The warm embrace of the Matriarch lingered for a moment longer before she finally stepped back, her hands resting lightly on Ye Jun's shoulders as she leaned her head to the side, examining him with an affectionate, teasing glint in her eyes.
"Look at those shoulders. No wonder my Liangxue didn't want to stay in the capital for even a day extra," she laughed softly, her voice light and musical. "I was worried she would pick some stiff, overly serious old scholar from the southern academies, but you have some real marrow in you."
"Mother!" Song Liangxue's face flushed slightly, her cold, regal composure completely fracturing as she stepped in between them, pulling Ye Jun a half-step back. "Can you please save the teasing for later? We just arrived, and everyone is watching."
"Oh, let them watch," her mother waved her hand dismissively, her long, dark silk sleeves catching the faint warmth radiating from her skin. "They're just as happy as I am."
