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墨書 Inktalez
Uncle Yu did not take the attitude of others to heart too much. However, seeing Qing Wu's slightly angry expression made his heart skip a beat, and he dared not ignore her.
Just as the Liu Family felt at a loss about how to respond to this news, he hurried a few steps forward, catching up before the He Family could grab Qing Wu's hand. With a smile, he approached and bowed to Qing Wu, saying, "Congratulations, Miss. This is indeed a great occasion."
Qing Wu looked coldly at Uncle Yu's respectful demeanor, her expression neither sad nor happy.
The He Family was greatly alarmed by their daughter's attitude.
Uncle Yu was a trusted confidant of the emperor. Who would dare show him a displeased face?
The He Family feared that their daughter’s behavior might seem ungrateful and provoke the emperor's anger. They quickly tugged at her sleeve and smiled at Uncle Yu, saying, "She... she is just overly joyful and hasn't reacted yet. We hope Eunuch Yu won't take offense."
They also exchanged glances with Qing Wu, hoping she could be more tactful and not lose her composure at this moment.
But even with the He Family's attempts, how could Uncle Yu dare to disrespect Qing Wu?
Others might not know, but Uncle Yu was aware that early this morning, the emperor had secretly given him many instructions. In his words lay uncertainty and concern regarding the young lady before him.
The emperor was usually calm and composed, only losing his composure in front of Liu Young Lady.
With such an attitude from his master, how could Uncle Yu be careless? Even when Qing Wu's mother treated him kindly, he did not dare to be negligent.
A breath of frustration was stuck in his chest for a long time before it finally dissipated.
Qing Wu took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and forced out a smile, saying, "Thank you for His Majesty's favor. And thank you, Eunuch Yu, for your trouble in coming here."
Uncle Yu repeatedly said he dared not accept such praise. Seeing the deepening gloom in Qing Wu's eyes, he hurriedly smiled and approached the He Family. After thinking for a moment, he quietly conveyed another message he needed to share with them.
"The date chosen is February 18 of next year, which is quite good. I wonder how the lady feels about it?"
Upon hearing this, He Family's previously forced smile faltered. She did not expect that the Imperial Inspector would have already selected a date. According to the usual process, the date would typically be chosen later.
However, upon further reflection, she felt something was off. Since the imperial decree was issued today, how could the Imperial Inspector have chosen a date in advance? Could it be that His Majesty had already given instructions beforehand?
In this day and age, such thoughts made He Family chuckle self-deprecatingly.
With His Majesty's indifferent nature, how could that be possible? It would be better not to deceive herself.
After pondering for a while, He Family cautiously said, "I wonder if it would be possible to delay informing Eunuch Yu?"
He Family was perceptive; although it was just a simple sentence, she sensed some underlying meaning.
Eunuch Yu's question likely intended to remind her that His Majesty wanted to expedite the marriage arrangements. The lack of immediate confirmation was merely to give Liu Residence some face.
As long as they were willing to give this little bit of face, it was acceptable. At the very least, this emperor, despite his cold demeanor, still showed some willingness.
Previously unaware of the decree, He Family's greatest concern was her daughter's situation. Her daughter served in the palace but seemed completely unprepared for this decree; she probably had no idea it was coming. It seemed that His Majesty and her daughter were quite distant, as such a significant matter had not been hinted at all.
If that were the case, it was very likely that the emperor did not value her daughter at all.
The more He Family thought about it, the more anxious she became. However, after observing Uncle Yu's attitude and their discussions, she felt somewhat reassured.
With the imperial decree issued, there was no room for negotiation. She could only try to think positively about the situation.
Uncle Yu came to probe the situation as instructed by his master. After speaking, he observed the He Family's attitude and understood the situation, quickly saying, "This is something our family has heard him mention. The specific date will naturally be decided slowly according to the regulations."
To be honest, he also felt that it was a bit early to set the date. Qing Wu's birthday was in February, on the 1st day of the month. In February, she had just turned fourteen. If she were to be favored, it might be a bit premature.
Uncle Yu secretly wiped his sweat and thought to himself that it was fortunate that Liu Fangyi, Lord Liu, was not at home. If he had been present, it would have been much harder to fool him. He also thought how lucky it was that Liu Young Lady was here. Otherwise, if they had issued an edict at Liu Residence without informing Liu Young Lady first, it would likely not have ended with just a cold shoulder.
As he pondered this, he couldn't help but silently praise the emperor's wisdom. It was fortunate that he came today when Liu Young Lady was present and Lord Liu was absent. Otherwise, this matter would indeed have been difficult to handle.
Just as he was feeling relieved, he raised his eyes and saw Qing Wu's ambiguous smile, which made him feel awkward. However, despite his position as the chief eunuch, he couldn't show too much outward emotion outside the palace. With this imperial decree in hand, Qing Wu's status had already changed from before. Even if he treated her cautiously, no one could find fault with it.
Qing Wu also knew that this matter would eventually happen. She just didn't expect it to occur so suddenly during a holiday visit home.
However, today she still needed to return to the palace for duty. When Uncle Yu mentioned going back together, she nodded in agreement without thinking too much about it.
At that moment, Liu An Ting stepped forward to intervene, saying, "Since my sister is of marriageable age, isn't it inappropriate for her to enter the palace again like this?"
Generally, after an engagement is set, a woman should stay in her boudoir to work on her dowry.
