Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Wen Qingyue accompanied Qing Wu to the palace gate before dismounting and walking to the carriage to bid farewell to his sister.
He thought they would part with just a few casual words, but to his surprise, Qing Wu gestured towards Azalea and got down from the carriage with her assistance. Wen Qingyue knew his sister had something to say, so he walked with her to a large tree by the roadside.
He assumed that Qing Wu wanted to discuss the earlier matter concerning the Third Branch, and he was mentally prepared for it. He thought that she need not worry about the unpleasant situation over there, nor did she need to be concerned about the Liu Residence; he would take care of everything.
However, when Qing Wu spoke, her eyes held a hint of amusement as she asked, "What do you think of Shuihua?"
Wen Qingyue was taken aback by her question. After a moment of pause, a slight discomfort appeared on his handsome face. He cleared his throat and replied, "Naturally, she is good." After a brief pause, he couldn't help but add, "The Shen family has excellent morals. Minister Shen is an upright person; how could his children be anything less?"
Qing Wu did not respond to his words but merely pursed her lips and stared at him until he could no longer bear it and a blush crept onto his face.
Shen Shuihua was the legitimate granddaughter of Minister Shen and had a great rapport with Qing Wu. She often visited the Liu Residence during Qing Wu's days off to play. Whenever this happened, her brother Wen Qingyue would also come home.
They were all familiar with each other and felt quite comfortable and entertained when gathered together.
In the past, Qing Wu hadn't thought much of it. However, after returning home yesterday, when her friends came over and everyone gathered together, she observed closely and realized that something felt off.
Since Qing Wu had not been home for a long time, not only Wen Qingyue and Shen Shuihua were present; Zou Kefen and Lu Pingting also came over to find her.
The children were all well-acquainted. The He Family was busy with household matters, allowing them to seek their own fun. The three young masters of the Liu Family were still at school; Zheng Ning had already passed the Autumn Examination and was preparing for the upcoming Spring Examination, while Liu Fangyi, being a Master, had never liked mingling with children and had long gone out to meet colleagues.
Whenever anyone needed something, they naturally came to ask Qing Wu. Wen Qingyue felt sorry for his sister and took on this "task," arranging everything that needed to be done since it was rare for her to come home.
Although Wen Qingyue tried his best to take care of everyone, Qing Wu quickly noticed his favoritism towards Shen Shuihua.
For instance, when her brother had nothing to do, he would seek out Shen Shuihua for private conversations. Whenever Qing Wu approached them, they would hurriedly separate. Another example was when Qing Wu mentioned which snack was delicious; her brother would casually ask if Miss Shen had any. If a maid replied that she hadn’t yet received any, he would immediately say to send one to Miss Shen as well.
Qing Wu had also experienced being taken care of in such a thoughtful manner. Wen Qingyue wondered what kind of intentions were behind this, and she soon came to understand.
She originally did not intend to bring this up in front of her brother. However, a casual remark made by Zou Kefen before leaving yesterday caught her attention. When her brother came to pick her up this morning, their family was present, making it inconvenient for her to speak. She could only take this opportunity to tell him.
"I heard that the Duke of Lu's Residence and the Shen Family have been getting closer recently. Lady Lu and Madam Shen often have tea together. If you have any plans, it would be better to act sooner rather than later, lest hesitation leads to missed opportunities."
As soon as she said this, even the usually composed Wen Qingyue couldn't help but change his expression slightly.
Though Qing Wu's words were not explicit, the meaning was quite clear: the Duke of Lu's Residence intended to form a marriage alliance with the Shen Family.
For two ladies to personally bring this up, it was undoubtedly about a legitimate daughter. Counting the eligible children from both families, the one from the Shen Family would likely be Shen Shuihua.
Thinking of this, Wen Qingyue dared not delay any longer and turned to head towards the horse stable. After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and hurriedly walked back. Frowning, he awkwardly said to Qing Wu, "But I don't know her intentions. If she... if she..."
What if she had more interest in the Duke of Lu's Residence? What should he do then?
Wen Qingyue was usually decisive; he had never been so indecisive before.
Seeing her brother's rare hesitation, Qing Wu couldn't help but laugh and gently pushed him, saying, "How would I know? I'm just bringing this up for your consideration. What you decide to do still depends on you."
Wen Qingyue lowered his gaze and pondered for a moment before nodding heavily. He clasped his fists and thanked his sister before striding away with determination.
As for Qing Wu, she rarely stayed at home. If Zou Kefen hadn't made that remark at that time, she truly wouldn't have known about the plans between the Lu Family and the Shen Residence.
From her brother's behavior yesterday, she could tell it was because Huo Yun'ai took such good care of him. Having experienced it herself, she could naturally discern it. However, others might not notice it; for example, Lu Pingting. She was optimistic and innocent and completely failed to notice anything "off" about Wen Qingyue.
