Chapter 115: Will You Come Back to Stay with Me for a Couple of Days? (Part One)

It was not that Wu Qingyu was unreliable, but rather that Xiao Yue’s status was such that, aside from the Emperor and the Empress, no one dared to make him wait outside for a formal announcement. Therefore, Wu Qingyu leading him directly inside was not a breach of protocol.

Halfway through her sentence, Wu Tan’s small face paled, and she abruptly stopped speaking. Wu Qingyu was also puzzled—why had this girl suddenly become so fearful of him?

The Old Madam had looked toward the door the moment she heard Wu Qingyu enter. Upon seeing Xiao Yue following him, her heart skipped a beat. She still remembered what Wu Qinglin had told her last time; she feared this man had not come with good intentions.

"Greetings, Old Madam Wu!" Xiao Yue said, maintaining a polite demeanor.

The Old Madam wanted to ask why he had come again, but clearly, she could not say that. Stiffly, she climbed off the kang: "Your Highness is here?"

As she moved to curtsy, Xiao Yue stepped forward and gently supported her arm. "You are an elder; there is no need for such formality in private."

Upon hearing this, the Old Madam’s heart sank even further. *So... there will be a next time?*

Xiao Yue guided her back to sit on the edge of the kang. The Old Madam felt like a puppet being manipulated, unable to voice her concerns. Xiao Yue’s gaze then shifted to the left, toward the still-stunned Wu Tan.

Wu Tan was genuinely afraid of him now. Regaining her composure, she reluctantly curtsied and mumbled, "This subject greets the Prince."

Standing to the side, the Old Madam watched as the handsome Prince Sheng gazed at her granddaughter with an expression that was excessively flirtatious. Her heart began to beat uncontrollably.

Wu Qingyu, still standing near the entrance, was confused. "Prince Sheng said he came to return a book to my eldest brother and to pay his respects to Grandmother," he explained distractedly. *What is going on? The atmosphere is all wrong.* He had never seen Wu Tan act so timid before, yet twice now in the presence of this Prince, she had been like this. Was she traumatized? Had he bullied her?

Even his grandmother seemed strange; the typically composed Old Madam looked visibly distressed in front of an outsider.

"Ah!" Distracted by Wu Qingyu, Xiao Yue seemed to suddenly remember his purpose. He mused and called out, "Lei Ming!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Lei Ming responded. Moments later, he entered with four servants carrying gift boxes.

The Old Madam steadied herself. Xiao Yue said, "My visit last time was too hurried, and I came empty-handed. Upon reflection, I felt quite uneasy about it. I have prepared some gifts today; I hope you will not find them unworthy."

The style of Prince Sheng’s manor seemed different from others. Usually, when someone brought gifts, they would either read a list or open the boxes so the recipient could see them. But these people simply held the boxes, neither presenting a list nor opening them. The Old Madam felt increasingly uneasy, but since he had arrived with the humility of a junior and spoke with such courtesy, she could not firmly refuse. She demurred, "This... I am an old woman, how could I trouble Your Highness to go to such expense?"

"You are too modest, Old Madam!" Xiao Yue laughed. Whether intentional or not, after helping her sit down, he did not step back. Instead, he stood right beside Wu Tan, the two of them positioned at an angle.

Wu Tan kept her head down, fiddling with her fingers. As Xiao Yue himself had said, whenever she saw him now, she either pretended not to, or if she couldn't, she pretended not to know him. Xiao Yue claimed to be speaking to the Old Madam, but his gaze never left the top of Wu Tan’s head. Wu Tan felt it, of course, and stubbornly refused to look up.

The Old Madam’s heart was pounding. Just as she was about to say something, Xiao Yue shifted the conversation. "Has the Second Young Miss upset you again, Old Madam? If you feel troubled, just consider me as apologizing on her behalf!"

*What kind of overly familiar tone is that?* And besides, they were the family; why was he apologizing for her?

