Chapter 26: A Wife is Not as Good as a Concubine, a Concubine is Not as Good as a Secret

The door suddenly opened, and He An's face immediately darkened, but when he saw Ruan Qinghuan, he instantly relaxed.

This was the first time Ji Lingchuan had seen such a change of expression in all the years he had known him.

I couldn't help but look down on He Anlai more in my heart. He always had a stern face and looked like he didn't want strangers to approach him. Now that he has a wife, isn't he still unable to keep his composure?

"Madam, do you want to talk to me about something?" He An stood up and pulled a chair to the desk.

Ji Lingchuan continued to complain in his heart: This guy, I wish he could just stick close to me.

I couldn't help but sigh in my heart that such a famous prime minister could not escape the tragic ending of fear.

Ruan Qinghuan saw Ji Lingchuan's expression and found that he was somewhat similar to the character portrayed in the original book. He had been fighting for many years and was a casual person who did not want to be bound by rules.

In the original book, he often discussed with He'an in private about the prince's fear of the inner world.

Ruan Qinghuan bowed to him and asked, "Have you met General Ji?"

"Sister-in-law, do you recognize me?"

Ruan Qinghuan smiled and said, "I happened to run into General Ji on his way back to the capital on the street. We met once."

Fortunately, she reacted quickly, otherwise she would have been exposed.

He personally poured a cup of tea for the two of them, picked up a cup and placed it on the small table next to Ji Lingchuan, then returned to the desk and sat down.

Ji Lingchuan just felt that the calm and relaxed Jing'er of the Prime Minister's Mansion was a little different from what was rumored in the market.

He'an thought Ruan Qinghuan was busy and wanted to send Ji Lingchuan away, but he saw that Ruan Qinghuan seemed very interested in the map on the table.

She stood up and looked at it carefully for a moment: "Isn't this a topographic map of the area around Lucheng?"

"That's right. I'm studying with Lingchuan how to build dams to more effectively resist floods."

Ruan Qinghuan snorted coldly, where is the liar?

The two of them were clearly playing a guessing game, trying to guess where the second prince's private soldiers were hiding.

But she couldn't say it directly.

How can we convey the message to them without arousing suspicion?

Ruan Qinghuan was fascinated by the picture. Ji Lingchuan joked, "I didn't expect that my sister-in-law could understand this picture. I am really impressed by her."

"I can only understand a little bit."

Ruan Qinghuan suddenly had an idea. Since it was disaster relief, she should start with the victims. She pointed to the location where the dike was built and said, "The dike was built in the southeast of Lucheng, which is the direction of the mountain torrent. However, the dike was built in a hurry, so the quality is naturally not optimistic."

As he spoke, he looked at He'an and found that he was looking at him: "Qing Huan overstepped his bounds, please don't be angry, sir."

"No, you continue?"

Ruan Qinghuan was already feeling uneasy because of the way he was looking at her, but He An put his hand on her waist, helped her sit down and spoke.

"In my opinion, even if you go now, it may not be in time to reinforce the dike. It would be better to move the people in the dangerous areas downstream to the mountains in the west, so that it will be easier to rescue them in a unified way."

"The mountains on the east and south sides are not too steep, and the terrain is not complicated. If a flood occurs, the height is high enough to avoid the flood... So..."

"Wait..." Upon hearing this, Ji Lingchuan suddenly stood up and walked to the desk, looking at the endless mountains on the map.

Before, I only thought about the hiding place of the private soldiers, but I forgot that once the flood broke out, these private soldiers would definitely avoid places where people gathered, otherwise once they were exposed, they would inevitably attract encirclement and suppression by the court.

Ruan Qinghuan pretended to be shocked: "What I said... is wrong?"

Ji Lingchuan first glanced at He'an, who naturally understood what he said and said, "Madam, you are absolutely right. You have solved a difficult problem for us two."

Ruan Qinghuan: "Sir, please don't tease me. I am just talking based on the pictures. It may not work in real life. You and General Ling should think carefully about it. This is related to the livelihood of the people and cannot be taken lightly."

Ruan Qinghuan walked out of the study and let out a breath.

He'an, oh He'an, marrying me will be a blessing for you for eight lifetimes.

