"The young lady is back!!!" A servant caught sight of the young girl and immediately exclaimed with delight.
"Where's Father? Someone wants to see him!"
"The master is in the main hall. This lowly servant will lead you there right away."
...
As Chu Qing walked along, she looked at everything in the mansion.
Sure enough, things remained the same, but people had changed.
It was still the familiar place, but almost everyone there was a stranger to her.
...
"Father!" As soon as the young girl stepped into the main hall, she called out loudly.
"Zhen'er is back?"
It turned out that the young girl's name was Shangguan Zhen.
Chu Qing glanced over and saw a man in his early thirties sitting there with an air of authority. His furrowed brows relaxed slightly when he saw the young girl.
Shangguan Zhen rushed to the man's side, tugged at his sleeve, and said coquettishly, "Zhen'er hasn't seen Father for ages. I finally caught you today!"
The man smiled helplessly. "I've been too busy these days."
"Excuse me, are you this young lady's father?" Chu Qing didn't want to break the rare warmth between the father and daughter, but she felt rather awkward standing there at the door.
Moreover, the one who ignored her was none other than Shangguan Shenxing, her proper grand - nephew who used to follow her around, calling her "Auntie" all the time.
But now that the relationship was no longer the same, she had to suppress her temper and speak politely.
This feeling was as overwhelming as drinking fake alcohol.
Hearing Chu Qing's cold voice, Shangguan Shenxing finally looked past Shangguan Zhen and towards her.
"Who are you?..." Shangguan Shenxing looked a bit puzzled.
"This princess came uninvited. Please forgive me." She really didn't want to address the other as "Master Shangguan." Not for any other reason, but she was afraid the young man might have bad luck!
Hearing Chu Qing speak, Lvluo took out the jade token of the Prince Ning's Mansion and showed it to him.
When Shangguan Shenxing saw that the visitor was the Princess of Prince Ning, he immediately stood up and bowed.
"I didn't know the Princess of Prince Ning was coming. This lowly official was rude!" With that, he invited Chu Qing to sit in the honored seat and then ordered someone to serve tea.
After Chu Qing was seated, Shangguan Shenxing carefully asked, "May I ask what brings the Princess of Prince Ning here?"
The Shangguan Mansion and the Prince Ning's Mansion had never had much interaction. The sudden visit of the Princess of Prince Ning must mean there was something.
Chu Qing glanced at Shangguan Zhen standing behind Shangguan Shenxing and said in a slightly cold tone, "Your daughter was a bit rash today."
Shangguan Shenxing frowned and looked at Shangguan Zhen, asking seriously, "What did you do?"
"Daughter... just met her in the restaurant and had a little friction... that's all..." Shangguan Zhen bit her lip, and her voice grew softer.
"Kneel down!" Shangguan Shenxing was angry.
Although Shangguan Zhen looked reluctant, she still knelt down obediently.
Chu Qing didn't plead for the other. Even towards the younger generation, she was never a soft - hearted person. The so - called "love for grandchildren" would never happen to her.
"How did I teach you on weekdays! Cause less trouble outside! But you! Never learn your lesson!"
"On weekdays, on weekdays. Every time you say 'on weekdays'. I only see you a few times a month, and you still say 'on weekdays'..." Shangguan Zhen muttered in a low voice.
"What are you mumbling there!" Seeing that Shangguan Zhen seemed to be still whispering something, Shangguan Shenxing's face darkened completely.
...
"What's going on? As soon as I get back, you two are staring at each other." Shangguan Haoyu didn't know when he had returned from court. Seeing Shangguan Zhen kneeling on the ground, he couldn't help but tease.
As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes caught sight of Chu Qing sitting there. So he immediately put away his relaxed look, folded his hands behind his back, and asked seriously, "Who is this?"
"Father, this is the Princess of Prince Ning." Shangguan Shenxing replied respectfully.
"So it's the Princess of Prince Ning. I failed to greet you properly!" Shangguan Haoyu bowed his hands, looking very polite.
Chu Qing was trying her best to control her surging emotions.
Since Shangguan Haoyu entered the main hall, Chu Qing had been sizing him up.
The once elegant and passionate young scholar now had gray hair at his temples and was good at being on good terms with everyone.
...
She still remembered that in the previous life, a few days before she entered the palace, the siblings climbed onto the roof together, drank wine, and had a long and heartfelt conversation.
Both the young man and the young girl were full of enthusiasm and hopeful about the future.
In a blink of an eye, the young man had grown old, while the young girl was reborn into a completely different person after turning into dry bones.
Those past events would eventually be buried in the soil, and no one would ever know.
...
Perhaps there were too many stories in Chu Qing's eyes, or perhaps she was looking at Shangguan Haoyu too intently. There was a hint of something in the other's eyes, and then he smiled and said, "Could it be that I've met the Princess before? Or has the Princess met me?"
Chu Qing was startled and immediately put on a smile. "We've never met."
Shangguan Haoyu hooked the corner of his mouth and slowly said, "I know I've always been handsome, charming, and graceful, loved by everyone. But the Princess should not be too infatuated with my appearance, lest the Prince of Ning misunderstand. After all, I'm already old, and I really can't... bear it!"
"...???" Chu Qing almost couldn't hold back the urge to punch him and then kick this rascal out.
After she ordered the Shangguan family to withdraw from the court, they hardly ever saw each other.
After more than a decade, who would have thought that this rascal, now an old rascal, was still so shameless!
It was a pity that he didn't know who was standing in front of him. If he did, he would surely kneel down and plead for mercy with snot and tears!
Chu Qing felt that she was going to be so angry with this family today!
It was retribution! This must be retribution!
In the previous life, she had wronged the Shangguan family. In this life, the whole family was neatly here to cause trouble for her.
It was really...
A bit reassuring somehow... so that she didn't know how to face them.
Chu Qing calmed herself down, remembered why she was here, and then told Liu Xin, who had been silent beside her, to tell the Shangguan brothers about what happened in the restaurant.
Although Lvluo was a bit dissatisfied that Liu Xin was taking the limelight, she still kept her mouth shut in front of outsiders and listened carefully, afraid that Liu Xin would be nervous and say something inappropriate so that she could fill in the gaps at any time.
As a result, Liu Xin's account was very concise:
"Miss Shangguan was very domineering in the restaurant today and tried to snatch the private room that our princess had obtained first."
Chu Qing: "..."
Shangguan Zhen: "..." That's it? Does this girl not care about my face?
As soon as Liu Xin finished speaking, Shangguan Shenxing quickly lifted his foot and kicked Shangguan Zhen, who was originally kneeling, to the ground.
Seeing this, a coldness immediately covered Chu Qing's eyes.
Was this, really, the way of upbringing?