The young servant saw the whip that had suddenly fallen from the sky and hurriedly reached out to catch it. Standing behind Li Qingyuan, he failed to notice the mocking smile on his face. He simply bowed respectfully and said, “It’s dark. Shall I fetch a lantern for you?”
“No need.”
Li Qingyuan responded indifferently. Without waiting for the servant to say more, he lifted his leg and stepped into the residence.
The vast Duke of Wei’s manor was not particularly crowded. As he walked along, he only saw a few servants. They all displayed expressions of surprise at the sudden appearance of Li Qingyuan, seemingly not expecting the seventh young master, who had been away from home for so long, to return on such a night.
By the time they thought of offering greetings, the person had already walked far away.
Li Qingyuan moved through the residence where he had lived since childhood, his expression remaining indifferent. Occasionally, when someone greeted him, he would only nod absentmindedly. It was only when he reached the main hall where the Old Madam resided that his expression finally softened slightly.
Under the corridor stood a maid dressed in a green bijia, named Chan Yi. She was the Old Madam’s personal maid.
She had originally come out to instruct the servants to prepare an autumn pear soup for the Old Madam to soothe her throat. Unexpectedly, when she looked up, she saw Li Qingyuan. She was stunned for a moment before her face lit up with joy. After offering her greetings, she called out cheerfully, “Seventh Young Master, you’re back.”
“The Old Madam was just talking about you. If she knew you had returned, she would surely be overjoyed.”
A smile appeared on Li Qingyuan’s handsome face. He glanced at the brightly lit room behind her, and his tone softened. “Has Grandmother had her dinner?”
“She just started eating, and the dishes are still warm.” Chan Yi smiled and said, “It’s freezing outside. Please come in quickly, I’ll have someone bring another pair of chopsticks.”
When Li Qingyuan heard that she had “just started eating,” his smile faded, and he suddenly lost much of his desire to enter.
How could Chan Yi not understand his temperament? Seeing his reaction, she lowered her voice and said, “The Old Madam has been thinking about you a lot lately. She hasn’t been sleeping well at night and even coughed a few times this morning. She’s always been stubborn, and no matter who persuades her, it’s useless. She’ll only listen to you.”
“Now that you’re back, persuade the Old Madam to take her medicine. This illness could be cured in just a few doses, but if she keeps delaying it, it’ll only drag on.”
As she spoke, she carefully observed his expression. When she saw that he hesitated for a moment before nodding, she finally sighed in relief and smiled. “Go on in quickly.” She guided him inside as she spoke, afraid that he might change his mind at the last moment. To prevent that, she even raised her voice and announced, “Seventh Young Master has returned.”
Li Qingyuan had no intention of turning back.
Although he was reluctant to see certain people, he did not wish to make his grandmother sad either. With his long fingers, he lifted the curtain and bent down to step inside. Having been in the freezing outdoors for so long, the sudden wave of warmth from inside made him pause for a moment to adjust.
Just as he was about to step in further, he heard a series of hurried footsteps.
Leading the way was the Old Madam, supported by a maid. The face that had previously been calm and composed was now filled with emotion, her eyes tinged red. The moment she saw Li Qingyuan standing well at the doorway, tears rolled down her cheeks. She pushed away the maid’s support, walked over, and grasped Li Qingyuan’s hand, carefully looking him over.
Only after confirming that he was unharmed did she fiercely slap his arm and cry out in frustration, “You little troublemaker! How could you bear to stay away for so long without coming home?”
Seeing his grandmother, who had doted on him since childhood, with reddened eyes, Li Qingyuan felt uncomfortable. Just as he was about to say a few words to comfort her, a stern male voice suddenly interrupted, “So you still know how to come back?!”
Upon hearing this voice, Li Qingyuan’s previously softened expression instantly turned cold.
He pressed his lips together, standing silently in place. The hand he had raised to comfort his grandmother slowly moved behind him, clenching lightly, while his indifferent gaze swept toward the source of the voice.
His eyelids were thin, and the corners of his eyes slightly upturned, giving him a naturally smiling expression that usually made him appear lazy and nonchalant. However, at this moment, his eyes carried a hint of coldness, as if they had absorbed the frosty chill from outside, making others hesitant to approach.
The young man’s appearance was strikingly handsome, especially under the warm candlelight, resembling a flawless piece of jade.
If he smiled, even the spring sun would pale in comparison. But now, with his lips pressed together and his face cold, his sharp and well-defined features were like the edge of a knife.
“Eldest Son!”
The Old Madam had just gotten a promise from Li Censhen moments ago, yet the moment they met, he was already confronting her precious grandson. The mix of anger and anxiety in her heart made her tone turn serious. “What did you just promise me?”
