Protecting the drunk Qin Luo, quickly look up and see...

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Tao Qingyun rushed forward and blocked the two of them, followed by Luo Ling, Zhao Shuhan, Jiang Yuanjun and others one after another.

"Stop arguing, let's talk this out. That infighting among brothers is something the Liang family wants to do. We're all brothers, we've been playing together since we were kids, so let's all speak politely!"

Chu Yening lifted her eyelids to look at Luo Chen behind Tao Qingyun; the two were still locked in a tense standoff.

He chuckled, dodged to the side, and kicked Tao Qingyun in the backside: "You damn grouse, you stole my house, get out—"

Tao Qingyun stumbled and fell outside the corridor, almost getting a mouthful of ice and snow. This time, however, she did not argue with Chu Yening to see who would win.

Qin Weixi stepped out from behind him, quickly detaching herself from his earlier words. Without hesitation, she grasped the hand closest to her and clasped it tightly with his.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Yuanjun, standing behind Luo Ling, was first taken aback, then smiled gently.

Qin Weixi looked at Luo Ling with a smile and tentatively asked, "Does brother know?"

Luo Ling nodded with a smile: "Brother knows."

Qin Weixi smiled and turned to look at Luo Chen, who was staring at her intently. "Cousin, I will always be grateful for the meticulous care you and my elder brother have given me during these years in Jiangnan. You, my elder brother, my third brother, and my fifth brother are all like my own brothers."

"Just as Third Brother said, we have the deepest brotherly and sisterly bond. Although we have different surnames, our hearts are connected. If one of us is in trouble, we will all rush to each other's aid without hesitation, no matter where we are."

She held Chu Yening's hand tightly and said firmly, "But Fourth Brother is different. I know in my heart what sibling affection is all about, and what my feelings for Fourth Brother are all about."

“He protects me, and I want to protect him too. If his life hangs in the balance, my heart will break, and just as he would do the same if I were in danger.”

“But we siblings would do these things for each other. However, I have seen since childhood how my father cherished my mother, how the late emperor loved the late empress, and how my third brother’s parents would stay by each other’s side through life and death. That’s how I feel about my fourth brother.”

She looked at Luo Ling, who had been standing quietly listening, her brother who had given her love like a father: "So, brother, I only want to hold his hand for life and spend my life with him."

Qin Weixi looked up at the clear, cold moonlight. She was speaking to everyone present today, as well as to her father, mother, and brother who had always been protecting her.

Turning her head, she saw Chu Yening quietly gazing at her from the side, holding her hand tightly in return.

Luo Chen stood there listening to these words, and his eyes, which had been deep and sharp just moments before, now held a smile.

He said slowly, "I wish Ruoxi happiness and fulfillment."

Luo Ling stepped forward and smiled at the two people whose fingers were intertwined, saying, "May you be of one heart and mind, and your bond last forever."

Zhao Shuhan then spoke up at the opportune moment, saying, "I only wish that the two of you could spend your lives together."

Tao Qingyun stood amidst the swirling snowflakes and laughed heartily, "These two young people are so in love, I knew about it before you did."

Jiuqu ran up behind and asked, "My lord, my lord, when will our manor have a happy occasion?" He grinned and said, "It's a pity that old pine, that greenhorn, didn't get to see this scene. What a pity!"

Zhong Ti laughed heartily, hands behind his back: "A golden opportunity will surely come."

Chu Yening grasped Qin Weixi's hand, turned around, and walked away, seemingly saying to Luo Chen, "You don't need to wish her happiness! Because I, Chu Yening, will definitely make her happy!"

As he walked, he said to the girl beside him, "And those damn wildflowers, I'll pick as many as there are!"

She and he walked through the swirling snow, Qin Weixi smiling happily as she asked, "Fourth Brother, what if we had a garden?"

"Then I'll pull out all the wildflowers in that garden!"

He walked very fast, and Qin Weixi had no idea where he was taking her, but the faint smell of wine carried on the wind proved that he was drunk.

She asked, "Fourth Brother, it's late. Where are you taking me? I didn't put on any makeup today!"

"Of course I know."

"I'll take you to see the stars!"

"Fourth Brother, there are no stars to be seen today, and even the moon is a rare sight."

Since everyone was gathered in the main courtyard's dining hall, the Luo family's servants and maids had already been instructed to retire early. The Tingyu Pavilion was utterly quiet at this moment.

Chu Yening led her all the way to his small courtyard, then carried her by the waist from the small balcony on the second floor of Tingyuxuan to the couch where he usually slept.

Qin Weixi looked at his continuous actions with a mixture of amusement and exasperation: "Fourth Brother, what are you doing?"

However, Chu Yening only said one sentence: "Wait for me."

In an instant, there was no more sound from inside the bed curtains.

Qin Weixi stared blankly at the lowered curtain. She wasn't drunk today, but this was the first time she had ever seen Chu Yening drunk since he was a child.

Suddenly, the roof tiles made a crisp sound, and then someone pushed them aside from above, revealing a slightly tipsy, handsome face.

Qin Weixi watched this scene intently as Chu Yening, who had just left, leaped onto the roof and peeled off a small piece of tile from her eaves.

