Chapter 081: Spending Time with the Girl

Chapter 081: Spending Time with the Girl

Upon learning that Ruan Qinghuan was her niece, Meng Suqiu felt a headache coming on: "I sent someone to the Hundred Blessings Inn this morning to pick her up. Once she's picked up, we'll send her home. You don't need to worry about this anymore."

Ruan Qinghuan: "Mother, aren't you going to ask me what actually happened?"

"What's there to ask? He An came to see me last night. He has already investigated the matter thoroughly. Someone deliberately set a trap for Qingzhou, and it just so happened that this girl walked right into it."

Meng Suqiu thought about it and felt a chill. That day, it was fortunate that it was Qingzhou. If it had been someone with ulterior motives, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

This was also the reason she decided to send Mingxi back home.

The next day, He An left early to attend court. Since returning from Lu City, the political situation had become tense. The second prince was under house arrest, and the disaster in Lu City was not just about embezzlement but also the shoddy construction of the dam. The Emperor ordered the Ministry of Justice to document every case.

He also ordered a joint investigation by the three judicial bodies, conducting a thorough investigation from Lu City and Zhenjiang all the way up to uncover the source of the embezzlement. Once this order was issued, countless officials were filled with fear and anxiety.

After He An left, Ruan Qinghuan sighed. The Emperor had given the Crown Prince a glimmer of hope, but those officials who had served the Crown Prince were not so lucky.

No wonder Mr. Qi had been so eager to seek a marriage alliance with the Ruan family. He had hoped that He An would protect him. To save himself, he was willing to sacrifice his own daughter. The selfishness of human nature was truly evident in these people.

Today, she planned to return to the Ruan residence. As she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered her mother-in-law's words. Hesitating for a moment, she turned back to her room and took out a wrist crossbow from her dressing table, strapping it on.

When the Ruan family's matriarch saw little Zimo, she was overjoyed. The recent irritations were all swept away as she watched the little guy playing with picture books on the soft couch.

The little guy couldn't read, but he could look at the pictures and even laughed out loud. When he laughed, the old lady laughed too.

Now, Qingchi finally had someone to play with. Upon hearing that his cousin had brought back a little nephew, he rushed over to see. As soon as he saw him, he shouted, "Little nephew, I'm your uncle!"

With that, he jumped onto the soft couch, waiting for Zimo to call him "uncle." Zimo was also happy to see the child and said, "Liu Liu."

"Not Liu Liu, it's uncle."

"Liu Liu."

The adults couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

Zhou Yunzhi joked, "This uncle is still so young."

The old lady chimed in, "It depends on who you compare him to. When Qinghuan has a child in the future, our Qingchi will seem a bit older."

Ruan Qinghuan: "..."

Oh no, as soon as the topic of children came up, her grandmother and mother were always on the same side, urging and lecturing her. Ruan Qinghuan could only vaguely agree, not daring to argue.

In her heart, she was thinking about her two shops in the east of the city. The shops were now renovated, and it was time to prepare for the opening.

**

After dinner, Ruan Qinghuan had to take Zimo back. Qingchi, who had been so excited earlier, now looked crestfallen, clearly not having had enough fun.

Zhou Yunzhi coaxed, "Qingchi, be good. Your cousin will bring Zimo to play another day."

"Auntie, can't Zimo stay at our house?"

Zimo was fine while playing, but as soon as he heard he might be left behind, he clung to Ruan Qinghuan: "Zimo wants to go with Mommy."

Ruan Qinghuan was now faced with a dilemma. Zimo had always been clingy to her, but Qingchi's pitiful expression was hard to ignore. After some back-and-forth, Ruan Qinghuan crouched down: "How about Qingchi comes to stay with me for a couple of days, okay?"

Qingchi was overjoyed. In his eyes, it was better to go to his cousin's house and play with his little nephew than to stay at home listening to his two sisters bicker every day. He immediately agreed.

Seeing this, the old lady also gave her consent, only reminding him: "When you go to the Prime Minister's residence, you must follow the rules and not make any trouble for your sister."

In the second branch of the family, Ruan Xiaoyue sat in front of the dressing table for a while, then got up and paced around the room, sighing deeply now and then, restless.

She peeked outside for a long time, but Ruan Xiaorou, who had gone to gather information, had not returned. Frustrated, she stomped her foot: "This maid is slower than molasses, totally unreliable."

Just as she was complaining, Ruan Xiaorou returned. As soon as she entered, her sister grabbed her arm, startling her.

"Why did you take so long?" Ruan Xiaoyue was so anxious she felt like hitting someone.

Ruan Xiaorou was momentarily confused: "I escorted our cousin out and then took grandmother back to Jingxin Pavilion before returning. Why are you so upset?"

"Alright, alright, has Ruan Qinghuan left?"

Ruan Xiaoyue nodded: "Today, Qingchi and Zimo were having a blast playing together. When Ruan Qinghuan left, Qingchi almost cried. In the end, Ruan Qinghuan had no choice but to take him back to the Prime Minister's residence, saying he would stay for a few days."

Ruan Xiaoyue, who had just started to relax, shot up from her seat upon hearing this: "What did you say? Qingchi went with her?"

Even Ruan Xiaorou, who was usually patient, was a bit annoyed: "Sis, can you calm down? You're freaking me out."

Ruan Xiaoyue didn't have time to explain further. She pushed her sister aside and rushed out, but by the time she reached the gate, the Prime Minister's carriage was already out of sight.

Earlier, Ruan Xiaoyue's restlessness was due to hoping Ruan Qinghuan would leave quickly. Now, her anxiety stemmed from worrying about Liu Yueru's plans and whether they might harm Qingchi. She didn't know what Liu Yueru was up to, only that she was targeting Ruan Qinghuan.

As the sky darkened, the bustling market in the capital remained lively, with vendors calling out their wares. The sound of a sugar figurine seller reached their ears, and the two little guys looked up simultaneously, their eyes filled with anticipation as they gazed at Ruan Qinghuan.

The two lively little fellows made Ruan Qinghuan chuckle. Since they had already had dinner, she called the coachman to stop, thinking of strolling through the streets to buy them some treats.

Seeing the sugar figurine seller heading into a nearby alley, Qingchi grabbed Zimo and chased after him. Ruan Qinghuan quickly instructed Xia Lian to follow them and told the coachman to wait ahead while she went to look for them.

The alley had many forks, and Ruan Qinghuan followed the sound, but she couldn't see anyone, which made her anxious. Fortunately, after calling out a couple of times, she heard a response from ahead and felt relieved.

Ruan Qinghuan muttered to herself, "The East Street is so lively outside. Wouldn't the sugar figurine seller do better business out there?"

With this thought, she halted and warily scanned the alley. If she remembered correctly, she had turned three or four corners after entering and was now somewhat disoriented.

Just as she was about to call Xia Lian to bring the children back, two masked men suddenly emerged from the darkness. Ruan Qinghuan suddenly remembered what her mother-in-law had said the day before.

She didn't want to suspect Ruan Xiaoyue, but the coincidence was too striking. Concerned for the two children, Ruan Qinghuan didn't want to waste time: "What do you want? Who sent you?"

"Nobody sent us. We just wanna have some fun with you."

The man in front spoke as he approached, expecting Ruan Qinghuan to be frightened. Instead, she suddenly raised her hand, and something flew toward him. Before he could blink, a short arrow struck his thigh, making him howl in agony.