Chapter 014: Devising a Plan to Protect Himself?

Chapter 014: Devising a Plan to Protect Himself?

Jiang Ming: "Sir, should I go meet Miss Liu?"

He An: "No need. Have the maid go to the plum garden and invite Father over."

Since Father allowed Mother to take over his garden, he should come and help clean up this mess.

The door to the study opened, and Liu Yueru secretly rejoiced. After entering the room, she tried to close the door behind her, but Jiang Ming had returned after instructing the maid.

Liu Yueru slightly frowned.

Jiang Ming was He An's man, and she couldn't order him around. She offered the ginseng tea to He An at the desk first: "Yueru knows that Elder Crane Brother is busy with official duties and must be tired. I specially brewed this ginseng tea for you. Please try it and see if it suits your taste."

He An had no mood for tea or to entertain Liu Yueru. He just softly grunted and said nothing more.

After the tea was offered and pleasantries were spoken, Miss Liu still lingered, which even Jiang Ming found a bit unbearable: "Miss Liu, it's getting late. Perhaps you should head back and rest?"

Jiang Ming, having followed the lord for many years, could tell from his expression just how impatient he was.

In the past, He An would have directly asked people to leave, but today's action left Jiang Ming puzzled.

"Elder Crane Brother, if you're tired, how about I massage your shoulders?" As she spoke, she moved towards the back of the desk. "When my brother was here, I often massaged him."

"No need..." Just as the words left his mouth, the door to the study was suddenly pushed open. Half-asleep, He Qizhang was furious when he saw the scene before him.

A maid had come to say that He An and Miss Liu were having a private meeting in the study. At first, he didn't believe it, but it turned out to be true.

"He An, you brat, getting bold, aren't you?" He Qizhang said as he looked for something. His eyes finally landed on a sweeping brush a maid had been using for cleaning. He grabbed it and swung it towards He An.

"Uncle He, you've misunderstood..."

"Get out of the way..." He Qizhang didn't want to listen to her explanation.

Seeing this, Jiang Ming quickly stepped forward to block: "Sir, you've misunderstood. The lord is indeed handling official business. Miss Liu came to offer ginseng tea."

He Qizhang wouldn't listen. Seeing the two standing so close, he found Liu Yueru even more unpleasant. Taking the opportunity, he shook off Jiang Ming and swung the brush, knocking the bowl of ginseng tea to the floor.

Suddenly, pandemonium broke loose in the Prime Minister's residence. Startled, Liu Yueru ran back to the guest room's courtyard.

She had gone to the study hoping to take a chance, so she hadn't brought a maid with her. Seeing her disheveled appearance, the maid quickly ushered her into the room: "Miss, what happened? Did the Prime Minister lay a hand on you?"

"No, it was that old man. Just when things were about to go my way, he barged in and started yelling for no reason."

Liu Yueru was still shaken, her left shoulder throbbing where the broom had hit her.

She couldn't understand it. Why couldn't someone as gentle and virtuous as her measure up to the arrogant and willful Ruan Qinghuan?

Her brother was a general who died for his country. On this point alone, ten Ruan families couldn't compare.

In the study, He Qizhang was so sleepy he kept yawning. With all this commotion, it was past midnight.

"Look at the mess you've made! This is unacceptable!" He angrily pointed at his son. "I'm telling you, get this Miss Liu out of the residence immediately. If this gets back to the Ruan family, how do you plan to explain it to your future in-laws?"

He An remained silent until his father’s anger subsided and he was about to leave, then spoke up: "Father, Mother is occupying my garden. You need to handle this."

He Qizhang, who had been confused when he woke up, now realized that he hadn't seen his wife. Puzzled, he asked: "Did your mother sleep in your garden?"

He An: "..."

He Qizhang sensed something was off and turned around. "What’s happening?"

He An cleared his throat. "Qing Huan has been acting out recently, keeping Mother occupied so I can’t return to Changchun Garden."

He Qizhang was so angry that he wished he could punch him twice. Unfortunately, He An’s body was as tough as a wooden post, making it impossible to land a punch. But scolding him was still an option. "You brought this upon yourself, didn’t you?"

Sighing in frustration, he returned to the plum garden.

Afraid of disturbing her mother-in-law, Qing Huan shut all the doors and windows of Changchun Garden tightly.

Xia Lian returned with the news and explained what had transpired. Qing Huan was puzzled—what was He An trying to do?

In the original story, although he never married Liu Yueru, his protection of her made her somewhat of a white moonlight in his life, didn’t it?

They always say that when a woman pursues a man, it’s as easy as piercing through gauze. So why did it feel like trying to reach He An was like hitting an iron wall?

Impenetrable?

Qing Huan made it through another night safely, but her unease grew.

The current He An had changed, to the point where even her usual tactics no longer worked.

Should she devise a plan to protect herself from him?

With her in-laws back, Qing Huan couldn’t hide in Changchun Garden to eat alone. She had to go to the dining hall.

**

Her father-in-law and mother-in-law were already seated, and Liu Yueru was enthusiastically speaking. Without He An there, it avoided a lot of awkwardness.

As she hesitated, someone gently took her hand. Qing Huan looked up and met He An’s unfathomable eyes. In a voice only they could hear, he said, "Madam, you certainly have your ways. Your husband would like to know, what’s your plan for tonight?"

Qing Huan gasped.

Had He An discovered her?

So what? She had already made an agreement with her mother-in-law. Just five more days, and He An’s cousin, Wei Mingxi, should arrive.

"What is the lord talking about? As a daughter-in-law, it’s my duty to serve my mother-in-law."

"Hmm, you’re doing well."

When they entered, Liu Yueru stood up and greeted them. "Greetings, my lord, Madam."

Qing Huan: "..."

With her in-laws present, she was no longer Miss Ruan, but Madam.

Since He An wasn’t speaking, Qing Huan had to say, "Take a seat."

During the meal, Meng Suqiu kept praising Qing Huan. "I have to say, after Qing Huan’s massage last night, I feel much more relaxed and energetic."

"Mother, with a few more days of massage, it will get even better."

Meng Suqiu looked at He Qizhang with a troubled expression. Seeing the old man’s stern face, she could only laugh and say, "Alright, alright, if I have nothing to do at night, I’ll come find you for another massage."

Qing Huan observed the flirtatious exchanges between her father-in-law and mother-in-law and felt a vague sense of unease.

This morning, as soon as Meng Suqiu returned to the plum garden, she was scolded by her husband and only then learned about last night’s incident in the study.

Upon hearing that He An might not have shared a room with Qing Huan yet, Meng Suqiu finally snapped out of it. All her efforts to keep her at Changchun Garden were to use her as a shield.

All the trouble she went through to get a fertility charm from Fuyuan Temple was like barking up the wrong tree—completely pointless.

She blamed her son for being brilliant in court but clueless in the bedroom.

It drove her crazy, and you could see the frustration in her eyes.

Just as Ruan Qinghuan was thinking about how to win over her mother-in-law, she heard Liu Yueru say flatteringly, “Mother-in-law, my brother-in-law suffered many injuries in the past, and when the weather changes, he feels uncomfortable all over. I often help him massage to relieve the pain. If you don’t mind, I could give you a massage today?”

Meng Suqiu was about to say no, but the old man next to her jumped in with enthusiasm. “Yes, yes, yes! Having Qing Huan do it every day would be too much for her.”

Ruan Qinghuan was speechless.

She couldn’t believe it. Her clever plans couldn’t hold a candle to a family that had a thousand tricks up their sleeves.