Upon hearing this, Uncle Yu's smile became even more sincere and amiable.
"The emperor has also considered this matter. However, within the harem, everything is managed by Liu Young Lady. If entrusted to others, the emperor does not feel at ease. Therefore, Liu Young Lady still needs to return to the palace."
Once he said this, everyone from Liu Residence suddenly understood. No wonder the emperor chose Qing Wu; it must be because she managed the palace maids well after taking charge of them. The emperor has always been indifferent to worldly matters and relationships; thus he selected someone capable of helping him manage the harem.
After hearing Uncle Yu's words, Qing Wu wore a smile on her face while secretly cursing Huo Yun'ai in her heart.
It is no wonder that the Fellow insisted on waiting until her return to the palace this time.
Given the current situation, in front of the Liu Family, she could use the matter of the Six Regulations of the Palace Maids as an excuse to continue living in the palace. In front of the others in the harem, Qing Wu could still suppress them with her identity as the future Queen.
Truly a case of killing two birds with one stone.
That person in the palace must have put in a lot of effort.
The more Qing Wu thought about it, the more frustrated she became, yet her face still wore a smile as if she were basking in spring sunshine.
Uncle Yu noticed this and grew increasingly worried. He was careful along the way, fearing that if this master were to become unhappy, she would vent her grievances on His Majesty.
He knew very well that the Liu Young Lady had an excellent temperament. However, once she got angry, even His Majesty would not be able to withstand it.
Huo Yun'ai had long been waiting in Zhaoning Palace. She held a red brush but could not focus on a single word in front of her.
Her gaze was vacant for quite some time. Finally, the sound of a door opening broke her reverie, and familiar footsteps approached suddenly.
Huo Yun'ai hurriedly tossed aside her brush and walked over quickly. Once the palace door was tightly closed, she reached out to grasp the girl's hand.
Qing Wu sidestepped and glared at her angrily.
Huo Yun'ai felt embarrassed and slightly flushed, diverting her gaze and talking about matters arranged by the Six Bureaus, deliberately avoiding direct eye contact with her.
Seeing him like this, Qing Wu secretly snorted, thinking that he seemed quite guilty. It appeared he now realized his mistake. But why hadn’t he acted sooner?
Some time ago, he had been serious about the fear that she and the Liu Residence were being targeted by Zheng An, so he could only temporarily hold off on discussing the matter. Who would have thought that things would suddenly take an unexpected turn?
Now that there were no others around, the girl's frustration was laid bare, and there was no way to escape Huo Yun'ai's gaze. Yet he too had his own troubles.
If he were to tell her the truth, that he wanted to embrace her soon... he feared she might avoid him for two months.
The Young Emperor coughed lightly into his hand and pretended to be calm as he said seriously, "I heard that Yi Zhenglian intends to hand over the Yi Family to you? You must have refused her, but she still insists?"
Qing Wu did not expect him to bring this up suddenly and was momentarily taken aback.
Huo Yun'ai then said, "As for our matter, although we have a private agreement, if it is not brought to the surface, it ultimately cannot be heard by others. Since you will eventually enter the palace, taking over the Yi Family is simply not feasible. It would be better to clarify this early on to avoid future complications for the Yi Family."
He had a point. The Yi Family had helped the Former Emperor seize power, and Huo Yun'ai naturally held them in some regard.
But this statement...
Why did it feel somewhat off?
With his personality, would he really use such an indirect method to subtly remind Yi Zhenglian?
It didn't seem like him...
Qing Wu remained puzzled. Huo Yun'ai, however, was wary of her intelligence and did not want her to think too deeply at this moment. He feared that if she pondered it too much, she might figure it out. He quickly reached out and pulled her into his embrace, smiling gently as he said, "I heard that the Imperial Kitchen has prepared many desserts today, all of which you love. How about we have someone bring them over later?"
Upon arriving at the Imperial Kitchen, Qing Wu suddenly remembered that previously Deng Bu Wen had mentioned how Pan Gonggong and Jade Orchid were quite close.
Huo Yun'ai was strict, but during festivals, he did not impose too many restrictions on the Maid. For example, during the New Year celebrations, he did not stop the festivities. Similarly, during this year's Qixi Festival, when the palace maids quietly engaged in some activities, he did not strictly forbid it.
On the sixth day of the month, Cai Ping quietly came to find Qing Wu, as Jade Orchid was not planning to celebrate with them on the seventh day. Whenever asked, she claimed to be busy. However, she could not leave the palace... Could it be that she had other plans for the evening of the seventh?
Thinking of this, Qing Wu became restless. She wanted to quickly ask Deng Bu Wen and the others to see what was really going on. She feared that if she waited too long, things might change.
"I'll head back to Ningxin Pavilion first," Qing Wu said as she stood up. "As for the dessert, let's have it during lunch."
Huo Yun'ai replied, "I'll wait for you then."
Qing Wu acknowledged and hurriedly left.
After the girl's figure disappeared, Huo Yun'ai finally let out a sigh of relief. He spread his fingers and looked at the slight sweat in his palms, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
This Girl understood him too well and was too clever; it was truly difficult to deceive her.
If he were to directly change the subject, it would seem too deliberate. Fortunately, he had learned about Jade Orchid's situation in advance, which allowed him to redirect her attention elsewhere. He could only hope...
He could only hope that she would accept that imperial decree soon.
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