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Recognizing the identity of the person, Liu Fangyi was quite surprised. He glanced reassuringly at his wife beside him, signaling her not to be nervous. He then stepped forward, cupped his fists in salute, and smiled, saying, "Marquis, you have traveled a long way; I apologize for not welcoming you properly."
Master Wen was looking around when he heard the words and turned to look at him, smiling and nodding, "I came here uninvited to disturb your New Year celebrations. Where is the 'rudeness' in that?"
After saying this, he looked around again and sighed, "Where is the girl?"
There were three young masters in the Liu Residence, but only one young lady. It was obvious who he was referring to.
Liu Fangyi knew that Zhenyuan Marquis was an upright man and would not harbor any ill intentions, so he straightforwardly replied, "Is it the Marquis's daughter? She has gone out to see the lanterns."
"Oh, she has gone out..." Upon hearing this, the old man's originally bright eyes dimmed slightly. However, in just a moment, he regained his spirits. "In that case, I will go look for her."
He flicked his sleeve and was about to turn and leave.
Before he had taken two steps, a young boy suddenly dashed out from the side. He appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, looking quite spirited.
He blocked Master Wen's path and before the Marquis could get angry and question him, he said, "You haven't been to the capital for a long time, have you? The streets here must be unfamiliar to you now. There are many people on the streets today; even if you want to find Qingwu, it might be difficult. If you urgently need to see her, it would be better for you to wait at home while I go fetch her. How about that?"
After this statement, Master Wen did not immediately respond to his suggestion but murmured to himself, "Qingwu... is that really her name now? That rascal hasn’t told me anything..."
After a pause, the old man laughed heartily and looked Liu Anfeng up and down. "Not bad, good boy. You are considering things for the old man." After thinking for a moment, he said, "That won't be necessary. Yue'er seems to have already gone to look for her. Just wait a moment; she should be back soon."
Liu Fangyi said, "How about this: I will send a few household servants to look for her." He then called someone over and gave some instructions.
After speaking, he stepped forward and invited the Marquis inside under the pretext of it being cold outside.
Master Wen also knew that searching for someone required patience; it couldn't be rushed. Eventually, he turned back and strode into the hall with Liu Fangyi, saying, "I may need to wait here for a while. Sorry for the trouble; I hope you won't mind."
"It is an honor for you to come to my humble abode; how could I possibly mind?" Liu Fangyi quickly replied.
Seeing that the Marquis' clothes were stained with dust, and observing his expression which showed joy mixed with fatigue, Liu Fangyi realized that he must have traveled a long way. She quickly called for someone to bring tea.
At the same time the tea was served, the He Family had already sent over some tangyuan. "This is a gift from His Majesty for you. It tastes excellent, and since you've traveled so far, you must be tired. Why not enjoy these snacks from the Shangyuan Festival first? I will have someone prepare wine and dishes for you later. By the time you finish, your lady should be back."
Master Wen was known for his hearty appetite, enjoying spicy food and unable to tolerate overly sweet snacks.
Now hearing that these tangyuan were brought by Qing Wu, he was quite pleased. Without waiting for others to persuade him, he began to eat on his own.
The first bite filled his mouth with rich sweetness. The fragrance of osmanthus mixed in with the strong flavor of sesame made it quite delicious upon careful tasting.
In no time, he had finished all eight pieces in the bowl.
Liu Fangyi was aware of the eating habits in the Southwest and had heard about Master Wen's preferences during his military days. Seeing him like this now surprised her greatly. However, she did not point it out and simply had more tangyuan brought over.
Master Wen understood that his visit was rather abrupt, but he was too eager to care about such matters.
Now seeing Liu Fangyi and her husband showing no impatience but treating him with care instead, he recalled the words of concern from the Liu Family's children earlier, and he felt a surge of emotion.
Setting aside the bowl and plate, after a moment of silence, he said, "The Liu Family is quite good. She grew up here; she must have had a good life."
