Chapter 044: It’s Clearly a Tempting Offer

Chapter 044: It's Clearly a Tempting Offer

This trip to Lu City, where they plan to investigate an urgent matter, will take at least eight or nine days on the road. However, some of these officials from the Ministry of Revenue are over fifty, which slows down the journey.

After two days of travel, they had only passed through two county borders. At this rate, it might take half a month to reach Lu City.

Ruan Qinghuan could see that these people were deliberately slowing down the pace.

Upon arriving at the post station and returning to their room, a confused Ruan Qinghuan said, "We're moving far too slowly. At this rate, when will we ever reach Lu City? Can't you see they're deliberately dragging their feet?"

He An sized her up. "You seem to know quite a lot, my lady. How did you figure out they were intentionally delaying?"

"Isn't it obvious? The Minister of Revenue brought along two elderly officials. Isn't it clear they're trying to slow us down?"

"Indeed, but it doesn't matter. Ji Lingchuan has sent a letter. He's already secretly uncovered some clues, but the large number of soldiers can't enter the city all at once. If we enter in batches without raising suspicion, it will take some time, so there's no need for us to rush."

He pulled a letter from his sleeve and handed it to her, explaining, "Ji Lingchuan has sent this. He's already uncovered some clues, but..."

Seeing the character "confidential" on the envelope, Ruan Qinghuan frowned. "Should I even be reading this?"

"Go ahead and read it. Once you do, we'll be in the same boat."

She chuckled. "I never thought the cold and stern Prime Minister had a sense of humor."

"I don't have any hidden motives, and I trust you completely."

After reading the contents of the letter, Ruan Qinghuan felt relieved. In this case, the clever ploy of these Ministry of Revenue officials was inadvertently helping them.

A knock on the door sounded. Ruan Qinghuan carefully hid the letter inside her clothes.

He An opened the door, and Qi Yuanchang bowed slightly. "Prime Minister, Young Madam He, good evening."

Ruan Qinghuan smiled faintly.

He An ushered Qi Yuanchang into the room and closed the door. "Recently, after two days of travel, several officials from the Ministry have been feeling unwell. Are you feeling better now?"

"A bit better, still uncomfortable, but I can manage. However, the matter in Lu City is urgent, and we dare not delay the important affairs."

Ruan Qinghuan rolled her eyes internally.

"Is there something you wish to discuss with me, Minister Qi?"

"No, no. I just arrived at the post station and couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come chat with you and Young Madam He for a while. This matter stems from a letter I received from home."

They had only been away for two days, so what did that have to do with her and He An?

But what Qi Yuanchang said next hit her like a bolt from the blue.

"This matter concerns Young Madam's natal family," Qi Yuanchang said with a smile. "A few days ago, a matchmaker approached me about a potential marriage for my daughter. The young man in question is your younger brother, Ruan Qingzhou."

Ruan Qinghuan: "..."

"What a coincidence," He An said, his expression unreadable.

"Indeed, it seems the matchmaker is arranging a meeting between them. You know how it is—daughters grow up and leave the family. But if this works out, we'll be family!"

"Whether this matter succeeds or not, it won't affect the friendship we've built over the years as colleagues."

After Qi Yuanchang left, Ruan Qinghuan slammed her hand on the table in frustration. "That Qi Yuanchang, he's trying to manipulate my brother!"

"Let's not even talk about whether he dares or not. Do you really not know Qingzhou's personality?"

Ruan Qinghuan turned her head; she suddenly wanted to know what He An thought of Qingzhou. "What do you mean by that?"

"Given your brother's roguish charm, even if he were attracted to a fallen courtesan, he might not be interested in Lord Qi's daughter."

Ruan Qinghuan's lips twitched, and then twitched again before she finally burst out laughing. "Are you saying that Qi Siwei isn't even as desirable as a courtesan?"

He An took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her, and before they knew it, they were sitting on the bed. "Honey, it's late. Let's rest."

"No, I want to read, I want to study, I want to strive for self-improvement." Ruan Qinghuan tried to escape, but He An wasn't giving her the chance. For the past two days, he had let her have her way and slept properly.

But the problem was, when he slept well, she didn't. She kept snuggling up to him, forcing him to go outside and practice martial arts in the middle of the night.

Ruan Qinghuan's expression turned cold. "Before you left, what did you promise me?"

"Have you ever heard a saying?"

"What saying?"

"When the cat's away, the mice will play." He An then pressed Ruan Qinghuan down and, worried she might get angry, whispered in her ear, "Just once. Afterward, I'll fill you in on what Lord Qi's up to."

Ruan Qinghuan: "..."

This He An was clearly using enticement.

But it was something she wanted to know. Previously, Lord Qi's target had clearly been He An, so why had it suddenly shifted to Qingzhou?

The inn wasn't as secure as their home; the windows and doors were not tightly sealed, and there were rooms all around. Ruan Qinghuan got up and pulled He An with her, then shook the bed. Sure enough, it was even noisier than the one in Changchun Garden.

He An understood immediately, extinguished the light, and carried her to the low table against the wall...

**

After the light in He An's room went out, several officials from the Ministry of Revenue secretly gathered in Lord Qi's room. For two days, they had been anxious, unable to sleep peacefully, worried that if the matter in Lu City was exposed, what would happen?

Lord Qi changed his previously worried expression. "After observing for two days, haven't you noticed that the Prime Minister isn't in a hurry to go to He City at all?"

"That's true; we've come up with various reasons to slow down the journey, but he hasn't urged us."

Lord Qi said, "You guys are just too timid. Don't you realize that the matter in Lu City involves the Second Prince? No matter how much the Prime Minister is favored, could he be above a prince? This time, as long as he gets the dam built, he'll be credited with a great achievement. Didn't you see that he even brought his new wife with him?"

Smiling meaningfully, he added, "He turned in so early tonight; tomorrow, he might be even more tired than you."

Hearing this, the officials relaxed. "In that case, it's good. The Second Prince said that we must arrive in Ding City only after half a month. If we can delay things long enough, there might be a chance for things to change."

They discussed further how to delay things, like stopping to rest whenever they passed a prefecture or village. Some even suggested strolling around the city, while others proposed drugging the Prime Minister to keep him distracted.

Of course, none of these were feasible; everything had to be done flawlessly.

Before leaving, an official asked Lord Qi, "Lord Qi, you seem very confident today. Did you receive a message from the Second Prince?"

"The Second Prince is under house arrest now, and to avoid drawing attention, we can't contact each other frequently."

"Then..."

"What 'then'? I've been following the Second Prince for many years; naturally, I understand the prince's intentions."

After seeing these people off, Lord Qi let out a long sigh of relief. He knew better than anyone that this trip to Lu City felt like a death sentence. That's why he had previously considered offering his daughter to He An.

Unfortunately, He An wasn't interested, and the time to go to Lu City was drawing near. Just then, he heard that the Ruan family's main branch was arranging a marriage for their youngest son, so he hastily changed his plan and targeted him instead.

The situation was unclear on both sides. A smart person knows where to take shelter. He had to find a way to save his life.