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墨書 Inktalez
"I want to know too!" Yun Kexin said mockingly.
"Could it be Aunt Zhuo again?" Feng Yinxiao narrowed his dark eyes, his thin lips slightly parted as he silently pondered, "Aunt Zhuo usually only gets close to Mother. Could it be that Mother told her about this? And since Mother once informed Aunt Zhuo about the Brocade Box, is there some connection between the two?"
Feng Yinxiao was perplexed.
When he regained his focus, he noticed that Yun Kexin had turned her face away, appearing indifferent. Feng Yinxiao struggled with whether to voice his doubts—
"Yun Kexin, I admit that my procrastination nearly caused trouble for Fourth Sister," Feng Yinxiao decided to clarify Yun Kexin's misunderstanding of him before discussing anything else. "But I assure you on my honor that it was not intentional. In fact, I wasn't dragging my feet; I just hadn't found the right moment." He paused, looking at Yun Kexin with pleading eyes. "Do you remember? When you invited me to the racetrack to ride horses, I thought I would also invite Fourth Sister then, to share my thoughts with her first so she would have a heads-up before I formally addressed this matter with Second House..."
So that's why the Young Lord and Fourth Sister were having such a good time at the racetrack?!
Yun Kexin believed every word from Feng Yinxiao, but she had to force herself to make another decision—
"Young Lord, from now on, please don't come to the house looking for me..." Yun Kexin said abruptly yet calmly.
"Why?" Feng Yinxiao lost his usual confidence and composure, blurting out in shock. "Yun Kexin, do you not trust me? Or is it because I'm not marrying Fourth Sister?"
"No! I trust you, Young Lord!" Yun Kexin gazed into the misty depths of the forest, her heart gradually sinking into an indescribable sorrow. She struggled to find the energy to speak. "But now that such a situation has arisen, if you continue to come to Third House looking for me, what will that mean for Second House? Do you think it's appropriate for us to remain friends?"
Feng Yinxiao was speechless: Seventh Sister truly cared deeply for Second House.
"So as long as Fourth Sister doesn't get married, we can't even meet as friends?!" Feng Yinxiao nearly shouted in response, his handsome face filled with pain.
Yun Kexin didn't dare look back at Feng Yinxiao's expression at that moment; she merely glanced down and said, "I've done what I should. Young Lord, take care. Farewell."
With that, she resolutely turned away and walked steadily forward with delicate steps. The sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, casting a glow over her petite figure. To him, she appeared so fragile and delicate that it seemed a gust of wind could carry her away, igniting a strong protective instinct within him.
"Yun Kexin, I'll see you off..." Feng Yinxiao suddenly came back to his senses and caught up with her, silently walking by her side.
Returning to the residence from the forest, Yun Kexin appeared to live as she always had, diligently copying scriptures at her grandmother's place, attending classes at Tong Mansion, and visiting Fourth Uncle. However, her three attentive maids noticed that Seventh Sister spoke much less and her smiles seemed rare. Moreover, Young Lord had not visited the Duke of E's residence since then. What had happened between them? Soon, the entire household sensed Seventh Sister's "strangeness." Even Crown Prince Qin Yan and Tong Zhichen noticed and asked her what was wrong. Unexpectedly, she either laughed and said, "It's nothing," or responded with irrelevant comments, leaving them at a loss.
"Xiner, what's wrong with you these days? You seem downcast," Yun Yang said as he served some dishes into Yun Kexin's bowl at the dining table. "Is there something on your mind?"
"Not at all, Father. Haven't I been just fine?" Yun Kexin replied with a faint smile and continued eating her rice.
"Not really," Fu Lianyin chimed in with Yun Yang, teasingly saying, "Ever since you came back from the racetrack and regained consciousness, you haven't talked much. Did you hit your head or something? Xiner, don't scare your Mother and Father."
It's not about scaring you; it's about making you feel satisfied! Yun Kexin thought to herself.
"Mother, I think Seventh Sister misses Brother Fu," Yun Ran, who had been focused on her meal, suddenly looked up and joked. "You should invite the Heir Apparent to the capital soon."
"Oh my, Elder Sister Five, you really have a way with words," Yun Kexin revealed her first smile in days, but it was a mocking one in response. "I’m afraid it’s you who misses Fu Shizi rather than me..."
"I... I was just joking with Seventh Sister," Yun Ran defended herself, her face flushed. "Why does Seventh Sister have to take it seriously and mock me like this?" She looked at Yun Yang and Fu Lianyin with a pitiful expression, hoping they would mediate.
"Mock you? How could I dare!" Yun Kexin chuckled innocently and retorted nonchalantly, "It’s just that Xiner remembers Elder Sister Five's feelings for Fu Shizi. Since returning from Fan City for months now, I thought I’d casually guess Eldest Sister's thoughts. Please don’t take offense..."
"You!" Yun Ran bit her lip, wishing she could throw her bowl at Yun Kexin. After glaring at her for a moment and finding herself at a loss for words, she asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"It means nothing; what could I mean?" Yun Kexin shrugged her shoulders mockingly. "Let’s just stick to the point; Elder Sister Five should calm down."
"Look at you two; why do you argue as soon as you meet?" Fu Lianyin waved her chopsticks in front of Yun Ran and Yun Kexin disapprovingly. "You don’t act like sisters at all."
