Chapter 049: Don’t Joke Like This!

"Ugh..." Huanfu Shaohua sucked in a breath through his teeth, grimacing as he was about to stomp his foot, but Wu Qinglin had already grabbed him by the collar and shoved him aside.

Wu Qinglin looked at Wu Tan with some surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I..." The frustration that had been pent up in Wu Tan's heart eased a little at the sight of her brother. She looked up at him, about to speak, when Huanfu Shaohua poked his head out from behind Wu Qinglin, his expression exaggerated. "You two siblings, do you have to bully people like this..."

The Dingyuan Marquis's household was a military one, always valuing martial prowess over scholarly pursuits. The tutors hired for the clan’s school were mediocre at best, so after Wu Qinglin and his brother began their studies, they attended the Huanfu family's academy as guest students. In return, the only legitimate son of the Huanfu family, Huanfu Shaohua, would sometimes visit their marquisate to learn a few moves from Wu Xun whenever he returned to the capital. Over time, though the families had little deeper connection, the children grew quite familiar with each other.

Huanfu Shaohua was the same age as Wu Qinglin, their birthdays only six days apart. But the Huanfu family had been merchants for generations—half scholars at best—and their seventh young master, despite his lineage, was a notorious dandy.

He was strikingly handsome. In Wu Tan’s own words, he had fair skin, a beautiful face, and long legs. His phoenix eyes were especially captivating. Though Wu Qinglin was also a fine-looking gentleman, whenever the two stood together, passing young ladies and married women alike tended to overlook Wu Qinglin, their gazes drawn irresistibly to Huanfu Shaohua’s face.

Wu Tan agreed he was more attractive than many women, but such captivating charm simply didn’t appeal to her. When the two stood side by side, she always found her own brother more pleasing to the eye.

Though Huanfu Shaohua was unreliable in many ways, having grown up navigating the business world, his eye for people was keen. One look at the Wu siblings’ expressions and he knew they had things to discuss privately. Grinning, he tactfully withdrew.

Wu Qinglin realized something was truly wrong and his expression darkened. "What exactly has happened?"

"Wu Qingqiong!" Wu Tan uttered the name, then fell silent.

Xingzi, seeing her mistress’s troubled expression, hurried to relay the details to Wu Qinglin.

As he listened, Wu Qinglin’s face grew increasingly grave.

If Wu Qingqiong wasn’t planning something major, she wouldn’t have left without informing the old madam and Madam Meng.

When Xingzi finished, Wu Tan muttered, "She’s not important, and I don’t need to guess to know that if anything happens in the palace today, it’s surely the work of that Huoyunhua. You know what kind of person she is, brother—this is just about that marriage. As for Wu Qingqiong, I’ve had enough of her meddling, so—"

She hadn’t finished when Wu Qinglin interrupted her sternly, "If her reputation is ruined, that’s her own fault. But are you willing to let her drag you down with her?"

Reputation was important, of course, and should be protected if possible. But if not—

"I..." Wu Tan honestly didn’t care much about reputation. Even if she became infamous, with her brother’s protection, her life wouldn’t be too hard. She was simply annoyed with Wu Qingqiong; if you’re useless, just stay put—why make things worse by acting clever?

Wu Qinglin also found her vexing, but he was steadier than his sister. Sighing, he said, "Enough, don’t get upset. Let’s find her first. You search the garden here." Then he turned to Xingzi, "You think she might have gone to Huayang Palace?"

"Brother!" Wu Tan immediately stepped forward. "Let me go. The inner palace isn’t like other places. If I wander around and someone catches me, I can make an excuse and at worst be scolded. But you’re a man—many things would be inconvenient. If some schemer noticed, it’d be trouble. There’s no need to risk yourself for her."

Wu Qinglin frowned, hesitating.

Though Wu Tan had attended palace banquets with the old madam before, the inner palace was different. She’d always been cautious, staying wherever the banquet was held, never wandering. Now, confronted with the vast imperial palace, how could she possibly find Wu Qingqiong?

Yet her reasoning wasn’t without merit. In the inner palace, a young woman could move about far more conveniently than a man.

Wu Tan decided at once, "I’ve been to Consort Xian’s Huayang Palace before. I’ll go. If you’re worried, wait here. I’ll come back this way to find you."

Wu Qinglin knew she was never careless in important matters and finally nodded. "Be careful."

"Alright." Wu Tan gave a small nod, then glanced up to see Huanfu Shaohua still smiling at her. She shot him a glare and marched off, cheeks puffed with annoyance.

Watching her leave, Huanfu Shaohua swung his sleeves as he wandered back to Wu Qinglin’s side, sighing, "Ah, Qinglin, to tell the truth, I really like your little pepper."

Already troubled by Wu Qingqiong, Wu Qinglin’s expression darkened further at these words.

Huanfu Shaohua’s grin was dazzling, but he remained irreverent. "Really! That girl’s temper is just my style: sly, ruthless, and a bit wild. And she’s not bad-looking, either. Among all the noble ladies in the capital, none can compare!"

Wu Qinglin’s face was stern as he coldly warned, "Don’t joke about such things!"

Huanfu Shaohua grinned, neither confirming nor denying, and under Wu Qinglin’s glare, finally scratched his nose awkwardly. "Alright, no more jokes."

He then changed the topic and chatted about something else.

From behind a distant rockery, Xiao Yue had been watching them for a while. His face was expressionless, but a closer look would reveal the profound depth in his eyes.

The distance was too great for him to hear what the three were saying.

Lei Ming, observing his master, couldn’t discern anything either. Only after Wu Tan had disappeared from view did Xiao Yue suddenly ask, "Is that the seventh Huanfu?"

"Yes. The Wu brothers studied at the Huanfu academy, but the families aren’t close. You know, Your Highness, the emperor disapproves of such connections." Lei Ming quickly averted his gaze, answering seriously. Worried Xiao Yue might be dissatisfied, he added, "Would you like to meet him?"

"We should, but not now." Xiao Yue snorted coldly. Suddenly finding Lei Ming’s chatter annoying, he shot him a sharp look before turning and leaving.

Lei Ming shivered under that glance and sighed inwardly.

What luck—bumping into the Wu family’s young lady twice in one day inside the palace. It was too much!

He thought his master’s overprotectiveness had been triggered merely by exchanging a few words with the Wu girl, but Xiao Yue’s mind was elsewhere.

Princess Lin’an lived with her birth mother, Consort Xian. Wu Tan, grabbing a young eunuch, asked directions to Huayang Palace.

To avoid drawing attention, she didn’t take the open waterside corridor but instead circled around the lake along a side path. From afar, she saw Huoyunhua and her maidservant talking to a palace maid outside Huayang Palace.