Chapter 47 "But... later I, I also..."
Seeing that he wasn't angry, Liu Qingyue cautiously asked, "But... later, I... I even plotted against you."
Later, Qin Ren felt there was something wrong with his identity and made him take off his clothes for inspection.
He could have directly revealed his identity at that time. Qin Ren didn't really want him to take off his clothes; he just said that on purpose to scare him.
But... he shamelessly took off his clothes. What would Qin Ren think of him? Would he think he was shameless, and... dissolute?
Qin Ren: "I could understand when you lied to me at first. You weren't wrong to do that; you were just protecting yourself. As for what happened later... I was quite surprised at the time because I was going to speak Mandarin very soon, and you didn't need to do that at all."
"Then... what do you think of me?"
Liu Qingyue asked this question, but she didn't dare to look up at Qin Ren.
He was afraid that Qin Ren would think he was bad, and he was also afraid that Qin Ren would look at him strangely.
Qin Ren thought for a moment before answering, "I was wondering... do you like me? Otherwise, why would you be so bold?"
At this point, Qin Ren took a step toward Liu Qingyue and patted his head as if coaxing a child.
"To be honest, when I think about the possibility that you might like me, I'm a little against you liking me."
Because Qin Ren is so gentle now, and they gradually opened up to each other, Liu Qingyue didn't feel so awkward anymore.
Liu Qingyue raised her head curiously, and asked with a puzzled look, "Why don't you agree? Am I not good enough for you, being so beautiful?"
Liu Qingyue was quite confident in her beauty.
"No, you're worthy. The first time I saw you, I thought you were very beautiful, as beautiful as a little fairy. But because you look very young, and you are indeed very young. I thought you were beautiful, but I didn't think too much about it. Because where we're from, it's considered a very morbid fetish for older men to have their eyes on younger girls, and it's not allowed."
"I'm not that young, I'm already nineteen. In our area, if you're nineteen and still not married, you're considered an unwanted old man."
Seeing that he was still somewhat concerned about getting married, Qin Ren lowered his eyes and asked, "Then do you want to get married?"
Liu Qingyue instinctively wanted to shake his head; he didn't want to get married.
Especially given their family's current situation, it's not necessarily a good thing for him to get married.
Even when her family was wealthy, she couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't be bullied by her husband's family after she got married.
Now that his family has fallen on hard times and his reputation is so bad, he can only marry down again and again, and might even become someone's concubine. So he doesn't really want to get married anymore.
But the person asking him this time was Qin Ren, and if Qin Ren was willing to marry him, he was willing to marry him.
He had wanted to marry Qin Ren for a very long time; otherwise, he wouldn't have schemed against Qin Ren.
So Liu Qingyue thought for a moment, but instead of answering the question, she carefully tugged at Qin Ren's sleeve.
Qin Ren naturally understood his meaning upon seeing this. As a grown man, he couldn't let a young man take the initiative to say that he wanted to marry him.
So he bent down slightly, looked into Liu Qingyue's eyes, and asked, "Then shall I marry you?"
Liu Qingyue tightened her grip on his clothes slightly, and a tear welled up in her large, beautiful eyes.
"You...you don't mind that I'm too young?"
"I don't mind. I'm nineteen years old, so I'm definitely not a child anymore."
In Qin Ren's eyes, Liu Qingyue was still too young.
But considering what happened today and the current situation of the Liu family, she thinks that if she gets married sooner, she won't have to worry about being gossiped about.
Public opinion is a fearsome thing, and many voices can melt metal. Liu Qingyue is also a young man, so problems may easily arise over time.
"Do you truly want to marry me, or do you just can't bear to see me suffer?"
"Of course I genuinely want to marry him."
Such a beautiful woman, so lovely and kind, he wouldn't have run around with her if he didn't like her.
“But now… with my family in this state, it might not be a good thing for you to marry me. Also, my father is about to be beheaded, so I certainly can’t marry you right away.”
The death of one's parents is considered a great act of filial piety, and children are generally required to observe a three-year mourning period.
For three years, neither men nor women, nor even young men, are allowed to marry.
However, Minister Liu's situation was special; he was beheaded for treason.
According to the laws and regulations of Da Yong, the children of such criminals cannot even openly observe mourning.