This time, not only the Old Madam but even Wu Tan and Wu Qingyu were shocked. The Old Madam was so choked by his uninvited meddling that she nearly fainted on the spot. Wu Qingyu, though bewildered, could no longer remain a bystander. He stepped forward to smooth things over. "Since it is the Prince’s kind intention, Grandmother, you should accept it." He then turned to Xiao Yue and bowed, "Your Highness, my grandmother has been tired lately and is feeling unwell. May I invite you to the front hall for tea?"

The inner courtyard was truly no place to host male guests. This time, Xiao Yue did not make things difficult. He nodded readily, "Very well!"

Wu Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief and moved to clear the way, but Xiao Yue spoke again: "Since the Old Madam is tired, she should indeed rest. Wu Tan, how can you be so inconsiderate and upset her? How about this—why don't you come and stay with me for a few days? It would let your grandmother have some peace and quiet, and save her from having to drive you away?"

"You..." Wu Tan felt a chill run down her spine, followed by a surge of anger. She looked up, her eyes red, wanting to lash out. *What kind of person is this? Even if we have tolerated you, must you keep bullying people?*

Seeing that she was about to lash out, the Old Madam could not sit still. She quickly climbed down, pulled Wu Tan into her arms, and tried to explain calmly, "Your Highness is joking. This girl has always been impulsive. She was just trying to cheer me up because she saw I was in a bad mood!"

She understood the subtext of Xiao Yue’s half-joking remarks better than anyone else. If, as Qinglin had said, the Prince intended to use Wu Tan to tie the Dingyuan Marquis Manor to his cause, he would be watching her closely and would never allow her to be married off to anyone else. They could not afford to offend him, so for now, they had to go along with him.

Wu Qingyu, whose mind was sharp, finally caught a glimpse of the truth. *Is this Prince Sheng eyeing Wu Tan? Is he interested in her, or in the Marquis Manor?*

Seeing that the Old Madam understood his intentions, Xiao Yue stopped lingering to avoid overstaying his welcome. Maintaining his calm, indifferent demeanor, he smiled again, "Then please rest, Old Madam. I have disturbed you today; I shall come to pay my respects again next time!"

*There is a next time?* The Old Madam felt like weeping.

Wu Qingyu had to force himself to maintain his composure and usher the "plague god" out. "Your Highness, please!"

Xiao Yue nodded slightly. This time, he caused no further trouble and strode out. Lei Ming, feeling his master was beyond saving, was already sweating profusely. To salvage a bit of a good impression for his master, he squeezed out a pitiful expression and gestured to Mother Zhou, who was standing nearby.

"Then this old servant will dare to thank the Prince on behalf of the Old Madam." Mother Zhou, also deeply distressed, collected herself and stepped forward to take the boxes from the servants, placing them one by one on the kang table. She then personally led Lei Ming and the others out. "I will see you out!"

"Many thanks, Mother!" Lei Ming replied, leading his group away.

Once they were gone, the Old Madam finally collapsed, breathing heavily until she had regained her composure. She pulled Wu Tan from her arms. Wu Tan wasn't crying, but she was incredibly frustrated. She stamped her foot at the Old Madam, "Grandmother, what does he want? Why is he always looking for trouble with me?"

The Old Madam sighed helplessly. What could they do? Given his status, they couldn't refuse to let him in or throw him out. It was now clear he had set his sights on Wu Tan, and the entire family combined could do nothing about it.

Meanwhile, Wu Qingyu led Xiao Yue out. He wanted to return and ask his grandmother about Wu Tan, so he tried to dismiss his guest. "Your Highness is an honored guest, but I am not accustomed to hosting visitors in my quarters. Would you like to go to the front hall for tea?"

Xiao Yue’s visit today had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. After ordering Lei Ming to intimidate Wu Tan for an invitation last night, his conscience had pricked him, and he had come to get the invitation from Wu Qingyu in person. As for running into Wu Tan at the Old Madam’s... well, that was fate!

Xiao Yue was in a decent mood. His business was done, and he didn't want to waste time drinking tea with irrelevant people. "We shall have tea another day..."

