Chapter 247 Sincerity

Su Qingwan didn't need to attend this Chamber of Commerce banquet. Yun Zhizhou alone was enough to entertain the Chamber of Commerce members from Jiangnan.

This group of chamber of commerce leaders was gathered together by the Xie family for her.

For many years, the water trade fortress between Jiangnan and Huainan was blocked due to the destruction of the Huainan clan. The court's ambiguous attitude towards the Huainan region caused business to stop and the trade route to be abandoned. Now, in order to reopen the trade route, the chambers of commerce and the government on both sides must unite. Su Qingwan first sent someone to contact the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, and today's banquet was the first conversation between the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce and the Huainan Chamber of Commerce.

She chose to attend purely to show respect. Of course, there was another reason, which was that she really didn't want to stay at home and be alone with Lu Jing.

When the Chamber of Commerce banquet ended, it was already dark. Luzhu and Qingyun accompanied Su Qingwan out, and just as they reached the door, they saw Li An waiting there.

Su Qingwan was quite surprised.

Li An stepped forward and said respectfully that the master was waiting by the river and hoped to accompany the princess for a walk to sober up. Su Qingwan didn't drink much tonight. Although she was a woman, no one dared to force her to drink.

She had a normal alcohol tolerance, and her cheeks would turn red after drinking a little. At this time, she didn't object to taking a walk by the river to sober up.

After Huainan lifted the curfew a month ago, the nights have been bustling with people, and the riverside is the liveliest place in the city.

The shore was full of peddlers and people selling pulp, and the atmosphere was full of fireworks. Su Qingwan usually had nothing to do, so she liked to go out for a walk at night. From a distance, Su Qingwan saw Lu Jing.

He stood on the stone bridge, with an upright posture and handsome appearance, standing out from the crowd, like a crane standing out among chickens. He did not bring the Jinyiwei with him this time, and wore a long blue robe, looking like a gentleman with elegant manners, which attracted the hearts of countless girls.

The people in the border area are tough. A bold girl threw flowers to Lu Jing to express her love, but Lu Jing looked indifferent and let the flowers fall into the river and drift with the waves. Another girl with a bold personality walked onto the stone bridge and took the initiative to talk to him.

But Lu Jing said a few words, and the girl's smile disappeared, and she left with regret. Su Qingwan found this very interesting and couldn't help but stop and watch. In just a stick of incense, more than a dozen girls, some shyly and implicitly, some passionately and directly expressed their love to Lu Jing. This scene was really novel!

Li An was scratching his head anxiously, especially when he heard Lu Zhu suddenly say, "The prince is really a magnet for attention."

"In the capital, no one dares to approach the master!" Li An hurriedly explained, "The master only has you in his heart!"

Lu Jing's reputation in the capital is not very good, and he is called "Jade-faced Yama". Most of the girls in Kyoto are ladies from wealthy families who are raised in seclusion, which is completely different from the customs of the open border.

Even if someone liked Lu Jing, they would never dare to talk to him alone, otherwise they would be accused of being shameless and private, so naturally no one dared to approach him. Now that he is the regent, he is in a high position and has great power, so no one dares to cross the line.

Su Qingwan's lips curled up slightly, and she chuckled: "Your master's appearance is indeed very good!"

She then walked up the steps towards the stone bridge. Li An was full of confusion, and couldn't figure out what the princess meant by this. He couldn't help but ask Lu Zhu beside him, "Sister Lu Zhu, what does the princess mean by this?"

"You're just praising your prince for his good looks. You can't even hear that. You're so stupid!" Lu Zhu rolled his eyes at him.

Li An was wondering, was it just pure praise? Was there no hidden meaning or sarcasm behind it?

This is really hard to get used to.

As for Lu Jing, it was unclear how many times he had rejected the women who came to talk to him.

As soon as he saw Su Qingwan, the corners of his lips unconsciously rose, and he said to the woman beside him: "I'm engaged, and she's here!" The girl followed his gaze and saw Su Qingwan walking up the stairs, and she was frightened.

Oh my god, it was the princess! How dare she snatch the princess's person? She turned around and ran away immediately. No matter how daring she was, she didn't have the courage to do that!

Strangely enough, during the months that Su Qingwan was in charge of Huainan, she had always been kind and gentle, and had never done anything bloody or cruel. When the bandits and the common people were competing on the stage, she even clapped and cheered on the stage, watching with great interest.

She was extremely beautiful and looked good-tempered. However, no one in the entire Huainan City dared to provoke her easily. The little princess smiled so sweetly, but in fact she held the military and political power firmly in her hands. She had the right to decide on the deployment of troops and the appointment of officials in Huainan City, and no one dared to really disobey her.

She never cleared the streets when she went out, and was a familiar face in Huainan City, but wherever she went, the people automatically avoided her, and no one dared to take the initiative to approach her and make friends with her. Su Qingwan once suspected that she had done something that angered the heavens and the people, and that was why she was "treated" like this.

"Why didn't you go to the prefectural government?" Su Qingwan walked up to Lu Jing and asked.

"You are hosting a banquet for the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce. If I go, wouldn't it be confusing who is in charge? You should be angry, right?" Lu Jing looked at her gently. He knew that feelings were feelings and government affairs were government affairs. If he went rashly, it would definitely damage her dignity, and she would be really angry.

Su Qingwan leaned lazily against the stone railing, saying calmly: "I'm not that stingy."

Tonight, the moon is high in the sky, casting a gentle light. The lights and the moonlight are reflected on the bottom of the river, complementing each other.

In the distance, the sound of stringed instruments and orchestras came slowly, the music was vast and powerful, with the magnificent momentum of iron horses and golden swords. Su Qingwan quietly enjoyed the watery moonlight and the exciting music, and said softly: "Huainan City is really good. I have been to Xilin and seen the prosperity of the main city of Xilin; I have also been to Jiangnan and appreciated the prosperity of Jiangnan; I have also been to Kyoto and seen the splendor and wealth of the capital. But my favorite is still Huainan. I don't want to leave Huainan in my life. Lu Jing, forcing will not have a good result. You and I... are not destined to be together in this life!"

This was Su Qingwan's true words that had been buried deep in her heart for a long time. "I'm sorry, I lied to you and gave you expectations that you shouldn't have. I also want to keep my promise and marry you, but if we really want to get married, I might have to force you to marry into Huainan. Are you really willing?"

Lu Jing stared at her firmly. A row of lanterns floated down the river. His eyes seemed to be caught in the bright light of the lanterns. "Xiao Wu, are you testing me?"

Su Qingwan shook her head gently, "I didn't think of testing you, I just... was very embarrassed and didn't know what to do. Why do you have to marry me? We have been together for too short a time, and I always wear a mask. Whether it's the Princess of Huainan or the Young Lady of the Lu Family in Kyoto, they are not the real me. I don't understand why you are so persistent."