However, Zou Kefen might have noticed something, which is why she jokingly pointed it out before leaving. After all, Zou Kefen had also entertained thoughts about her daughter. Therefore, Wen Qingyue's demeanor in front of her must have been quite obvious.
As for Zou Kefen's crush...
Qing Wu sighed softly.
She never expected that Zou Kefen actually had different feelings for Huo Yun'ai.
After Huo Yun'ai's decree to make her a consort was issued, Qing Wu did not see Zou Kefen for several months. Later, she learned that Zou Kefen had been ill. She had been bedridden for over a hundred days before finally recovering somewhat. When they first met after her recovery, Zou Kefen's expression was somewhat unnatural. It took several encounters before she returned to normal.
It was only yesterday that Qing Wu realized the reason behind it.
Because Qing Wu was about to marry into the palace, the girls inevitably brought it up during their chats. However, every time they asked about Qing Wu's preparations for marriage or matters concerning the palace, Zou Kefen would make an excuse to leave, which made everyone suspect something was amiss.
But since Zou Kefen seemed unaware and appeared to have let go of it, the girls pretended not to notice and continued to smile as usual.
...
Thinking of this, Qing Wu couldn't help but quicken her pace, arriving at Zhaoyuan Hall even faster than usual.
Huo Yun'ai finished court earlier today, and since Qing Wu had delayed on the way, by the time she arrived, the Young Emperor was already engrossed in reviewing memorials with a red brush.
Seeing his calm and composed demeanor, Qing Wu felt a mix of emotions in her heart.
On one hand, thinking about how others had feelings for him made her feel a burning frustration in her chest.
On the other hand, knowing that his heart only belonged to her brought her great joy.
The two emotions intertwined, and Qing Wu no longer cared about the formalities. She quickly walked to his right side and sat down next to him.
She was usually very measured and rarely took the initiative to lean in like this.
Huo Yun'ai was very pleased and pulled her to sit on his left side. With his right hand, he continued to review documents while his left hand held hers, gently rubbing it in his palm. He chuckled, "What’s wrong? Did something happen on the way?"
He was unaware of the turmoil in her heart, so he casually asked.
Upon hearing Huo Yun'ai's words, Qing Wu temporarily set aside her thoughts and recalled the matters concerning the Matriarch and the Third Branch. She asked, "You already knew there was a hidden stash of ironware at the Third Master’s place, so you found a way to go there under the pretense of discovering it by chance, right?"
Huo Yun'ai had no intention of hiding it from her and responded with a cheerful smile.
Qing Wu sighed, "So it is true. I wondered why a child's strange behavior could lead to such a big incident. Later I realized it must be related to you."
"I only instructed them to act according to the situation; I never expected they would use a child to stir up trouble."
Speaking of that child, Huo Yun'ai had something to say: "That child thought he was being discreet, sneaking over to watch every time. Little did he know that Liu Laosan had already developed murderous intent. If this matter hadn’t progressed smoothly, he might have already become Liu Laosan's victim."
Such incidents had occurred many times before on that estate; people would mysteriously disappear without explanation. Since no living person could be found and no bodies were seen, everyone eventually assumed that those individuals had fled.
Unbeknownst to them, they had all been killed by Liu Laosan. Their bodies were hidden away and had not been discovered.
In Capital City, it wouldn’t be long before there would be a series of "sudden discoveries of corpses."
Huo Yun'ai also informed Qing Wu in advance. This way, when such things happen, the girl won't be caught off guard and frightened. After all, there were already a few cousins in the family who treated human lives as a joke, which was already alarming. Now, with the emergence of a ruthless villain who kills without blinking, anyone who knows would surely have trouble sleeping at night.
Thinking about how the girl might toss and turn in bed at night, he couldn't help but feel a bit of pity. The pressure he had been applying while holding her hand unconsciously eased, turning into a gentle caress.
Qing Wu naturally understood that Huo Yun'ai was doing this for her own good. Everything he did was considerate of her feelings. In this world, apart from her parents, perhaps only the person in front of her would care for her like this.
Recalling her previous thoughts and remembering what she knew about Zou Kefen's past feelings, Qing Wu suddenly felt a surge of intense emotion.
She wished she could tie this person to her side so that no one else could covet him.
Even if it was just to look at him one more time, that would be unacceptable.
She was startled by this thought. Yet, this feeling was so strong that she couldn't ignore it.
After hesitating for a long time, the girl finally mustered her courage, tightly grasped his hand, and said half angrily and half shyly: "From now on, you are not allowed to marry anyone else. No one at all. Even if someone is nicer than me, prettier than me, or more sensible than me, it doesn't matter!"
Her words were filled with undeniable jealousy.
But it was precisely this obvious possessiveness and jealousy that made the Young Emperor suddenly freeze in surprise, looking at her with incredulous joy.
Comment 0 Comment Count