Yun Ran shot a glare at Yun Kexin before pulling a wry smile and lowering her head to eat again. She stirred her chopsticks in the bowl but suddenly found the food tasteless.
"Ran'er, Brother Fu will be coming to the capital soon," Fu Lianyin intended to draw Yun Kexin's attention but indirectly comforted Yun Ran instead. "Then you'll have someone to play with."
Yun Ran paused for a moment as she poked the bowl with her spoon, her gaze flickering over the food before dimming. She coldly laughed to herself: My dear mother, I truly thank you! Do you really think I don’t know how you’ve been undermining me behind my back? One day, I will make you taste my power, in return for your "great kindness" towards me!
"Thank you, Mother, for your love," Yun Ran looked up, her brows raised in a smile, sweetly yet venomously saying, "Knowing my thoughts, I also hope Brother Fu can come soon."
"Seventh Young Lady, in a few days, I will be visiting the Wei Wen Wang residence," Yun Yang ignored the false sentiments between Fu Lianyin and Yun Ran and directly addressed Yun Yun Kexin. "I want to take you along, is that alright?"
Fu Lianyin merely responded with a cold "mm," but she was visibly pleased that Yun Yang intended to take Yun Yun Kexin to visit Wei Wen Wang. This clearly showed that Yun Yang had listened to her words; how could she worry about not being able to have "a united front" in the future? Her efforts over the past few days finally bore fruit.
"Seventh Young Lady, why don’t you quickly agree with Father?" Fu Lianyin smiled at Yun Yun Kexin. "It just so happens that your mood hasn’t been great lately; it would be good for you to go out and relax with the master."
"Xiner obeys," Yun Yun Kexin replied with a smile.
Yun Yun Kexin thought to herself: What do they need me for at Wei Wen Wang's residence? It can't just be for relaxation!
That evening, at the Yan Duke's residence, Feng Yinxiao sat in the moonlit garden drinking wine, accompanied by Wei Qing.
"Hey, that's enough," seeing Feng Yinxiao about to bring the cup to his lips again, Wei Qing hurriedly reached out to snatch it away. "This is already the third pot; are you planning to sleep in this garden or what?"
"Wei Qing, don’t exaggerate," Feng Yinxiao tried to shake off Wei Qing's hand and pushed him away. "If I can't even handle this little bit of alcohol, how could I survive in the palace?!"
But in the end, Wei Qing managed to take the cup from him. Feng Yinxiao pouted like a child:
"What kind of good brother is this? We’re supposed to drink together, yet here I am drinking alone while you just watch—so ungrateful..."
"Of course! How could I miss such a good show of our Great Taihe's renowned Young Marquis getting drunk in the garden?" Wei Qing teased, knowing Feng Yinxiao was frustrated. "As a good brother, how could I miss this?"
"Wei Qing, you..." Feng Yinxiao was exasperated and grabbed the wine jug from the table again. "If you're just here to watch me make a fool of myself, then you might as well leave!"
“Young Lord, what jokes are there to see?!” Wei Qing stopped laughing but continued in a teasing tone, “Others may not know you, but I do. A person who doesn’t drink at all suddenly manages to down three jars of wine without falling over just because he met a nine-year-old girl. Isn’t that quite a feat worth celebrating?” Suddenly, he shifted his tone sharply, “It wouldn’t be Seventh Sister who taught you, would it?!”
“You think she’s just a nine-year-old girl?” Feng Yinxiao ignored Wei Qing's mockery, glanced at him, and chuckled, “You’re mistaken, Wei Qing. Seventh Sister’s intellect is definitely beyond that of a nine-year-old!”
Wei Qing was taken aback and asked, “What do you mean by that? She looks like a nine-year-old girl to me. Is there something extraordinary about her?”
“It’s complicated!” Feng Yinxiao stared at the wine cup in his palm as if talking to himself. “From everything I’ve experienced since I met her, my intuition tells me so.”
Wei Qing thought about it too; he had only just met Yun Yun Kexin once and didn’t really know her—though he had a good impression of her, it was understandable to see her as a child given her age. “But she won’t meet you now,” Wei Qing felt that Feng Yinxiao was somewhat lost in his thoughts and said sympathetically, “Ever since I helped you arrange that meeting last time, she hasn’t even seen me. That clever little girl.”
“It’s fine; I know why she’s avoiding me,” Feng Yinxiao said with an inner turmoil akin to a trapped beast. “It’s all my fault for always being cautious and wanting to play it safe, which led to this situation. So, I want to give her some time and space. If she doesn’t want to see me, then so be it; I don’t want to force her.”
“But Young Lord still misses her, doesn’t he?” Wei Qing looked at his friend with mixed feelings.
“Yes!” Feng Yinxiao took a big gulp of wine, a brilliant light flickering in his dark eyes, reflecting the image of Yun Yun Kexin.
“I’m actually much luckier than you,” Wei Qing suddenly teased with a smile. “I heard from my father that the Third Master of the Ming E State Duke’s residence will bring Seventh Young Lady to visit the royal palace.”
“What? The Third Master is bringing Yun Kexin to visit the Wei Wen Wang residence?” Feng Yinxiao instantly threw down his wine cup, worry rising in his heart. He suddenly grabbed Wei Qing’s sleeve and hoarsely repeated, “Wei Qing, you don’t like Seventh Sister, do you? You’re not going to marry her, are you? Are you?”
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