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墨書 Inktalez
In the past, Qing Wu was relatively leisurely, spending her free time by Huo Yun'ai's side. He handled governmental affairs while she read, wrote, and painted. Although they did not communicate much, they could see each other with just a glance.
Recently, Qing Wu had been extremely busy. Even during lunch, she would hurriedly eat a few bites before needing to leave. During dinner, she tried to save time as much as possible; several times she couldn't break away and simply ate while reading in the Falling Sunset Pavilion.
To be honest, the time they spent together had significantly decreased. Moreover, Huo Yun'ai often urged her to sit down and eat properly. Although she agreed, whenever something came up, she would rush off again...
Seeing the young man with a slight frown, Qing Wu slowly approached him, took his hand gently, and asked, "How about having lunch together later?"
When he turned his face away without responding, she thought for a moment and added, "This time I'm with them; even if something major happens, you can't disturb us."
Seeing her sincere expression, Huo Yun'ai asked, "Then what about Liu Mama? Shouldn't that be disturbed either?"
Surprised to hear him mention this matter, Qing Wu exclaimed, "Oh? How do you know about her?" After a pause, she continued hesitantly, "Her matters are indeed important. But since I promised to accompany you, let's wait until after lunch." Then she thought about it; since it wasn't time to serve the meal yet, she became cheerful again. "How about we bring up her matters a bit earlier and do it now?"
Her reaction was too direct; there was no hint of concealment in her thoughts. She didn't lie just to appease him...
Huo Yun'ai found it both amusing and exasperating; his previously cold demeanor couldn't hold up anymore. He pointed at her lips playfully and said, "How would I know? You're only busy with the Six Bureaus' affairs; how could you pay attention to anything else? Isn't Liu Residence's situation being monitored by the people I sent?"
Fearing that there might be movements from Zheng An's side, Huo Yun'ai had specifically redirected those who were originally protecting Qing Wu to watch over Liu Residence instead.
Since Liu Fangyi saw Liu Mama, she had been inquiring around. Such unusual behavior naturally caught the attention of those people. Considering that Dou Mama returned home today after seeing Liu Fangyi and appeared somewhat off-color afterward, Huo Yun'ai could deduce what was happening.
"Not now. Let's talk after the meal," Huo Yun'ai said, his expression slightly changing as he pinched her chin lightly and remarked discontentedly, "Why have you lost weight again?"
"I don't know," Qing Wu replied softly as she felt the chill in his words. She lowered her head and twisted her fingers nervously, not daring to look at him as she said quietly, "Actually, I haven't lost much weight. I'm fine."
Due to the busy days, Qing Wu felt that she had lost some weight. It was nothing else; just putting on clothes felt looser than usual.
She was already slender by nature, and now having lost a bit more weight, her originally small face appeared even smaller.
Seeing her seemingly indifferent demeanor, Huo Yun'ai was filled with frustration. Grabbing her hand, he exclaimed, "It's one thing to ignore me, but how can you neglect yourself? Look at you now! If you lose any more weight, I fear your gown won't fit!"
Their Grand Wedding date had already been set. It was June 19th, more than four months later than the auspicious date in February.
With the imperial decree issued, the Liu Family was worried. Although they were extremely reluctant, they were concerned that Qing Wu had not yet turned fifteen and feared it would be inappropriate to accept such favor. However, the current Your Majesty was already eighteen and had no one by his side; delaying any further would not be beneficial. This eased their minds somewhat.
Regarding this matter, they did not show any signs of unhappiness. In their correspondence with Qing Wu or through messages sent, there was no hint of discontent.
Huo Yun'ai was very satisfied with the Liu Family's attitude.
As for other matters, he could make some concessions for Qing Wu. However, he was not prepared to wait any longer for the Grand Wedding.
Every day, the girl he thought about constantly was wandering in the palace not far away, so close yet out of reach... The feeling of longing was something only he could truly understand.
Now that the wedding date had been set, Huo Yun'ai found it increasingly difficult to endure during his free time each day. He wished time would fly by to mid-June.
Yet, this anxious feeling he had was completely lost on the girl.
She was busy every day. Although it was for their family and she had no choice but to handle everything before the Grand Wedding, he couldn't stand seeing her prioritize other matters over him.
Huo Yun'ai couldn't understand where this unreasonable thought of hers came from. It was just that every time the cold night set in, these thoughts became increasingly prominent.
However, at this moment, seeing the girl's thin figure and watching her so busy that she couldn't even take care of herself, all the resentment that had built up vanished in an instant. In its place was a heartache mixed with helplessness, as if she were frustrated at how she could let herself get to this point. How could she dare to do this?
