Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"I sincerely came to see you, and this is how you treat me?"
Madam Wu could no longer endure it. Her brows furrowed in anger as she stood up. However, instead of addressing Wen Qingyue, who had spoken, she turned to Lady Liu of the He Family and shouted, "I initially thought you were kind-hearted, which is why I kept tolerating you. Now my goodwill has only been met with your malicious ridicule!"
She shot a sidelong glance at Qing Wu and scoffed, "You're nothing special. Where is there a place better than my home? Forgive my poor eyesight; I simply cannot see it!"
The He Family was infuriated by Madam Wu's behavior and words, their faces turning pale.
It was the Heir Apparent of the Marquisate, Wen Qingyue, who had just made a mocking remark, not her.
Madam Wu's actions clearly indicated that she was seeking an easy target, unwilling to provoke the esteemed Heir Apparent and instead causing trouble for her.
The He Family felt a wave of sorrow as they realized that years of friendship had only resulted in becoming someone else's easy target. They no longer cared about decorum and said, "My son has also been raised with great affection. At home, we can't bear to let her suffer even the slightest grievance. The matter of marriage was initially brought up by you; I only considered it seriously afterward. Who would have thought that you would show such disrespect to our family, treating us as if we could be summoned or dismissed at will? Tell me, what mother would willingly marry her daughter into such a family? If you treat feelings like a commodity, don't regret it later!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Wu was furious. "You dare to curse me!"
With that, she took two steps forward to confront the He Family face-to-face.
However, before she could get close to them, she was suddenly blocked by Master Wen, who had risen from his seat.
The old man was tall and robust. Although he had not concerned himself with military or court affairs for many years, his past experiences in bloody battles had left him exuding a murderous aura.
He usually kept this demeanor in check so that others wouldn't feel it. But now he deliberately let it out; as he stepped forward, Madam Wu was instantly startled and took two or three steps back.
Master Wen seemed unaware of her panic and asked Wen Qingyue leisurely, "Yue'er, I remember those words just now were yours, weren't they?"
"Indeed," Wen Qingyue replied. "In a fit of anger, I spoke without thinking."
"Truly 'without thinking.' Look at that half; no one even realized it was you who spoke; they all blamed Aunt Liu instead."
Master Wen's voice was loud as he shook his head at Wen Qingyue and sighed, "In the future, don't be so reckless. How can you casually say a few words and dismiss someone? You must ensure that the other party knows exactly who is speaking. Now we've benefited from it; we can watch the chaotic drama unfold without spending any money."
The sarcasm in his words was unmistakable; how could Madam Wu not hear it?
"Wen Qingyue" added, "Some people are simply blind, and it's rare for them to speak the truth. However, from my perspective, it's not just 'blindness,' but also 'deafness.' Otherwise, there would be no reason for me to stand here so upright and confront someone without having mistaken their identity."
"Madam Wu" was immediately filled with rage, nearly fainting from the anger.
Fortunately, a glimmer of clarity remained in her mind, allowing her to stand tall and glare fiercely.
She knew that the "Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion" was protecting the "Liu Family," and it was a firm protection.
In that case, her previous accusations against the "Liu Residence" would not be easily dismissed by the "Marquisate."
"Madam Wu" coldly stared at the "Marquis," sneering lightly as she said, "I have no grievances with you. I respect you as an elder, which is why I have been tolerant. Yet you disregard this entirely and only seek to belittle me in public. I want to ask, everyone says that the 'Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion' is fair and upright; why is it that when it comes to me, they cannot see even a fraction of that?"
"Master Wen" completely ignored her.
"The reason is simple," "Wen Qingyue" chuckled lightly, pressing down on "Qing Wu," who was about to speak. He continued, "You look down on 'Qingwu,' you look down on the 'Liu Family,' and that is opposing the 'Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion.'"
With that, he disregarded everything else and walked directly in front of "Madam Wu," gesturing toward the door as if inviting her out. He said, "I believe you wouldn't want to stay here any longer. Why not take your leave?"
Though he spoke the word "please," his tone and expression were very firm, clearly indicating he wanted her to leave.
"Madam Wu" was furious and pointed at him, shouting, "This is not the 'Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion'! What authority do you have?!"
"But this is also not the 'Wu Family' residence," "Master Wen" had already returned to his seat, lightly tapping the armrest of his chair. He half-closed his eyes and said, "You have no right to act recklessly here."
The imposing "Old Marquis," seemingly speaking casually with just a few words, carried an intimidating undertone that instilled fear in people's hearts.
"Madam Wu" felt deep resentment.
However, the "Marquisate" and "Grandfather and Grandson" were clearly determined to protect the "Liu Family" and "Qing Wu," showing no signs of compromise. No matter how uncomfortable or unwilling she felt inside, what could she do?!
Under "Wen Qingyue's" warning gaze, "Madam Wu" did not dare utter a single complaint. With a resentful flick of her sleeve, she quickly left.
The "He Family," watching her retreating figure, felt disappointed and disheartened at the years of friendship they had shared. They sighed repeatedly.
Liu Fangyi patted his wife's shoulder, softly comforting her.
He said to the old man and Wen Qingyue, "Thank you both." Then he glanced at his gentle wife and obedient daughter, sighing, "If it weren't for you two, this matter would be difficult to resolve."
When reasoning meets unreasonable behavior, there is hardly any chance of winning.
With Madam Wu's antics, the Liu Family would gain nothing by competing with her.
Master Wen merely responded with a faint "hm."
Wen Qingyue said, "It's nothing. We are all family. The way she treats Qingwu—taking what she wants and discarding what she doesn't care for—now that we know, how can we let her off the hook?"
Qing Wu pressed her lips together in silence, gripping the hem of her clothes tightly. After a long pause, she managed a faint smile and said to the stern-faced Master Wen, "I brought back quite a few delicious snacks this time. Would you like to have some?"
