Raising a wife? The mistress of the Hou family divorced and remarried her younger uncle

Chapter 249 Official Business
Su Qingwan laid bare her heart to Lu Jing without reservation, every word sincere and heartfelt, and all she said was the truth. Lu Jing could not deny it, and a dull pain even welled up deep within him.

It turns out she had already made up her mind.

They were young, yet mature beyond their years, and both understood each other's persistence and determination. Lu Jing knew that once Su Qingwan made her decision, it was like spilled water that could not be taken back. He was filled with a desire to keep her, but he couldn't utter a single word.

But he was so unwilling to accept it!
Lu Jing spoke with difficulty, his voice trembling slightly: "Xiao Wu, is there really no chance at all?"

Su Qingwan's gaze was firm, without the slightest hesitation: "You come to Huainan!" After a pause, she continued, "Is that even possible?"

Lu Jing fell silent, the deep night seeming to swallow him whole. Su Qingwan smiled gently, a smile that appeared particularly poignant in the moonlight: "Why ask me to do what you yourself cannot do? If my parents were still alive, and my brothers and sisters had not been slaughtered, I would be nothing more than a carefree princess of Huainan. Back then, when we met and fell in love, perhaps I would have considered marrying into the capital. But the reality is, now only Nianqing and I remain in Huainan. Nianqing has been raised in the princess's residence since childhood, unaware of his own origins. I don't even know what he thinks of Huainan, or whether he is willing to acknowledge his ancestors. If Nianqing is unwilling, I will not blame him; I will respect his choice. But if that is the case, I am the only bloodline of Huainan, and I will never leave my fiefdom of Huainan."

Lu Jing looked up at the night sky, where the cold moon hung high, seemingly silently telling of his helplessness and loss. Su Qingwan could clearly feel the aura of disappointment emanating from him, but she couldn't guess what he was thinking at that moment.

Actually, some things could have been discussed openly; she understood that they were all deeply mired in their own predicaments.

"Xiao Wu, do you like me?" Lu Jing's voice rang out in the quiet night, asking seemingly casually, as if he didn't care about Su Qingwan's answer.

But in reality, he already had the answer in his heart.

Su Qingwan lowered her head slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips: "I will not invite a stranger to Huainan and say I want to marry him." Her tone was calm, yet it conveyed an undeniable determination: "Lu Ziyu, liking someone is not enough to overcome all difficulties. I cannot do it."

She couldn't give him that kind of passionate love that could break through all obstacles!

"I understand!" Lu Jing took a deep breath, as if to swallow all the bitterness in his heart. "It's getting late, let's go back."

The prefectural government office wasn't far from the prince's residence. The two walked side by side, their steps heavy. Li An and Lü Zhu followed behind, deliberately keeping a distance. From afar, they could see a deathly silence between Su Qingwan and Lu Jing, without the slightest exchange.

Unable to contain herself, Li An asked with some concern, "Sister Green Bamboo, does your princess have someone she likes?"

Green Bamboo rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "What's it to you?"

“My master is really good, loyal and devoted. Over the years, he has only loved the princess.” Li An hurriedly explained, trying to make Green Bamboo have a good impression of his master.

"Oh, you like it that much?" Green Bamboo said expressionlessly, her tone tinged with sarcasm. "Then you can marry into Huainan! I can prepare a dowry for him, a ten-mile-long red procession."

Li An was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

The conversation was going nowhere; Green Bamboo hadn't wanted to say anything more to him in the first place. Li An inwardly groaned. The princess's trusted maidservant must know her best. Her master had come to Huainan specifically for the marriage proposal. Although it was currently a time of national mourning, and discussing marriage was premature, arranging it sooner would prevent the princess from using him for a political marriage for the sake of Huainan's overall interests. From any perspective, her master was a perfect match for the princess!
Li Anxin was still unwilling to give up, and continued, "The Princess of Huainan marrying the Regent is simply a match made in heaven. In the future, our master can also mediate the matter of the Huainan fiefdom, which is better than the princess fighting against the court alone. The Huainan fiefdom was abolished twelve years ago and has become a no-man's land in recent years. The court has also tacitly agreed that there are no more fiefdoms. The princess is a woman, and the court may not be willing to return the fiefdom, but our master can help mediate. The princess marrying into the capital as a princess is not a loss at all. Besides, in the whole world, who else is worthy of the princess but my master?"

