Main Residence.
Inside the warm house, as comfortable as a spring day, a full table of dishes had already been set. Four Happiness Meatballs, Sweet and Sour Pork, West Lake Vinegar Fish, and Three-Treasure Chicken Soup, along with a variety of fresh seasonal vegetables, filled the entire table to the brim.
Duke Ding, Gu Wuji, was just past forty this year. Dressed in a long robe, he exuded an air of refined elegance.
Even though time had left its mark on his face, the traces of his youthful handsomeness and unrestrained demeanor could still be seen in his brows. He was a trusted confidant of the emperor and a high-ranking minister in the court. Wherever he went, he was always surrounded by admiration. Yet now, with his hands clasped behind his back, he paced anxiously inside the room.
Changshan, his longtime attendant, had grown up with him since childhood and could be considered Gu Wuji’s milk brother.
Seeing Gu Wuji without his usual composed demeanor, Changshan found it both amusing and helpless as he said, “My Lord Duke, you’ve been walking back and forth for nearly a quarter of an hour now. Aren’t you tired?”
Gu Wuji shook his head. As if something had just occurred to him, he suddenly turned his head and asked, “How long has it been?”
Changshan replied, “Almost half an hour.”
“You think Manman… is she refusing to come again?” The man in his forties spoke cautiously, his tone tinged with disappointment. After speaking, he glanced once more at the table full of dishes—every single one was Gu Wuyou’s favorite.
He let out a soft sigh, remained silent for a moment, then added, “If she refuses to come… have someone send the food over.”
The room was brightly lit, and the tall standing palace lanterns cast their glow on Gu Wuji’s handsome and refined face. His long eyelashes fell against his face, creating a sparse yet dense shadow. In this silent room, it unexpectedly revealed a trace of loneliness.
Changshan, seeing him like this, was about to offer some words of comfort.
Just then, a voice from outside announced, “My Lord Duke, the Fifth Miss has arrived.”
As soon as the words fell—
The man, who had been lowering his head in silence moments before, suddenly lifted his gaze. His face showed unhidden joy, his eyebrows raised in excitement. Without even waiting for Changshan to move, he strode out in large steps. Only when he saw the young girl being supported by Bai Lu did his steps finally come to a halt.
Under the night sky.
Gu Wuyou was dressed in a bright red cloak, embroidered with clusters of blooming peonies. Beneath it, she wore a moon-white brocade short jacket with full sleeves, paired with a delicate green woven gold skirt. A faint glimpse of her shoes could be seen—they were the most fashionable pointed embroidered shoes from Langya, adorned at the tips with a perfectly sized pearl.
In truth, she looked nothing like her birth mother, Wang Chengdai.
Wang Chengdai’s appearance, just like her name, was as poetic as the phrase, “Distant mountains like dai, waters close with mist.” She was a daughter raised within the deep chambers of the Wang family, well-versed in poetry and etiquette from a young age. Her scholarly and graceful demeanor left a lasting impression on anyone who saw her.
But Gu Wuyou?
Her beauty was exquisitely bright and striking.
If Wang Chengdai resembled a traditional ink-wash painting of Jiangnan’s landscapes, then Gu Wuyou was the boldest and most vivid stroke of color in a painter’s masterpiece. Even amidst a crowd of thousands, she would still be the most eye-catching one.
Yet, every time Gu Wuji saw his legitimate daughter, he could not help but recall Wang Chengdai’s figure in his mind.
He always remembered the first time he met Wang Chengdai—it seemed to be on a day just like this. A young girl walked towards him through the long corridor, wearing a cloak and holding a lantern in her hand. When she saw him, she seemed slightly startled before breaking into a soft smile, then lowered her head again.
Gu Wuji had never been fond of reading in his youth, but upon seeing Wang Chengdai that day, his mind was suddenly filled with all the praises for beautiful women he had ever heard before.
Among them, there was one phrase that went something like this—
“When she lowers her head, she is like a lotus on water under the moonlight, swaying gently with the breeze, carrying endless tenderness.”
That was the first time in Gu Wuji’s life he had ever felt his heart skip a beat.
During his stay at the Wang residence, he had been like a foolish, naive young man, racking his brain for ways to encounter her. He loved watching her smile—whenever she did, her eyes would naturally curve into the shape of a crescent moon.
And the happiest day she ever had was the day he secretly took her out of the residence, galloping on horseback, and picking wildflowers from the mountains for her.
She stood among the green mountains, the mountain breeze lifting her long hair and the hem of her lilac-colored dress. Looking up at him, she curved her eyes into a smile and softly said, “Brother Gu, this is the happiest day of my life.”
“My Lord Duke.”
Bai Lu’s voice of greeting pulled Gu Wuji out of his old memories. He nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on Gu Wuyou. The young girl lowered her head, her red lips gently pressed together, the tip of her shoe tapping lightly against the ground, and the pearl on it shimmering even more brilliantly under the lamplight.
She seemed to be hesitating over how to speak.
A faint smile flickered in Gu Wuji’s handsome and open features. He actually wanted very much to reach out and pat her head, but he only thought about it and did not act. Clearing his throat lightly, he spoke to Gu Wuyou in an especially careful tone, “Manman, let’s go inside and have a meal.”
Gu Wuyou nodded and agreed.
Gu Wuji wanted to spend time alone with his daughter, so he naturally did not summon any unnecessary servants to wait on them, leaving only Changshan and Bai Lu behind. He sat across from Gu Wuyou, took the initiative to serve her food, and as he did, he said, “It’s still the same chef as before. Try it and see if it tastes the same as before.”
After speaking—
He eagerly watched Gu Wuyou eat. When she took a bite of the sweet and sour pork ribs, he asked softly, “How is it?”
