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墨書 Inktalez
Madam Wu deliberately chose this time to visit the Liu Residence for a reason.
The Wu Family and the Liu Family have a good relationship, and whenever they visit each other, they usually allow the younger generation to meet the elders.
Now that Wu Linxi and the three young masters of the Liu Family are at school and not at home, without those young masters around, some topics can be discussed more openly.
Upon entering the Liu Residence, she greeted the He Family as usual. However, it didn't take long for her to start feeling frustrated.
The reason was simple: she felt neglected by a friend of many years.
The He Family seemed calm and composed as always, speaking slowly and wearing an appropriate smile.
But Liu Fangyi... was quite unpleasant.
Lord Wu was resting at home today. Madam Wu knew it was an official's day off and assumed that Liu Fangyi would naturally be at home as well. However, when she came over earlier, she hadn't considered this aspect; instead, she thought that since Qing Wu was also present today, discussing certain matters would be much easier.
Who would have thought that before she could see Qing Wu, she would encounter Liu Fangyi's cold demeanor?
Even knowing that this man had a rather volatile temperament, Madam Wu still felt a sudden displeasure in her heart.
Although this year's New Year had seen some neglect from the Wu Family towards the Liu Family due to previous conflicts, now that she had taken the initiative to seek reconciliation, given their long-standing friendship, Liu Fangyi, as the head of the Liu Family, should not have treated her with such disdain.
While grumbling internally, Madam Wu did not show it on her face. Instead, she revealed an appropriate smile and handed a square gift box in her hand to Perilla, who was beside the He Family.
"This is some pastries I made myself. When Mistress Wu visited our home before, she praised them highly for being delicious. I remember it clearly. I made them last night and hurried over today when I heard she was back home."
The He Family nodded and said, "Thank you."
Liu Fangyi stood silently beside them, looking blank.
Madam Wu's smile began to fade. She slightly lowered her gaze to hide her impatience and asked, "Is Mistress Wu at home now? I haven't seen her for a while, and I miss her a bit."
As soon as Liu Fangyi mentioned his daughter, a smile appeared on his tense face, and without thinking, he said, "She is inside, accompanying the Marquis and the Wen Heir. I've already sent someone to call her, but I don't know when she will come out. Please wait a moment."
Madam Wu's expression changed instantly, and she said with displeasure, "It's not appropriate for an unmarried young lady to be alone in a room with two grown men."
Suddenly recalling the noble status of the Marquis and the Wen Heir, she felt that her words made it seem as if they were lecherous villains. She quickly corrected herself: "The Wen Family is of high status and would naturally not act inappropriately. However, Mistress Wu should be more cautious in the future. I'm only thinking of her well-being."
Her words turned too quickly and were somewhat contradictory. Even someone as blunt as Liu Fangyi noticed something was off.
What does it mean that "high status means they wouldn't act inappropriately"?!
Under his wife's subtle hint, he managed to suppress his urge to explode and coldly turned his face away, saying, "The Marquis and the Heir Apparent are both gentlemen who understand propriety. Qingwu discussing important matters with them privately shouldn't be a problem."
Although the He Family had calmed her husband down, she was also holding back her frustration.
Seeing how Madam Wu spoke and acted, it was clear that one moment she would say something negative and the next something positive; she could easily deny her previous statements. It was ridiculous that she judged the other person to be kind just because they usually smiled.
After Liu Fangyi finished speaking, the He Family interjected: "Mistress Wu has her own ideas. She handles matters very efficiently. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gained His Majesty's favor and been allowed to enter the palace for official duties."
She wanted to tell Madam Wu that her daughter had the right to choose how to act. However, just as she was halfway through her thought, a soft voice came from outside.
"I often deal with matters in the harem and naturally encounter many officials from the court. If there are important matters to discuss, it doesn't matter whether it's men or women in the same room; we can converse openly and discuss things properly. According to Madam Wu's reasoning, my way of serving as an official would indeed be wrong."
Accompanying her words, a graceful young lady stepped inside slowly. Her demeanor was elegant, and she exuded a calm presence.
The visitor was indeed Qing Wu.
She served as a lady-in-waiting, appointed by the Emperor himself. Madam Wu, no matter how confident she was, did not dare to contradict the Emperor's wishes; his word was final.
Upon hearing Qing Wu's remarks, Madam Wu's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. She felt that the earlier statement from the He Family about having "their own ideas" was far too subtle.
This girl clearly had a strong temperament.
Just as she was about to speak, she caught sight of Master Wen and Wen Heir following behind Qing Wu. The words that had been on the tip of her tongue suddenly became difficult to voice.
Before coming here, Madam Wu had no idea that the Grandfather and Grandson of the Marquisate would be present today.
Now, reconsidering the marriage proposal, it was partly because her son, Wu Linxi, had been so disheartened since realizing that the marriage was unlikely, leaving her worried as a mother. Additionally, she had also noticed that the Marquisate seemed to have an interest in this matter.
Even someone as esteemed as the Heir of the Marquisate would take notice of Qing Wu at first glance, which indicated that this girl was truly exceptional; marrying her into their family would indeed be advantageous.
If that were the case, it would be a pity to miss out.
However, Madam Wu never expected that the Liu Family would not only invite Qing Wu but also welcome the Grandfather and Grandson into their home.
