Chapter 055: Give It Another Shot

Chapter 055: Give It Another Shot

He An forcibly carried Ruan Qinghuan to the side room, but she still wanted to negotiate. "My lord, you have important matters tomorrow, so shouldn't we rest early?"

He An: "I know what I'm doing, my dear."

Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Ruan Qinghuan had no choice but to plead, "The baby could wake up anytime, and I need to get back."

The implication was clear: He An should hold back and not overdo it.

But the truth was, He An couldn't hold back. The thought of her leaving to take care of the baby made his heart inexplicably sour.

Their breathing filled the room in waves. He An held her slender waist, feeling its softness.

This had happened countless times before. Ruan Qinghuan had decided that after this, she must leave, but He An refused to let her go, holding her tightly.

After a while, feeling him becoming aroused again, Ruan Qinghuan was on the verge of tears. "My lord, it'll be dawn soon."

"But it's not dawn yet."

"But the baby..."

Before she could finish, He An had already moved closer. "The baby hasn't woken up yet, has he?"

Her soft moans, usually faint, were now crystal clear in the quiet night. He An didn't know why he was so different with her.

She stirred his emotions, captured his attention, and ignited his desires, making it impossible for him to stop.

Just as He An felt relieved that the baby was still asleep, cries came from the next room. Ruan Qinghuan panicked and tried to push He An away so she could get up.

But at that moment, what would happen to He An if she left?

So, he held her waist even tighter. Ruan Qinghuan couldn't break free and felt as if she was becoming lighter. Under the intense stimulation, she bit her lip hard to keep from making a sound.

Finally, it was over. Ruan Qinghuan breathed heavily, forcing herself to get up. After a quick clean-up, she glared at He An angrily. "You're something else, my lord."

He An: "..."

That didn't sound like a compliment.

Her legs ached badly. Back in the room, she found the baby had cried because he had wet the bed.

After changing to a clean mattress, he fell asleep again soon.

Ruan Qinghuan was also exhausted, letting out a tired sigh, feeling a bit drowsy.

**

On the fifth day of arriving in Lu City, former Minister of Revenue Qian invited He An and other officials to a banquet at his home. Ruan Qinghuan didn't want to go, but He An insisted she accompany him, so she had to leave the baby with Xia Lian and go to the Qian residence with He An.

On the carriage, He An talked about the Qian family's situation. Apparently, Minister Qian resigned because he feared getting too involved. Ever since the Ministry of Revenue was handed over to the Second Prince, there had been constant issues with the accounts.

If this continued, the problems would only grow bigger, so to avoid getting implicated, Minister Qian used health issues as a pretext to resign and return to his hometown for a peaceful retirement.

Having accumulated a lot of wealth from his years as an official in the capital, he bought land and shops, living a comfortable life.

Ruan Qinghuan: "Minister Qian is a smart man."

As a capital official, being able to give up his position and withdraw in time, and not being greedy, was something many would find hard to do.

"Yes, this time the Emperor has ordered a thorough investigation into the disaster relief funds, which means he's planning to take action against the Ministry of Revenue."

Ruan Qinghuan nodded. "The Qian family can be considered to have dodged a bullet."

Thinking about what she had overheard that day in the rouge shop, the most troubling matter for Minister Qian at the moment was probably his daughter's marriage.

In this era, it was common for girls to marry once they reached marriageable age. Miss Qian was already seventeen and still unwed, so it was no surprise that Minister Qian and his wife were anxious—just like her own mother had been.

She and He An were only betrothed due to a prenuptial agreement. The He family delayed the wedding until she turned eighteen, and her mother had long considered calling it off. But after several failed attempts, by a twist of fate, Ruan Qinghuan still ended up marrying He An.

Unlike the original host, they became a real couple.

Magistrate Bao and Minister Qian were already waiting at the entrance of the Qian residence. Besides them, there was also Ji Lingchuan.

**

As soon as Ji Lingchuan saw He An, he went forward to welcome him but only greeted Ruan Qinghuan, "Greetings, Madam."

"General Ji is too polite."

Ruan Qinghuan suddenly felt a bit of regret. She should have invited Chu Li since Ji Lingchuan was here.

The Qian residence, in terms of size and grandeur, was likely one of the best in Lu City, with a spacious four-courtyard layout.

As they headed towards the main hall, they encountered a woman. With delicate features and a look of excitement and shyness in her eyes, there was no need to guess; it had to be Qian Yunxi.

To confirm her assumption, Ruan Qinghuan glanced at Ji Lingchuan and noticed him frantically making signals to He An, which further confirmed her guess.

"Yunxi greets the Prime Minister, Madam, and General Ji."

He An said, "Miss Qian, no need for such formalities."

When Minister Qian saw his daughter, he looked displeased. "Go check the back courtyard and tell the cooks to be meticulous with the dishes. Today's guests are quite distinguished."

Seeing her father trying to send her away, Qian Yunxi was about to protest when her mother rushed over, grabbed her wrist, greeted He An and the others, and then pulled her away.

This sequence of events left Ruan Qinghuan puzzled.

It seemed that unlike Minister Qi, Minister Qian did not want his daughter to have any involvement with He An.

They first chatted in the hall. Though Minister Qian had once been a high-ranking official, he avoided discussing politics, sticking instead to small talk.

It was almost noon when they moved towards the dining hall. Minister Qian asked a servant nearby, "Has the other guest arrived?"

Ji Lingchuan asked curiously, "Who could be considered such esteemed guests by Minister Qian?"

"General Ji may not know, but this batch of disaster relief grain was purchased by the court from Jiangnan, selecting the large grain merchant, the Feng family."

"The Feng family?" Ji Lingchuan found it somewhat familiar but couldn't recall where he had heard of them. "The sheer volume of this disaster relief grain shows the Feng family's significant influence."

"Indeed. In Jiangnan, the Zhou and Feng families dominate trade, the He family holds official positions, and the Qin family controls water transport."

Hearing this, Ji Lingchuan became curious about this young master of the Feng family.

Beside him, Ruan Qinghuan was a bit surprised. The young master of the Feng family, wasn't he Chu Li's cousin?

A few moments later, servants escorted two people toward the dining hall. Ji Lingchuan, being curious, craned his neck to look. Because of the courtyard’s potted plants, Ji Lingchuan could only make out their figures as they approached. It was a man and a woman.

The man had an outstanding figure and an extraordinary demeanor, lacking the usual shrewdness of merchants. The woman next to him... looked somewhat familiar?

"Young Master Feng has arrived." Former Minister of Revenue Qian stood up to greet him at the entrance.

Ji Lingchuan looked up as the woman talking and laughing with Young Master Feng lifted her head. Just as he was about to get up and flee, Chu Li glanced over in his direction.

And then… that was it.

Ji Lingchuan was puzzled. Hadn’t she seen him?

It shouldn't be possible. With his dashing good looks and towering height, she should have noticed him right away, right?

Entering the dining hall, the dishes were nearly all set out. Chu Li took a seat next to Ruan Qinghuan and gestured to her cousin. Feng Yi approached and sat down beside her.

Throughout this time, Chu Li had glanced at him several times, but she merely smiled, acting as if they barely knew each other.

Ji Lingchuan felt a secret sense of relief, thinking to himself that she had finally come to her senses. Realizing that a forced relationship is never sweet, and maybe she wanted to try someone else.