Chapter 24 She is looking forward to his leaving

The next morning, the news of Liu Yueru's reunion with her lover spread throughout the capital, shocking those who had always thought that the Prime Minister and Liu Yueru had an affair.

Rumor has it that Liu Yueru was loyal and cherished her old friendships, and even though she moved to the capital, she did not abandon her fiancé whose family had fallen on hard times. She brought him to the capital and settled him in the prime minister's villa.

Within a few days, the rumor became known to everyone and became a new topic of conversation after dinner.

One day, someone in the teahouse was discussing this matter, and several women at the table next to them took over the conversation: "You are just listening to the excitement. That Miss Liu is actually a woman who forgets her principles when she sees profit and is fickle."

"What do you mean?"

"It's because the old lady of the Xiangfu is kindhearted and helped Miss Liu to cover up the scandal out of consideration for General Liu who sacrificed his life for the country.

I heard that the person she wanted to hook up with was the Prime Minister, but the poor Mr. Qu came to the capital and was placed in the Prime Minister's villa."

Another woman echoed: "In the final analysis, if people's hearts are not right, the results will not be good."

As they were talking, there was a commotion outside. It turned out to be a parade through the streets, which was a rare occurrence in the capital.

The guests of the teahouse went out one after another to see the excitement. They only heard the official in front holding a copper bell in one hand and knocking it from time to time. In the prison cart at the back, there was a maid with dishevelled hair and dirty face. Her eyes were dull and she looked very miserable.

The officials behind posted notices at intervals. Someone came forward to take a look and found that they were notices to clarify the rumors about the Prime Minister's wife.

"It turns out that the person in the prison car was a maid from the prime minister's mansion. She is so bold that she dared to slander her master. She is really courting death."

"What's so strange about this? Seeing how pretty that maid is, maybe she wants to seduce the Prime Minister."

"Yes, people are high above the sky, but their lives are thin as paper. Not only will it be for nothing in the end, but just the fact that she defamed the reputation of the official's family is enough to keep her in prison for several years."

The weather is getting hotter, but the nights in early summer are still cool. Sitting in the yard and listening to the chirping of insects and birds is a pleasant thing.

But he hadn't gone out for several days, and Ruan Qinghuan was worried about the shop in the east of the city.

Counting the days, she had been stuck at home for five days and was almost going sick.

Fortunately, after the incident with Liu Yueru, He'an seemed to be busy all of a sudden. He stayed in the palace for two consecutive days. Even when he returned home later, it was very late, so he slept directly in the study.

This eased the awkwardness between the two of them.

After what happened that night, Ruan Qinghuan had never figured out how to face He'an. Now that they were a legitimate couple, if he crossed the line again, she would have no reason to refuse.

In this era, matters in this area are generally dominated by men, and women in the backyard are not qualified to refuse.

Xia Lian was busy in the yard. Even when it was dark, she was still tending to the seedlings in the flowerbed at the corner of the wall.

Ruan Qinghuan sighed: "Xia Lian, just let those flowers grow freely, why do you have to make them so neat and tidy?"

"I have nothing to do at home anyway. The flowers will bloom in a few days. When the young lady sees the flowers, she will be happy." Xia Lian said while busying herself: "When the young lady gives birth to a boy or girl... By the way, it's not enough to just plant flowers. It's better to plant a few fruit trees in the garden..."

"Xia, Lian..."

A few coughs came from outside the door, interrupting Ruan Qinghuan's words of scolding Xia Lian. He saw He An like a shadow under the moonlight, wearing a black robe, and could not be seen clearly.

Is he back today?

He'an asked Jiang Ming to prepare hot water. When Ruan Qinghuan heard this, he wondered if they were going to stay in Changchun Garden?

Ruan Qinghuan's mind was racing. In order to avoid embarrassment, she decided to go to sleep first. Once she fell asleep, it would no longer matter whether it was embarrassing or not.

Ruan Qinghuan went back to the room first, and He An followed closely.

The room was brightly lit, and Ruan Qinghuan saw that he looked a little tired.

He An apologized: "I was too busy to apologize to you. Is your wife still angry?"

"I'm not a frog. I'm not that aggressive. My Lord, please go take a bath."

After he finished speaking, he realized something was wrong: "I mean, you're tired after a day, take a shower and rest."

Ruan Qinghuan really wanted to bite off her tongue. She said this as if she was waiting for him to fall asleep: "Don't get me wrong, I..."

"I'll be quick." He'an went into the bathroom before she could finish.

Ruan Qinghuan's eyes moved back and forth between the couch and the bed, and finally fell on the couch. He quickly lay down on it with the quilt in his arms, counting one, two, three, four, five, six, seven in his mind. Seeing that he was almost reaching one hundred, he still didn't feel sleepy.

As we were dragging on, the bathroom door opened.

Now, Ruan Qinghuan felt more energetic than before.

He'an looked at the petite body curled up on the soft couch. Even the quilt couldn't hide her nervousness. If he hadn't seen her arrogant and domineering look with his own eyes, it would be really hard to associate her with the word powerful.

"Can't sleep so why not chat?"

Feeling the weight at his side, Ruan Qinghuan sat up and saw He An sitting beside the couch with a defensive look in his eyes.

He An just wore the simple clothes on his body without fastening the belt. There were water droplets on his tan skin and his wet hair was dripping with water. He was wrapped in moisture, and he looked both cool and handsome.

Ruan Qinghuan couldn't help swallowing. Was he seducing her?

Then a towel appeared in her hand. He An looked calm and turned his back to her: "Help me wipe my hair."

He has the nerve to act like an old married couple, even though she has only been married for a month.

He'an had never thought about having multiple women in the room before, but now that he came back and there was someone waiting for him, it didn't seem like a bad thing.

The court was busy with affairs, and there had been wars with the southern barbarians before. In addition, there were constant secret struggles for imperial power, so he focused his attention on government affairs.

I even thought that it would be nice to continue living like this, free and doing whatever I want.

Moreover, he had not been optimistic about the marriage with the Ruan family before. According to the information Jiang Ming had heard, the eldest daughter of the Ruan family had a wicked personality and acted rashly. The thought of marrying such a woman into the mansion gave He An a headache just thinking about it.

But under the influence of many factors, he still married Ruan Qinghuan, thinking that as long as she behaved herself and didn't cause trouble, he would give her a stable life.

Since when, He An gradually discovered that this girl was not the same as in the legend.

He is very opinionated, independent, and thoughtful. These characteristics were revealed when Liu Yueru found fault with him several times.

What was even more unexpected for He'an was that she seemed to be just like him, not very optimistic about this marriage, and was indifferent to everything about him. Even though they did not consummate the marriage on the wedding day, they did not make a fuss and lived peacefully.

He'an didn't want to get married before, not because she was resistant, but because it was difficult to find someone who was compatible with her. However, as they spent more time together and got used to each other, it seemed that Ruan Qinghuan was the one who was compatible with her.

When his hair was almost done, Ruan Qinghuan picked up the wooden comb and combed it for him: "Okay, you can rest now, good night, sir."

"Qing Huan."

"Um?"

Tsuruan never knew what attachment felt like, but now he seems to understand.

Ruan Qinghuan noticed that he was a little strange: "My Lord, is there something wrong?"

"I may have to go on a long trip in a few days."

"Oh, I see. Then please be careful, sir."

He An frowned: "..."

She was looking forward to his leaving.