Chapter 240 Miss

Su Qingwan thought Zhang Huaining would resist this marriage, but unexpectedly, the next day, Luzhu came to report that Zhang Huaining agreed to marry General Xiaoning. However, she put forward a condition, which was to allow her to bring her late husband's concubine and children with her.

Hearing this, Su Qingwan was stunned for a moment and was speechless for a moment, "..."

Qingyun then added: "General Xiao Ning also readily agreed, and even begged you to act as a matchmaker, offer betrothal gifts, and preside over the wedding."

"Okay!" Su Qingwan really didn't expect things to go so smoothly. But then she thought, Zhang Huaining has always been far-sighted, and he is particularly concerned about the safety of the bandits and is looking forward to peace. Such a person will naturally not refuse this marriage that is beneficial to all parties. Moreover, General Xiaoning is also a rare good man, young and reliable. This marriage is impeccable in every way.

Zhang San returned from the mountain and was stunned to hear that his sister's marriage had been finalized. He was full of disbelief. He had originally planned to marry his second sister to General Xiao Ning. His second sister had not yet been engaged. She was seventeen years old, like a bud about to bloom. She was about the same age as General Xiao Ning and was a perfect match.

Who would have thought that it would be the elder sister who would marry him in the end? This matter of marriage is really unpredictable. What is even more rare is that General Xiao Ning not only did not mind Zhang Huaining taking her late husband's concubine and children, but was also willing to help raise them. This kind of mind is really admirable.

However, General Xiao Ning also proposed that Zhang Huaining's concubine and children should live in separate houses instead of together. After thinking about it, Zhang Huaining nodded in agreement. After all, if she brought her late husband's concubine with her, she would inevitably be gossiped about. Fortunately, a wall could be built between the two houses, and a corner gate could be opened, so that it would be convenient for them to travel back and forth on weekdays.

Although the marriage was arranged in a rather hasty manner, both parties were very happy and it could be considered a happy event. With the marriage settled, the problem of mountain bandits was also peacefully resolved. The mountain bandits from the Eighteen Mountains of Huainan were gradually moved to the city of Huainan and nearby villages. Yun Zhizhou took over the resettlement affairs and the Huainan area gradually became stable.

At this time, the Xilin delegation passed through Huainan. Xilin Yongxuan sent someone to deliver an invitation, with sincere words, hoping to visit the Southwest Princess. Su Qingwan now appeared as the Southwest Princess, and Xilin Yongxuan had never seen her true face.

The invitation was sent to Xilin Yongxuan long before he even set foot in Huainan. Su Qingwan was not in a hurry to reply, but sent someone to clean up the posthouse and properly receive the Xilin delegation. However, there was one thing that concerned her.

After the Xilin delegation negotiated with the imperial court, they should have returned by the same route, from the southwest. But now they took a detour to Huainan. Although Huainan is not far from the southwest, it is indeed a long detour. As far as she knows, Xilin Yongxuan is planning to return to Xilin by water, but the journey from the Huainan border to the main city of Xilin is so long that it is really puzzling.

Yun Zhizhou saw her doubts and said, "Xilin Yongxuan's visit this time may not be a bad thing. You have been committed to opening up trade routes between the two countries. Xilin Yongxuan is very likely to become the next Xilin emperor. If we can negotiate with him properly, it will be a hundred benefits for both countries and no harm."

Su Qingwan shook her head slightly and analyzed with a serious look: "When I dealt with Xilin Yongxuan, I spent a lot of time and effort on border trade. When the border war was tense, the trade route almost came to a standstill. The only years when trade was truly smooth were during the truce. Now that the two countries are in peace talks and the trade route has been reopened, it is most convenient to go through the southwest route. But he avoided the southwest and came to Huainan on purpose, and he also took the initiative to ask to see me. I'm afraid his purpose is not simple!"

She knew Xilin Yongxuan very well. Although he was young, he was actually a ruthless and scheming old fox. The civil strife in Dayuan lasted for several months, but he stayed in the capital and watched the situation change. He was not afraid of his own safety. Such courage and boldness were beyond the reach of ordinary people. Such people were determined and could often achieve their goals once they had something in mind.

None of the princes in Xilin was his match. Su Qingwan was worried that with Xilin Yongxuan's ambition, the peace treaty might not be able to trap him. She was even worried that the other party would tear up the peace treaty. The border situation was fragile and could not afford any mistakes. Although she was eager to open up trade, she had to be cautious. Today's Huainan was no longer the Huainan of twelve years ago. She couldn't afford to lose.

After Xilin Yongxuan entered the city, he lived in the posthouse. Su Qingwan used the excuse of being unwell to ask Yun Zhizhou to receive him. The situation in Huainan City was somewhat unstable due to the influx of bandits, but fortunately it did not cause too much trouble. At the same time, the wedding of Zhang Huaining and General Xiaoning was also being prepared in full swing, and it was expected to be held in a few months. Seeing that the princess had made up her mind and the matter was settled, the people could only accept the reality and live in peace with the bandits.

On the second day after the Xilin delegation arrived in Huainan, the morning breeze came hurriedly, bringing news from the capital.

"Princess, the Regent has left the capital!" Chen Feng frowned, his face full of worry. He had placed spies in the capital to gather information. Some of the spies in Huainan had already settled down in the capital, with wives and children, so it was inconvenient for them to follow him back to Huainan and be separated from their families. Therefore, Chen Feng relied on his connections to continue gathering information in the capital. For such a long time, the news from the capital had never stopped.

However, Su Qingwan never took the initiative to ask about the affairs of the capital, as if she didn't care about the Regent at all, so Chen Feng didn't mention it either.

Su Qingwan's expression froze when she heard this, and she asked, "Is this news true?"

Chen Feng nodded firmly and said, "The speed of carrier pigeons in the capital is much faster than that of horses and carriages. If he is coming to Huainan, he will arrive in three days." He was not sure where Lu Jing was going after leaving Beijing, so he could only guess by intuition that he was going to Huainan.

Su Qingwan's heart skipped a beat, and she blurted out, "Is he crazy? He hasn't even secured his position as regent yet, why is he leaving the capital at this time?" Lu Jing had just taken over as regent, and in order to consolidate his position, he shouldn't leave the capital for two years, unless something extremely difficult happened in Jiangnan or the border, and he had to go there in person to deal with it. But now the border situation is stable, the flood in Jiangnan has been resolved, the world is peaceful, and there are no urgent matters.

"He may not be coming to Huainan!" Lu Zhu whispered. She was actually afraid that Lu Jing would come to Huainan. What if he discovered the girl's true identity? She rolled her eyes and added, "His grandmother is old, maybe he is going to attend the funeral!"

Su Qingwan, "..."

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