After marrying Li Qinyuan, Gu Wuyou no longer had much of a fondness for sweets. The flavors from her memories had mostly faded, but seeing the man across from her looking at her with such anticipation, she really didn’t want to let him down.
So she nodded. “Delicious.”
Even though she only said one word, as usual, Gu Wuji was overjoyed. This was the first time Manman had not outright rejected him—he was too happy! His chopsticks moved nonstop, piling food onto her plate until it nearly formed a small mountain.
Seeing him like this, Gu Wuyou couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable.
She actually wanted to talk to him properly, to tell him, “I miss you very much.” She wanted to tell him not to be so cautious around her. But since childhood, she had never spent much time with her father and didn’t know what normal father-daughter interactions should be like.
If it were the Great General…
Gu Wuyou suddenly thought of what Li Qinyuan had told her in the past.
—“Manman, the bond between family is the strongest, but you also have to learn how to express yourself. Don’t always make people guess what you’re thinking. If you want something, just say it… Don’t wait until one day, when you finally want to speak, only to realize the other person is no longer there.”
Her hand, holding the chopsticks, paused.
Looking at the man across from her, she suddenly recalled his previous life—how he had lain in bed, despondent and sorrowful. In her past life, even though she had learned to let go, by the time she wanted to reconnect with him, it had already been too late.
But in this life—
She seemed to hesitate for a long time, but in the end, she pressed her lips together and picked up some food for Gu Wuji as well. In his stunned gaze, she said softly, “I don’t know what you like to eat, but this dish is quite good.”
She lowered her head, using her chopsticks to stir the food on her plate. Perhaps because this was her first time doing such a thing, she felt a little awkward, but she still tried her best to finish what she wanted to say. “Stop giving me so much food. You should eat too.”
Once she finished speaking—
Not only Gu Wuji but also Changshan and Bai Lu were momentarily stunned.
But after the initial shock came joy, especially for Gu Wuji. At this moment, his eyes turned slightly red, and his voice became somewhat choked. “Alright, alright, I’ll eat too. I’ll eat right now.” As he spoke, he put the food Gu Wuyou had given him into his mouth.
Whether it was because he ate too quickly or was too emotional, Gu Wuji suddenly started coughing. He propped his hand on the table, bending over as he coughed, his face turning red.
Changshan quickly poured him a cup of tea.
Gu Wuyou, worried, put down her chopsticks, furrowing her brows as she watched him. Only after he finally stopped coughing did she ask, “You… are you alright?”
Gu Wuji waved his hand and smiled. “I’m fine. I just… I’m just too happy.”
After speaking, he picked up another portion of food and placed it on her plate. “Eat quickly.” As he spoke, he turned to Changshan and instructed, “Go bring my wine.” He was in a good mood today and wanted to drink a few more cups.
Changshan was just about to offer some words of persuasion.
But before he could, Gu Wuyou had already furrowed her brows and said, “Drinking harms the body. Don’t drink all the time.” In her past life, her father had suffered from chronic headaches caused by his persistent drinking, and no treatment had ever cured it.
Gu Wuji was momentarily stunned, but after a pause, he smiled. He turned to look at Gu Wuyou, his gaze falling on her delicate face under the lamplight. Even his voice became much gentler. “Alright, I’ll listen to you. I won’t drink.”
Only then did Gu Wuyou lower her head again to continue eating, but in her heart, she was already thinking about how to bring up the topic of getting her father to agree to let her attend Luming Academy.
—
Meanwhile, while the father and daughter were having a rare harmonious meal together, the atmosphere at Duke Wei’s residence was rather cold and desolate.
The second and third branches of the Li family had gone to other regions, leaving only the main branch in the capital. Normally, they dined together, but even so, the household only consisted of four people—Old Madam Li, Duke Wei Li Censhen, his second wife Yin Wan, and their son, Dong’er.
Old Madam Li was already fifty-five years old this year.
She dressed simply, and a string of Buddhist prayer beads was a constant presence around her wrist. Now, as she looked at the table full of dishes, she only furrowed her brows and sighed. “I wonder how Xiao Qi is doing.”
Beside her, Li Censhen’s movements paused when he heard this. After a long silence, he said in a deep voice, “If he wasn’t doing well, he would naturally come back.”
Hearing these words, Old Madam Li immediately frowned. She was usually a gentle person, but whenever it came to Li Qinyuan, she couldn’t help but argue with her only son. Sensing that another dispute might break out, Yin Wan put down her chopsticks and said gently, “Mother, don’t worry. I have already sent someone to Jintai Temple to deliver a message. Your birthday is coming up, and Seventh Young Master will surely return.”
At these words—
Some of the displeasure on Old Madam Li’s face finally eased. She fiddled with her prayer beads and said again, “When Qilang1Qilang is a title based on birth order returns this time, be mindful. Don’t always say things that upset him and drive him away again.”
Li Censhen furrowed his brows and was just about to retort when Yin Wan tugged at his sleeve.
After a moment of silence, he ultimately said nothing.
Inside the room, the four of them continued eating in a lukewarm atmosphere.
Meanwhile, at the residence gate, a figure clad in white dismounted from his horse. It was none other than Li Qinyuan, who had not returned home for a long time. Even in the bitter cold, he was still dressed as usual in a fitted, tight-sleeved white robe, as if he was completely immune to the cold.
The large red lanterns swayed in the wind.
The young servant at the gate couldn’t see clearly at first, but as the figure approached, he hesitantly said, “Seventh Young Master?”
Li Qinyuan gave a faint “Mm” in response.
He tossed his horsewhip to the servant, and as he was about to step inside, his gaze fell on the plaque above the entrance—the one bestowed by the late emperor.
A mocking smile appeared on his lips.