Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

Linglong smiled and said, "It's too boring with just me and Consort Rong in the Prince's mansion. Since His Highness has taken a liking to you, I will grant you the status of a concubine. You must serve His Highness well from now on."

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Bingqing's lips as she looked up at Linglong with a trembling expression. "This servant thanks Your Highness for your kindness."

No one is willing to be a servant.

Last night, Bingqing went to deliver sweet soup to His Highness as Linglong instructed, and happened to run into Amu inside giving a reply.

When Amu came out, Bingqing brought in desserts. She was supposed to leave immediately, but Linglong instructed her to observe Xia Changfeng's reaction.

It was during this brief pause that she met Xia Changfeng's affectionate eyes.

Xia Changfeng held Bingqing in his arms, his hands roaming over her body, while Bingqing struggled against him, half-heartedly resisting.

Linglong is not a tolerant person. If she finds out that Linglong seduced Xia Changfeng, she will only face death.

Bingqing said coquettishly, "Your Highness, you mustn't do this. I am the princess's maid."

"Since ancient times, a woman's dowry has always been used to serve as a concubine. You knew this would happen once you entered the palace, so why be so coy? Am I not good enough for you?"

Bingqing slid off Xia Changfeng's lap and knelt on the ground. "Your Highness, the princess will be angry if she finds out."

Xia Changfeng gently pinched Bingqing's chin, smiling as he looked into her large, watery eyes. "The Princess Consort is the most virtuous and magnanimous; she certainly wouldn't care about such things."

Bingqing eventually gave in to Xia Changfeng, albeit reluctantly.

However, even after Bingqing left Xia Changfeng's study, Xia Changfeng still hadn't mentioned any points.

The reply I gave to Linglong just now was all made up by Bingqing.

She had indeed made the right bet; Linglong was currently trying to please Xia Changfeng and would not dare to go against him.

Once she rises to prominence, especially with a handsome prince like Xia Changfeng, she might even become a concubine if he ascends the throne.

After Bingqing left, Rong Yufen looked on incredulously and asked, "Sister, why did you give her the status of a concubine?"

Linglong sneered, "His Highness will only have more and more people around him. The entire palace belongs to His Highness. He can favor whomever he wants. Can you go and persuade His Highness not to favor other people?"

Rong Yufen was speechless for a moment.

"These are minor matters. You didn't leave any evidence against you for sending people to intercept and kill Ruan Wan, did you?"

Rong Yufen smiled and said, "Sister, please rest assured, they are all my father's trusted confidants in the military camp, and they won't leave any evidence against us."

Linglong nodded. "Don't provoke Ruan Wan lately. His Highness seems to have noticed what's going on between us."

"What?! Ruan Wan isn't dead!"

Linglong rolled her eyes and said through gritted teeth, "Keep your voice down. If you shout, everyone will know."

Rong Yufen immediately covered her mouth. This Ruan Wan is really tough.

Linglong was left alone in the room. She stroked her belly and gazed out the window in a daze.

Sending Bingqing as a concubine would be good; we can't let Rong Yufen stand out all the time. It would be a good opportunity to bring Yujie in as well.

Lou Qianyuan personally brought gifts to the door. The carriage traveled for half a day and was almost out of the city. After asking around several times, they made several detours.

Lou Qianyuan arrived at a tiled house, which didn't even have a courtyard, with an old door and broken tiles.

Ah Jin stepped forward and knocked on the door. "Excuse me, is this the residence of Young Master Bao?"

After a while, an elderly man in plain clothes with white hair and beard opened the door and poked his head out.

The old man looked Ah Jin up and down and asked, "What brings you here, young man?"

Ah Jin turned slightly and directed her gaze to Du Qianyuan beside her. "This is my young master, the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, who has come to pay his respects to Young Master Bao."

The old man knelt down shakily to pay his respects, and Lou Qianyuan quickly helped him up. "Old man, is Young Master Bao at home?"

At this moment, Bao Chengyun came out from the inner room, holding a book in his hand and wearing a cotton-padded coat.

Upon seeing Lou Qianyuan, he approached with a smile, neither humble nor arrogant, and asked, "Young Master, what brings you to my humble abode?"

Bao Chengyun welcomed Lou Qianyuan inside. The room contained only a set of bamboo furniture, with no other furnishings.

