Chapter 84 -
Chapter 84: Chapter
In the quiet, orderly space of his personal study, Wenzhe sat at his desk, staring blankly at the military reports laid out before him. For the past two hours, he hadn’t read a single line. His mind was completely consumed by thoughts of his fragile little brother locked away in the northern wing, and the chaotic, unpredictable wife who was currently holding the keys to his courtyard.
The heavy silence of the room was suddenly shattered as the study doors were violently thrown open.
Wenzhe’s mother marched inside, her silk robes rustling aggressively. She hadn’t even waited for the servants to announce her arrival. Her expression was dark, her eyes blazing with absolute fury.
Wenzhe blinked in surprise, quickly setting his brush aside. "Mother? Why are you here? If something has happened to Mingyu—"
The Duchess didn’t answer. Instead, her sharp gaze swept over his desk. Before Wenzhe could even process her movement, she reached out, picked up a heavy wooden brush-rest, and threw it straight at his head.
Wenzhe’s military instincts kicked in instantly. He ducked to the side, the wooden object whistling past his ear and clattering loudly against the wall behind him.
"Ma! What are you doing?!" Wenzhe complained, his voice cracking slightly with shock as he straightened back up.
The Duchess didn’t say a word. Her face only frowned deeper. She reached down again, snatched a solid ink-stone from the edge of the desk, and hurled it right at him with terrifying accuracy.
Wenzhe narrowly dodged it again, leaning back in his chair as the heavy stone sailed over his lap, narrowly missing his thigh.
"Mother, stop! Have you lost your mind?!" Wenzhe shouted, finally throwing his hands up in defeat, completely terrified of what she might pick up next.
"Have I lost my mind?" the Duchess finally spoke, her voice shaking with immense anger as she glared at her eldest son. "You arrogant, ungrateful boy! You dare to walk out on me during breakfast? You dare to show such blatant disrespect in front of the entire family?!"
Wenzhe kept quiet, lowering his eyes as he continued to wave the fan. He didn’t say a single word. He knew better than to argue when his mother was in this state, especially since a part of him knew she was right about his temper.
Seeing him finally shut his mouth and look properly reprimanded, the Duchess let out one last, long sigh. She reached out and knocked his hand away, signaling that he could stop fanning her.
"Enough with the fan, my arm is getting cold," she grumbled, smoothing out the front of her elegant robes.
She stood up, her posture returning to its usual dignified, noble grace. Before heading toward the door, she turned back to face him, her expression turning firm and non-negotiable.
"Get your uniform cleaned and ready," the Duchess ordered flatly. "Tomorrow is the Governor’s Youth Banquet. You will be taking Su Yueqing as your escort."
Wenzhe froze, the folding fan still gripped in his hand. His jaw tightened instantly. "Mother, with all due respect, the estate was just attacked yesterday. The security—"
"The security of this city is handled by the city guard, and the security of this estate is handled by your father," the Duchess interrupted sharply, cutting him off without a second thought. "You are the Young Master of the Xi family, and she is the Young Madame. The entire capital is whispering about your marriage and yesterday’s events. You will go, you will stand by her side, and you will show everyone that this family stands united."
She gave him one last warning look that practically screamed ’don’t you dare walk out on me again.’
"Do not disgrace me tomorrow, Wenzhe," she added softly but firmly, before turning around and finally leaving his study, shutting the heavy doors behind her.
Wenzhe stood alone in the quiet room, staring at the closed doors. The thought of taking his chaotic, unpredictable wife who currently couldn’t stop thinking about how much she despised him to a grand public banquet made his head ache fiercely.
Tomorrow was going to be an absolute disaster.
Later that night, the heavy silence of Wenzhe’s study returned. He was sitting at his desk, deeply engrossed in reading some military strategy books, when the doors suddenly swung open.
Yunchen walked in, followed by a few servants carrying large trays of warm, delicious food.
"Mother said I should bring this to you guys since you skipped dinner," Yunchen said, gesturing for the servants to set the trays down on the side table.
Yunhao, who had already been quietly lounging in the corner of the study looking thoroughly exhausted, perked up immediately at the sight of the dishes. But before Yunhao could even reach the table, Yunchen smirked, stepped forward, and playfully punched Yunhao right in the arm.
"Hey!" Yunhao yelped.
Without missing a beat, Yunchen ignored his brother’s glare and grabbed a piece of osmanthus cake from the tray, shoving it into his mouth. Annoyed, Yunhao immediately tried punching him back, swinging his fist as Yunchen ducked and laughed, the two younger brothers instantly tumbling into a messy, silent scuffle right in the middle of the room.
Wenzhe looked up from his books, watching the two boys wrestle over the pastries. He shook his head in pure exasperation, entirely used to their childish behavior.
Deciding to ignore them, Wenzhe stood up from his desk and walked over to the table, reaching out to grab his own portion of food.
As he picked up a bowl, Yunhao finally managed to break away from Yunchen’s grip, catching his breath as his expression turned serious.
"By the way, Brother," Yunchen said, straightening his robes. "Sister-in-law didn’t come down for dinner tonight either. The maids said she has been locked inside Mingyu’s room all day. I’m pretty sure she hasn’t eaten a single thing."
Wenzhe’s hand froze mid-air over the food tray.
The image of Su Yueqing, Messy-haired, red-cheeked, and fiercely holding onto that plate of pancakes from the night before instantly flashed through his mind. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared down at the warm dishes, a strange, uneasy quiet settling over his chest.