Since one cannot openly observe mourning, there is naturally no requirement to observe mourning for three years.
However, the law stipulates that Liu Qingyue, as the biological child of Minister Liu, must observe a year of mourning for him in private.
Qin Ren: "It's alright, let's get engaged first and then get married after your mourning period ends."
Qin Ren felt that Liu Qingyue was too young, and waiting another year or two wouldn't be a big deal.
Liu Qingyue never expected that Qin Ren would actually be willing to marry her.
He felt that everything had gone too smoothly today, and at the same time, he thought they were really bold, because this was considered a private engagement.
I wonder if Qi Shi and Liu Yuze will be angry about this when they return.
Seeing what he was worried about, Qin Ren gently comforted him, "Don't be afraid, leave the rest to me, I won't let you suffer."
As he spoke, Qin Ren seemed to remember something. He took out a purse from his body and put it in Liu Qingyue's hand.
"I've already exchanged the gold bracelet you gave me for cash, so I can't return it to you. I know your family isn't doing well right now, but here's some silver for you to take. When Prince Ying gives me the reward for the alcohol, I'll give you more money then."
Upon hearing this, Liu Qingyue hurriedly tried to refuse. They weren't engaged yet, so how could he accept Qin Ren's money?
Also, even if they are engaged, he shouldn't spend his future husband's money now.
Liu Qingyue: "I can't accept this. If my mother and brother find out, they will definitely be angry."
"Then don't tell them that I gave this to you. Just say... this is something you hid before."
"But I feel bad taking your money."
“You used to eat and drink my food, and I never saw you feel embarrassed.”
“I, I used to give money, but the situation was different then.”
"Then consider it your own money. The jade bracelet you gave me before was very valuable, so consider this as change."
After Qin Ren finished speaking, he prepared to leave.
Liu Qingyue wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and then suddenly remembered something.
He said to Qin Ren, "Don't go yet, I have something to give you."
As Liu Qingyue said this, she put the purse in her hand aside and began rummaging through a box next to her.
He quickly took out a small bottle and handed it to Qin Ren.
"Take this and apply it to the scars on your face. Remember to do it once in the morning and once at night."
Qin Ren looked at him with some surprise upon hearing this, "I'm a man, it doesn't matter if I have scars on my face, I don't care. You don't need to waste money buying this kind of thing for me."
A scar-removing ointment is obviously not cheap.
Liu Qingyue's family is struggling to make ends meet right now, and he really didn't expect that he would buy something like this for him.
“I bought this on the way here. I never imagined my family would be this poor. This stuff isn’t easy to sell. I’ve already bought it, so you can take it home and use it.”
This ointment was indeed very expensive, and Liu Qingyue still felt a pang of regret thinking about it now.
But when he thought about how this was for Qin Ren, who would likely become his husband in the future, he suddenly felt that it didn't matter if it was a little expensive.
Qin Ren smiled when he saw him say that, and then stuffed the ointment into his pocket.
"Alright, I'm leaving now."
Upon hearing this, Liu Qingyue quickly followed him. Remembering that Qin Ren had mentioned he would be staying in the capital for the next few days, she asked as they walked out, "You don't have a house in the capital yet. Where are you going to stay for the next few days?"
"I'll stay at the inn for now. Once we've finalized our marriage, we'll buy a house in the capital."
At this point, Qin Ren turned and glanced at him.
What kind of house do you like?
"I don't know either, as long as I can stay here, it's fine."
He's easy to take care of now, and he'll change his old habit of being extravagant. Anyway... he won't make Qin Ren think he's hard to take care of.
Qin Ren nodded and then left the Liu family.
Liu Qingyue saw him off at the door and stood alone in the yard for a long time, still unable to hold back her tears.
He didn't know why he was crying; he was lucky now.
First, he wasn't implicated by the Liu family and became a government slave; second... he even found someone he wanted to marry. Heaven was truly very kind to him.
But... returning to this familiar capital city, I felt so unfamiliar and lost.
Everything and everyone here seems to have changed in just one year.
The thought of how much Xu Yuandie missed him, and how her first visit to him wasn't to comfort him, still made him feel a little sad.
When Qi returned with Guard B, she saw him standing alone in the courtyard, shedding tears, and was immediately frightened.
