Chapter 053: Know Thyself and Thy Enemy

Chapter 053: Know Thyself and Thy Enemy

During this visit to Lu City, besides overseeing the dam construction and probing into the misappropriation of disaster relief funds, He An's primary mission was to uncover the secret hideout of the Second Prince's private militia. This matter was of great importance and required precise planning to avoid alerting the enemy prematurely.

How could Ruan Qinghuan subtly inform He An about the private militia without raising his suspicions? This dilemma had her stumped.

The existence of the private militia was a closely guarded secret, and given her status, it was absolutely impossible for her to know about it.

"Sister-in-law, there's a shop selling rouge ahead. Shall we take a look?" Chu Li's words brought Ruan Qinghuan out of her reverie.

Looking ahead, she indeed saw a well-decorated rouge shop in the distance and couldn't help but wonder, "I didn't expect to find such a shop here in Lu City."

Lu City had been plagued by disasters for years. Although the city's terrain was relatively high and had not been flooded, the villages and towns downstream under its jurisdiction had not been so fortunate.

With the people's livelihoods in difficulty, the local economy had naturally been affected. This was why many shops had been closed along the way, making it rare to find such an exquisitely decorated cosmetics shop.

"Sister-in-law, you may not know this. The owner of this shop has a special identity," Chu Li said mysteriously.

"Oh?" Ruan Qinghuan became intrigued.

Chu Li explained, "This shop belongs to the Qian family."

The Qian family?

Chu Li's mention of it reminded Ruan Qinghuan of something she had forgotten. She had heard in the capital that the former Minister of Revenue, Qian Qitai, was from Lu City, and his daughter had once confessed her feelings to He An.

Chu Li whispered, "Sister-in-law, knowing our enemy is crucial. Since we're here in Lu City and might not leave soon, let me help you gather intel on Miss Qian."

Regardless of whether they investigated, Ruan Qinghuan was genuinely curious about Miss Qian.

Daring to confess to He An?

Ruan Qinghuan suddenly thought of Qi Siwei. At the Crown Prince's estate banquet that day, although nothing was explicitly said, in this era, such a move was quite bold.

As they approached the door, Chu Li grabbed Ruan Qinghuan's arm. "Sister-in-law, don't take this lightly. I heard that Miss Qian has not married yet. What does that tell you?"

Ruan Qinghuan tapped Chu Li on the head, and they entered the shop one after the other.

A maidservant greeted them. The shelves, crafted from red sandalwood, displayed elegantly packaged cosmetics. The goods on the shelves near the wall looked even more precious, being finely carved gift boxes.

Chu Li marveled, "The craftsmanship here rivals even that of the capital."

Ruan Qinghuan wasn't particularly impressed. Her family was in business, including similar products, but she had to admit that this shop was quite high-end for a place like Lu City.

Ruan Qinghuan picked up a gift box and asked, "Do you like this one?"

"It's nice enough," Chu Li replied.

Ruan Qinghuan had picked the prettiest box, which contained various rouge and powder. She instinctively wanted to call for Xia Lian, but then remembered that lately, Xia Lian had been taking care of the injured person they had rescued.

Jiang Heng took the gift box and handed it to the shop's maid, while Ruan Qinghuan and Chu Li continued to look around.

"Are you getting this for me, Sister-in-law?" Chu Li asked.

Chu Li, who usually wore only light makeup, wasn't very interested in these items. The reason she came to this shop was because it belonged to Miss Qian. Besides, there weren't many other places worth visiting in Lu City.

Ruan Qinghuan gave a knowing smile. "Don't worry; you’ll find a way to use it."

Chu Li: “……”

They never saw the rumored Miss Qian. Chu Li was about to send a maid to inform her, but Ruan Qinghuan stopped her. She didn’t care about Miss Qian and saw no need to meet her on purpose.

Just as the two were about to leave, they heard what sounded like a quarrel from the inner room.

“Mother, I’m not going, no matter what.”

