Despite being scrutinized by everyone in the Sun household, Qiu Xu politely returned the smile, his demeanor showing no sign of discomfort.
On the contrary, Sun Wan felt extremely uncomfortable.
For a moment, the scene became a little awkward.
However, Qiu Xu seemed completely unaware of what embarrassment was.
He smiled and nodded wherever he went.
This immediately attracted the attention of the servants of the Sun family, who began to discuss and whisper among themselves.
Sun Wan's expression changed, and she said loudly,
"Are you all very free?"
Suddenly, the surrounding area fell silent; everyone went about their own business.
Qiu Xu glanced at Sun Wan nonchalantly.
He took her to his own courtyard.
Inside the courtyard, Qiu Xu stood at the door of Sun Wan's boudoir, hesitant to move forward.
Knowing that Minister Sun had not yet returned and that Madam Sun was resting, it was inappropriate to disturb her. Therefore, she handed the newly purchased tonics to Sun Wan.
Just as I was about to say goodbye, I suddenly felt a chill down my spine.
His guard was up, and as soon as he turned around, suddenly...
The enlarged face above him was staring at him with wide, round eyes.
The owner of those large eyes was a noblewoman dressed in a bright blue dress.
The woman was plump and about thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old. Her hair was neatly combed into a bun.
Qiu Xu was startled, and for some reason wanted to laugh, but he managed to suppress it. He quickly retreated awkwardly, respectfully clasped his hands, and said:
"Junior Qiu Xu greets Madam Sun."
Qiu Xu didn't laugh, but Sun Wan burst out laughing.
"Mother, are you awake?"
"Qiu Xu, right? Never heard of him!" Madam Sun ignored Sun Wan and instead frowned at Qiu Xu, her eyes still wide open.
Although Madam Sun had an angry expression, her appearance was strangely comical.
Qiu Xu clasped his hands in a second fist salute.
"I have never visited you before, so it is only natural that you do not recognize me."
Unexpectedly, the next moment, Madam Sun's expression suddenly changed.
"Wan'er, how dare you bring a man home?" Madam Sun said angrily, then turned to Qiu Xu.
Let Qiu Xu...
Sun Wan sighed, "Mother, don't say such harsh things, Qiu Xu, he..."
"I don't care who he is, it's wrong of him to provoke my daughter!" Madam Sun gritted her teeth, then gave a sinister smile.
"Tell me, where did you come from, you brat? What are you trying to do by deliberately getting close to my daughter?"
Her appearance sent chills down Qiu Xu's spine.
He was wrong; he shouldn't have been so impolite.
If he had known this would happen, he should have gone to visit Madam Sun first.
"Madam Sun, you've misunderstood."
Madam Sun: "Misunderstanding? You dare say you have no designs on my daughter?"
“…No!” Qiu Xu said seriously, but seeing Sun Wan's brows furrow, he realized his reply was inappropriate and quickly corrected himself.
"Yes, there is an ulterior motive."
"And you still call it a misunderstanding? How can a grown man like you just barge into a young woman's boudoir?" Madam Sun said sternly, picking up a bamboo pole from the side.
Qiu Xu was momentarily stunned.
"No, I did not enter Miss Sun's boudoir." He was clearly only standing in the courtyard.
Suddenly, I was hit on the forehead, and it stung terribly.
Sun Wan: "Mother, what are you doing?"
Her mother was still her mother, both reckless and rude.
Qiu Xu quickly protected his head and retreated.
Is Madam Sun serious?
As he retreated, he explained as he ran:
"Madam Sun, you've misunderstood."
Madam Sun: "You said there was no misunderstanding before, but you're lying! You lecherous scoundrel!"
Having no other choice, Qiu Xu covered his head and fled towards the far gate.
However, Madam Sun continued to pursue him relentlessly with a bamboo pole, chasing after him until Qiu Xu ran out of the Sun family mansion.
"Mother, it's a misunderstanding, a real misunderstanding!" Sun Wan chased after the two, panting heavily.
However, she couldn't catch up with Qiu Xu even after he ran out of the yard.
Finally, he was stopped at the gate by his imposing mother.
Not far from the courtyard gate, Minister Sun, who had just approached, watched Qiu Xu's disheveled departure in the distance, feeling a sense of bewilderment.
Was that person really Qiu Xu? He asked back, then confirmed that it was indeed him.
Unexpectedly, Qiu Xu, who is usually so composed, also had such a scene.
He looked at the departing figure in the distance and couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
Inside the courtyard, Madam Sun looked displeased. "Wan'er, stop right there! Where are you going?" What kind of man is this? What's his background?
Madam Sun knew nothing about it, so how could she have let her daughter get too close to a random man without any understanding?
"Mother, his name is Qiu Xu!" Sun Wan was both anxious and angry, and she had intended to rush out of the mansion gate.