“If he doesn’t help the princess if she doesn’t marry him, then his love for the princess isn’t that real. True love with conditions? How hypocritical!” Green Bamboo remained unmoved and retorted mercilessly.

Li An was once again rendered speechless by the rebuttal. After a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "My master would never negotiate with her in order to marry the princess."

Green Bamboo clapped her hands, a slightly mocking smile appearing on her face: "That's great, my young lady will negotiate with your master for Huainan's sake."

Li An fell completely silent, wondering to himself how this Sister Green Bamboo could be so sharp-tongued. He tried to say something nice for his master, but she just snapped at him.

Under the moonlight, Su Qingwan and Lu Jing walked silently back to the Prince's Mansion.

Su Qingwan secretly pondered that this might be their last time alone together. Lu Jing knew her feelings and resolve, and would surely leave Huainan. He was a proud and arrogant man with a strong sense of self-respect; he would never cling to her desperately.

"When are you returning to the capital?" Su Qingwan broke the silence first, her voice echoing in the night sky.

"After Xilin Yongxuan leaves Huainan, I will return to the capital. I have something to discuss with you, this time it's official business!" Lu Jing came to Huainan for two reasons: first, for Su Qingwan, and second, he genuinely had official business to attend to.

"Do you want to speak with me alone, or with General Ning and Prefect Yun? Should we avoid any appearance of impropriety?" Su Qingwan asked calmly, almost coldly. Her relationship with Lu Jing was delicate, and if she wanted to avoid any appearance of impropriety, there should indeed be other people present.

Lu Jing smiled gently, a complex meaning in his smile: "It is said that you are in charge of all military and political affairs in Huainan. We can talk to you; we don't need outsiders."

Su Qingwan replied decisively, "Okay!"

Green Bamboo pondered to herself, thinking how beautiful and spirited her young lady was, showing no respect for the prince whatsoever, and completely devoid of emotion when discussing official business. She was truly remarkable! Why should she be forced to marry into the capital and endure all the gossip? Huainan City was so much better; if he truly loved her, marrying into the family would be the only right thing to do!
"What do you want to talk about?" Su Qingwan finally couldn't help but ask, taking advantage of the beautiful moonlight.

"You are now governing Huainan, yet you haven't had Prefect Yun petition to restore his fiefdom. Are you waiting for Lu Nianqing to return?" Lu Jing cut to the chase, his tone serious. "We both know each other's backgrounds, so let's have an open and honest discussion. The court's attitude toward this matter is not unified."

Su Qingwan remained silent for a long time before finally nodding slowly: "Yes! Actually, when we were subduing the bandits, I considered leading the Huainan Guard to suppress them, deliberately feigning weakness and suffering a few defeats to embolden the bandits. Then, when Nianqing returned, I would lead the Guard to wipe them out in one fell swoop, leaving no one alive. This would be the fastest way for Nianqing to seize power and gain the support of the people in the Huainan fiefdom. But after thinking about it carefully, I realized there was no need for bloodshed just to give Nianqing power. It's better to..." "To resolve the bandit problem peacefully, I should try to do so. They are all people of Huainan; there's no need for me to rush things. If Nianqing cares about Huainan and is willing to govern it well, he can still gain the support of its people. Right now, he's still traveling, and we've stopped corresponding. I don't know his thoughts, nor am I sure if he's willing to return to his ancestral home. If he does, then he will be the new King of Huainan; if he doesn't want to return, I can understand, and then I will become that King of Huainan!"

She was determined to take this land back!
Lu Jing frowned slightly; in fact, he had already anticipated Su Qingwan's plan. Su Qingwan looked at him and pressed, "Is there something wrong with it?"

“Lu Nianqing is the eldest princess’s biological son, and many generals in the court know his identity. If he were to declare himself king in Huainan, it would pose a great threat. I fear that before the emperor can assume full power, another palace coup will occur!” Lu Jing’s voice was gentle yet carried an undeniable force. “Fifth Prince, Lu Nianqing grew up under the eldest princess’s care. Although he has Huainan blood, he has never received the upbringing of the Huainan royal family. Mother and son are of one heart. If Lu Nianqing wants to be made king in Huainan, I will strongly oppose it!”