Looking at the post in Xia Lian's hand, Ruan Qinghuan asked, "What is this?"

Xia Lian: "This was sent from the Second Prince's residence, saying that they are inviting the Prime Minister and the Young Madam to a banquet in Taoyuan."

After receiving the note, Ruan Qinghuan frowned. This was the Second Prince taking the initiative to show goodwill to He'an, and he probably didn't want him to go to Lucheng.

The matter of Lucheng was of great importance. Once it was exposed, the Second Prince would be doomed. If he followed his plan, he would only send an official from the Ministry of Revenue and then take the opportunity to get rid of him, and then he could say that it was the Ministry of Revenue that was not doing its job well.

In comparison, even if he really got rid of He An, the follow-up would still be very troublesome.

Therefore, the best way is to ensure that the Second Prince's plan is not disrupted.

Seeing that she looked unhappy, Xia Lian reminded her, "Madam, we ran into Miss Xiaoyue on the street a few days ago. She seemed to say that she would also go to Taoyuan."

Ruan Qinghuan nodded. If Xia Lian hadn't said anything, she would have forgotten about it.

At the Ruan residence, Zheng Qiaohui was combing her eldest daughter's hair in front of the mirror, her eyes blossoming with joy: "Xiaoyue, even though the position of the Guard Commander is not as high as He'an's, he has soldiers under his command. These days, whoever has military power has the weight of their words."

"Miss Pei treats you so well, so it must be that her brother likes you. Even if it's not the case, it doesn't matter. The guests attending the Taoyuan Banquet are all young men and women from high-ranking officials and noble families. You might be able to meet someone you like."

Ruan Xiaoyue's eyes curved, but she said coquettishly, "Mom, don't talk nonsense. I just get along better with Pei Wen."

Ruan Xiaoyue had seen Pei Chong from afar many times. That man was handsome and had a straight figure. He looked not much worse than He An. However, she didn't know whether General Pei would be attracted to her.

It was late at night and everyone was asleep, but the atmosphere in the secret room of the Second Prince's Mansion was depressing.

The second prince slammed the table angrily and said, "I have said long ago that Lucheng's affairs must not be left to others. Now, He'an has taken the initiative to ask for permission, and the emperor has agreed. What do you think we should do about this matter?"

A white-haired strategist half-squinted his eyes, revealing shrewdness and viciousness: "Your Highness must not panic at this moment. He'an cannot know about the private soldiers. This trip to Lucheng is about the flood..."

"Is the flood a minor problem?" The Second Prince interrupted him, "Of the five thousand taels of disaster relief silver, nearly four thousand taels are missing. If this is discovered, my father will definitely punish me."

Pei Chong stabbed the knife into the ground: "If that's the case, then he will have no way back."

The second prince closed his eyes, raised his hand and pinched his brows: "He An is the prime minister of the dynasty. If something happens to him, there will be more trouble in the future."

Recently, because of the events in Lucheng, the Second Prince has become increasingly irritable and gets angry at the slightest provocation, causing these conspirators to not dare to open their mouths easily, for fear of saying something wrong and causing trouble.

But once on the Second Prince’s boat, there was no way to get off, so I had to bite the bullet and move forward.

At this time, a younger counselor stood up and said, "Your Highness, in my opinion, the Prime Minister is also a human being, and humans have greedy desires. As long as we cater to his preferences, we are not afraid of not being able to pry this stone away."

"Catering to his taste?" The second prince frowned. He really didn't know what He An particularly liked.

The young strategist pretended to be mysterious and asked, "General Liu's sister, Liu Yueru?"

Pei Chong sneered upon hearing this: "You are a scheming man who can only think behind closed doors. Miss Liu has now been sent out of the Prime Minister's Residence and moved back to the new house with her lover. If He An really wants to let her go?"

"Hey, General Pei doesn't understand. When Miss Liu's fiancé made trouble, even if He An had feelings for her, he couldn't ignore his reputation. If he really had feelings for her, why would he be so eager to bring her back to the Prime Minister's Mansion on the wedding night?"

"As the saying goes, a wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a secret lover... The more times like this, the more exciting it is."