Yin Wan, though she remained silent, gently tugged at Li Censhen’s sleeve, signaling for him not to say anything inappropriate at this moment.
Li Censhen pressed his lips together, his gaze lingering on Li Qingyuan for a long time before finally flicking his sleeves and turning to enter first.
Yin Wan held Dong’er’s hand and remained where she was, smiling as she greeted Li Qingyuan, “Qilang, come inside and have dinner. There are several dishes today that you like. Your grandmother has been looking forward to your return every day, and even Dong’er misses you very much.”
As she spoke, she placed her hand on the shoulder of the three-year-old boy and gently nudged him forward.
Although Dong’er was young, he could read the atmosphere. He pursed his lips and stole a glance at the cold and indifferent Li Qingyuan. He had always been afraid of this elder brother of his, feeling that he was even scarier than their father. Seeing him now with such a cold expression, he hesitated, clutching his own fingers nervously before calling out in a dry voice, “Brother.”
Then he quickly hid behind Yin Wan.
Yet, despite his fear, he couldn’t help but peek out, observing Li Qingyuan’s reaction.
Li Qingyuan’s hostility toward Yin Wan and her son was far less intense than it was toward Li Censhen. At this moment, he merely responded with a faint “Mm” before turning to the Old Madam and speaking gently, “Grandmother, let’s go inside.”
The Old Madam, still holding Li Qingyuan’s hand, nodded. “Alright.”
At the dinner table.
Perhaps because the Old Madam had been angered earlier, Li Censhen refrained from speaking, though his gaze frequently drifted toward his eldest son, his expression complex. He listened to the Old Madam muttering, “Why have you lost so much weight?”
Hearing this, he took another careful look at Li Qingyuan.
Indeed, he was thinner than the last time they had met.
And…
He had grown much taller.
A young man’s physique was like bamboo in spring—just a single rainfall could make it shoot up. The boy who had once seemed shorter than him had, in the blink of an eye, surpassed him in height. Li Censhen could not quite describe his feelings—there was some satisfaction, but also helplessness.
He didn’t understand how his eldest son had turned into the person he was today.
In the past, he had been so outstanding—composing poetry at seven, writing essays at ten, excelling in horseback riding and archery to the point that even his subordinates praised him. Yet now, he had become nothing more than an idle and unrestrained youth, achieving neither scholarly nor martial success.
But what troubled him the most was their father-son relationship.
Li Censhen always remembered how, every time he returned from war, his young son would squat at the doorway, resting his cheeks in his hands as he watched the passing carriages and horses. The moment he caught sight of him, he would leap up with a bright smile, eyes sparkling as he called out, “Father!”
Those memories had never faded from his mind.
But reality was that they had grown further and further apart—so distant that even when they sat side by side, it felt as if a vast river of stars lay between them.
Li Censhen watched as Li Qingyuan conversed with the Old Madam. For once, there was no trace of coldness between his brows. Just as he was about to reach out and serve him some food, he heard Li Qingyuan chuckle and say to the Old Madam, “Grandmother, if my master heard you say that, he’d probably be unhappy.”
“He always believed that if I had stayed at Jintai Temple any longer, I might have eaten the entire monastery empty.”
Hearing his warm and gentle tone, Li Censhen felt an inexplicable surge of frustration. He suddenly set his chopsticks down with a heavy clatter and said coldly, “Do you really intend to stay holed up in Jintai Temple and become a monk?”
After speaking, he saw the smile fade from Li Qingyuan’s face and, fearing that the conversation would end on another sour note like before, he softened his tone slightly and added, “If you truly don’t want to study in the academy, then come with me to the military camp tomorrow.”
The Old Madam frowned. “Eldest Son—”
But this time, Li Censhen did not back down. He stated bluntly, “Mother, he’s sixteen years old now. At his age, I had already earned military merit! No matter how much you wish to protect him, his path is his own to walk. We will all grow old—how much longer can you and I shelter him?”
Hearing these words, the Old Madam was momentarily speechless.
Yin Wan and her son had even less reason to speak at this moment. She lowered her head, as if it had nothing to do with her, and used a handkerchief to wipe Dong’er’s hands.
The room fell into silence.
Li Qingyuan lowered his head, his slender fingers holding the chopsticks. He seemed completely unfazed by Li Censhen’s words, continuing to eat at his own pace. Just as Li Censhen’s patience was wearing thin and he was about to speak again, Li Qingyuan suddenly set down his chopsticks and smiled.
Under the candlelight, the young man’s striking features were exceptionally radiant. However, the slight lift at the corner of his lips carried an undisguised mockery.
“Fine,” he said with a smirk, “I’ll go to school tomorrow.”
—
Meanwhile, at the Duke of Ding’s residence.
Gu Wuji stared blankly at his precious daughter, his face full of bewilderment.
“What? You want to go to school?”