However, her mother's obese body was like a city wall, blocking her way and preventing her from going out.
Make sure Sun Wan doesn't look too upset.
"So, who exactly is this Qiu Xu?" Madam Sun's face was full of questions.
She disagrees!
"He is the newly appointed top scholar, an assistant minister in the Ministry of War, General Gu's junior brother, and the younger brother of Lady Qiu Yan, a first-rank official—Qiu Xu!" Sun Wan rattled off all of Qiu Xu's identities in one breath, standing there in anger, wiping away tears.
"Ah? The newly appointed top scholar?" Madam Sun was stunned for a moment.
Immediately, their attitude reversed completely.
"You should have said so earlier! That would be great!"
At the same time, she was filled with remorse, and even more so, regret.
However, he still had a cheerful smile on his face.
"Wan'er, it's all my fault for not knowing the truth. Don't be angry with me. I approve of this son-in-law."
The newly crowned top scorer only appears once every three years, and they are all exceptional individuals.
Moreover, she had heard Minister Sun mention that this year's top scholar was highly valued by His Majesty.
"Is this all you approve of?" Sun Wan glared angrily at the bamboo pole in her mother's hand.
"You scared everyone away."
"What are you all standing there for? Go and bring them back!" Madam Sun snapped the bamboo pole in her hand in two with a snap.
Then, with a clang, the two pieces of bamboo pole fell to the ground.
Just then, the gate creaked open in the distance; it was Minister Sun returning.
"Wan'er, Madam, I heard you arguing from afar. What happened?"
"Dad, ask Mom!" Sun Wan pouted, still fuming.
Immediately, he ran away from his own residence.
Behind her, Qing'er was already dumbfounded by Madam Sun's ruthless methods.
Sun Wan chased Qiu Xu for the entire street.
I called out to him at the fork in the road ahead.
"Qiu Xu!"
Qiu Xu turned around, and the bruise on his forehead was clearly visible.
Sun Wan felt deeply apologetic.
"I'm sorry, my mother..."
"It's alright, your mother is just protective of her daughter." Qiu Xu said, rubbing the bruise on his forehead.
Madam Sun was truly ruthless.
"Wan'er, you go back first, I'm leaving too."
Qiu Xu was in a hurry to go home for dinner, as he had important official business to attend to in the afternoon.
“You…” Sun Wan stammered.
Behind him, Qing'er, panting, added, "Young Master Qiu, are you just leaving like this?"
But as soon as he spoke, he was met with a fierce glare from Sun Wan and secretly retreated behind her.
Qiu Xu turned around and asked with a smile, "Is there anything else?"
He seemed completely unconcerned about what had just happened.
But Sun Wan felt uneasy.
"No...no...my mother realized she had misunderstood and wanted to invite you to stay for a meal," Sun Wan said sullenly, her mood inexplicably bad.
"Don't worry, my mother won't treat you like that again."
"Let's skip the meal. Your mother is too fierce," Qiu Xu said, backing away as he added.
“Miss Sun, I have acted too rashly today and it is inconvenient to disturb you. I will take my leave.”
After saying that, he looked behind him and kept a distance from Sun Wan, afraid of running into Madam Sun again.
"Then you can leave." Sun Wan's smile darkened.
Does he distance himself from me so easily?
Sun Wan wondered, could this man really be trusted?
But what Qiu Xu was still thinking was...
He was wrong; he shouldn't have come so abruptly.
Without seeing any elders, he went directly to Sun Wan's courtyard.
Madam Sun must have felt that he was not steady enough.
Forget it, I won't think about it anymore. He will prove Madam Sun wrong about him with facts.
"Wan'er?" A sudden voice rang out.
A woman dressed in a pale yellow dress stood before the two of them.
Qiu Xu stared intently; the woman in front of him looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen her before.
"Tianzhang, it's you." Sun Wan smiled faintly.
She and Duan Tianzhang were best friends for many years; they had known each other since childhood and had a good relationship.
However, Duan Tianzhang stared blankly at Qiu Xu, no longer looking at Sun Wan.
After a long while, she asked Qiu Xu,
"Scholar, do you know Wan'er?"
After saying that, she blocked Qiu Xu's way.
Looking at Qiu Xu's handsome face, Duan Tianzhang's delicate face unconsciously flushed red.
Qiu Xu nodded calmly, then his gaze fell on Sun Wan beside him, his eyes questioning who this woman was.
“She is Miss Duan, Duan Tianzhang,” Sun Wan replied with a smile, making Duan Tianzhang feel that he had lost face.
The Duan family? Upon hearing this, Qiu Xu immediately recalled the scene of their first meeting at the General's Mansion.
Because of his brother-in-law's influence, he didn't want to get too close to the Duan family.
Therefore, he turned around and said goodbye to Sun Wan again, "Miss Sun, I will visit you another day."
