Huo Qiyun hurriedly denied, "No, it's not..."
Zhao Changdu's face turned cold. This woman had once been very good to him, but she was also the one who had abandoned him.
"If you get divorced, I can find a way to settle things for you afterwards."
This was already the greatest favor he could show her.
Huo Qiyun looked at him in disbelief, her heart aching. Suddenly, tears streamed down her face as she desperately grabbed his sleeve and pitifully asked, "Changdu, you still care about me, don't you?"
Zhao Changdu looked at her mockingly and brushed her fingers off with his large hand, speaking coolly, "Sister-in-law is thinking too much."
After saying this, he didn't want to see her pitiful appearance, so he turned and strode out of Chunshan Court expressionlessly.
After dealing with Cheng and Zhao Hui, Zhao Changdu was in a bad mood for a while, his face cold.
As soon as he strode into Changfeng Pavilion, Huai An came up to greet him.
"Master."
"What is it?"
Seeing his master's irritable appearance, Huai An hesitated to speak. "Just now..."
"Speak."
Seeing the snowflakes on his master's head, Huai An had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Second young lady's maid Yin Zhu came and told me to remind Master that the young marquis has returned."
Zhao Changdu's brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed again. "Why has he come back?"
Huai An said, "I've already sent someone to investigate. They said he ran away from the military camp and rode a horse all the way back. He encountered some bandits on the road who robbed him of all his money and valuables, and he fell into a snowy pit and barely made it back to Bianjing alive. When he returned, the young marquis went straight to the Dongping Earl Manor first, then chatted about something unknown with the second young lady before dejectedly returning to Yong'an Marquis Manor."
Zhao Changdu's mouth corner twitched as he thought of the second young lady berating Su Huanfeng, then curled up amusedly. "Send some men to deal with the bandits who robbed him."
Seeing his master smile, Huai An secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't worry Master, I'll tear those damned thieves into ten thousand pieces for daring to bully the young marquis."
Zhao Changdu didn't say anything and entered the room.
A freshly installed floor furnace was burning inside the room, warming it like spring, but the huge Changfeng Pavilion still felt cold and empty.
After his mother had suddenly gone insane and committed suicide by jumping off a cliff, the noble ladies had all considered her inauspicious.
They were even more averse to the child she had given birth to. The servants also kept their distance from Changfeng Pavilion.
In earlier years, Changfeng Pavilion had been almost completely abandoned without a hint of life. Only he had lived there alone.
Later, when Grandfather had returned from the border and specially ordered people to clean up and repair the manor, after being away at the border for ten years, there still wasn't a trace of liveliness in the manor when he came back.
But recently it had improved a lot, since he had specially arranged for people to spruce up Changfeng Pavilion again in preparation for Gu Ying's wedding.
Now, everywhere in Changfeng Pavilion were hung large red wedding decorations, with lanterns emblazoned with the character for "joy" swaying under the eaves, adding some warmth.
Other than a few servants responsible for cleaning, there were no superfluous maidservants in the manor. The only people living in the pavilions and towers were Zhao Changdu and Huai An, two grown men.
Although when they had left the border, the old Grand Duke had exhorted Huai An thousands of times to be sure to find some gorgeous women to serve in the household, so the young master could find a gentle, loving woman at his side.
But Huai An also knew that the young master had always disliked having women near him. After returning to Bianjing, he didn't dare to casually arrange beautiful maidservants for the master.
"Then, Master, what should we do about the young marquis?"
They couldn't just leave it be. The young marquis had a fearless temperament, and was likely to raise hell.
Zhao Changdu picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup of cold tea, "How long has he been back at the manor?"
Huai An said, "About an hour."
Zhao Changdu's expression was deep. "Hmm, then he should have seen his father and uncle."
Huai An clicked his tongue. Ruthless, the young master was ruthless.
In the days prior, after the second young lady had agreed to the engagement, the master had hinted in various ways for the old Marquis and the Empress Dowager to hurry up and arrange a new marriage for the young marquis.
The marriage of the young marquis was naturally the focus of much attention, and the imperial family was also very concerned about it.
Soon, a candidate was selected.
The Empress's only daughter, Princess Yueyan.
Princess Yueyan was now seventeen, about to turn eighteen. She had inherited the beauty of the Xie clan, as lovely as the autumn moon, with a natural temperament. As the only legitimate eldest princess of Dong Li, she still didn't have a marriage arranged at this age.
Everyone knew that Princess Yueyan harbored feelings for the Crown Prince, and had been waiting for his return in Bianjing. But everyone also knew that as a princess, how could she easily marry into the Zhao family?
The marriage of an adult was no trivial matter of personal feelings. From birth, she was destined to have no control over her own marriage.
Moreover, the young marquis dared to defy anyone's orders, but his marriage to Princess Yueyan was personally arranged by the Emperor and Empress Dowager. To defy the imperial decree would spell disaster for the entire Xie clan.
"Then I'll send someone to inform the second young lady."
Zhao Changdu casually said, "Mm, don't let her worry too much. I'll handle this matter."
Huai An smiled maliciously, "Master, it seems you're becoming more and more concerned about the second young lady."
Zhao Changdu had just sipped some chilled tea and was stunned by Huai An's words.
Was he concerned about her?
He just felt... these kinds of matters were something he as a grown man should bear. A delicate girl like her only needed to be protected under his wings.
Whenever he thought of her, his heart would inexplicably soften. The displeasure brought by Cheng and Zhao Hui had also dissipated a lot.
She seemed to have some kind of special magic that could soothe his restless heart.
"Master?" Huai An blinked confusedly and waved his hand awkwardly. "For the young marquis's side, should I go personally?"
Zhao Changdu came back to his senses and frowned. "No need. I'll go see him myself."
He knew Su Huanfeng's stubborn temperament too well. He needed to resolve this matter himself.
...
Yong'an Marquis Manor.
The night wind howled under the moon. Servants and guards knelt all over the courtyard.
With a loud "bang", a large porcelain vase smashed against the doorframe and hit the ground with a jarring sound.
This was the twenty-fifth ceramic Su Huanfeng had smashed.
His voice had gone hoarse from yelling, and all the breakable items in the room had been destroyed.
But his bastard father still refused to soften his stance and plead with him in the palace. He just wanted to marry a woman he liked. Was that so difficult?
He didn't like Princess Yueyan at all!
Yue Yan was his cousin. He had watched her grow up since she was little. He had even seen her wet the bed before. How could they make him marry her?!
Did they have no sense of propriety at all?!
In his eyes, what was the difference between Yueyan and a little doll?
"Young marquis, please calm down!" The elderly steward Fu Gui had been persuading him for a long time outside the door. "The Marquis is doing this for your own good."
"For my own good he can cancel my engagement to the woman I love? Is he really my father? Or did he just pick me up and raise me?"
"Oh dear, this is..."
Suddenly, a large hand pressed down on Uncle Fu Gui's shoulder.