Chapter 409: 409 Wanting to Return to Lingquan Town

Chapter 409: 409 Wanting to Return to Lingquan Town

"I've already discussed everything with the Prince of Huaiyin. Working with him will surely yield twice the result with half the effort."

"Moreover, he has agreed. Once the great task is accomplished, he will appoint you as the Prime Minister. You can then fully showcase your talents, dear husband," Qin Xiaoyao said with a smile, looking at Song Rui.

Song Rui glanced at his wife, reached out to pull her closer, and let her lean on his shoulder.

"And what about you?" he asked with a sigh.

If he became the Prime Minister, his wife would no longer be able to command the army.

"Me? I'll just be my own carefree marquis. I'll manage my own fiefdom and, at the same time, expand and strengthen our family's century egg business," Qin Xiaoyao said cheerfully.

Song Rui looked down at the woman in his arms.

Then, he planted a kiss on Qin Xiaoyao's head.

"Don't you want to be a great general, leading troops into battle?" he asked.

Although he had never seen his wife's invincible scenes on the battlefield, he had heard others describe them.

The Prince of Huaiyin had said that his wife was a born military genius.

Moreover, seeing how his wife interacted with the soldiers, he knew that she actually enjoyed that kind of life.

His wife was sacrificing her own desires for his sake.

Qin Xiaoyao shook her head.

"I don't want to," she said, lying.

"What's the point of all that fighting and killing?"

"I'd rather focus on business and making money!"

Song Rui's lips curled into a smile.

"Being a great general and making money don't have to be mutually exclusive," he said with a laugh.

Qin Xiaoyao was taken aback.

Then, she heard Song Rui continue, "I'm not particularly interested in being the Prime Minister either."

"How about you become the great general, and I resign from my official position to live off you at home?"

"Isn't that what 'living off someone' means?"

Qin Xiaoyao quickly moved out of Song Rui's embrace.

"That's not acceptable!"

"In your world, you'd be ridiculed."

Actually, not just in this era, but even in the 21st century before the apocalypse, men who lived off their wives were looked down upon.

Even before, after they moved to Lingquan Town, some people looked at her husband with strange eyes, thinking he was living off her.

Song Rui smiled.

"Why bother with what others think? As long as my wife doesn’t mind me, that’s all that matters," he said, pulling Qin Xiaoyao back into his arms.

Qin Xiaoyao didn’t resist and obediently lay back.

She casually picked up a strand of Song Rui’s long hair, twirling it in her fingers.

"But I don’t want people to get the wrong idea about you."

"My husband has the skills to bring peace to the nation and protect its borders. It’s not just his good looks."

Song Rui was amused.

He felt lucky once more that his wife liked his face.

With a sigh, Song Rui softly ran his hand along Qin Xiaoyao’s back.

"Forget about becoming Prime Minister. If you don’t want to be a general, once things settle down, let’s head back to Lingquan Town."

"After all, Xiaoyao County is your territory. We can just tend to our little plot of land and live a peaceful life," Song Rui said, a look of longing appearing on his face.

By then, all the dangers would be behind us. They’d be on her land, and no one would dare cause them trouble.

Living a quiet life like that would be its own kind of happiness.

Qin Xiaoyao turned her body and looked up at Song Rui.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Honestly, going back to Lingquan Town sounds pretty good."

Since leaving, she’d dreamed more than once about their time in Lingquan Town.

Song Rui nodded. "Yes."

Qin Xiaoyao’s eyes sparkled.

"Alright, then let’s return to Lingquan Town."

Song Rui gave her an affectionate smile and pulled her back into his arms.

Qin Xiaoyao felt a warm, peaceful sweetness in her heart.

After a while, she remembered something and asked, "You mentioned last time that you bought a house. It sounds like we can move in soon."

"Yes. We’ve already got a steward. We just need to hire some servants and tidy up a bit, and then we’re all set."

"When’s that exactly?" Qin Xiaoyao asked.

"I want to check it out," she added.

Song Rui was taken aback.

"I’ll go before you move in. I’ll sneak in—no one will notice," Qin Xiaoyao said quickly.

She was dying to see her husband’s new place.

Song Rui smiled and playfully booped Qin Xiaoyao’s nose.

"Let's make it the day after tomorrow. By then, the courtyard should be just about ready."

Qin Xiaoyao, feeling content, nestled into Song Rui's arms.

After a brief silence, Qin Xiaoyao suddenly remembered something.

"That Shen Lian—has she been bothering you lately?" she asked with some displeasure.

Song Rui's heart skipped a beat.

"No."

Qin Xiaoyao's expression softened a bit.

"But I have to go to the estate tomorrow to pick her up."

Seeing his wife's face darken, Song Rui grew nervous.

But he pressed on, "The old fox ordered me to fetch her. Shen Lian will be arriving at the mansion tomorrow."

Qin Xiaoyao frowned. "So soon?!" she exclaimed, clearly displeased.

Song Rui nodded.

"And what about your engagement to her—" At this, a dangerous glint flickered in Qin Xiaoyao's eyes.

Song Rui shot a guilty glance at his wife.

"They say it'll be made public soon."

Seeing his wife's face darken further, Song Rui quickly added, "But don't worry, my dear, the engagement won't actually happen."

Qin Xiaoyao shot Song Rui a disapproving look.

After a pause, she made up her mind.

"I'll go talk to the Prince of Huaiyin and propose a rebellion, how about that?"

"Then, I'll lead my troops to help him storm the palace and force the emperor to step down."

Most of the capital's troops are under her and the Prince of Huaiyin's control.

With her at the helm and her troops backing her, taking on the palace's few thousand guards would be a breeze.

Song Rui couldn't help but be amused by his wife's expression.

He drew her closer.

"It's not so straightforward."

"Forcing the emperor to step down is a last resort; the Prince of Huaiyin wouldn't resort to that unless he had no other choice."

"If the throne is seized unjustly, even if he ascends it, he won't feel secure."

"Besides, setting such a precedent would destabilize Great Jin in the long run."

"So what do we do now?"

"We can't really wait for the old emperor to pass away and then announce the edict, can we?" Qin Xiaoyao's face showed a hint of impatience.

They didn’t have the luxury of time.

"No need," Song Rui interjected.

When Qin Xiaoyao turned to look at him, he continued, "The current emperor is excessively devoted to Empress Jia."

"As long as we can secure evidence of Empress Jia and the Jia family’s rebellion, ensuring they can’t evade responsibility."

"Prince Huaiyin will inevitably make the emperor abdicate."

The emperor isn’t particularly attached to power. He would gladly exchange his throne for his beloved empress.

"Is that evidence—easy to get hold of?" Qin Xiaoyao asked.

"Not exactly," Song Rui replied with a smile.

"However, I’ve been working hard. And we've already made some progress."

Upon hearing this, Qin Xiaoyao still felt a bit discouraged.

"It would be so much simpler to just storm in, why make it so complicated," she said with some displeasure.

Song Rui smiled and patted Qin Xiaoyao's shoulder.

"Don't worry. It won’t be much longer."

"If things go well, by the emperor's birthday next month, we might wrap things up."

Now, the old schemer trusts him more and more.

Thanks to the old schemer’s network, he’s met and even gained influence over many of his contacts.