The Innocent Heart - Chapter 74

“No, no!” Guan Yueyao waved her hands frantically upon hearing his question. “It’s Lady Wei. Qubing just returned from her courtyard, and based on what he said, I’m a bit worried.”

As Guan Yueyao spoke, Wei Qing watched her closely. The youth’s handsome sword-brows were slightly furrowed, and his lips were pursed. This made his concern appear deeply sincere, causing a faint shadow of worry to cross Wei Qing’s own mind.

“This is no place for a conversation,” Wei Qing said warmly. “Come, follow me to the study, and you can tell me about it in detail.”

Guan Yueyao didn’t think twice and followed Wei Qing across the courtyard into his private study. Opportunities to be alone with Wei Qing were rare, and it made her feel slightly bashful and out of place.

She watched as the maids helped Wei Qing remove his heavy winter cloak. With a faint, elegant smile, he took a seat across from her. Perhaps because they were not discussing politics or military affairs, Wei Qing’s posture was quite relaxed. Beyond his usual gentle and refined scholarly air, he exuded a sense of effortless nobility.

Guan Yueyao found herself staring blankly for a moment, momentarily forgetting her original purpose.

“Yueyao, you’ve just come in from the cold. Are you chilled? Should I have the maids warm a pot of wine for you?” Wei Qing’s concerned voice snapped her back to reality.

“No need, no need! I want to go back and check on Qubing after we talk,” Guan Yueyao declined quickly, her tone slightly hurried.

Seeing she had no desire for wine, Wei Qing didn’t press the matter, though he did instruct the maids to bring in an extra brazier.

This was the first time she had seen Master Wei so casual and at ease. Guan Yueyao felt that the Wei Qing before her looked several years younger. That’s right, she realized, Master Wei is only about ten years older than me.

For some reason, this realization made her heart flutter with a tiny spark of joy.

“You mentioned earlier that something happened between Qubing and his mother. What exactly is going on?” Wei Qing finally cut to the chase. Regarding his second sister, his understanding was not much different from Huo Qubing’s.

Or rather, much of Huo Qubing’s attitude toward his mother had been influenced by his uncle. Wei Qing naturally assumed that Wei Shao’er was simply acting out because she was worried that Qubing was too young to endure the bitter cold of the frontier.

He felt Guan Yueyao might be overthinking it, perhaps because she had been a very filial child in her own past and placed too much weight on a mother’s feelings. Since the Han Dynasty was governed based on the principle of filial piety, it seemed Yueyao was truly a good-hearted youth.

But he remembered Qubing mentioning that when they first met, Guan Yueyao was a little beggar on the streets, orphaned and homeless…

Thinking of this, Wei Qing’s gaze toward Guan Yueyao softened even further, carrying an unconscious trace of pity.

Guan Yueyao, unable to handle such a gaze, felt her face flush slightly. However, her worry for her friend was greater. Suppressing her inner fluttering, she spoke her concerns to the one man who truly held the reins of this household.

“I think Lady Wei might not just be throwing a tantrum this time. Qubing joining the army to the frontier is a major event. Lady Wei is his mother, yet she was the very last person in this house to know. I think that is what truly hurt her,” Guan Yueyao said earnestly.

“When Qubing discussed it with you, he didn’t inform her. When he went to the palace to report to the Emperor and Empress Wei, he didn’t inform her. Even an outsider like me knew about it, but she didn’t. If I were in her shoes, how would I feel? I would be heartbroken, feeling as though no one in my family cared about my opinion at all. Lady Wei isn’t an unreasonable person. If you talk to her properly, she might still worry for Qubing’s safety, but she would understand his sincere heart for his family and his country.”

As Guan Yueyao rambled on with her perspective, a strange feeling rose in Wei Qing’s heart. He hadn’t expected this youth to possess such a delicate and sensitive mind.

“It was thoughtful of you to consider all this. Don’t worry, I will have a good talk with my sister,” Wei Qing said with a smile, seemingly believing this wouldn’t be a difficult issue to resolve.

But as he finished, he saw a lonely, downcast shadow fall over Guan Yueyao’s face.

“I don’t mean to meddle,” she whispered. “I just… I thought of my own mother. Qubing doesn’t realize what a blessing it is to have someone nagging him. Unlike me… even if I wanted to hear my mother’s nagging again, it’s no longer possible.”

Her words seemed to confirm Wei Qing’s earlier suspicion about her past. He sighed, looking at the dejected boy across from him. On a sudden impulse, he felt the urge to reach out and pat the boy’s head. But just as his hand reached mid-air, he realized the impropriety of the gesture. He awkwardly pulled his hand back to the table, and to cover his tracks, he pushed a plate of pastries toward her.

“Would you like some sweets?” Wei Qing asked, feeling a bit sheepish.