“By next year, you’ll be eighteen. If you keep procrastinating, are you going to end up an old maid?”

“If I become an old maid, so be it. I’m not going.”

“The second son of the Wu family is wealthy and very polite. If you marry him, you definitely won’t regret it.”

Then came the sound of a door slamming shut, suggesting someone had stormed off to the back courtyard.

After leaving the shop, Chu Li observed Ruan Qinghuan’s reaction. She didn’t seem worried at all. “Sis, we’re going to be in Lu City for a few months. You should watch out.”

“Watch out for what?”

“Of course, Miss Qian,” Chu Li said, looking back. “She’s been back in Lu City for two years and still isn’t married. It must be because she’s still obsessed with Lord He.”

Ruan Qinghuan pursed her lips and remained silent. It wasn’t impossible.

A guy like He An doesn’t even have to try; women just flock to him like moths to a flame.

Her indifferent attitude made Chu Li anxious. “Money Official Qian was once a colleague of Lord He. Now that he’s back in Lu City, he’s sure to pay a visit to Lord He. Just saying, sis. Watch out—someone with ulterior motives might try to snatch him away.”

If someone can be stolen that easily, they were never really yours to begin with. Why worry?

The two had strolled around for a while and, upon returning, saw a two or three-year-old boy at the mouth of an alley. The child was unsteady on his feet, his clothes and face smeared with mud, as if he had fallen.

Ruan Qinghuan approached him. “Little boy, why are you here all alone?”

“Baobao hungry, Nai-nai not up.” The child’s speech was unclear, but Ruan Qinghuan understood.

“You’re hungry, and your grandmother hasn’t woken up?”

“No, no, Baobao hungry.”

Ruan Qinghuan looked around. A kid so small wandering around alone, and no one’s looking for him? Something must have gone wrong at home.

“Then tell me, where is your home?”

The boy pointed to a narrow alley next to them. “Home, home… Nai-nai… home.”

Ruan Qinghuan picked up the child without caring about his muddy clothes.

She instructed Jiang Heng and Jiang Qi, “Go take a look.”

The houses in the narrow alley were run-down, some with crumbling mud walls. Ruan Qinghuan asked the boy house by house until they reached the innermost courtyard. The boy pointed at the door and said, “Home…”

They entered the yard, and Jiang Heng quickly went into the house. A moment later, he came out with a grave expression and shook his head. “Madam, the old woman has already…”

“Is there anyone else?”

Jiang Heng shook his head.

After hearing this, Ruan Qinghuan paused, then carried the boy out, asking gently as they walked, “Honey, where are your mom and dad?” The boy seemed not to understand, only repeating, “Nai-nai… Nai-nai…”

The child was too young to give any useful information, so Ruan Qinghuan simply took him back to her courtyard. As soon as she walked in, she saw He An, looking furious, about to leave.

Seeing her, He An’s tense expression eased slightly.

Jiang Ming, standing behind him, let out a sigh of relief—Madam had finally come back. If she hadn’t, they would have had to search the entire city for her.

Concerned about the child catching a cold, Ruan Qinghuan just greeted him and hurried inside. Seeing the Prime Minister’s grim expression, Chu Li decided not to linger. "'Sis, I’m heading out,' Chu Li called from the doorway.

While washing the child’s hands, Ruan Qinghuan responded.

By the time He An came in, the kid was already naked on the bed, happily munching on a pastry.

He An was about to ask where she’d been all afternoon, but Ruan Qinghuan spoke up first, “Sir, could you have the guards outside check the child’s info at the county office? See if he has any family left.”

He An glanced at the child and called Jiang Heng over: “Take care of this. Find his parents and get him out of here ASAP.”

Ruan Qinghuan shot him a glare at his dismissive tone. How could he not like such a lovely child?

Before Jiang Heng left, Ruan Qinghuan added, “Get some men to arrange a decent coffin for the child’s grandmother’s burial.”

He An lowered his gaze.