Before he could finish, a servant from the gatehouse hurried over: "Second Young Master, there is a guest from the Lin Manor!"

"The Lin Manor?" Wu Qingyu paused. For a moment, he forgot about Xiao Yue. "Who is it?" He was worried about his engagement to Lin Yanyao and feared any new complications.

The servant replied, "The Fourth Young Master of the Lin family. He said you met at the Old Madam’s birthday banquet." He leaned closer and whispered, "He says he is here to see the Second Young Miss, but in my opinion, he is likely here for you."

*The Fourth Young Master of the Lin family?* Wu Qingyu thought hard. He couldn't recall exactly who it was, but there was no doubt he was Lin Yanyao’s brother. He could not neglect his future brother-in-law.

Wu Qingyu turned to leave, but remembered the "plague god" he still needed to see off. He turned back and bowed to Xiao Yue, "Your Highness, please allow me to see you out."

Xiao Yue stood firm, a faint smile on his lips. "Second Young Master, you forgot. I came today to borrow books." He pointed to Wu Qingyu’s sleeve, where the two books he had brought back were hidden.

Wu Qingyu was anxious to see what was happening with the Lin family. He didn't have the heart to entertain him. "Your Highness, I apologize. I do not have the key to my father’s study, so I cannot get you any books. Perhaps when my elder brother returns, I can have him select a few and send them to you?"

Xiao Yue ignored his subtext. "No trouble. I am not picky. It doesn't matter if I cannot enter the Marquis’s study; I am happy to borrow a few from your own collection."

Wu Qingyu felt embarrassed. "If you want to borrow books from me, you’d be better off asking a tutor. I only have the *Analects* or the *Records of the Grand Historian*."

Xiao Yue persisted, "I haven't read the classics in years. Taking two back to read would be nice."

*Don't you have those in your own palace?* Wu Qingyu thought. He wanted to retort, but realized it was pointless. He compromised, "If you don't mind, then very well!" He ordered the gatehouse servant, "Invite the Fourth Young Master Lin to my quarters!"

"Yes!" The servant hurried off.

Wu Qingyu led Xiao Yue to his courtyard and into his study. It was cluttered compared to his brother’s, with only a row of bookshelves behind his desk containing common texts. Wu Qingyu said, "There is nothing worth reading here, please help yourself."

Xiao Yue wandered around the room, eventually stopping at a weapon rack in the corner, pulling out a sword to examine.

Before long, the servant brought Lin Yanxu in. "Second Young Master, the Fourth Young Master of the Lin family is here!"

Lin Yanxu entered with a broad, eager grin. "Fourth Cousin!" Wu Qingyu bowed formally.

Lin Yanxu was unpretentious. He threw an arm around Wu Qingyu’s shoulder, revealing a row of white teeth. "We met before! At the Old Madam’s birthday banquet three years ago. I came with Yanyao!"

Wu Qingyu remembered him vaguely. Lin Yanxu’s easy familiarity was something Wu Qingyu found hard to handle, but as his future brother-in-law, he had to build a rapport. "I am sorry my memory is vague. We should have spent more time together."

Lin Yanxu laughed, observing him. Because of the Elder Grand Secretary’s influence, the Lin family had a natural hostility toward military families. Though Wu Qingyu had handled the recent crisis well, Lin Yanxu was still wary, especially after his sister had been hurt by that hypocrite Jiang Pingzhi. He wanted to see if this new fiancé was a man or a monster.

Lin Yanxu was a straightforward man. He liked Wu Qingyu’s martial air. After sizing him up, he laughed even more. "No matter, it’s not too late! One day, let’s go out together. I’ll bring my sister, and you bring that girl, Wu Tan!"

He had been so focused on his future brother-in-law that he hadn't noticed there was another guest in the study.

Xiao Yue, who until now had shown no interest in joining them, suddenly spoke: "Does the Fourth Young Master Lin not bring his wife when he goes out to play?"

*(Translator's Note: Prince Sheng's inner thoughts: "Why would you bring my wife when you go out?")*