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墨書 Inktalez
Actually, regarding the arrangement for Huo Yun'ai, Qin Shuying was quite puzzled.
Now that the two had brought up the matter in front of each other, he asked, "It's just a Wu Family affair. Why go to such lengths?"
After saying this, he leaned against the wall and casually added, "If you truly have other intentions towards the Girl, why not just bring her in directly? The palace is quite empty; she can stay wherever she likes. Instead, you're wasting so much time on these trivial matters."
Huo Yun'ai understood his meaning.
Qing Wu had already entered the palace to serve and was living there long-term. Clearly, Qin Shuying's suggestion to "bring her in" was not merely about letting her into the palace but implied that she should follow him from then on.
Huo Yun'ai pressed her thin lips together and remained silent for a while.
Qin Shuying pondered, "Are you afraid those people would be detrimental to the Liu Family? Don't worry. If anyone dares to do so, I'll be the first to take up arms to protect you! With me outside the palace, what do you have to fear?"
"It's not just that," Huo Yun'ai said softly. "If we let her enter the palace now and forcefully establish her as empress, what will you do? If she isn't made empress, where will she be placed?"
Upon hearing these two sentences, Qin Shuying fell silent.
Establishing an empress was a matter of great national importance.
How many disputes had arisen in the court over this issue, all of which Huo Yun'ai had resolutely blocked.
In this situation, it would be difficult for Qing Wu to be directly named empress.
If Huo Yun'ai suppressed all dissent and forced it...
As an emperor acting unilaterally, he would fall right into the trap set by Zheng An and his faction. At that point, those people would use this as leverage to expose the emperor's oversights and incite trouble, inevitably causing a huge uproar.
"So, we can only wait for now."
Wait for the most suitable opportunity. Wait for him to catch those people all at once.
"However, it won't be too long," Young Emperor said with a faint smile, sounding very certain.
This was the first New Year since the Liu Family returned to the capital. The whole family was very happy.
The He Family put in a tremendous amount of effort to personally arrange everything. From the various decorations in the courtyard to the styles of candles in the house, she personally selected everything, ensuring it was festive and cheerful enough.
Qing Wu often helped her mother manage the household now. Sometimes when the He Family was too busy, she would assist with some arrangements.
On New Year's Eve, the whole family stayed up together.
The He Family had prepared the ingredients for midnight snacks early and was busy having the kitchen prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.
Liu Anfeng had bought fireworks a few days prior. As soon as it got dark, he hurriedly called his siblings to go out into the courtyard to set them off.
Originally, Liu Fangyi had been wearing a gloomy expression since returning from the Third Branch; it was unclear if he had been upset by those people. His wife and children tacitly avoided asking about it, fearing that bringing up those matters would make him even more upset.
Now, as the firecrackers went off and the fireworks lit up the sky, sparkling lights shone in the darkness, cutting through the twilight and making people's hearts relax and soar.
Liu Fangyi's tense face finally revealed a hint of a smile.
Liu Anfeng waved his fireworks and chased after Qing Wu.
The girl initially thought he was just trying to scare her and didn't take it seriously at all. It wasn't until the fireworks were about to singe the fur on her cloak that she realized something was wrong and hurriedly dodged around in the courtyard.
"Liu Anzhi" helplessly called out to "Liu Anfeng," asking him to take it easy and be nice to his sister. Seeing that he wasn't listening, "Liu Anzhi" felt frustrated and decided to assert his authority as the elder brother, raising his voice to scold him.
"Liu An Ting," on the side, crossed his arms and casually remarked, "Big Brother, do you really think he will listen to you? It would be strange if he did. Don't believe me? Just wait and see. You can shout until your voice is hoarse, and he still won't stop."
While the two brothers were arguing, they suddenly heard their younger brother let out a miserable scream. Then came the sound of their sister giggling with her hand over her mouth.
The two turned to look and were surprised to find "Liu Anfeng" had fallen face-first into the dirt, with the fireworks in his hand still sputtering and sparking. "Qing Wu" was nearby, watching him with a gleeful expression.
"Liu Fangyi" stepped forward and extinguished the fire on the fireworks with his foot, grinning as he said to his son, "What’s wrong? Are you done messing around? If you dare bully your sister again, next time it won’t just be a simple trip that I give you!"
The brothers then realized that their father had intervened to save their sister, and they couldn't help but burst into laughter.
As everyone was laughing and joking around, a voice called from the door: "Come in for dinner! It's ready!"
"Liu Fangyi" then led the children back inside.
On New Year's Day, "Liu Fangyi" visited colleagues and old friends. The "He Family" took "Qing Wu" to visit familiar families nearby for New Year greetings. The first stop was the "Wu Family."
By that time, several familiar ladies had already arrived. When "Qing Wu" entered the courtyard with the "He Family," she could hear laughter coming from inside the house.
As soon as they stepped through the door, before she could see who was there, a lady laughed and said, "Lady Liu has not been seen for many years. This must be Liu Young Lady?" After taking a closer look, she sighed and said, "She truly is beautiful. I believe there is no one in our capital who can compare to Liu Young Lady."
The ladies inside all laughed in agreement.
"Madam Wu" slightly lowered her gaze, her smile fading for a moment. After a while, she looked up at the "He Family" and "Qing Wu," her expression warm again as she greeted them: "You are late. The pea cakes from earlier have all been eaten; we have some new almond crisps now, but please don’t be picky."