His words revealed a sense of closeness to Qing Wu.
Liu Fangyi was puzzled, while the He Family's expressions changed slightly as they pondered silently.
— The daughter of the Liu Residence, and yet the Marquis insists on praising her as "good." What could be the reason?
The room fell into an immediate silence.
Liu Anzhi and Liu An Ting knew that since the Marquis had arrived, they would likely not be able to go to the market to look for their sister today. So they stood quietly beside them without interrupting their elders. Now sensing that the atmosphere was off, they exchanged glances. Just as they were about to find an opportunity to change the topic, Liu Anfeng beside them asked curiously, "Lin Xi, what's wrong with you?"
The two turned their heads to look over and discovered that Wu Linxi's eyelashes were trembling slightly, and the area around his eyes was a bit red.
Wu Linxi had already felt that he had little hope left, but he still held onto a tiny bit of obsession, which led him to seek opportunities time and again.
Now, seeing Wen Qingyue pressing closer, and Master Wen even willing to give up his New Year time to come to the capital for Qing Wu...
Compared to others, he might still have a chance due to their years of friendship. However, with Wen Heir and Wenwu both being exceptional, and the Wen Family being an extremely proper household, in comparison, he had no chance at all.
How could he accept this?
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. In an instant, the pent-up anger in his heart became unbearable.
Looking at the gentle young man who seemed on the verge of tears, the He Family began to understand what was on his mind.
Previously, when Wen Heir often came to seek Qing Wu, she found it unusual. Now seeing Wu Linxi's reaction, she realized that his thoughts were quite similar to her own.
Thinking about Master Wen's demeanor after entering the residence, the He Family couldn't help but ponder. Could it be that the Wen Family truly had their eyes on Qing Wu?
She knew her daughter was exceptionally outstanding. However, since Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion was far away in the Southwest, even if Qing Wu was remarkable, it shouldn't attract attention from there.
If that were the case, why was the Wen Family acting this way?
Unable to endure this atmosphere any longer, Wu Linxi muttered a few words and rushed out.
Liu An Ting, who was of similar age and close to him, said "I'll go see him off," and hurriedly followed after him.
In the Lantern Festival Market, Qing Wu felt somewhat bewildered.
She didn't understand how Wen Qingyue's grandfather coming to the capital related to her. Why did he seem so nervous and hopeful when he spoke those words to her?
Subconsciously, she looked at Huo Yun'ai, hoping that he, who should have some understanding of the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion, could give her an answer. To her surprise, Huo Yun'ai also showed a look of confusion in his eyes.
Wen Qingyue had never met the second young master of Liu Residence. At this moment, seeing Qing Wu looking over, he thought she was seeking help from her Second Brother.
Watching the trustful gaze the girl had towards her brother, Wen Qingyue felt a twinge of unwillingness in his heart and forced a smile, saying, "Your grandfather should be at your esteemed residence waiting right now. I wonder if Mistress Wu has enjoyed herself today? If possible, why not return and take a look?"
Qing Wu initially wanted to refute him, thinking how could the Marquis go to Liu Family at this time? But then she reconsidered and thought that perhaps it was indeed true.
—If there were no distinguished guests at home, how could the Brothers still not have appeared by now?
Although she had begun to believe this reasoning somewhat, she was unwilling to entertain Wen Qingyue's suggestion that followed.
Previously, Qing Wu had noticed Wen Qingyue approaching her intentionally and unintentionally time and again. Now hearing his words, she felt somewhat amused by her anger and said, "Wen Heir, your words make no sense. What does your grandfather's visit to the capital have to do with me? Why would he come to my house just to 'wait' for me to return?"
After speaking, she refused to engage with Wen Qingyue any further. She gestured towards Huo Yun'ai and turned to walk in another direction.