"Take care, Young Master Qiu." Sun Wan said, watching Qiu Xu's departing figure. The smile on her face vanished.
Then, her gaze fell on Duan Tianzhang, who was reluctantly watching Qiu Xu leave.
Qing'er muttered softly, "Miss Duan, stop looking, they've all gone far away."
"Qing'er, what did you say?" Duan Tianzhang's face was still flushed.
Qing'er stuck out her tongue and retreated awkwardly.
"Wan'er, when did you and Qiu Xu meet? I've never heard you mention it before." Duan Tianzhang felt a pang of sadness, and his tone was questioning.
Qiu Xu had clearly met her before, but he pretended not to recognize her, which annoyed her.
“We’ve only known each other for a short time,” Sun Wan said, her voice becoming somber.
Thinking of what Qiu Xu just said,
Too rash to bother her, Sun Wan bit her lip, feeling quite uncomfortable.
Is Qiu Xu just trying to toy with her feelings?
After all, this man had once gone to brothels to find a soulmate.
She felt inexplicably irritable.
Qiu Xu had said that someone would come to propose marriage.
But after what her mother just did, would he still dare to come?
Thinking of this, Sun Wan lowered her eyes, suddenly feeling a sense of loss and emptiness.
What's wrong with her? She's never felt this way before.
"Wan'er, what brings Qiu Xu here to see you?" Duan Tianzhang gazed at the spot where Qiu Xu had just stood, his eyes filled with affection.
Sun Wan's thoughts returned to normal, and seeing Duan Tianzhang's deep affection, she felt increasingly uneasy.
Before Sun Wan could speak, Qing'er interjected, "Young Master Qiu is here to escort our young lady home."
"Wan'er, don't you like my older brother... Gu Qian?" Duan Tianzhang asked in confusion. Only Sun Wan knew that she liked Gu Qian.
"...You know perfectly well that General Gu is already married." Sun Wan's voice remained somber.
She was anxious and insecure because of Qiu Xu, but her words took on a different meaning when they reached Duan Tianzhang's ears.
Duan Tianzhang believes that Sun Wan still has feelings for Gu Qian.
"Hasn't Wan'er always believed that Gu Qian's marriage was a complete fabrication? After all, none of us have ever witnessed his wedding."
“I didn’t believe it before, but now I do!” Sun Wan said confidently.
"If Wan'er truly loves Gu Qian, she should just be honest. Perhaps Gu Qian will divorce his wife and marry someone else because of you. After all, everyone knows that the woman Gu Qian brought back doesn't come from a good family. She's probably a mistress who's been promoted to the position of wife, and she's not good enough for Gu Qian at all!"
She seemed to have forgotten that several years ago, when she first met Qiu Yan, she had developed feelings for her.
Duan Tianzhang did not shy away from speaking in public.
Because she hated Gu Qian, and by extension, hated everyone around him!
Qing'er thought to herself, "Miss Duan, if this gets to the General's ears, will you even keep your life?"
"Duan Tianzhang, do you even know what you're saying?" Sun Wan snapped angrily.
"I've always considered you my good sister, but who would have thought you'd say such things today! How do you know the Princess Consort comes from a poor background? Have you ever been to her family home? The Princess Consort is a first-rank lady, what do you and I have to compare with her! Moreover, the Princess Consort has saved countless lives and property of the people of Shangjin, and saved many families from being torn apart. How could you say such disgusting things from her mouth!"
"Wan'er..." Duan Tianzhang was stunned by Sun Wan's sudden outburst of words.
"Didn't you tell me before that the woman came from a bad background?"
"You're not allowed to speak ill of the Princess anymore!" Sun Wan selectively forgot her past prejudice against Qiu Yan because of Gu Qian.
Since the coup, her opinion of Qiu Yan has undergone a complete transformation.
Hearing Duan Tianzhang's words, she felt extremely indignant. On the contrary, Duan Tianzhang, despite his own offensive words, looked pitiful and aggrieved at this moment.
Soon, Duan Tianzhang's aggrieved expression turned into one of ingratiation.
Who told her to be nothing now?
Her mother died, the Qin family perished, her father was dismissed from his official post and was utterly useless, and her brother was also unemployed.
Apart from Sun Wan, all the other young ladies from prominent families would point and whisper about her whenever they saw her, avoiding her at all costs.
"Wan'er, have you fallen for another man?" Duan Tianzhang was referring to Qiu Xu.
Sun Wan didn't want to tell Duan Tianzhang about this.
She felt that this was her private matter.
However, she still said earnestly:
"Qiu Xu said he wanted to come to my house to propose marriage."
Qing'er nodded in agreement, as her mistress's change in attitude toward Qiu Xu had influenced her as well.
However, no sooner had Sun Wan finished speaking than Duan Tianzhang shook his head.
"Wan'er, Qiu Xu is not good enough for you."
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