Madam Qi rushed forward and asked, "Yue'er, my Yue'er, what's wrong? Did Qin Ren bully you?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Qingyue quickly wiped away her tears. "No, Brother Qin came this time because... he wants to propose marriage to our family."
Qi: "Isn't that a good thing? Don't you like him quite a bit?"
Previously, when Liu Qingyue was asleep, she once called Qin Ren's name in her dream. At that time, Qi Shi guessed that Liu Qingyue probably liked Qin Ren.
Now that Qin Ren has come to their house to propose marriage, and the other party doesn't mind their family's poverty or Liu Qingyue's bad reputation, this should be a good thing.
This... is indeed a good thing.
Although Qin Ren is a merchant, he is now a retainer of Prince Ying.
It is said that he is working on some kind of alcohol. If the alcohol is really useful, the emperor will reward him handsomely.
From this perspective, their family is now considered to be marrying above their station with Qin Ren.
“Mother, I’m not crying because of Brother Qin, I, I’m crying because of Xu Yuandie.”
Liu Qingyue wiped away her tears and told Qi Shi about Xu Yuandie's visit.
Qi was furious when she heard this. She used to think that the child seemed honest, but she never expected that he was such a vicious and petty person hidden under the honest face.
Madam Qi: "It's alright, it's alright. It's good for you to see things clearly sooner rather than later. Now that you know her character, you won't be harmed by her in the future. You don't need to be too sad. People like to seek advantage and avoid harm. If you can't bring them any benefits, they will naturally show their ugly side. When you can bring them benefits in the future, they will all come to flatter you. Alright, there's no need to be sad for them. Let's talk about your marriage."
"What's there to talk about?"
Liu Qingyue felt a little embarrassed.
“Silly child, it’s time for you to get married. With our family in this state, I can’t keep you here any longer. It won’t do you or your brother any good.”
Liu Qingyue was beautiful, and many people in the capital knew her.
Now, she and Liu Yuze may not be able to protect him.
If Liu Qingyue were to be taken by a powerful family who wanted to make him their concubine, Liu Yu would have to offend them in order to protect him.
"If you get married sooner and become a married man, those people will give up their ideas, and your brother will have less trouble."
"But... Father and the others are about to be beheaded. Even if I get engaged to Brother Qin now, it will still be a year or two before we can get married."
"Then... let's get married before the beheading."
Liu Qingyue was taken aback upon hearing this, then waved her hand and said, "Then, how can that be? That's too rushed. Besides, my brother might not agree."
Liu Qingyue felt that Liu Yuze didn't like Qin Ren very much, and if he knew that she was going to marry Qin Ren, Liu Yuze would definitely object.
"It was a bit rushed, and it really did make things difficult for you, but... you have to get married soon."
These past few days, when Qi went out, she often heard people in the neighborhood pointing and gossiping about their family.
She was still in the neighborhood today and saw some thugs, which made her very worried about Liu Qingyue.
Liu Qingyue is beautiful and arrogant, and she offended many people in the capital.
Given the state of their family now, I imagine many people want to get back at him.
Because of her age, Madam Qi knew more. She knew that people were the most terrifying thing, sometimes even more terrifying than ghosts.
She had only met Qin Renqi a few times, so she didn't really know him very well.
However, Liu Qingyue learned that Qin Ren had escorted him all the way from the north to Yu Yang Prefecture, and then accompanied him all the way from Yu Yang Prefecture to the capital.
During this time, he never bullied Liu Qingyue. Such a man is clearly a person of good character and responsibility.
As it happens, Liu Qingyue herself also likes the man, so she might as well get married sooner and put her mind at ease.
As for Liu Yu, she disagreed, saying that marriages for children are always arranged by parents and matchmakers.
When her mother was still alive, it wasn't his place as the older brother to take care of her.
Upon hearing that her mother wanted to marry him off quickly, Liu Qingyue took out the purse that Qin Ren had given her.
Their family doesn't have much money right now, and since she's getting married, they'll definitely need to prepare some things.
He didn't hide it from Qi Shi. When he handed the purse to her, he said, "Brother Qin just gave this to me. Mother, take it and buy some things."
When Qi heard that Liu Qingyue had taken money from a man outside the family, she was indeed a little angry.
