"But you don’t have to worry. The Old Marquis sees everything with perfect clarity. There’s no way he’ll be fooled."

Hearing this, Xiao Wuge nodded with a solemn air.

"Right. Grandpa already rejected that Uncle Liu last time. If those bad people dare to bring it up again, the result will be the same."

"In any case, we can’t let them get what they want."

"Right...?"

Just as Chen Yi and Xiao Wuge were openly bad-mouthing Liu Wen...

Liu Wen, who was already sitting unhappily in the main hall, heard their voices and instinctively clenched his fists.

’How outrageous!’

’Xiao Wuge, and... his brother-in-law?’

’The brother-in-law Xiao Wuge mentioned must be Xiao Jinghong’s husband—that live-in son-in-law of the Xiao Family!’

’I think his name is Chen Yi, from the Jiangnan Prefecture Chen Family. He... Hmm?’

As the realization hit him, Liu Wen grew even more furious.

He had just been humiliated by Chen Yunfan, and now he was being insulted behind his back by this disgraceful live-in son-in-law.

’Are they treating me like a total pushover?!’

’If he didn’t have to focus on the important matter at hand, he would have made that live-in son-in-law pay!’

But while a storm raged in his heart, Liu Wen’s expression betrayed nothing.

He simply sat quietly in the hall, looking up at Old Marquis Xiao in the seat of honor with a slight smile on his lips.

At that moment, the Old Marquis was reading the letter in his hand, his expression placid.

But upon closer inspection, a flicker of surprise could be seen in his cloudy eyes.

「After a long while.」

Old Marquis Xiao set the letter down, slowly folded it away, and looked at Liu Wen and Liu Zhaoxue.

"Aside from this letter, did your father have any other messages for me?"

Liu Wen smiled, shaking his head before nodding. "My father did not, but before I came to visit you, my Second and Third Uncles both gave me instructions."

"Jing State and Shu State are neighbors. If the Xiao and Liu Families work together, both will benefit. If we are divided... while it might not lead to mutual destruction, it would be a terrible shame."

"To use my Third Uncle’s own words, the Southern Barbarians are currently consumed by internal conflict and have no time to look north."

"But once they resolve their internal disputes, they will likely stage a comeback. When that happens, you, Marquis, and my Third Uncle will be the first to bear the brunt."

At this, Liu Wen paused. Seeing that the Old Marquis’s expression was unreadable, he continued.

"If you and my Third Uncle are dragged into it, that means both the Xiao and Liu Families will be swept up in war."

"If we can join forces, our chances of repelling the Barbarian Race when they invade will surely be much greater."

His words were not without reason.

And they did, in fact, strike at the heart of the Xiao Family’s concerns.

Or more precisely, the concerns of Old Marquis Xiao and the main branch of the Xiao Family.

However, the Old Marquis was well aware of the intention behind Liu Hong’s words and knew full well what the Jing State Liu Family was planning.

After a moment of thought, a smile appeared on the Old Marquis’s face. Shaking his head, he said, "There’s no fighting old age, I’m afraid."

Just as Liu Wen thought the marquis was about to offer some praise, he heard him continue, "I should take my afternoon nap now. I won’t keep you for a meal. Please, be on your way."

"Er..."

Liu Wen was taken aback. He exchanged a look with Liu Zhaoxue, then hesitantly rose and bowed.

"Does the Marquis have a message for me to take back?"

But the Old Marquis merely waved a hand and, with the help of the second steward, rose and started walking toward a side chamber.

As he walked, he muttered to himself, "Getting old, getting old."

Seeing this, Liu Wen felt a surge of displeasure. Gritting his teeth, he bowed and said:

"My apologies, Marquis, but my elders instructed me before I came that I absolutely must bring back your reply."

"I implore you, Marquis, for the sake of my father and my aunt, do not make things difficult for me."

The moment he said this, Liu Zhaoxue thought to herself, ’This is bad.’

Before she could salvage the situation, Old Marquis Xiao stopped in his tracks. With his back still to them, he said:

"And why would I make things difficult for you?"

"Even if your elders came here themselves, I would still eat when it is time to eat and sleep when it is time to sleep. What could they possibly say to change that?"

As angry as he was, Liu Wen knew he had misspoken and hurriedly bowed.

"Forgive me, Marquis. In my anxiety, I lost my composure..."

Before he could finish, the Old Marquis resumed walking.

"Go back and tell Liu Hong to think carefully about whether his official duties are to Shu State or to Jing State."

Just as Liu Wen was about to speak, two more words drifted over:

"Get out."

"..."

Two simple, flat words, yet they struck like a clap of thunder.

Liu Wen, his head still bowed, shot his eyes wide open, his expression shifting erratically.

This time, he had clearly and truly lost his composure.