Wen Qingyue was taken aback and hurriedly chased after her. He was stopped by Huo Yun'ai's outstretched hand and could not get past; he could only smile bitterly and say, "I was wrong. Sister, I only ask you to consider how your grandfather has traveled thousands of miles day and night just to see you. Would it be alright for you to go meet him as soon as possible?"
If he were to forcefully push her, Qing Wu would have been straightforward in refusing.
However, given that he had come such a long way just to see her, regardless of the reason behind it, based on what she had learned about the Zhenyuan Marquis's straightforward character and remarkable achievements over these days, Qing Wu found it hard to say "no" again.
Moreover, a faint thought suddenly arose in her heart.
She couldn't quite understand why she felt this way, but she just felt that she needed to hurry over and meet this elder.
Seeing Qing Wu's expression, Huo Yun'ai knew she had already wavered.
He also respected the Marquis himself and let out a quiet sigh.
Tomorrow, I will be able to see her again every day. Today... let's just let her go back early.
Wen Qingyue saw that both of them had relaxed expressions and noticed Qing Wu starting to turn back, and couldn't help but sigh, "Thank you."
Qing Wu shook her head. For some reason, her mood became a bit heavy as she silently returned to her carriage.
Just as she got into the carriage, Huo Yun'ai jumped in without a second thought and sat with her.
Wen Qingyue immediately furrowed his brows, took a couple of steps forward, and lifted the curtain to ask Huo Yun'ai to get out.
But then he thought about it; this person was the girl’s Second Brother. Although it was inappropriate for someone older to act this way, it wasn't too out of line either.
After much consideration, Wen Qingyue sighed, lowered the curtain, and turned to walk toward his horse tied at the end of the street.
As he walked away and his footsteps gradually faded, Qing Wu felt a little less of that oppressive feeling in her heart.
Taking a deep breath, she felt a bit more cheerful. She thought for a moment, lowered her voice, pointed at the carriage, and smiled as she asked the boy beside her, "Was that your plan all along?"
Although she didn't make it clear, Huo Yun'ai understood that she was referring to his earlier non-denial of being "Second Brother" and now taking the opportunity to sit with her.
He knew she was just joking, so he smiled gently, neither confirming nor denying it.
The carriage soon arrived at the alley next to the Liu Family's gate.
Watching the girl step into Liu Residence, Huo Yun'ai suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of uncertainty rise in his heart. It was as if once the girl left, the bond between them would suddenly become thin and fragile, ultimately disappearing without a trace.
This feeling came on swiftly and strongly, making it impossible for him to ignore.
Therefore, when Mu Hai drove up and asked him if he wanted to set off back to the palace immediately, Huo Yun'ai pondered for a moment but ultimately rejected the proposal.
"Not busy." After the Young Emperor got into the carriage, he lifted a corner of the curtain, his lips tightly pressed together as he gazed at the flickering candlelight illuminating the words "Liu Residence" from the red lanterns, and spoke in a deep voice.
"... Let's wait a bit longer."
The Liu Residence was waiting for Qing Wu's return.
As soon as her figure appeared at the door, a servant hurriedly went to inform the He Family.
The He Family glanced at Zhenyuan Marquis and suppressed the news, not revealing it until Qing Wu reached the courtyard gate, when they finally informed those inside about their daughter's return.
Unexpectedly, Master Wen stood up abruptly upon hearing this and strode forward. In the end, he even broke into a run.
Before the girl could step into the house, he had already encountered her in the corridor. He grasped her hand and pulled up the sleeve of her right arm.
Not only the He Family but even Liu Fangyi felt that Master Wen's actions were somewhat excessive. Just as she was about to speak up to remind him, she stood frozen in place after taking a few steps closer and clearly seeing the situation before her.
The Zhenyuan Marquis, who had faced countless battles without fear of enemy forces for many years, was now shedding tears as he looked at the mole on the girl's wrist.
Then, regardless of the many people present around them, he choked up and spoke.
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