Snowflakes instantly drifted down towards that gap, but because of the suddenly moved tile, Qin Weixi saw the snowflakes flying everywhere and the dark gray sky through the gap from above the canopy.

Before long, Chu Yening had climbed back in through the small window on the balcony.

He groped his way toward the bed in the darkness.

Qin Weixi found this scene amusing while watching from the bed. He then rummaged under his pillow, rolled over, and lay on his side, propping his elbow on the bed and supporting his head with his hand, his eyes slightly narrowed: "Fourth Brother..."

She opened her other hand, and immediately two luminous pearls with a faint glow entered Chu Yening's eyes.

Chu Yening chuckled softly, leaned down tenderly and kissed her palm gently, saying, "You still say you're not drunk."

In the darkness, a pair of clear eyes looked at him and whispered, "Fourth Brother, would you like to share a bed with me?"

"No way!"

But Chu Yening could clearly feel that the person on the bed had moved a little further in.

I said I'd go stargazing with you.

He lay there relaxed, his eyes slightly glazed, but he was truly lying there quietly, his eyes fixed on the light above him.

Tiny snowflakes landed one by one on their cheeks, and the girl beside them was laughing freely, a rare occurrence for her.

A moment later, she heard the man lying beside her on the same bed say, "Qin Luo, I won't marry you until I get revenge!"

Qin Weixi suddenly turned her eyes, her cheeks puffing out slightly. But then she heard the person beside her chuckle again: "Old Man Qin will be worried, and that's what you wanted too."

"Qin Luo, I will wait."

"If my Qin family is never exonerated, will I be left an old maid?"

"No. If that were the case, I, Chu Yening, would storm the capital and personally write down the injustice done to the Qin family!"

Qin Weixi smiled when she heard his unrestrained and foolish words: "Fourth Brother, don't talk nonsense."

After a long while, Chu Yening did not hear the girl beside him speak again.

He turned around and saw the girl with almond-shaped eyes murmuring to herself, "Father Qin... Fourth Brother, when did my father become your father?"

Chu Yening laughed heartily, then rolled over, resting his head on his arm. His slightly tipsy face and bright eyes gazed intently at her: "The sooner you call me that, the easier it will be."

He looked at her again and saw that the girl's face was flushed and her lips were slightly pursed. He heard her say again, "My father... he hasn't come to see his little daughter in a long time!"

In the shimmering light emitted by the two luminous pearls, Chu Yening could clearly see a tear that had quietly slid down the corner of her eye onto her snow-white face, turning into a long tear streak.

A sudden pang of pain shot through his heart. He then wrapped his long arm around her and pulled her into his embrace, whispering, "Drunk Qin Luo, look up quickly. Which is brighter, the stars above your head or your eyes?"

But no one answered him anymore, only the sound of shallow, steady breathing remained. His Qin Luo had already fallen into a deep sleep, a smile on his lips as he drifted off to dreamland.

*

The next morning, Qin Weixi awoke from her deep sleep and looked at the intact roof tiles above her head and the brocade quilt that wrapped her tightly around her, feeling a moment of disorientation.

It felt like yesterday's snowy night stargazing was just a dream, but the two luminous pearls left on her pillow told her that it was not a dream.

The rear hall of the Ministry of Revenue.

Zhou Quanzheng, the Vice Minister of Revenue, shook off the snowflakes from his clothes and entered through the curtain. When he looked up, he saw the old Minister Yan Bing, who was sitting in the hall with a furrowed brow, meditating over a bowl of tea.

Seeing this, Zhou Quan walked over and smiled at Yan Bing, saying, "Lord Yan, the tea has gone cold! I'll refill your cup with hot tea."

Yan Bing, still frowning, handed over the empty cup in his hand.

Zhou Quan held the teapot in one hand and the cup in the other, refilling the teacup, and said to Yan Bing, "Lord Yan, have you been troubled lately? I can help you resolve some of your problems."

Yan Bing shook his head upon hearing this, and then, coming to his senses, saw that Zhou had actually run to the back hall to hide away so early in the morning. He asked, "Does Lord Zhou have something to say?"

Zhou Quan smiled and offered the refilled cup of hot tea with both hands, whispering, "There is something. It concerns the affairs of the four great families back then."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bing glanced out the curtain and, seeing the hall quiet, turned his gaze to Zhou Quan.

Zhou Quan still smiled and said, "I just want to ask what exactly happened with the four great families back then. I entered the court late and only heard bits and pieces of information. But I really can't resist my itchy curiosity, so I hope Minister Yan will answer all your questions."

Yan Bing suddenly frowned, slammed the cup lid down on the rim of the cup, and cast a pair of shrewd eyes at him: "I think it's you, Lord Zhou, who wants to find out something from this old man."

Yan Bing looked at Zhou Quan, who had maintained his original aspirations despite serving in the court for many years, and snorted, softening his tone: "I would believe it if others severed ties of gratitude and righteousness! But I don't quite believe it if it's the Chu or Qin families!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Quan immediately laughed and said, "General Chu and the Duke of Dingguo have two elders above them. The feud between the Qin and Chu families that was widely discussed back then caused quite a stir in the capital!"

Upon hearing this, Minister Yan stroked his goatee repeatedly, his eyes narrowing as he fell into deep thought.