"And then there's the horse farm. I'm quite curious who you sold it to at such a high price to break even." Qin Su spoke with a smile, but that smile made Xue Huai'an very uneasy.
He suspected that Qin Su knew something.
But he also felt it was impossible.
Very few people know about this; even Xue Qi is unaware of it.
He glanced at Yu Shuo, only to find that while Yu Shuo appeared to be facing him, his attention was entirely on Qin Su.
He immediately frowned, feeling very displeased, as if something that originally belonged to him was being spied on.
Suppressing this discomfort, he could only back down again, "Three thousand taels, that's the most I can do."
Qin Su remained silent, pondering whether she should press him further.
Xue Huai'an, however, believed that Qin Su was not satisfied, and in his view, greed was ingrained in Qin Su's bones.
"Let's go."
Yu Shuo suddenly spoke, and what he said stunned Qin Su and Xue Huai'an.
They're leaving already?
Qin Su wasn't satisfied; she felt uneasy about not getting the money back. Actually, three thousand taels wasn't a bad idea; she had just calculated that three thousand taels should be enough to cover the shortfall.
Yu Shuo comforted her, "Let's go to the palace to find His Majesty."
Xue Huai'an's eyelids twitched; this meant they were going to impeach him.
no!
He hadn't even shown his face before His Majesty yet; he couldn't give up so easily. Gritting his teeth, he resolutely agreed, "Fine! Five thousand taels it is!"
Qin Su raised an eyebrow. Did Xue Huai'an really have five thousand taels? Where did he get so much money?
Qin Su carefully recalled Xue Huai'an at this time in her previous life. In her previous life, all his money came from his own pocket, and the rest came from the income of his shops.
She really couldn't figure out where Xue Huai'an got the money from.
Seeing that she remained silent, Xue Huai'an angrily said, "You're still not satisfied? What exactly do you want?"
Yu Shuo's cold and oppressive gaze fell on Xue Huai'an, who immediately shut up.
"Give it to me." Qin Su stretched out her fair and delicate hand.
Xue Huai'an said to Xue Qi in a deep voice, "Go get the money."
Xue Qi didn't want to do anything, and he knew how important this money was to Xue Huai'an.
"Can't you understand?"
Xue Qi had no choice but to glare fiercely at Qin Su before going inside to get the money.
Xue Huai'an personally handed over the wooden box, and under Yu Shuo's gaze, he asked as if possessed, "You really can't forgive me? I can agree to any request you make."
Qin Su looked at him strangely, reached for the box, and while checking it, replied, "Do you have anything about you that's worthy of me?"
Xue Huai'an's temper flared up again. "What do I lack that makes me unworthy of you? Whether it's my education, appearance, or status, what do I lack?"
Qin Su didn't even look up: "You're not good enough for anyone."
After confirming the amount was correct, Qin Su looked Xue Huai'an up and down and said, "There's another reason: you're too weak. Your martial arts are inferior to mine."
After saying that, she turned her head and smiled at Yu Shuo, saying, "Your Highness, let's go."
Yu Shuo nodded slightly, then said to Xue Huai'an, "Go to the Prince Chen's residence later to receive your punishment. It's a serious offense of disrespect." Whether he was in love with Qin Su or not, it was not something Xue Huai'an could presume to comment on.
After leaving the Duke's mansion, Yu Shuo hesitated for a long time before saying to Qin Su, "You don't like people whose martial arts are worse than yours?"
Throughout the journey, Yu Shuo pondered whether his martial arts skills were weaker than Qin Su's, whose talent in martial arts was almost unmatched.
When they were kids, he couldn't beat Qin Su and got beaten up a lot.
"That was all just to appease Xue Huai'an."
Yu Shuo breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief, his expression becoming more relaxed.
"So... what kind of person do you like? Or rather, what kind of person do you think is worthy of you?"
Qin Su answered the first question almost without thinking, "I'd prefer someone obedient, preferably a little dim-witted. Too much shrewdness is exhausting to deal with. As for whether I'm good enough for someone? That's not a wise question. When the time is right, I'll fall in love without considering that."
Yu Shuo reacted almost instantly.
Obedient? He can be very obedient.
"Be a little slow...that seems a bit difficult."
"Your Highness, rest assured," Qin Su said with a smile. "The man I've chosen won't cause you any trouble. If Your Highness minds, I can keep my distance from you after the marriage."
She respected Yu Shuo very much.
Da'an has an open-minded culture, but women do tend to keep their distance from male friends after marriage.
Yu Shuo stopped, drawing Qin Su's unfathomable gaze upon her. He then spoke, "Why not consider marrying me? I... I can protect you, and protect your family."
After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but look away, his earlobes turned completely red, and he was extremely nervous.
She wanted to hear Qin Su's answer, but she didn't want to hear an answer she didn't want to hear.
Qin Su hadn't expected Yu Shuo to bring up this hypothesis. Without even thinking, she said, "That's impossible."
Yu Shuo lowered his eyes, his thin eyelids concealing all his disappointment.
"Your Highness knows this is impossible."
"Besides, I don't want to delay Your Highness."
His Majesty would not agree to her marrying anyone with real power, let alone someone like Yu Shuo.
Yu Shuo already wielded considerable power; if he and Emperor Mingyang were not born of the same mother, he would certainly be viewed with suspicion.
If she really marries Yu Shuo... Qin Su is worried that it will bring trouble to Yu Shuo.
"Your Highness is the best. You will surely marry a beautiful and talented woman in the future." Qin Su sincerely wished Yu Shuo a smooth, peaceful, and joyful life.
Qin Su opened the box, took out half of the money inside, and stuffed it into Yu Shuo's hand, saying, "Thank you for today, Your Highness. This is a small token of my gratitude. I will invite Your Highness for tea another day."
"I'm going now."
Qin Su turned and left. She didn't know why she didn't dare to look into Yu Shuo's eyes. She always felt that his eyes were very sad, so sad that it made her heart ache.
After walking for a while, she turned to look at him and saw his steps being blown by the wind.
The black and white tassels hanging from the jade pendant fluttered in the wind; they were a gift from her, and it seemed he always wore them.
Realizing this, Qin Su stopped in her tracks.
She looked at the person in the distance, and an organ beneath her skin was pounding wildly.
Why would he ask that question?
An incredible answer almost came to mind.
He didn't come over, and Qin Su didn't move her feet either.
After a while, Qin Su turned around and placed one hand on her chest, as if this could stop her wildly beating heart.
She kept telling herself no, it couldn't be, the situation around her wouldn't allow it.
Moreover, he was so good; he was her light from her past life, and she couldn't bear to be tainted by even a fraction of that light.
Even after returning to the Marquis's residence, Qin Su's heart was still not completely at peace.
...
Yu Shuo didn't give the gift in the end. He stroked the box with his large hand and finally took it back.
It will be sent out, it definitely will.
But no one expected the change to happen so quickly, catching everyone off guard.
A fierce clash broke out again on the border between Yuehai Kingdom and Da'an. Yu Shuo was ordered to go and quell the conflict, but he didn't even have time to deal with Kang Lin's affairs.
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