Huo Yun'ai was both angry and anxious. He casually grabbed her arm and noticed it felt slightly thinner than before, exclaiming, "You haven't lost weight? You used to have some flesh on you, but now?!"
His movements were too quick; Qing Wu was caught off guard and felt ticklish from his grip. Unable to respond, she laughed and tried to dodge away.
She wanted to escape, but he wouldn't allow it. He reached out and pulled her into his embrace, rolling up her sleeve in the process.
Her arms appeared thin and delicate, but due to her bone structure, they weren't overly skinny; there was still some softness to them.
Her skin was flawless, smooth and white like jade. When he lightly brushed against it, it felt silky and delicate...
This complexion was too striking. This touch was too intoxicating.
Huo Yun'ai took a deep breath, quickly withdrew his hand, and hurriedly pulled down her sleeve while turning his face away to catch his breath roughly. He then turned around, facing away from her.
Qing Wu had no idea what was wrong with Huo Yun'ai. Seeing him like this, she thought he was just angry and unwilling to talk to her.
She felt very wronged.
It's really not that thin! Although she eats quickly, does she eat a lot?
Slowly pulling back the sleeves of her clothing, she tugged at his sleeve and softly said, "I'm really not too thin. Really!"
Even though a woman's arms shouldn't be casually shown to a man, their engagement was known to the servants, so what was inappropriate about it?
Moreover, at times, they even slept in the same bed. He had wiped her face, washed her hands, and even carried her around. They had been so intimate; just looking at her arm was nothing to worry about.
Besides, hadn't he already seen it earlier? Looking again wasn't a big deal.
Although Qing Wu didn't think much of it since there were only the two of them in the room, the young man in front of her clearly thought otherwise.
Huo Yun'ai clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and said coldly, "Is this still not thin enough? What do you want to do to your body before you're satisfied?"
Qing Wu felt a sinking sensation in her heart. She bit her lip, and tears welled up in her eyes.
What did she want to be busy with?
In such a vast harem, with so many palace maids, there wasn't even a proper set of rules.
Wasn't she putting in all this effort because of their engagement and for him?
If she were to marry someone else, she could certainly relax and just take care of her own little corner of the courtyard.
But he is different.
He is the Monarch.
His "backyard" has a number of people that is dozens or even hundreds of times more than that of official families. It's not so easy to manage.
Now, she works so hard, yet receives not a single word of praise...
It was too quiet around them.
The Young Emperor sensed something was wrong and quickly turned to look.
Seeing the girl with red-rimmed eyes, he was startled and hurriedly pulled her over, "What happened to you?"
Qing Wu struggled to pull her hand away but couldn't. The more she tried, the tighter he held on. So she huffed, "What else could it be? Since you look down on me, I naturally have to work hard to eat and gain weight back."
She avoided mentioning her busy work with the Six Bureaus, but Huo Yun'ai knew she must be upset because of his earlier words.
He had only brought it up briefly; she surely understood he was worried about her. But since he kept emphasizing it afterward, wouldn't she misunderstand?
But just now, he had truly spoken without thinking in his panic...
Huo Yun'ai felt quite helpless as he held the girl in his arms, gently stroking her back and saying, "Don't overthink it. I just said a few things casually; I misspoke. I’m not really blaming you for anything. It's just that I can't see you often every day, and it makes me feel uneasy."
Although he acted this way, Qing Wu still felt a bit nervous. Even though she understood him well and knew that the most important thing to him was her, his cold tone when he turned away made it hard for her to shake off the feeling. She could only respond with a soft "mm."
Huo Yun'ai felt a tremor in his heart upon hearing her pitiful sound. After thinking carefully, he realized that the girl must have been frightened by his stern words.
He had built up his authority over time, using a strict and decisive approach in his actions. However, he had deliberately concealed that side of himself when he was with her. Now that he had suddenly revealed it, how could she not be scared?
Huo Yun'ai felt a deep ache in his heart and leaned down slightly to kiss her gently.
The delicate kisses were like soft feathers, landing on the corners of her eyes and on her lips, slowly calming her anxiety and confusion.
As he felt her body gradually relax, letting go of her previous resistance and unease, the young man turned his face to bury it in her neck, breathing heavily.
"Do you know why I turned away and ignored you just now?" he asked softly in a low voice while holding her tightly.
Qing Wu shook her head.
He smiled slightly and sighed, "I just didn't want you to see my embarrassment." Before she could react, he suddenly took her hand and guided it toward the firm surface.
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