyful shout and jumped up happily, saying to the He Family, "Mother, we should celebrate! Mist is really impressive. So many people participated in the Competition, and she managed to achieve such a good ranking. Didn't our sister from the Wu Family only get seventh or eighth place back then?"
He Family smiled and said, "Exactly."
She stepped forward, took Qing Wu's hand, and said warmly, "You must know that there are many distinguished young ladies in Capital City, all of whom study music, chess, calligraphy, and painting on their own. At Daughter's age, being able to achieve Second place is already quite remarkable." She then bowed slightly to Zheng Ning, saying, "Thank you, sir."
Zheng Ning quickly sidestepped to avoid the bow and nodded to He Family, saying, "It is what I should do." After a pause, he added, "The fog has a significant impact on both books and paintings. It is possible for her to take first place."
His words hinted that Qing Wu's painting could indeed win first place. However, due to the complexities involved, he could not state it outright.
He Family, Liu Anzhi, and Liu Anfeng did not catch the underlying meaning. However, Liu An Ting's eyes flickered with thought.
Once their mother and siblings moved inside, Liu An Ting deliberately lagged a few steps behind and gently called out to Zheng Ning, inquiring about the events of the day.
Zheng Ning knew that even if he did not mention it now, someone present would inevitably bring up this Competition later. So he briefly recounted the situation at that time. He only omitted the part involving Huo Yun'ai and Zheng An, focusing solely on Mr. Wang's attitude. He also described the circumstances surrounding both Qing Wu's painting and Miss Zhu's painting.
How could Liu An Ting not have heard of Mr. Wang's great name? Even just a few words of evaluation were enough to show that Mr. Wang truly held Qing Wu's artwork in high regard.
Thinking of this, Liu An Ting felt genuinely happy.
Rankings are trivial. As long as he knows his sister's efforts have been rewarded and even esteemed scholars praise her, he is content.
As the family laughed and walked inside, suddenly, a person from the Doorman stumbled in. When they were still several yards away from their masters and had not yet spoken, they nearly fell over in a stumble. They quickly steadied themselves by grabbing onto the nearby wall.
The He Family looked over disapprovingly.
Liu Anzhi frowned and scolded, "Why are you so flustered? How have we taught you to behave?"
"Madam, young master, outside... there are... people!"
The doorman stammered, and even Liu Anfeng, who usually didn't care about details, couldn't help but notice.
He was about to raise his voice in anger when he heard a series of footsteps approaching from outside. Soon, the footsteps drew near, followed by a slightly high-pitched male voice.
"Has Liu Young Lady returned? What a coincidence. His Majesty sent me to deliver an edict and intended to wait for you to return before announcing it, but I didn't expect you to have already arrived."
Uncle Yu said this without paying attention to the Liu Family, who were exchanging confused glances, and instead gestured toward Qing Wu.
Qing Wu followed his gaze and saw a tall young man in a White Brocade Robe striding toward them.
She hurried over and whispered to him, "Why are you here?"
"I was worried that your family would be uneasy knowing you were going to the palace, so I came to reassure them."
Once the Young Emperor made his excuse clear, he relaxed internally and finally revealed his true purpose.
"...I also came to see you."
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