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Qin Shuying and Huo Yun'ai looked down. Sure enough, the girl was curled up in Huo Yun'ai's arms, her eyes tightly closed and breathing softly, having fallen asleep in such a short time.
Uncle Yu hurried over, wanting to take the girl into his arms. However, when he gently pulled, he accidentally tugged at Huo Yun'ai's sleeve. It turned out that even while sleeping, the girl had tightly clenched her hands, holding onto the young man's clothing firmly.
Uncle Yu gave up on the idea of picking her up first and instead prepared to pry open her fingers. Just as he had this thought, Huo Yun'ai had already turned slightly to block his outstretched hand in mid-air.
"Your Majesty, this..." Uncle Yu hesitated but did not dare to stop Huo Yun'ai.
Huo Yun'ai did not look at him but gently lowered her head to gaze at the girl in her arms.
She was saved by him with his own hands. Others might not know what she had gone through, but he was very clear. With the sudden changes that had occurred, the girl must have endured immense psychological pressure. Since he could help her sleep, he would not refuse to assist.
It was just—
Huo Yun'ai stared at the girl, whose breathing was so faint it was almost imperceptible, and her cold expression softened slightly.
She was just too quiet. Not a sound was made, not a fuss stirred; it was so silent it tugged at one's heartstrings.
Huo Yun'ai walked slowly to the desk and sat down, cradling the sleeping girl comfortably in his arms while placing a scroll in front of him, clearly intending to read while holding her.
Seeing this, Uncle Yu was greatly shocked and called out "Your Majesty," wanting to step forward but was stopped in place by Qin Shuying raising a hand.
Qin Shuying glanced at Huo Yun'ai—the White-Clad Youth's expression was calm and his gaze serene, clearly not feeling that there was anything wrong with his actions.
"What are you afraid of?" Qin Shuying shook his sleeve and shifted his gaze back, smiling slightly at Uncle Yu. "The Emperor has made a decision; how can you meddle? You might as well take this time to see if your own matters are being handled properly."
He and Huo Yun'ai were orphans who had lost all their family during the war and were saved and raised by the Grand General and Former Emperor. They could understand the fear and helplessness of this suddenly alone girl due to their similar experiences and felt great compassion for her.
In fact, Qin Shuying knew before coming that Huo Yun'ai would surely lend a helping hand.
Listening to General Qin's words, Uncle Yu truly felt the burden of unspoken troubles.
In the days following the Former Emperor's passing, Huo Yun'ai had not been able to rest properly. Dealing with state affairs every day was already exhausting, and now he also had to entertain this young lady; he feared his body would not withstand it.
However, the Emperor had previously instructed that such matters should not be disclosed to Qin Shuying. How could Uncle Yu defy the imperial command? In the end, he could only be dragged out by Qin Shuying, turning back three times.
Huo Yun'ai had practiced martial arts since childhood, and the weight of a girl’s delicate frame was nothing to him. But holding a position for too long inevitably made his body stiff and uncomfortable. After his arms grew numb, Huo Yun'ai had no choice but to set down the book and carry her to the soft couch, leaning back against it, intending to rest briefly before returning to his busy tasks.
Unknowingly influenced by her serene sleeping face, Huo Yun'ai soon felt drowsy himself. Without realizing it, he lay on his side, half-embracing her, closing his eyes to rest.
Uncle Yu finally managed to hand over the difficult General Qin to Dou Mama for care. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he returned to Qin Yuan Hall. To his surprise, upon pushing open the palace door, he saw two figures on the soft couch nestled together, sleeping soundly.
...
When Qing Wu woke up, she felt completely limp and lazy, even reluctant to open her eyes. A faint fragrance wafted through her nose. She had smelled this scent before; it carried an inexplicable sense of reassurance that calmed her.
After a while, as her consciousness gradually returned, she sensed that her sleeping position seemed off. Moving slightly, she realized she was resting on someone's arm. Suddenly, she recalled when she had last encountered this scent.
—That night. In that boy's embrace.
She abruptly opened her eyes and was first greeted by a white satin shirt embroidered with silver threads in a vine pattern. Startled, she pushed herself forward and quickly moved back. Just as she shifted a little, a strong force pulled her back into the previous embrace.
"The wall is cold. Don't lean back too far; be careful not to catch a chill."
The boy's voice rang in her ears—clear and cool, quite pleasant to hear.
Qing Wu lifted her head and quietly looked at him.
He was a very handsome boy, even strikingly beautiful. However, his expression was indifferent, giving him an air of aloofness. Yet the concern reflected in his eyes was unmistakable.
Qing Wu subconsciously wanted to gesture to him. But then she thought that he probably wouldn't understand sign language, so she abandoned that idea.
To her surprise, the young man seemed to have guessed her thoughts and smiled gently, "It's nothing. You just woke up, and it's natural to be startled. Don't worry about it."