She felt that she hadn't taught Liu Qingyue well, but considering their family's current situation, she felt that those rules and regulations were useless.
One must first be alive before one can know shame.
Now that their family is struggling to survive, what's the point of fussing over trivial things?
The purse Qin Ren gave him contained fifty taels of silver and two gold leaves.
One gold leaf is worth one tael of gold, and two gold leaves are worth two taels of gold.
Adding the fifty taels of silver, the total is seventy taels of silver.
Seventy taels of silver would be enough for them to live a good life for a while in an ordinary small town.
However, in a place like the capital, seventy taels of silver can be spent very quickly.
...
After leaving the Liu family, Qin Ren always felt uneasy.
He originally planned to have a matchmaker come to propose marriage three days later, but after wandering around the Liu family's neighborhood, he decided to go and propose marriage the next day.
To avoid any unforeseen complications, he felt it would be better to settle things sooner rather than later for peace of mind.
Qin Ren himself was a rough and uncultured man, but in order to make Liu Qingyue happy, he still found a good matchmaker.
Then, as requested by the matchmaker, they prepared the gifts to be given during the marriage proposal.
In Da Yong, when proposing marriage, one must bring a wild goose or a sheep, as well as some silk fabrics to show sincerity.
To save face for Liu Qingyue, Qin Ren returned to the modern world that night.
He brought with him the two hundred taels of silver he had previously kept in the modern world, and also brought a lot of other things from the modern world.
Finding a matchmaker, buying a wild goose, and six bolts of silk—all of these together would cost more than fifty taels of silver.
These are just the expenses for the marriage proposal. If you include the formalities of marriage and the money for Qin Ren to buy a house in the capital, it would probably cost at least a thousand taels of silver.
But when Qin Ren thought about how Liu Qingyue used to be a son of a high-ranking official, and was someone he liked and cared about, he felt that spending this money was well worth it.
Qin Ren and the matchmaker went to the Liu family in the morning. Liu Yuze was also at home when he arrived.
Liu Yu only found out that Qin Ren had come to their house when she returned last night.
However, he didn't know that Qin Ren had come to their house to propose marriage.
Qi Shi did not allow Liu Qingyue to tell him, so when Qin Ren suddenly came to propose marriage today, the usually gentle and dignified Liu Yuze's expression cracked a little.
He stared at Qin Ren for a long time, wanting to refuse outright.
But when he turned around and saw Qi Shi's happy expression, he knew that he couldn't make the decision about Liu Qingyue's marriage.
Liu Yu dared to confront Minister Liu head-on because he didn't care about Minister Liu and even harbored deep resentment towards him.
However, Liu Yu was not so assertive when facing the Qi family.
Of course, his current silence is also because he understands in his heart that he cannot protect Liu Qingyue now.
Only if Liu Qingyue gets married as soon as possible can she live a peaceful life.
Even if Qin Ren wasn't a good match, he was indeed very good to Liu Qingyue, a fact that Liu Yuze couldn't deny.
Liu Qingyue was quite embarrassed that Qin Ren had proposed marriage so quickly.
While he wondered why Qin Ren was in such a hurry, he also secretly wanted to marry him as soon as possible.
It wasn't just because of what Qi Shi said—that staying at home would cause him and his brother a lot of trouble. More importantly, it was because he wanted to be with Qin Ren; being with Qin Ren made him feel at ease.
While the matchmaker was talking to Madam Qi, Liu Qingyue hid in the room and peeked outside.
Seeing that Qin Ren had not only bought wild geese but also sent six bolts of fine brocade, he couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"What's going on? Our house is already in such a state, there's no need to be so particular. Why is he still buying so much Yun brocade? Doesn't he know that Yun brocade is very expensive?"
Compared to something as flashy and impractical as brocade, he actually hoped that Qin Ren could save the money and buy them a beautiful little home later.
But... when Qin Ren asked him yesterday what kind of house he liked, he said that any house that people could live in would be fine.
So even though he wanted a beautiful house, he was too embarrassed to tell him what was on his mind.
That's enough, that's enough. If you marry a chicken, you should follow the chicken; if you marry a dog, you should follow the dog.
It doesn't matter if they live in poor conditions, because... they don't only have one home.
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