Chapter 006: Once or Five Times

Chapter 006: Once or Five Times

After the meal, He An suddenly suggested playing a game of chess with Ruan Chengfu, perhaps to distract him from his concerns.

Just as Ruan Chengfu was about to go check on Ye Fang, he had no choice but to accompany He An to the study. Zhou Yunzhi noticed He An's actions and felt both grateful and embarrassed.

After all, these family squabbles in the inner quarters are nothing to be proud of.

After seeing Grandmother back to Jingxin Pavilion for her rest, Ruan Qinghuan returned to her mother's quarters. As soon as she entered, she saw her mother entertaining Ruan Qingchi in the room.

It was easy to guess that Second Aunt Zheng Qiaohui had been quarreling with Second Uncle again. Every time this happened, Qingchi would sneak over to his mother's place to hide.

After closing the door, Zhou Yunzhi handed Qingchi over to Liu Sao to look after and pulled Qinghuan into the inner room.

As soon as they entered, Zhou Yunzhi pretended to be angry and lightly hit her, saying, "When will you change your temper, girl? Today was the return visit banquet. After such a scene, how do you think He An will see you in the future?"

"Mother, didn't you see? He stood by my side." To ease her mother's worries, Qinghuan had no choice but to tell a lie.

"That's true." The two sat side by side on the long chair in the inner room, and Zhou Yunzhi advised, "Qinghuan, I know you're trying to ensure I don't suffer any grievances, but some matters aren't worth fighting over. You must understand that in my heart, your well-being and Qingchi's well-being matter more than anything."

"In the future, don't always act on impulse, alright?"

"I understand, Mother."

Zhou Yunzhi was genuinely worried. The fact that the He family had delayed the wedding for two years was enough to show that He An didn't want to marry Qinghuan.

After the marriage was finally arranged, she had been on edge these past few days, afraid that her daughter's unyielding nature would cause trouble. She often sent people to check on things outside the Prime Minister's residence, fortunately, nothing major had happened.

Qinghuan's actions weren't just for her mother's sake. She also wanted to ensure she had a way out in the future.

Lately, the second branch had become increasingly brazen in their wealth accumulation, even daring to steal house deeds and land deeds. They relied on the fact that Grandmother wouldn't want to make a public issue of it, knowing she would consider the three children in Second Uncle's quarters.

This was also why Second Aunt Zheng Qiaohui had become more excessive over time.

Zhou Yunzhi observed her daughter. It had been three days since she married into the Prime Minister's residence, and her complexion looked rosy. She hadn't lost weight, which seemed like a good sign.

Pulling her daughter closer, she asked, "Is He An treating you well?"

"Yes, he is."

"That's good. As a new bride, it's normal to feel some distress. You must be more patient and not act on your impulses, alright?"

Qinghuan nodded obediently. Since she didn't care deeply, she didn't feel particularly troubled by the situation. After all, just getting by was the same wherever she was.

Seeing that her daughter didn't seem to understand, Zhou Yunzhi furrowed her brows.

Qinghuan was taken aback by her mother's sudden seriousness. She heard her mother call Xia Lian, who had been speaking with Liu Sao outside, into the room and ask directly, "On the wedding night, how many times did the young miss call for water?"

Xia Lian was immediately stumped. As a dowry maid, the lady had specifically instructed her on these matters before the wedding.

But... the young miss and Prime Minister He An hadn't consummated the marriage, had they?

Qinghuan didn't expect her mother to be so perceptive and quickly answered, "Once."

"Five times..."

Qinghuan frowned. Xia Lian was clearly making it up, and it was a bold lie.

They spoke in unison, but their answers couldn't have been more different.

Zhou Yunzhi furrowed her brows, her gaze shifting from her daughter to Xia Lian. The thing she had been dreading was likely to happen.

Xia Lian didn’t expect the young madam to answer and could only lower her head in silence. Ruan Qinghuan told Xia Lian to leave first and tried to reach out to hug her mother, but Zhou Yunzhi pushed her hand away, causing two tears to fall instantly.

