Mo Li

Shen Yang suddenly proposed taking Yunge away, leaving the Xu Family momentarily unable to accept it. Although Yunge hadn’t been with the Xu Family for long, everyone in the household genuinely adored this lively, innocent, and sweet little girl. Madam Xu, who had no daughters of her own, treated Yunge even better than her own sons. Moreover, she secretly harbored the hope that this young girl might one day become her daughter-in-law. Now that Yunge was about to leave, how could Madam Xu not feel heartbroken?

However, Shen Yang was Yunge’s blood relative, and even as her adoptive father now, his connection to her was far closer than the Xu Family’s. If Shen Yang insisted on taking Yunge away, the Xu Family had no grounds to refuse.

Suppressing her anxiety, Madam Xu turned her gaze to her son seated below, hoping he could come up with a plausible excuse to decline Shen Yang’s request.

Xu Qingchen lifted his eyes to Shen Yang, his expression already restored to its usual gentle refinement. With a calm smile, he said, “Mr. Shen, you’ve been quite busy these past few months—how would you have the time to care for Yunge? If she were to move into your residence, wouldn’t it be no different from her living alone in the mountains?”

How could staying at his home be the same as living in the wilderness? Shen Yang frowned, ready to argue, but before he could speak, Xu Qingchen continued, “Besides, even if you weren’t busy… your household lacks any female presence. If Yunge were to go there, she’d have no companions and no one to guide her…”

Madam Xu’s eyes brightened, and she quickly chimed in, “Exactly! Mr. Shen… you know Yunge grew up with her father, so she hasn’t learned many of the things a young lady should. If you trust me, leave Yunge in my care—I promise to raise her into the most refined and well-mannered young lady.”

“This…” Shen Yang frowned. Whether Yunge became a refined lady wasn’t the main concern, but Madam Xu was right—there were certain rules and etiquette that a girl ought to learn. He couldn’t take care of Yunge forever; eventually, she would have to marry. While it was fine to spoil her now, if she knew nothing by the time she entered her husband’s household, she would surely struggle to win her mother-in-law’s favor.

Seeing Shen Yang hesitate, Qin Zheng also quickly added with a smile, “Aunt is right, Mr. Shen. Yunge is a diligent learner—I’m sure she’ll make up for any shortcomings in no time. Until she’s fully prepared, it’s best for her to stay with us and learn from Aunt. If you’d like to continue teaching her medicine, why not follow Wuyou’s example and have her spend half the day at the pharmacy or your residence?”

Shen Yang hesitated, glancing at Yunge standing nearby as he pondered. He had indeed been very busy lately. With the ongoing war, though he wasn’t needed at the front, he was responsible for preparing the medicinal supplies sent there.

“In that case… I’ll have to trouble Madam Xu.” Shen Yang couldn’t help but feel somewhat embarrassed. He had stormed into their home in anger, only to end up asking for their help.

Madam Xu, however, didn’t mind in the slightest. With a warm smile, she said, “Yunge is such a sweet girl. Everyone in our household is always busy—my sister-in-law and Zheng’er often keep her company, but I’m usually alone. Having Yunge with me brings me great joy.”Yunge stood to the side, blinking her eyes as she looked at Shen Yang. Was she really going to stay at the Xu Family's residence? Truthfully, she quite liked the Xu Family—everyone there was so kind, and she was reluctant to part with them. But if...

"Yunge, would you like to live with Shen?" Qingchen Gongzi asked softly with a faint smile, gazing at her. "Once you pass your studies, you can go back with him. Until then, Yunge must study hard and not disappoint Shen."

Yunge shrank her neck, feeling a chilling breeze sweep over her head. Her bright, lively eyes dimmed instantly, and her cheerful little face twisted as if she had eaten something bitter. She shook her head vigorously before nodding reluctantly.

Wuwu… Godfather, Xu Qingchen is so scary.

Unfortunately, Shen Yang merely assumed that his newly adopted goddaughter—his only blood relative in this world—had indeed been raised by her father to dislike studying. He completely missed Yunge's silent plea for help.

After seeing Shen Yang off, Yunge was once again thrown into a whirlwind of studies. Apart from the half-day she spent learning medicine with Shen Yang as agreed, most of her time was spent either in the study or on her way there. Moreover, ever since Shen Yang had introduced his goddaughter to Li Cheng, more and more talented young men and women found excuses to visit his clinic or "accidentally" bump into them on the streets. After all, Shen Yang's two female apprentices were not only skilled in medicine but also stunningly beautiful. Unfortunately, Mo Wuyou was already betrothed to the fourth young master of the Xu Family, so the elder apprentice was out of the question. But the younger apprentice—his goddaughter—was still fair game.

