Upon hearing this, Wen Shiqing knit her brows tightly. "Where have they reached?"
The servant wiped away a bead of sweat. "The Old Madam and the eldest master have already arrived, but... but after the third master got into an argument with the eldest master, he stepped off the carriage."
"And now, we have no idea..."
Wen Shiqing raised a hand to rub her weary temples, then waved it dismissively. "Send people to look for him. Ask around to find out exactly where he got off the carriage, and search carefully along the way."
The servant acknowledged the order and turned to leave in such a rush that he nearly tripped over the threshold.
Back in Liangzhou, the Wen family had been considered a prominent clan, relying on her father’s status. But ever since he passed away in an accident, their former glory had vanished, and were it not for Wen Shiqing placing first in the imperial examination, the family would have fallen apart long ago.
Especially because of her third uncle.
After giving birth to the first and second sons, her grandparents had lost two other children in infancy. Just when they thought they would have no more children, they had a late-in-life surprise and birthed their third son. Consequently, her grandmother had doted on this youngest son excessively since childhood. Even after her father passed away, the grandmother had once wanted to turn over the family estate in Liangzhou to him. This indulgence had left her third uncle a man who, though well past his coming-of-age ceremony, remained idle and achieved nothing.
If it weren't for the fact that the Liangzhou estate had become impossible to maintain, forcing them to sell it and pool their funds to purchase their current home in the Capital, Wen Shiqing would have preferred not to live with them at all—out of sight, out of mind.
Just as she was hesitating between hiding in the study or going through the motions of checking on her grandmother, someone tapped her lightly on the shoulder.
Wen Shiqing was startled. She instinctively turned to find her second sister, Wen Shuyu, standing behind her.
Wen Shuyu was dressed in a pale purple gown today. Her appearance was different from Wen Shiqing's, leaning toward the elegant and gentle. At the moment, her delicate brows were slightly furrowed, and her eyes were filled with worry as she called out softly, "Qing'er, are... are you... are you alright?"
Wen Shiqing naturally understood that the Eldest Princess’s visit, combined with her own admission of inadequacy in the main hall, had surely worried her sister.
"Don't worry, Second Sister, I'm fine." Wen Shiqing felt a pang of heartache for her.
At twenty years old, her second sister was still unmarried. Years ago, the family had arranged a match for her with a suitor of respectable standing—a perfect social fit. At first, everything seemed to go smoothly, but as the days turned into months, the man began to delay and drag his feet, refusing to set a wedding date. By the time Wen Shuyu turned eighteen, the suitor suddenly demanded to break off the engagement—a truly despicable act. Although the man never explicitly stated the reason, Wen Shiqing knew it was likely because her sister had a stutter and a simple mind.
"Second Sister, don't worry about me; you should focus on your own well-being." Wen Shiqing took Wen Shuyu’s hand and led her to a stone bench nearby. "Grandfather and Grandmother have also arrived in the Capital. Once they’ve settled in, I’ll take you all out to tour the lake."
Wen Shuyu shook her head gently, a faint, bitter smile touching her lips. "No... no trouble... for you, Qing'er."
She tried hard to make her words flow, but under the tension, her stutter remained prominent. "Qing'er... is... working so hard."
Wen Shiqing patted her hand and smiled dismissively, offering comfort. "Really, Second Sister, it's fine. Don't worry about me. Not getting married is fine too; it leaves me with peace and freedom."
"There... there will be someone," Wen Shuyu comforted her.
Though the words were simple, her eyes were earnest and deeply caring. Wen Shiqing sighed to herself; there really wouldn't be anyone, because she truly wasn't capable of it.
In the end, she went with her sister to visit their grandparents. To put it bluntly, it was just her grandmother pulling the family’s "mainstay" aside to offer hollow pleasantries. This was a treatment she had only received after becoming the top scholar. Her mother had raised her as a boy from childhood; otherwise, her grandmother, who valued sons over daughters, would have kicked their family out long ago. Also, because her father had passed away around the time she was born, her grandparents had held a grudge against her for a long time. Wen Shiqing had excelled in her studies from a young age, and gradually, the family’s hopes rested entirely on her shoulders. Ten years of bitter study led to a single moment of fame across the empire.
Thankfully, her grandfather had only suffered a fit of anger and was not in any serious danger.
Emerging from the Old Madam’s room, Wen Shiqing felt utterly exhausted. She had intended to return to her room for a good rest, but just as she reached the door, she spotted a slender figure standing quietly there.
Looking closer, she realized it was Miss Lu.
She was dressed in a pale green gown with a simple wooden hairpin tucked into her hair, standing awkwardly in the corridor before the room. Wen Shiqing felt as though this day had been exceptionally long, with every event exceeding her expectations. She closed her eyes for a moment, raised a hand to rub her throbbing temples, adjusted her breathing, and walked over with a gentle smile. "Is Miss Lu waiting for me?"
Miss Lu turned around. Seeing Wen Shiqing still made her a bit nervous, especially since learning of that matter. The progression of their relationship had long since exceeded her control, and regarding what he had said... about his "hidden ailment," it had taken her a long time to digest and fully understand. The Eldest Princess had later sought her out, using every turn of phrase to urge her not to harbor resentment toward Wen Shiqing.
Miss Lu hadn't spoken, but after processing it, she realized she felt no hatred. On the contrary, there was a glimmer of... relief.
So, he had always been looking out for her.
She twisted her fingers, lowered her head in shyness, and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.