"I said from the beginning that you shouldn’t marry into the Prime Minister's residence. If you had married into a family of similar status, I could still protect you. But look at now..."

"Oh, Mother, don’t think too much about it. You asking me like this... I’m so embarrassed."

"Qinghuan, tell me honestly, if He An isn’t a good match for you, we can arrange for an annulment. I’ll send you to Grandfather’s home in Jiangnan, and I’ll find you a good match."

"There’s no need for that. We’ve just gotten married, but he... is really nice."

"He doesn’t even show any affection, and you still say he’s good?"

"Mother, I..." Ruan Qinghuan pretended to be shy and buried her head in her mother’s chest. "Asking this way makes me feel embarrassed. Please don’t ask about such personal matters again."

Zhou Yunzhi was skeptical.

Zhou Yunzhi felt somewhat uncertain in her heart. Based on He An’s behavior just now, he was clearly protecting Qinghuan. However, the answers Xia Lian and Qinghuan gave were clearly different, so there must be something fishy going on.

Seeing that her mother wasn’t easy to deceive, Ruan Qinghuan had no choice but to continue with her lies, pulling at her clothes and whispering, "Ding Xiang said it’s true. I... I didn’t want to at first, but..."

Ruan Qinghuan never imagined she’d have to make up such lies one day.

Fortunately, there were no outsiders, so it wasn’t too embarrassing.

"Really?" Zhou Yunzhi was skeptical. "You mustn’t lie about this kind of thing."

Ever since her daughter’s marriage, she had decided that if things got tough at the Prime Minister's residence, she would arrange for a divorce. Then, the three of them—mother and children—would return to Jiangnan.

"Mother..." Ruan Qinghuan pinched her thigh hard, the pain causing her face to flush, giving her a somewhat shy and flustered appearance.

Worried that her mother would continue probing, Ruan Qinghuan changed the subject. "Has that brat Qingzhou replied yet? Did he say when he’s coming back?"

At this mention, Zhou Yunzhi sighed. "Don’t even mention it. Both of you are so stubborn, just like each other. He said it would take at least two more months before he returns."

Ruan Qinghuan: "..."

A month before her wedding, she had sent several letters to Jiangnan, urging her brother to return to the capital to help manage the family business, but the boy had disobeyed her.

In the study, more than a dozen games had been played, and because Ruan Chengfu was preoccupied, he didn’t win a single game.

He An remained silent throughout, making the atmosphere in the study feel suffocating.

The more anxious Ruan Chengfu became, the more he wanted to find an excuse to leave. "He An, I need to step out for a moment to relieve myself. I’ll be back shortly."

It wasn’t until then that He An, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. "Father-in-law, you are astute in business, but when it comes to family matters, you seem a bit muddled."

"Ah?" Ruan Chengfu wiped his sweat. Facing a high-ranking official who knew the laws of Dongzhao inside out, Ruan Chengfu felt intimidated and out of his depth as a father-in-law.

He An was completely different from his gentle-natured father.

He An suddenly changed his tone. "Father-in-law, no need to worry. Normally, I wouldn’t interfere in the affairs of the Ruan family. But as you’ve seen, Qinghuan was so angry just now. As her husband, I can’t just sit back and do nothing. After all, she is now the Prime Minister's wife and must not lose her dignity."

Ruan Chengfu could only nod in agreement. "Yes, yes, Lord, you are absolutely right."

He couldn’t fail to understand that He An was using the status of the Prime Minister’s wife to imply that his wife shouldn’t be wronged. After pondering for a while, he sighed. "Tomorrow, I’ll send Ye Fang to the villa to prevent Qinghuan from getting upset."

He An smiled upon hearing this. "Father-in-law, you are wise and strict in managing your household. I admire you."

Ruan Chengfu: "..."

For the first time, he doubted whether marrying into the Prime Minister’s family was the right choice.