The old man had never been fond of sweets. The last time he had eaten several tangyuan brought from the palace was quite rare.
Now that Qing Wu had brought back snacks from the palace and asked this question, it was partly because she thought the Marquis might enjoy them, and partly to change the topic and ease the current tense atmosphere.
Upon hearing his granddaughter's words, Master Wen's expression indeed softened considerably as he smiled and said, "I don't like snacks from others, but I must try those from my girl." His tone was unusually gentle and soft.
Qing Wu responded with a smile and walked outside.
As soon as she left the room, she let out a gentle sigh.
Thinking of Madam Wu's various behaviors and everything that had happened today, Qing Wu understood that the Wu Manor and Liu Residence were likely to become hostile in the future.
Even though Madam Wu had countless faults, Wu Linxi had never done anything wrong. In the future, if he wanted to attend school with his brothers or play together, the Wu Family would definitely refuse and would likely obstruct him or even scold him.
And as for the brothers, they would lose a good friend from now on.
However, thinking about it again, Qing Wu felt warmth in her heart for the love shown by her grandfather and brother. She secretly resolved to treat them even better in the future…
As she was lost in thought while walking, she suddenly felt a stir as she reached the gate of the West Courtyard and turned her head to look at the roadside.
At the other end of the road, someone was leaning against the courtyard wall, looking this way.
Their eyes met, and he slowly shifted his gaze, a faint smile curving at the corners of his lips. After hesitating for a moment, he walked over slowly.
When Qing Wu last saw him, she felt that there was something off about the way he looked at her. Now, seeing him again, she noticed a multitude of complex emotions in his eyes that were hard to discern. Upon reflection, she could identify one of them: sadness.
Qing Wu was puzzled.
He was naturally carefree and unruly; when had he ever shown such an expression?
Could it be that something troubled him deeply?
As she watched him approach, she found herself instinctively moving toward him. When they were about four or five feet apart, they both stopped.
He was tall, but usually slouched so much that it went unnoticed. Now standing straight in front of her, he gave her an unexpected sense of pressure.
Zheng Ning quietly looked at Qing Wu. After a while, he shifted his gaze slightly and slowly smiled as he said, "Girl, I am leaving now to bid you farewell."
The suddenness of his words caught Qing Wu off guard; she had no mental preparation for this. In shock, her mind went blank for a moment.
After a long pause, she gently asked, "Why? Didn't you consider Liu Residence your home?"
She knew that Zheng Ning did not want to go home; rather, the Zheng Family's way of doing things differed too much from his own beliefs. Since childhood, he had preferred to wander rather than stay at home.
But he had clearly been living there...
"It was possible before. However, something happened..."
Zheng Ning quickly glanced toward the hall and then turned back before Qing Wu noticed, smiling as he said, "Anyway, I'm used to drifting. Besides, I haven't traveled around in a long time; I feel like I'm missing something."
At this point, Qing Wu understood that further persuasion would be futile.
She looked up at him. For some reason, she suddenly recalled the first time she met him: that young man with loose clothing and a lazy smile on his lips.
Seeing the occasional helplessness and sorrow flashing in his eyes now, she felt a pang of melancholy in her heart.
For many years, he had been both a teacher and a friend to her. Although he was her instructor, he was almost like an older brother, accompanying her as she grew up and playing with her.
He had always been by her side, caring for everything about her and everything related to the Liu Residence.
Though there was no blood relation, he had long become a member of the Liu Family.
Now, suddenly hearing that he was leaving, she felt a deep reluctance in her heart.
But this was his choice; how could she say anything more?
Even though her heart was filled with sadness, Qing Wu still smiled lightly and said, "You must remember to come back and visit often."
Zheng Ning remained silent, raising his hand to gently ruffle her smooth hair.
Then, with a soft "mm," he turned away and walked off slowly, step by step.
Qing Wu didn’t know how she ended up taking some snacks. She also didn’t know how she returned to the hall.
She handed the items to the Marquis, forced a smile, and exchanged a few words. After that, she didn’t know how to continue.
The He Family and Wen Qingyue noticed something was off with her and quickly asked what was wrong.
Qing Wu paused for a moment and said in a low voice, "The teacher is leaving."
"Leaving?" The He Family was surprised. "When did this happen? So suddenly?"
Master Wen was unaware of the situation. Wen Qingyue had heard a bit about it and explained to his grandfather, "There is a teacher who has been instructing Qing Wu for many years. I heard from my merchant friend that this person is known as the 'Ghost Hand Painter,' renowned for his landscape paintings; no one can compare to him."
The Marquis nodded and said, "Then we should properly send him off later."
"I'm afraid it will be too late." Qing Wu shook her head and said, "The teacher is leaving immediately and won't stay any longer."
Liu Fangyi listened and immediately got up to chase after him, angrily saying, "What's going on with Zheng Ning? We're family, how could he leave without saying a word!"
"Zheng Ning?" Master Wen, upon hearing this, suddenly opened his half-closed eyes, slammed the armrest, and stood up abruptly, startling Liu Fangyi, who was about to head out.
Then, the old man shook his head again.
"No, it can't be that coincidental. There are so many people with the same name; how could it just happen to be him?"
"There can't be that many people with the same name, right?" Liu Fangyi asked in surprise. "This one is the youngest brother of Imperial Teacher Zheng An. Your Zheng Ning is..."
"Zheng An's brother? Isn't it true that the Zheng Family has been out of touch with him for a long time..."
Master Wen's resolute gaze faltered for a moment, then he waved his hand vigorously, pushing Wen Qingyue aside and pointing towards the door.
"Chase! Quickly bring him back to me!"
Comment 0 Comment Count