"Uncle, could you please pour me a cup of tea?"

Bao Chengyun smiled and gestured for Lou Qianyuan to sit down. "In the past few years, we've pawned all the valuables in our home to prepare for the exams. Please don't find it offensive, Young Master."

Lou Qianyuan laughed and said, "How dare I? My humble abode only reveals your true character."

Bao Chengyun then asked, "Your Highness, what brings you here today?"

Ah Jin stepped forward and placed the gift on the table. Lou Qianyuan gave a slight curtsy, saying, "My younger sister was impolite to you that day, young master. I have come here to apologize."

Bao Chengyun quickly waved his hand and also curtsied, saying, "It was I who went back on my word that day."

"Since you left, my sister has been filled with regret. You are truly a perfect match for me. I wonder if, Mr. Bao, there is any room for negotiation?"

Looking at the dilapidated and simple house, Bao Chengyun said, "Even as the young master has witnessed my family's current situation, you are still willing to marry your younger sister to me."

Lou Qianyuan smiled and said, "If Shishi marries into our family, the Lou family will naturally provide her with houses, land deeds, and farmland."

Bao Chengyun, however, was furious. "How can a man live off his wife's dowry!"

Lou Qianyuan never expected Bao Chengyun to have such backbone. He had thought that Bao Chengyun was only willing to come for the blind date because of his relationship with the Lou family and his money.

"Young Master Bao is a man of noble character and extraordinary demeanor. My sister will naturally be of one heart and mind with him in marriage. The dowry from the Lou family is for my sister and has nothing to do with Young Master Bao."

Bao Chengyun's expression softened slightly. "I've heard that Miss Sun is from a family of loyal ministers and generals, which is why I wish to meet her."

He then changed the subject, saying, "Although I've only met Miss Sun once, I can tell that she can't endure such hardship."

Lou Qianyuan was surprised to be met with such a cold reception; his gift was returned.

I really didn't expect this kid to have such integrity.

Lou Qianyuan did not go directly back to his room, but went to the West Garden first.

Sun Shishi sat by the window, lost in thought. A Qiao wanted to inform Lou Qianyuan, but was stopped.

Sun Shishi, however, had already noticed and turned back to Lou Qianyuan with a smile, saying, "Cousin's here."

Lou Qianyuan hesitated for a long time before finally asking, "Shishi, does it have to be Young Master Bao? Young Master Qin is also a handsome and talented man."

To everyone's surprise, Sun Shishi laughed and said, "Young Master Qin is fine too. Marrying him would mean becoming a mother right away."

Lou Qianyuan wasn't sure if she was just saying it out of anger or meant it sincerely, so he asked, "Shishi, if you're really sure about getting married, we can take our time choosing. If there aren't any in the capital, your cousin will find you a good family in Xijing."

Sun Shishi shook her head and said, "Cousin, Young Master Qin is very good. I've already come to terms with it."

Lou Qianyuan then beamed with joy and said, "Cousin will go and inform Young Master Qin right away. Don't worry, even if you marry into that family, cousin will always be there for you and won't let anyone bully you."

Watching Lou Qianyuan run off happily, Sun Shishi smiled self-deprecatingly, "I won't let anyone bully me. Ruan Wan bullied me so much, but she didn't even show me any favoritism."

When Qiu Shuang ran back with a smile on her face, Ruan Wan knew that things must have gone well.

Qiu Shuang poured herself a cup of tea, drank it, and said with a smile, "Miss, judging from the young master's cheerful demeanor, it seems the deal is done."

Lou Qianyuan walked in shortly after, and Ruan Wan poured him a cup of tea and offered it to him. "How was it?"

Lou Qianyuan took the tea, drank a cup, then sat down and poured himself another. "It's done, but the process was a bit complicated."

After hearing Lou Qianyuan's story, Ruan Wan became suspicious. "Miss, you agreed so readily to marry Qin You?"

"I was worried at first, but Shishi said she'd thought it through. She thinks Mr. Qin is a handsome and talented man, and she's willing to marry him."

Perhaps she was genuinely afraid that Ruan Wan would tell Lou Qianyuan about the evil deeds she had committed, which is why she agreed.

But it's finally resolved.

Soon, Qin You sent someone to propose marriage, presenting the three letters and six gifts, and after consulting the auspicious calendar, they set the date for the sixth day of the third month.