Previously, she had heard that the Wen Family Ancestors and Descendants were busy preparing for a banquet in a few days and had hardly set foot in Liu Residence. Today, she hadn’t considered what to do if she encountered someone from the Marquisate here.
Now seeing them, anxiety welled up within her, fearing she might not measure up to the Marquisate.
But then she thought again; if she were to take the initiative regarding this matter, it might actually be easier than dealing with the Marquisate.
After all, it was Wu Manor and Liu Residence that had initiated this discussion first; if one were to calculate it, Wu Manor had taken precedence. Moreover, the Marquisate was far away in the Southwest, while the Wu Family and Liu Family were merely separated by a street. Given how much Liu Family cherished their daughter, they would likely consider the possibility of an alliance with Wu Family more seriously.
After entering the room, Qing Wu found a chair at the far end and sat down.
Before coming out earlier, she had already applied a towel soaked in cool water to her eyes. She also wrung out a wet cloth for Master Wen and Wen Qingyue, allowing them to wipe their faces. Now it seemed that the three of them did not appear particularly unusual.
Feeling downcast, she had no time to consider Madam Wu's feelings and naturally chose to sit farther away from her.
Master Wen and Wen Qingyue were quite casual in Liu Residence and did not pay much attention to hierarchy. Seeing Qing Wu sitting far away, they did not move to the more honored seats but chose positions slightly closer to her.
As soon as they sat down, the old man asked in a deep voice, "What exactly is going on?"
When the maid had come to call Qing Wu earlier, she had vaguely mentioned a few things to her. Noticing his granddaughter's displeasure, he asked Wen Qingyue a few questions.
Wen Qingyue was somewhat familiar with the affairs of Wu Manor and naturally brought up the engagement that the Marquis of Wu Family had proposed but then retracted. Moreover, it was unclear why they were distancing themselves so subtly.
The old man did not have a good impression of this visitor, so his tone became less polite.
The He Family and Liu Fangyi knew that both Grandfather and Grandson were concerned about everything regarding Qing Wu.
Originally, it was fine; the Liu Family could make decisions. However, given the current situation, the wishes of Wu Manor must be discussed with the Wen Family.
Earlier, when the He Family welcomed Madam Wu into the hall, Madam Wu had hinted that now that a year had passed, the engagement they had discussed before could be brought up again.
The He Family had not taken her words seriously before and only quietly mentioned it to Liu Fangyi.
Now that the Grandfather and Grandson from the Marquisate had arrived and inquired about it again, she straightforwardly conveyed Madam Wu's purpose for coming to Master Wen and Wen Qingyue.
In conclusion, Liu Fangyi added a few more words: "This matter was indeed discussed before. It just fell through later without any news."
Madam Wu did not expect that this matter would be publicly brought up. Fortunately, she knew that Wu Linxi and Wen Qingyue had a good relationship and had considered this in advance—this time it was a competition between the Wu Family and the Marquisate for people. If they could keep it from the Marquisate, that would be excellent. If they couldn't, then being found out wouldn't be a major issue.
After all, they had a greater chance of winning, right?
Now, after hearing Liu Fangyi's words, Madam Wu found them harsh and said, "Previously, due to the New Year, I was quite busy and put it aside for the time being. In fact, ever since I had that thought, I haven't changed my mind."
Upon hearing this, even the gentle He Family couldn't help but glance at Madam Wu.
Although she quickly averted her gaze, both Master Wen and Wen Qingyue, being martial artists, had sharp eyes.
Naturally, they caught that moment and began to calculate in their hearts.
—Having known Qing Wu for so long, the people from Liu Residence had not mentioned it. Clearly, that matter was not as simple as "delayed for a few days."
"Ah... a marriage alliance..."
Master Wen exclaimed in a booming voice, startling Madam Wu into doubt.
How could this Marquis bring up such a secret matter without any hesitation?
Indeed, he was just a rough man trained in martial arts.
Madam Wu looked around, fearing that the servants from Liu Residence might overhear. If those gossiping tongues truly took notice, things could become troublesome. If this information spread among them, no matter what happened, it would reflect poorly on the Wu Family.
If it succeeded, it would be seen as something her Wu Family had sought repeatedly. After all, the two families had cooled off recently; anyone could see that. Now that they were discussing this matter again, the family that spoke first would appear to be the weaker side.
If it failed... it would seem as if Wu Manor had made an overture but still wasn't favored by anyone. That would be even more uncomfortable.
She was secretly calculating when that loud voice rang out again.
Master Wen finished his exclamation but did not say another word. Instead, he turned his attention to the side, addressing the Refined Young Man.
"Yue'er, what do you think about this matter?"
If Madam Wu were targeting someone else's family, Wen Qingyue might have shown some leniency considering Wu Linxi had helped the Marquisate with tree management.
But since Madam Wu was targeting his precious younger sister and repeatedly belittling her, how could the Wen Heir tolerate such disrespect?
The corners of the Refined Young Man's lips curled slightly into a gentle smile. Although it was an extremely soft and warm smile, his words were like sharp needles, pricking at people and making them feel as if they were sitting on pins and needles, wanting to escape.
"If it were up to me, the Wu Family wanting to marry Qingwu is already disqualified based solely on their status, let alone their appearance."
With that brief statement, he elevated Qing Wu while degrading the Wu Family to dust.
Madam Wu's expression changed instantly, turning as dark as ink.
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