Chapter 146 Qin Qian Apologizes to Miss Jiang
The air fell silent instantly, save for the soft ringing of the brass bells hanging on the shelf, carried by the wind.
Lu Qian remained silent for a moment, knowing that any roundabout explanation would seem pale and powerless at this moment.
He took a deep breath and chose the most direct approach:
"Miss Jiang, I lied to you. I apologize to you."
His gaze was honest, filled with obvious remorse.
Jiang Ling didn't actually mind people approaching her with ulterior motives.
In her view, relationships can last longer when there is value to be exchanged between people.
For some reason, Jiang Ling felt very sad about his deception.
Perhaps it's because I genuinely considered him a friend, and he's the one who's been with me the longest in this world.
She raised her eyes, looked at Lu Qian, and spoke in a calm but distant tone:
"I wonder if this apology is offered in the capacity of Young Master Lu, or in the capacity of a prince of the Great Yu Dynasty?"
Lu Qian was taken aback.
Li Hong, standing behind him, lowered his head even further, attempting to minimize his presence.
The next moment, Lu Qian stood up, bowed deeply to Jiang Ling, and performed a formal salute.
He no longer used that pseudonym and spoke clearly and sincerely:
"Qin Qian apologizes to Miss Jiang."
Jiang Ling tightened her grip on the teacup, her fingertips turning white.
She looked at Qin Qian and suddenly remembered the first time she met him. He was wearing coarse clothes and was passing by a shop when he happened to see Wan Furong smashing the shop. Without saying a word, he stepped in to help and even got injured on his arm.
Later, while we were harvesting vegetables outside the shop, we chatted about what was happening in the village.
Celebrate his birthday and enjoy the moon together;
The shop caught fire, let's put it out together...
Although he approached me with ulterior motives, it is undeniable that he had helped me on several occasions.
It also brought her many happy memories in this world.
The shop fell silent again, with only the sound of Fu Chengze teaching the children to read coming from the doorway.
Qin Qian felt a little panicked when he saw Jiang Ling's silent expression.
He had never been afraid when fighting on the battlefield, and he was also adept at handling court disputes, but now, faced with Jiang Ling's silence, he felt that it was more difficult to fight than any hard battle.
He finally spoke, his tone softening slightly, "Miss Jiang, I know that hiding my identity has disappointed you. I've imagined this scenario countless times, thinking about how I should say and do things to make amends for my deception and to earn your forgiveness."
"But it seems that all of this is too late."
Jiang Ling looked up at him, puzzled.
Qin Qian forced a self-deprecating smile: "This morning, my father issued an edict ordering me to lead troops into battle. It's a costly war. I'm not sure if I'll come back alive."
Jiang Ling suddenly remembered that he had asked her yesterday about the internal and external troubles facing the Great Yu Dynasty.
He also revealed that one of his cousins was serving in the military and might be transferred to participate in this battle.
It turns out that the cousin was talking about himself!
This guy!
Jiang Ling finally took a deep breath, and her eyes were no longer so cold and distant.
"I'm really angry about your deception. Making amends is definitely necessary, and I've remembered it all. Don't say it's too late! Otherwise, I'll never forgive you!"
Although she was also afraid of the dangers and unknowns of the battlefield.
Otherwise, since he was both the commander and the commander-in-chief, he probably wouldn't have allowed a prince like him to personally go to the battlefield.
It's nothing more than a war of attrition. We're not looking to expand our territory; we're just hoping not to lose an inch of land.
He was a prince, and even if he won a battle, he wouldn't get a promotion.
Seeing that her expression had softened, Qin Qian breathed a sigh of relief, and the heavy weight in his heart was finally lifted.
"Alright, I will definitely make it up to you. I promise to return safely! You can do as you please then, and I promise I will have no complaints!"
In fact, what he feared most in this battle was not the external enemy, but the crown prince.
They had already suspected that he was behind the two previous assassination attempts on the crown prince, but they lacked evidence.
Now that he himself was sent out to lead troops, it was his own doing that made it possible for him to run into some trouble on the march.
Jiang Ling had no idea what he was thinking at that moment, because she was thinking about her own things.
She asked, "When will we set off?"
"Three days later."
Three days equals seven hours. That means she only has five hours to prepare.
Ping'an County is located outside the city and is a place that must be passed through before the expedition begins.
"Alright, come to me in three days, before we set off. I'll prepare some food for you and find more people; I'll be preparing quite a lot. If you're busy, Li Hong can come instead."
Jiang Ling spoke these words noticeably faster, because she didn't want to waste any more time.
"food?"
Qin Qian and Li Hong exchanged a glance.
They all knew that the shop had a steady stream of goods.
In the past few days, his uncle had repeatedly instructed him to inquire whether the grain in Jiang Ling's shop was available for purchase.
However, Qin Qian came to apologize today, and since he already felt guilty, he didn't think about bringing it up again.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Ling considered their needs before they even spoke up.
Before they could speak, Jiang Ling added, "My only condition for providing you with food is that you mustn't question the source of the goods in my shop. Otherwise, I'll close the shop and send you out!"
Qin Qian nodded quickly: "Okay, I won't ask."
"Okay, you guys go back first. I need to start preparing too."
Jiang Ling didn't waste any words with them.
After seeing them off, Jiang Ling went out and called Xiao Ran and Xiao Yi over.
Xiao Ran was learning to read with the other children in the village, while Xiao Yi was dozing off nearby.
"Xiao Ran, I have something urgent to do and I have to close the shop. Xiao Yi can stay at your place for two days. I will reopen the shop in three days. Could you help me find some strong men from the village to come to the shop early in the morning three days later to help move things? I will pay each of them twenty copper coins."
Jiang Ling wasn't sure how many people they could bring, so she decided to arrange some herself.
"Okay," Xiao Ran replied earnestly.
Xiao Yi frowned: "Sister, can't I stay in the shop? I promise I won't touch anything or say anything out of line!"
Jiang Ling was somewhat embarrassed. There was a reason why she had to let him stay overnight yesterday.
But not today, and I'm going to buy goods later, so how can I take him with me?
"Xiao Yi, be good. We need to pack things up at the shop. Go stay at Xiao Ran's house for a couple of days."
Xiao Ran snorted beside her, her tone slightly displeased: "Just do what Sister Jiang says. Why all the fuss?"
He'd never even stayed in a shop before, yet he'd become addicted to it.
Xiao Yi didn't dare to argue anymore, but lowered her head and whispered, "Xiao Yi understands."
Get everything settled here.
Jiang Ling closed the wooden door as soon as she entered the shop.
She only had five hours; she couldn't afford to waste any time.
He immediately took out his phone and dialed the number of Manager Wang at the supermarket.
Jiang Ling bought goods from him many times, and the two had some relationship.
"Manager Wang, I urgently need a batch of disaster relief supplies, which are grains. Mainly rice and millet, but coarse grains are also fine. Do you know any reliable manufacturers? I need to go and pick up the goods now."
Manager Wang is specifically in charge of purchasing and delivery, and he knows a lot about these things.
"Right now? There are a few places that sell grains nearby. I'll send you their addresses and contact information."
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