Sun Shishi became completely quiet, staying indoors and waiting to be married.

Ruan Wan is going to be busy again, but fortunately, she has prepared her dowry twice before, so she is quite adept at it.

There were no women in the household who could manage this matter, so Ruan Wan had to handle it herself.

Although Ruan Wan didn't want to see Sun Shishi, she still wanted to take her out to buy some jewelry, but Sun Shishi insisted on not going out.

They were so busy every day that their feet barely touched the ground, but fortunately Ruan Zhengqing sent Aunt Hua over.

"Third Miss, this is the first major event you'll undertake after marrying into the Lou family. You absolutely must handle it well; countless eyes in the capital are watching."

Ruan Wan hadn't thought of this aspect; she hadn't expected there to be so many intricacies. "Father is indeed very thoughtful; thank you for your trouble, Aunt."

Aunt Hua pulled Ruan Wan aside, glanced around, and quietly asked, "Why does the bride look so unhappy?"

Ruan Wan smiled awkwardly, "Miss Biao was reluctant to leave home, which is why she has delayed her marriage until this age."

I heard Miss Cousin is already twenty.

I just turned 20 on the first day of the second lunar month.

Aunt Hua couldn't help but sigh, "This family is really in no hurry; they dragged it out until the very end and found someone who had been married before."

"Aunt Hua, please don't say these things in front of outsiders, lest someone with ulterior motives overhears you."

Aunt Hua quickly waved her hand, "These are private conversations between the Third Miss and me; we certainly can't tell outsiders about them."

Uncle Li completely relinquished his stewardship, took Ah Jin and Hai Ping to inventory the warehouse, and handed the warehouse keys to the two of them in front of Ruan Wan.

Uncle Li had already consulted with Lou Qianyuan, and once Sun Shishi got married smoothly, he would return to the estate to retire.

Lou Qianyuan tried to persuade him to stay, but Uncle Li really wanted to go back this time, and his attitude was firm. Lou Qianyuan had no choice but to give up and agreed that he would come back at least once or twice a month.

Ruan Wan did not hand over all the management authority to A Jin. She gave the outer gate to Hai Ping, who was in charge of the servants, carriages, sedan chairs, and night watchmen in the mansion.

The second gate and the inner courtyard are managed by A Jin, but the keys to the storeroom are shared between A Jin and Cui Mo. If any problems arise, both of them will be held jointly responsible.

The entire household was busy yet orderly, and everything was proceeding smoothly.

Lou Qianyuan still had to attend court every day, but this day, after court, he brought back some good news.

"Wan'er, Princess Linglong is three months pregnant. Changfeng is going to be a father! The grandson your aunt has been waiting for for so long is finally coming!"

This is indeed good news. Now that Linglong is pregnant, she probably won't have time to deal with her anymore.

Ruan Wan cleared her throat, avoiding Lou Qianyuan's gaze, and said, "I also have something to tell you. Starting today, I will be living with Aunt Hua."

"Why? Did I disturb your sleep last night?"

"No, Aunt Hua is in a new place and can't sleep well, so I'm going to keep her company."

"This will allow Qiushuang to sleep with her aunt."

Ruan Wan picked up the bundle she had prepared in advance, turned around and left. "I've already talked to my aunt. You'll sleep in a big bed by yourself. Isn't that more comfortable?"

Lou Qianyuan chased after her outside, but Ruan Wan had already run far away.

Ruan Wan didn't actually tell Aunt Hua; it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. She wanted to use this time to think carefully about how to bring it up with Lou Qianyuan.

Aunt Hua wasn't surprised to see the bundle in Ruan Wan's hand. Instead, she smiled and said, "That's good. The young master's household has no concubines or maids. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and the couple's relationship will be even better. Just remember to keep an eye on the maids in the household, so they don't take advantage of any loopholes."

Ruan Wan smiled and said, "Auntie, you can rest assured, Qian Yuan will never have concubines or maids."

Aunt Hua smiled without saying a word. Which high-ranking official doesn't have three wives and four concubines? It's just that the two of them are still deeply in love. Who knows what will happen in a few years?

On the fifth day of the sixth lunar month, without her mother and with no other woman in the family to accompany Sun Shishi on her last night at the Lou residence.