After Liu Song left, Liu Mingzhi wandered around the study with his hands behind his back.
After a long time, Liu Mingzhi struggled with his eyes for a long time, with deep guilt and regret hidden in his eyes. He sat on the chair and waited silently.
The quiet sound of a needle dropping could be heard in the study, and only the draft outside and the crackling of candles lingered in the room.
The moon hung high in the sky, and the sound of knocking on the door broke the silence in the study.
"Husband, I have brought you some food."
"come in!"
"OK!"
"Husband, today I will have you stir-fried..."
"Let it go first!"
Qi Yun's pretty face was startled, and she realized that her husband's tone seemed a little off. She obediently put the food box on the table, and gently sat down opposite to observe her husband's expression.
Liu Mingzhi silently looked at Qi Yun's uneasy reaction and asked softly: "Have you all eaten?"
"The sisters have just sat down and are waiting for me to come back and start dinner together!"
"You go back first and clear all the servants and maids out of the inner courtyard. Your personal maids Yu'er, Tao'er, and Ping'er don't want to stay either. Let them all go back and rest early.
The moonlight is nice today. I will have dinner with you, husband."
"Husband, if you don't...yes, I will go back and give you instructions right away."
Qi Yun subconsciously wanted to ask Liu Mingzhi if he would not continue to hibernate? Seeing her husband's somewhat heavy expression under the light, she nodded hurriedly in agreement.
Liu Mingzhi looked at Qi Yun walking toward the door and subconsciously wanted to speak.
"rhyme......."
Yun'er didn't even say the word Yun'er, so Liu Mingzhi suppressed his voice and silently watched Qi Yun leave the study.
When Qi Yun's footsteps gradually moved away, Liu Mingzhi murmured for a while, stood up, picked up the food box on the desk and walked out of the study, stopping in front of the door of the wing next to the study.
"Sister, have you rested?"
There was a sound in the room, and Ren Qingrui's slightly panicked voice came out.
"No...no...I haven't slept yet. What are you doing at night?"
"What can big brother do to you? I'm afraid you won't eat, so I'll give you some food."
"Wait a moment!"
The rustling sounds echoed clearly in Liu Mingzhi's ears. Ren Qingrui was already lying down, and she got up to change clothes when she heard Young Master Liu's voice.
After a cup of tea, the door opened gently, revealing Ren Qingrui's beautiful face.
Ren Qingrui first glanced at Mr. Liu cautiously, then placed his eyes on the food box in Liu Mingzhi's hand before he breathed a sigh of relief.
"come in!"
Liu Mingzhi followed Ren Qingrui into the boudoir where the beauty temporarily lived, and looked around a few times under the lights.
Although I have been here several times, the decoration in this girl's room has become more and more cozy.
"Brother doesn't come forward these days. If there is any lack of care in my life, I hope you, sister, don't take it personally. Eat something and apologize."
"It's okay. Sister Yun took good care of me and never treated me badly... It's been another year. Any news about my parents?"
Liu Mingzhi looked at Ren Qingrui's longing and expectant eyes, smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"I disappoint you, there is still no news.
If you really can't wait, my elder brother will send two servants to protect your safety, and then you can try to look for it yourself and see if you can find it."
Ren Qingrui's expectant eyes suddenly dimmed.
"You, the king of the imperial court, can't be found. I am afraid that I will not be able to find any trace of my parents even if I break my legs from exhaustion.
Isn’t it said on the street that you were assassinated? What on earth is going on?”
"The matter is complicated. I tell you, you don't understand. My eldest brother will be away from the palace for a while. If you need anything in the future, just ask your servants. I will instruct them to take good care of your daily life."
"Oh, got it!"
"Okay, if there's nothing else, I just want to go back. You can fill your stomach."
"Thank you Daguoguo, by the way..."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
Ren Qingrui looked at Liu Mingzhi's doubtful eyes, and her slender fingers intertwined and stirred. A faint blush appeared on her flawless jade face, which became increasingly red until it spread to the back of her round earlobes.
"Can you please be gentler in the future? You're making me unable to sleep!"
Liu Mingzhi was stunned for a moment and immediately reacted. He scratched his forehead in embarrassment, smiled angrily and ran towards the door, as if he was running away.
It took Liu Mingzhi less than a stick of incense to return to the study, but Qi Yun had already left and returned.
"Husband, according to your instructions, I have cleared all the servants and maids out of the backyard. Only my sisters and my children are in the main hall."
"Okay, let's go to the main hall."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, my sisters will be so excited that they won't be able to say anything when they see you appear with their own eyes."
"hope so!"
Liu Mingzhi straightened his robes and rushed towards the main hall of the inner courtyard.
When Qi Yun heard her husband's words that something was wrong, she frowned slightly and followed him full of doubts.
After a while, the main hall, brightly lit and echoing with soft voices, fell silent the moment Liu Mingzhi stepped into the hall.
Except for the absence of the third princess Li Yan and Yun Xiaoxi who were far away from the pass, all the wives and children of Young Master Liu turned their attention to Young Master Liu, with uncontrollable excitement in their faces.
"Husband...husband!"
"Husband!"
"Husband!"
"father!"
"Daddy!"
Liu Mingzhi looked at the women who stood up and swarmed towards him, with undisguised excitement on their faces. He sighed silently in his heart, and controlled his expression to darken.
Seeing the girls touching and patting him, for fear of missing something, Liu Mingzhi gently raised his hand and patted him a few times, then walked towards the main seat and sat down.
"Husband, are you okay?"
"Husband, I finally see you!"
"Husband, I thought Sister Lian'er was lying to me. When I saw you, the stone in my heart finally fell to the ground."
"Husband..."
Liu Mingzhi raised his hand and slammed it on the table, with such force that the soup in the dishes splashed out and scattered on the table.
Young Master Liu's sudden palm made the girls and Young Master Liu's children startled. They stared in shock at Young Master Liu who was sitting on the main seat with a gloomy expression, not knowing what was going on.
Liu Mingzhi silently glanced at everyone in the hall who looked stunned.
"Every one of them is either a lady or a noble family, and no matter how bad they are, they have lived in the palace for many years.
It’s time for you to learn some rules.
Everyone was chirping, and the noise in the hall was unbelievable.
Do you still have some sense of what a woman should be, dignified, virtuous, and well-behaved?
Look, what's the difference between you and those shrews rolling around in the busy streets?
Did the women's virtues you learned before you get married teach you to behave dissolutely and unruly?
See what you all look like?"
The girls looked at their husband's serious eyes and subconsciously tied their hands together. Tears welled up in their beautiful eyes. They bit their lips tightly and stood silently aside, holding their breaths and not daring to speak back.
There were no sweet words as imagined, no tenderness and sweetness that should have been there when they met.
It was an unexpected rebuke.
To be continued...