Her words seemed a bit distant.
The He Family was somewhat surprised, but did not show it. They pulled Qing Wu to sit down, chatted for a moment, and then took their leave.
As soon as they exited the Wu Manor, the smile on the He Family's face instantly faded.
Madam Wu's earlier attitude had already indicated that the engagement must have encountered some issues.
However, even if the engagement fell through, the two families could still be considered old friends, right?
It seemed a bit inconsiderate of the other party to deliberately distance themselves after so many years of friendship.
Qing Wu did not understand why the He Family was in a bad mood and hurriedly took her mother's arm, gently shaking it while asking.
The He Family patted her hand, looking at the charming girl beside her. After some thought, she smiled again.
There were still other options for her daughter.
Even if the Wu Family did not work out, what was there to worry about?
She would take her time to choose.
She did not believe that she could not find a good match for her daughter.
Thinking of this, the tension in her chest finally eased.
Having made up her mind, the He Family took Qing Wu to visit a few households and did not return home until noon.
In the afternoon, Wu Linxi came to Liu Residence to hang out. The first thing he asked was whether Mistress Wu was available.
If it were any other day, the He Family would have smiled and invited Qing Wu to join them.
But today, when Mama Huang conveyed this message to her, the He Family calmly replied, "The young lady is not available today. She cannot go out with the Young Masters."
Mama Huang acknowledged this and instructed Red Peony to relay the message to the Young Masters.
At that moment, Qing Wu was feeling quite bored, sitting in the He Family's house eating fruit and chatting with her mother.
Seeing her mother's reaction and reflecting on the events of that morning, Qing Wu realized that there was likely an issue with the engagement between the two families.
However, as a daughter, it was not appropriate for her to bring up such matters herself.
She wondered if this was perhaps arranged by Huo Yun'ai's side, which made it even harder to discuss.
Thus, she decided to change the subject and engage her mother in light conversation.
As the mother and daughter chatted in the room, the He Family finally managed to regain their smiles when Perilla hurried in to report that a distinguished guest had arrived.
"What kind of distinguished guest?" Upon hearing this, the He Family set aside the new floral arrangement they were holding.
"It is an heir apparent, with the surname Wen. It seems he is from..."
"Is it from the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion?"
Upon hearing Qing Wu's interjection, Perilla suddenly realized and laughed, "It seems to be that Marquisate."
While Perilla was unfamiliar with the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion, the He Family certainly knew of it.
He had not heard of it before. The last time he visited Wu Manor, was it not this Heir Apparent he encountered?
However, the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion is far away in the Southwest. Why is he still lingering in the capital instead of hurrying back to reunite with his family?
The He Family remembered that last time this Wen Heir acted recklessly and accidentally spilled tea on Qing Wu. At that time, they kept it to themselves, thinking he was a guest of Wu Manor and did not speak a word of reproach.
Later, he saved Qing Wu, which changed the He Family's impression of him somewhat.
But now that there was some slight displeasure with Wu Manor, upon hearing that this guest from Wu Manor was coming to their home, the He Family merely said, “Where are the Eldest Young Master and Second Young Master? Go find them to entertain the guest.”
Perilla responded and was about to leave when the He Family called her back, “Is Young Master Wu still in the residence?”
“He's not here,” Perilla replied. “Earlier, Red Peony spoke with him for a moment, and he left due to some matters at home.”
The He Family knew that Wu Linxi must have come this time to see Qing Wu.
...What a pity. That Wu Linxi is truly a good child.
The He Family sighed regretfully and instructed, “Tell the Young Masters that the Wen Heir is an esteemed guest. Since the master is not in the residence, they need to be cautious, especially Third Young Master. He must remember what happened last time. They should be extra polite.”
Perilla noted everything down and then bowed as she left.
Qing Wu did not expect Wen Qingyue to come home at this time.
Recalling her mother’s earlier words about Liu Anfeng, she understood that “the last time” her mother mentioned referred to when Wen Qingyue saved her. She asked, “Should I go over and personally thank him again?”
The He Family thought for a moment and shook their head, saying, “Forget it.” Fearing her daughter might misunderstand, she added, “Last time he saved you was likely out of consideration for Wu Manor. Now our relationship with the Wu Family may not be as close as before. It’s better for you to keep your distance from him. Since your father is not home, it would be appropriate for your brothers to invite him together.”
Qing Wu nodded in agreement.
Yesterday was New Year's Eve, and she had hardly slept at all, only resting a bit when dawn broke.
She had been busy all morning, so the fatigue wasn't very noticeable. However, after having lunch and resting for a while, her exhaustion suddenly surged forth.
Unable to suppress a yawn, Qing Wu planned to inform her mother and then return to her room for a nap.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, she heard footsteps outside.
Without needing to look, she knew it was Liu Anfeng.
Qing Wu had just stood up, so she decided to personally lift the curtain for him and smiled, "Running so fast, be careful not to trip."
As soon as she mentioned tripping, Liu Anfeng recalled the loud thud he made on New Year's Eve. He raised his chin and said, "Is Mother in?"
"What is it?" He Family's voice came from inside the room. "It's cold outside. Come in."
Liu Anfeng responded loudly and stepped into the room.
"Mother, that Wen Heir wants to see Qing Wu. Eldest Brother asked me to check with you whether it's appropriate."
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