Thus, Yunge tragically discovered that she would never run out of homework. Every time she thought she had studied well enough to be free, the next day in front of Xu Qingchen, she would shamefully realize how far she still was from meeting expectations. She had to keep studying harder, carrying even more books and assignments back to the study.

Qingchen Gongzi's enthusiasm for teaching was so intense that even Madam Xu found it excessive. After Yunge declined her fifth invitation to go out for a stroll—her face full of longing yet refusal—Madam Xu finally decided to have a word with her son.

"Yunge is just a girl—she doesn’t need to take the imperial exams. Why are you pushing her so hard?" Madam Xu sighed, looking at her son’s composed expression.

Qingchen Gongzi replied righteously, "Other girls don’t take the exams either, but they still start learning from childhood. Yunge is over a decade behind—she naturally needs to put in more effort."

I don’t mind if my future daughter-in-law isn’t a prodigy, Madam Xu silently thought.

"Mother, Yunge has had little exposure to the outside world—she’s naive but restless. If she keeps running around outside and gets deceived, how will you explain it to Shen? Haven’t you heard from Wuyou? Lately, many people have been seeking Yunge out. With Shen at the clinic, there’s no danger, but what if she sneaks out to play?"

"Is that so?" Madam Xu grew concerned.

Qingchen Gongzi nodded. "Of course, that’s why I’m doing this. Once Yunge learns more and understands better, we can relax a little. Shen entrusted her to us—shouldn’t we do our best?"Madam Xu frowned, nodding thoughtfully as she absentmindedly followed Xu Qingchen out of the study. After a few more steps, she suddenly halted and turned back with an exasperated look. "You brat! Wuyou would never tell you such things! And Yunge is so obedient, how could she possibly—"

By the time she turned, Qingchen Gongzi's figure had already vanished from the doorway.

Knowing full well that no one could change her son's mind once it was made up, Madam Xu could only sigh and shake her head helplessly. Perhaps she should visit Yunge and prepare some nourishing tonic for the poor girl... Though Yunge was indeed obedient. If she really didn’t want to study, she could just give Xu Qingchen a good thrashing—after all, there was no way he could overpower her. Lost in these distracted musings, Madam Xu wandered off.

Thus, Yunge's arduous academic ordeal continued relentlessly until Prince Ding and Wang Fei returned triumphant, finally granting her a reprieve. Breathing a sigh of relief, Yunge's respect for Qingchen Gongzi grew even deeper. If someone had asked her before what kind of person Qingchen Gongzi was, she would have said he was the most handsome, capable, and brilliant man in the world. Now, her answer would be: Qingchen Gongzi was the most handsome, capable, and dedicated teacher in the world.

With Prince Ding and Princess Ding's victorious return, peace was restored to the land after years of turmoil. The city of Li Cheng bustled with newfound vitality. Barely a few days after the grand first birthday celebration of the Little Prince and Little Princess of Prince Ding's Estate, the Xu Family hosted yet another joyous occasion—the weddings of their third and fourth young masters. Many guests who had come for the birthday festivities lingered in the city, naturally joining in the merriment of the Xu Family's nuptial celebrations.

At the wedding banquet, as the elder brother of the two grooms, even the ethereal and transcendent Qingchen Gongzi couldn’t escape the fate of being pulled into rounds of toasts by the guests. Amidst the revelry, some took the opportunity for other pursuits.

"Why is Young Master Xu's wife not present?" inquired a prince from a small Western kingdom, his Central Plains dialect slightly accented.

Xu Qingchen, who was offering a toast, glanced at the Western princess seated below the prince, her gaze fixed intently on him. His eyes darkened slightly as he smiled. "I am yet to marry."

The prince's face brightened. "That’s wonderful! What does Minister Xu think of my sister? She is the most beautiful and virtuous maiden in our kingdom." The Western customs were liberal, and the princess showed no shyness, her eyes alight with admiration for the striking man before her.

Qingchen Gongzi paused, then shook his head with a polite smile. "I fear I must decline your kind offer."

The prince was puzzled. "Why is that?" Qingchen Gongzi was unmarried, his sister unwed—their status and looks were well-matched. Why refuse?

Just as Qingchen Gongzi was about to respond, his gaze caught a delicate figure passing by in the distance, turning toward the corridor ahead. He didn’t miss the eager young nobleman trailing closely behind her. His expression cooled as he replied lightly, "My apologies, but I already have a betrothed."

"That can’t be! We’ve heard no such news," the princess protested. "Who is she? I challenge her!"