Guan Yueyao didn’t notice his awkwardness. She quickly regained her usual carefree facade and stood up to take her leave.

“Thank you, Master Wei! I think I’d better head back and check on Qubing now.”

As if entrusting the matter to Wei Qing had put her entirely at ease, she bid him a hurried farewell and ran out of the room with a light step.

Wei Qing watched her retreating back and shook his head helplessly. He was just about to head to his sister’s courtyard when his attendant, Yanshou, rushed in.

An urgent military report from the army completely diverted his energy, leaving him with no time to attend to this minor family drama.

After the Laba Festival, the imperial court and the military went on holiday, giving Huo Qubing and Guan Yueyao a few days of rest at home. The wind and snow were particularly heavy this year; since Laba, the goose-feather snow had not stopped for a single day.

Naturally, the two youths were forced to stay indoors. But it was because of this confinement that Huo Qubing finally noticed the change in his mother.

On the first day, he and Guan Yueyao were engrossed in deducing military strategies using a map. It was fascinating work, and Wei Shao’er didn’t disturb them once. Though Huo Qubing was slightly puzzled, he was mostly relieved. In the past, whenever he was home, she would insist on visiting three or four times a day, much to his annoyance. This was better; his train of thought wasn’t interrupted by her endless, unnecessary fussing.

On the second day, they played games in the room. Guan Yueyao didn’t know how to play Go, and Huo Qubing wasn’t an expert either, so they settled on the simpler game of Gomoku (Five-in-a-Row) to pass the time.

Even a game as simple as “Five-in-a-Row” reflected the differences in their personalities. Guan Yueyao was aggressive, brash, and straightforward; she would charge forward and forget to guard her rear, leaving herself full of openings. Huo Qubing, while bold, was incredibly meticulous, thinking ten steps ahead for every move. What looked like a sudden, startling move to an observer was actually part of a deeply calculated plan.

Unsurprisingly, by the afternoon, Guan Yueyao had lost far more than she had won. But she wasn’t a sore loser. Through game after game, she began to realize her shortcomings. Though she continued to lose, the time it took for Huo Qubing to finish a match grew longer and longer.

“Haha! I finally beat you once!” Guan Yueyao tossed down her black stone and jumped up from the floor in excitement.

But when she looked up, she saw Huo Qubing holding a white stone, staring blankly at the board with a heavy frown, lost in thought.

“Hey, what are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re a sore loser,” she teased.

“Huh? Oh. You finally won once, A-Yao. It wasn’t easy,” Huo Qubing replied with a smile, absentmindedly dropping his white stone back into the jar.

Something is wrong! Guan Yueyao leaned in closer, studying his face.

“What… what are you staring at me for?!” Huo Qubing leaned back to avoid her gaze, sounding unnatural.

“You’re acting weird. It’s just one game; why do you look so distracted?” she asked bluntly.

“I’m not distracted!” Huo Qubing snapped, jumping up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

It was a classic case of denial and overcompensation.

Guan Yueyao didn’t argue. She just sat there, smiling at him. Feeling awkward under her gaze, Huo Qubing slowly calmed down and instinctively glanced toward the window.

His mother hadn’t stepped foot in his courtyard for two days. Is it because the snow is too heavy and she doesn’t want to come out? he wondered. But he wasn’t one to dodge problems, and he soon dismissed that theory. Given her past behavior and how she treated him like the apple of her eye, she would have sent a maid to check on him even in a blizzard.

But for two days, she hadn’t asked about him once.

Everything A-Yao said had come true. His mother was still angry.

Now that he knew the root of the problem, he had to solve it. He looked at his friend, who was busy tidying the game board. “A-Yao, did you know my mother was still angry?”

He didn’t hide it, asking his question plainly.

“Yeah. After your attitude that day, it’d be a miracle if she weren’t,” Guan Yueyao replied. She wondered to herself: Could it be that Master Wei didn’t manage to talk to her?

“Then… how can I make her stop being angry?” For a rare moment, Huo Qubing looked hesitant, finally realizing he had done something that truly hurt her.

“You don’t even know why she’s sad, so how can you talk about fixing it?” Guan Yueyao countered.

Huo Qubing was stunned. Was it not because I am going away?

The uncle and nephew really did have the exact same thought process. Guan Yueyao sighed and repeated what she had told Wei Qing a few days ago.

“To be honest, it’s not just your fault. We all—intentionally or not—ignored Lady Wei’s feelings and opinions. I think she just wants her family to value her. That’s all.”

“I’m going to apologize to her!” As soon as the words left her mouth, Huo Qubing turned and bolted for the door, unable to wait another second.

For someone of his character, it was a rare moment of pure impulse.

“Hey! At least put on a cloak!” Guan Yueyao scrambled to grab his cloak from the maids and tried to chase after him, but he was too fast.

In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared into the vast, white world of falling snow.