Liu Zhaoxue, standing beside him, knew that when news of this outcome reached the Liu Family, it would undoubtedly displease their elders.

But she also knew this was not the right time for her to speak.

A person in the grip of anger won’t listen to reason.

Especially when the angered person was none other than the current Duke Dingyuan of the Great Wei Dynasty.

A man who had spent his life at war was not one to be swayed by mere words.

Seeing that things had come to this, Liu Zhaoxue could only step forward and say softly, "Second Brother, let’s discuss this back home."

Liu Wen snapped back to his senses at the sound of her voice. With a slight shift, he lifted his head, his expression having already returned to a state of calm.

He said nothing more, simply turning and striding out.

The others followed close behind.

CREAK.

The moment the door opened, Chen Yi and Xiao Wuge glanced over.

They saw Liu Wen, Liu Zhaoxue, and their entourage file out with unreadable expressions, so they couldn’t tell what had happened.

But when the group reached the courtyard, Liu Wen’s gaze fell upon them.

The look in his narrow eyes instantly turned sinister, and he seemed to squeeze the words from between his teeth.

"Liu Wen greets the Young Master, and... this fine gentleman here!"

Chen Yi arched an eyebrow. He had a good idea of how their visit went, and a smile couldn’t help but touch his lips.

"Chen Yi."

"Chen Yi... We’ll be seeing each other again very soon."

After saying this, Liu Wen shot him one last, deep look before leading his group out of Qingjing Residence.

Liu Zhaoxue hesitated for a moment, but this time she didn’t offer an apologetic bow as she had before, simply following the others out.

Once Qingjing Residence was quiet again, Xiao Wuge’s brows were tightly furrowed. Young as he was, he could tell something was wrong with Liu Wen’s expression just now.

"Brother-in-law, see? I told you he was a bad guy."

"He just glared at me. His face was so scary."

"And a guy like that wants to be my brother-in-law? He can forget about it."

Chen Yi smiled, nodded, and patted the boy’s head.

He didn’t know the details of the Old Marquis’s discussion with the Liu Family, but given the result, the process no longer mattered.

Just then, two lines of text appeared before his eyes:

[Opportunity +4.]

[Evaluation: The people were here, yet you did not hear their words or witness the scene. To let a heaven-sent Opportunity pass you by is the mark of a truly lazy individual.]

Chen Yi glanced at the text and put it out of his mind, then led Xiao Wuge into the main hall.

Just then, the Old Marquis, having heard their voices, emerged from the side chamber with a smile.

"Wuge, Qingzhou, you’re here. Have a seat."

Xiao Wuge chirped a response and ran over with a smile to help him sit down, all the while recounting what he’d just witnessed—which mostly consisted of bad-mouthing Liu Wen.

The Old Marquis naturally placated him with a few words but said nothing about Liu Wen himself.

Chen Yi followed suit and sat down, remaining silent as he placed the brocade box in his hand beside the Old Marquis.

"What’s this?"

"Just something I created in my leisure time. I hope you won’t mind it."

The Old Marquis shook his head and praised him with a laugh. "Two days ago, when Sun Fu came to me clutching that piece of calligraphy like it was his most precious treasure, I had the chance to witness your Calligraphy Dao, Qingzhou."

"Now that your Calligraphy Dao has reached the Realm of Perfection, even a few words casually written by you would have people outside fighting tooth and nail for them."

As he spoke, he opened the brocade box, took out the scroll inside, and slowly unfurled it.

Instantly, a hazy glow emanated from the Yunsong Paper.

The same Mental Realm Chen Yi had revealed while writing it now unfolded completely before the Old Marquis’s eyes.

"Serenity... reaching far..."

As the Old Marquis looked at the words on the scroll and the tranquil, distant scene they conjured, the displeasure in his heart from the Liu Family’s visit began to dissipate.

Beside him, Xiao Wuge couldn’t discern the different Realms of the Calligraphy Dao, but he too was influenced by the Mental Realm in the artwork. His pout softened, and a small smile appeared on his face.

"Brother-in-law’s writing is the best."

Hearing this, the Old Marquis nodded instinctively, his eyes fixed on the scroll in admiration. "It truly is fine work."

"Even I, who am no great enthusiast of the Calligraphy Dao, can feel its influence. It’s clear that your skill, Qingzhou, has truly reached the Realm of Perfection."

Chen Yi simply smiled and said, "You praise me too highly."

Just as he was about to say something else, the Old Marquis looked up at him, his expression growing uncharacteristically serious.

"Speaking of which, Qingzhou, you are a man of letters. There is a matter I do not understand, and I was hoping you might enlighten me."

Chen Yi paused, slightly taken aback. "Please, Old Marquis, feel free to ask."

"Tell me, what is your assessment of the current situation in Shu State?"

"In what respect, sir?"

"Say whatever comes to mind."