Chapter 159: If I die on the way, it’s just my fate.

Chapter 159: If I die on the way, it’s just my fate.

He An arrived in Jiangnan, and the Zhou family held a grand banquet.

Old Master Zhou led the whole family in greeting him, but He An stopped the elders: "Today is a family banquet, elders don’t need to bow. Just think of me as Qing Huan’s husband. Among family, there’s no need for such formality."

As soon as these words were spoken, they instantly won everyone over.

Ruan Qinghuan was surprised to find out that He An also had such a way of winning people’s hearts.

The eldest aunt looked at her nephew-in-law, and the more she looked at him, the more she liked him. When her sister-in-law sent a letter back, saying that the Prime Minister was cold and ruthless, now it seems, it was just slander.

Not to mention anything else, just his extraordinary demeanor and handsome appearance like Pan An could make all his shortcomings negligible. Qing Huan had really struck gold.

Ruan Qinghuan learned that the incident of Ruan Xiaoyue being humiliated was false, and a weight was lifted off her chest.

Today was the first time her grandfather’s family met He An, and they wanted to give him a chance to shine, so they quietly sat beside him without disturbing.

But even so, the topic still shifted to her.

The one who spoke was the eldest aunt, Zhou Shuanger’s mother: "Qing Huan, you and my lord have been married for over a year now, right?"

The eldest uncle agreed: "Yes, time sure flies."

The eldest aunt sighed: "Time waits for no one. Sometimes looking back, it feels like just yesterday Shuanger was a baby in my arms."

"Now Shuanger is about to get married, you must be thrilled."

The second aunt said earnestly: "Now in the family, except for your sister Shuanger, everyone is married, and the youngest child is over two years old. Qing Huan, your grandfather and the rest of us are all hoping for good news from you soon."

Ruan Qinghuan seemed a bit uncomfortable hearing this.

Her grandmother, feeling better today, also joined everyone for the meal and agreed: "Your aunt is right, grandmother is old, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be around, I just hope you and Qing Huan get married and have children. When that time comes, even if I’m gone, I’ll be at peace."

"Grandmother, don’t say such unlucky words." Once urged to marry, now urged to have children, the whole courtyard was staring at her with mixed looks.

No wonder, when He An married her, it was reluctantly. A year has passed, and there’s still no sign of a baby, which inevitably leads to speculation.

But this is not her fault.

In the past year, the situation in the capital has been changing rapidly, with the Prince of Chen constantly making moves, He An’s been so swamped that he sometimes comes home too late and crashes in the study.

Later, Qingzhou was injured and something happened, so there was no time to think about anything else.

He An turned his head to look at her, holding her hand on the table, which naturally made everyone happy, showing that my lord really cares for Qing Huan.

He An: "I have been busy with official duties and have not taken good care of Qing Huan. After the important matters are resolved, I can take some time off and take her traveling to enjoy the sights."

"Ah, but having kids should be the main focus." The eldest aunt always felt that in a high-ranking family like the Prime Minister’s, if a woman in the household does not bear children, how can her status be stable?

He An smiled lightly: "There’s no hurry for children. My son will only have one mother, and that’s Qing Huan."

Everyone: "..."

The Prime Minister is baring his heart in front of his wife’s family.

**

Back in the room, He An held her in his arms, Ruan Qinghuan pretended to be angry: "My lord was going to send me back to the capital, what is this now?"

"Madam, don’t be mad, it’s my fault. You’re so gracious, forgive me this once."

Ruan Qinghuan wasn’t really angry either: "Good thing I made it to Jiangnan this time, otherwise who knows what the Zhou family might’ve pulled?"

"By the way, what about He Hongzhi? Has he confessed?"

He An shook his head: "Of course, he wouldn’t confess."

"Then what should we do?"

He An had intended to keep him detained: "We’ll keep him locked up for now. Ji Lingchuan’s leading the search of the He residence, but who knows if they’ll find anything."

"Now that Pei Chong hasn’t been found and the Prince of Chen is also missing, even with Prefect He under control, what if the Prince of Chen isn’t done yet?" Ruan Qinghuan remained uneasy.

The Prince of Chen had spent years hiding his true intentions, and his cunning and tactics were nothing to scoff at.

This trip to Qizhou was his last chance, and he’d risk it all for one last shot.

He An pondered: "The situation’s pretty up in the air, but since we’ve taken control of Jiangnan, the Prince of Chen can at most control Qizhou and Suzhou. The moment he makes a move, I can mobilize the surrounding troops, and then we’ll have a solid reason to act."

In the struggles of the royal family, it’s the people who get hurt. If things escalate into all-out war, it will be the people of Qizhou and Suzhou who will bear the brunt.

"What about Xiaoyue? She asked me today if there was any word on Pei Chong."

He An shook his head.

"I don’t know if he’s out of the loop or just not coming." Ruan Qinghuan was deeply troubled.

If the Prince of Chen really makes a move, the Ruan family’s second branch won’t be able to stay out of it. Their only shot at survival is catching Pei Chong and making up for it.

He An shared his view: "He’s definitely not coming to Jiangnan."

This was also within Ruan Qinghuan’s expectations. With Jiangnan now under the control of He An and Ji Lingchuan, why would Pei Chong walk right into a trap?

But seeing that He An seemed to have a plan, Ruan Qinghuan was a bit annoyed that he was being all cryptic: "Just tell me, what’s the plan?"

He An wasn’t unwilling to speak, but because doing so carried certain risks.

"To lure out Pei Chong, we can only escort Ruan Xiaoyue back to the capital."

"You mean, you want to provoke him to act during the escort back to the capital?" Ruan Qinghuan hesitated: "But that’s way too risky. We have no idea how many men Pei Chong’s got."

"I can’t be sure about that either, but with the Prince of Chen’s big move coming up, he should have the opportunity to command troops."

Ruan Qinghuan was still hesitant.

This was a matter of life and death, and she wasn’t about to make a snap decision.

**

"Sister, I want to go home."

Ruan Qinghuan had originally advised her to stay in Jiangnan. As for Pei Chong, they’d just have to play it by ear. If the Prince of Chen made a move, He An and Ji Lingchuan could mobilize troops with a solid reason to suppress him.

Maybe they’d even nab him then?

"Xiaoyue, Jiangnan’s got great people and amazing views, and with our maternal grandparents here, they can take good care of you..."

"I know you’ve got my best interests at heart, sis, but I’ve made up my mind about going home. I wanna... get out of here as soon as I can."

Ruan Xiaoyue had waited for so long without any news of Pei Chong. Now that the Prime Minister and General Ji were in charge, even if he wanted to kill her, he probably wouldn’t have the guts to show up.

To lure him out, they would have to find another way.

And the journey back to the capital was the best place to set the bait.

Ruan Qinghuan remained silent, still thinking this plan was way too risky.

Ruan Xiaoyue took her hand. The two sisters had never been this close since they were children: "Sister, if I really die on the way, it’s my fate, and I accept it. If heaven pities me and this really lures out Pei Chong, and we can capture him and bring him back to the capital, then I can finally move past this mental hurdle and start living again."

Ruan Qinghuan: "..."