Qingchen Gongzi smiled. "She just walked past."If it were someone else, they might not know who Qingchen Gongzi was referring to, but the Western Region princess happened to be seated facing the direction Yunge had gone—and even more coincidentally, she recognized Yunge. The princess looked at Qingchen Gongzi in surprise. "No... even if she’s a little prettier than me, she’s still just a child. How could you like her? She’s not even thirteen yet."

Qingchen Gongzi remained silent. Yunge was nearly seventeen. It was just that people from the Western Region tended to appear older, making Yunge seem younger, and her lively, cheerful personality made her seem like a child in the princess’s eyes.

"This princess absolutely cannot lose to a child. I challenge her!" The princess abandoned the banquet and immediately stood up, chasing after Yunge’s disappearing figure. The Western Region prince, fearing his sister would cause trouble, quickly rose to follow. Qingchen Gongzi patted his shoulder and said, "Please stay seated, Your Highness. I’ll go take a look."

The prince thought for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. Since you caused this, you should handle it yourself." He truly hadn’t forced him to marry his sister—he’d only asked in passing.

Qingchen Gongzi smiled faintly and leisurely followed. The entire Xu residence was bustling with noise, guests clinking cups and drinking merrily, so few noticed Qingchen Gongzi’s quiet departure.

"Miss Shen... Miss Shen..."

Yunge irritably glared at the person trailing behind her and decided to use her Light Body Skill to leave. Every time she ran into this guy, he’d follow her. If she stopped to ask what he wanted, he wouldn’t say anything, but the moment she walked away, he’d start following again. She planned to visit the newlyweds—Wuyou and Tianxiang—so why was this guy tagging along?

"Miss Shen, Miss Shen..."

"What do you want to say?" Yunge snapped. Xu Qingchen had told her it wasn’t good to let people keep calling her name like that. Well... Xu Qingchen had actually said that if unfamiliar men kept following her and calling her name, they were definitely bad guys, and she should just beat them up. But this guy didn’t seem like a bad person—a few days ago, she’d seen him help an elderly woman who’d been knocked over. To hit or not to hit...

"M-Miss Shen..." Under the moonlight, the handsome young man blushed at the sight of the beautiful, delicate girl before him, flustered and unsure what to do. "Um... Miss Shen, I have something to say to you."

"I know. You’ve been following me for days. Did you finally remember what you wanted to say? Hurry up and say it, and stop calling me, or I really will hit you," Yunge said, nodding.

"Huh?" The young man froze, then forced a laugh. "Miss Shen, you’re so funny." Such a delicate little girl—even if she hit him, it wouldn’t hurt, right? To reassure her, he declared heroically, "If Miss Shen wants to hit me, go ahead. I won’t dodge."

"Ah?" Now it was Yunge’s turn to be dumbfounded.

"Mm... Just hurry up and say what you want to say. After that, I’m leaving. I’m busy."

The young man quickly nodded, delighted. "Miss Shen, I wanted to say... My surname is Mei, Mei Changxi. I’m eighteen this year. My father serves as a prefect—though that’s not important. I study at Mount Li Academy and just finished my military service last year. I may not be a master of both literature and martial arts, but I’m certainly no weak scholar. I can definitely protect you. In my family..."Though she knew it was impolite to interrupt, Yunge couldn't help but speak up, "Um... what exactly are you trying to say?" Did she need his protection? She could send him flying with a single palm strike, and besides... she didn't even know him!

The man froze, finally realizing he'd been talking at length without getting to the point. Gritting his teeth, he declared firmly, "Miss Shen, what I want to say is... I have feelings for you—"

"Yunge, what are you doing here?" A clear voice rang out from nearby. Under the moonlight, a white-robed man approached with graceful steps. His handsome face, adorned with a faint smile, seemed to glow with a luminous halo in the moonlight, captivating all eyes. However, the man surnamed Mei standing beside Yunge suddenly felt a cold breeze and sneezed on the spot.

"What are you doing here?" Qingchen Gongzi asked softly as he stopped beside Yunge, gently brushing aside a strand of her hair that the night wind had blown across her face.

Yunge blinked. "Isn't this the way to the bridal chamber?"

"It's too dark—be careful not to trip," Qingchen Gongzi said with a light smile.

Why was Xu Qingchen acting so strange? As if she could possibly trip...

Why did he feel so out of place? The young master surnamed Mei thought gloomily. "Qing... Qingchen Gongzi, you and Miss Shen...?" You know each other?

"Yunge, I finally found you! I challenge you to a duel! If I win, Qingchen Gongzi is mine!" From a distance, the Western Region princess spotted the trio and rushed over excitedly.

"......"