Xiaoduo was referring to this person as the teacher of the children, and also as her elder brother.
However, this man is not old, has a decent appearance, is a member of the martial arts world, is single, and most importantly, can be with Xiaoduo every day.
How could such an innocent young girl understand a man's thoughts?
I only learned about this chivalrous master Quan from her when I was in the capital.
I hadn't thought much about it until I saw him in person, but now that we're sitting face to face, a sense of crisis has immediately arisen.
If Xiaoduo were someone who valued status and family background, it would be fine, as Murong Jing was quite confident in herself. But unfortunately, she was someone who didn't care about those things.
At this moment, Murong Jing's mind was filled with thoughts of "being close to the water tower makes it easy to get the moon first" and "love grows over time."
Although Quan Jinghuai wasn't a seasoned player in matters of the heart, he still sensed the something in the young master's gaze. He glanced casually at Hong Xiaoduo, who was lost in thought while holding her teacup, and thought to himself, "Thanks to you, little girl, your older brother has been passively made a rival in love!"
While traveling, Fei Yan listened to the children talk about this young master and what he had done for them. She even asked Hong Xiaoduo if the young master might like her. She laughed and said, "Impossible."
Moreover, she spoke with great certainty and reason, arguing that it was impossible for three reasons. First, the identity of the Crown Prince was clear, while she herself was an unknown person whose family background was still unclear. How could anyone possibly make her the Crown Prince's consort?
Secondly, given Mu Shizi's status, it's almost inevitable that he would take concubines and elevate mistresses after marrying his wife.
Third, and most importantly, she had no intention of getting married.
How carefree it is to be alone! She's the head of the household, able to do whatever she wants and go wherever she wants.
Now, seeing this young master in person, her gaze towards her was so gentle, yet her gaze towards her elder brother was scrutinizing.
"Brother Fan, Ziming, please have some tea first," Hong Xiaoduo called to the people outside.
Upon hearing this, Fan Wu walked straight in, found an empty seat, and sat down.
The others said they weren't thirsty yet, so they didn't come in.
Hong Xiaoduo knew perfectly well what she meant by not being thirsty; she was clearly afraid to sit and drink tea with their young master.
"Brother Quan, this is Fan Wu, the brother I told you about."
"Brother Fan, this is Quan Jinghuai, another elder brother of mine," Hong Xiaoduo introduced the two.
Fan Wu and Quan Jinghuai were both from the martial arts world, so they didn't stand on ceremony and exchanged a few pleasantries with clasped hands.
After another young man sat down, Quan Jinghuai could more directly perceive the obvious difference between this man and Prince Mu in their treatment of Hong Xiaoduo.
Look at Brother Fan, how pure his eyes are when he looks at Xiao Duo—it's the look an elder brother gives his younger sister.
Furthermore, the way Fan Wu looked at him gave him a sense of closeness, like that of a close friend.
Perhaps because they shared the same girl, Fan Wu and Quan Jinghuai had a lot to talk about and wanted to learn as much as possible about her, while the girl's other brother, Mu Rongjing, seemed like an outsider.
"It's so rare for the three of you siblings to get together like this, why don't you formally become sworn siblings with heaven and earth as witnesses?" Mu Rongjing said.
He would feel more at ease once they officially became sworn brothers.
Upon hearing this, Fan Wu and Quan Jinghuai exchanged glances, then looked at Hong Xiaoduo, only to see her immediately shake her head and say, "Why bother with all that formalism? If you truly consider the other person family, there's no need for sworn brotherhood, kowtows, blood oaths, or anything like that."
I agree with the idea of sharing both good times and bad, but I cannot agree with the idea that we cannot be born on the same day, month, and year, but we can die on the same day, month, and year.
Putting aside how unlucky this oath is, talking about death right after becoming sworn brothers is ridiculous.
Let's just say that in this life, birth, aging, sickness, and death are the inevitable natural laws. So why should the others who swore brotherhood with him commit suicide to die with him when one of them dies? That just doesn't make sense.
Even without bowing to heaven and earth or making solemn oaths, I can guarantee that if either of us is in trouble, I will go through fire and water for you, and you will do the same for me, right?
Upon hearing her words, Fan Wu and Quan Jinghuai nodded in agreement.
Quan Jinghuai picked up his teacup, glanced at Mu Rongjing with a half-smile, and thought to himself, "Your Highness, you didn't succeed! We didn't even need to object; Xiao Duo just wouldn't fall for it!"
"By the way, Brother Quan, we might not be able to leave this place for a while." Hong Xiaoduo simply told Quan Jinghuai the reason.
Quan Jinghuai nodded upon hearing this and said, "If there's anything I need him to do, just let me know."
After all, that was the father of his disciple Tianxuan, one of his own.
“By the way, Brother Quan, Kaiyang asked Prince Mu to deliver a letter. Do you think that kid has some kind of precognitive ability? Prince Mu actually ran into us.” Hong Xiaoduo said, taking out the letter written by Kaiyang.
"Quickly, take a look at what Kaiyang wrote in his letter." Quan Jinghuai immediately leaned closer to Hong Xiaoduo and looked at the letter that she had opened and unfolded.
"That brat." Quan Jinghuai sat up straight angrily after just one glance.
Originally, when Mu Rongjing saw Quan Jinghuai leaning towards Hong Xiaoduo, she felt very uncomfortable and lowered her eyes to look at the teacup in her hand. However, when she heard his angry words, she became very curious.
Could it be that Kaiyang forgot to greet his master in the letter?
Did he speak ill of his master in the letter? Otherwise, why would he be so angry?
Well, no matter why, seeing this person angry made Mu Rongjing feel good.
"What Kaiyang wrote, there shouldn't be anything you can't read, right?" Mu Rongjing said, leaning slightly closer to Hong Xiaoduo.
Of course, he knew he couldn't go too far, so he stopped when he was still a little distance away.
Hong Xiaoduo looked at the letter in her hand, smiling with her lips pursed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Mu Rongjing also wanted to see it, so she simply moved the letter in her hand closer to him.
After Mu Rongjing saw the handwriting clearly, she finally understood why Quan Jinghuai had lost his composure and was cursing.
He didn't recognize any of the characters written on the letter, but he knew they were foreign languages.
"This lad from the Wei family is so fond of foreign languages. I'll report to His Majesty when I return to the capital and recommend him to be a foreign envoy." Why not write proper Chinese characters instead of foreign languages? Is he afraid Wei will peek at them on the way?
Hong Xiaoduo knew perfectly well that he was joking. She read the letter with a smile, and one thing she was certain of was that the John she had found for him hadn't been slacking off.
After finishing their tea, Murong Jing left with a few of his men. They had no choice but to leave; the investigation into the moldy disaster relief grain still needed to be conducted.
Even after they left, Lan Zechen did not return, but people from the Ye family came—the three Ye brothers, as always—to pick up Tianxuan.
Father hasn't returned home yet, and it's uncertain whether he'll be back tonight. Grandparents and mother, having learned what happened in the main hall, are anxious to ask Tianxuan if the young master Mu might have let slip anything...
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