He stood up from the bed. The moment he got up, his body swayed noticeably. He raised his hand to support himself on a nearby chair to avoid falling over.
Due to his movement, the chair suddenly slid forward. The bottom of it made a sharp screeching sound as it scraped against the floor.
In that instant, Qing Wu suddenly remembered being groggy as her family took her away from the Liu Residence to find that person named Qin Shuying who was referred to as Xuan Yi. Then she came here and saw him...
Only then did she realize that the young man had held her while she slept for a long time. Standing like this, he clearly couldn't keep his balance, which was evidently due to being immobile for an extended period causing his limbs to feel numb.
Feeling guilty, Qing Wu was pondering what to do when a voice came from outside the hall, neither too loud nor too soft.
"Has Your Majesty risen?"
Huo Yun'ai replied with "Come in," then turned back to Qing Wu and said, "You rest; there's no need for you to get up." Saying this, he pulled over a screen from the corner of the room and placed it in front of the soft couch.
Qing Wu sat upright on the couch, listening to the faint sounds of footsteps coming and going outside. After a while, when the hall door closed again, the young man pushed the screen back to the corner of the room.
He picked up a low table and placed it by the bed, handing her a cup of saltwater. While Qing Wu was rinsing her mouth, Huo Yun'ai said, "Today's breakfast is quite light. What do you like? I can bring it for you." He then described each dish to her.
There were cucumber and egg steamed dumplings, steamed egg custard, vegetable pancakes, savory and sweet sesame cakes, along with soy milk and rice porridge.
He spoke concisely but highlighted each food's characteristics. For example, the dumpling skin was thin with plenty of filling, but due to his preference, there were more cucumbers than eggs. Also, he added some milk into the steamed egg custard, making it smooth and sweet.
After finishing, he handed a wet cloth napkin to Qing Wu for her to wipe her hands. Then he quietly looked at her, clearly waiting for an answer.
For a long time, the girl remained silent.
Huo Yun'ai felt a bit puzzled and was about to repeat what she had just said when she heard a voice coming from the girl.
It was very soft, with some unclear enunciation. But the voice was gentle and very pleasant to hear.
"Steamed... egg, custard."
Huo Yun'ai brought it over and placed it on the low table. After thinking for a moment, she also took a bowl of plain congee, two dishes of vegetables, and a spoon. "The egg custard is a bit hot; you should eat some congee first."
At this moment, Qing Wu's joy was hard to express.
It turned out that speaking for the first time was not as difficult as she had thought.
After a good sleep, her hunger was quite evident.
Once her mind settled down, Qing Wu began to eat heartily. Although her movements were quick, they were not frantic.
Seeing her like this, Huo Yun'ai couldn't help but smile. She decided to bring over the steamed dumplings and placed them in front of her. She then picked up a pancake and ate slowly.
After finishing breakfast, Huo Yun'ai instructed someone to invite General Qin in.
Before long, a figure dressed in dark clothing flashed into the room.
"You all really took your time resting. I first waited until evening, then until night. I came early this morning, only to wait until now to see anyone."
Qin Shuying asked Huo Yun'ai with a half-smile, "Come on, how long has it been since you had a good sleep? If it weren't for Dou Mama and Uncle Yu sending someone to notify me that today's court session was canceled, I wouldn't have known you hadn't rested well for quite some time."
Huo Yun'ai did not respond.
She took the cloak prepared by the maids and carefully helped Qing Wu put it on, wrapping her in a rabbit fur scarf. She said to Qin Shuying, "It might be quite cold on the way back later. Please keep an eye on her; don't let her catch a chill on the road."
Qin Shuying squinted at the scene before him. After a moment, he suddenly said, "I heard the Liu Family hasn't named her yet. Why don't you come up with one?" He watched as Huo Yun'ai carefully lifted the girl from the soft couch and added, "After all, you saved her."
Huo Yun'ai paused, turning to look out the window.
The heavy snow had stopped at some point. Outside, a hint of warm sunlight began to appear.
He suddenly thought of the girl's eyes. They were like a layer of mist covering the morning sun. Blurred and unclear, they always carried a hint of sorrow, making one involuntarily yearn for what brilliance and brightness would emerge if that sorrow were to dissipate.
"How about we call her Qing Wu? Liu Qingwu," Huo Yun'ai suggested.
The girl in front of him slowly raised her head and stared at him, her eyes filled with surprise and disbelief.
Qin Shuying did not know when he would be able to bring Liu Qingwu home, so he had not informed the Liu Residence in advance of his visit. When he rode over to deliver her, the He Family in the inner courtyard was troubled by a letter.
The letter was written by Liu Fangyi's stepmother, Lady Liu. It contained only a few words, informing Liu Fangyi and the He Family that she planned to take her family to the capital for the New Year and wanted them to prepare in advance.
Due to the heavy snowfall over the past few days, the letter had been delayed in delivery. Roughly estimating the time, if there were no delays on the road, Matriarch and the others should have arrived in these past two days.
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