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

Chapter 250 Contradictions
Su Qingwan's face darkened slightly, and a cold smile appeared on her lips. She said, "Now, only Nianqing and I remain in Huainan. If Nianqing does not inherit the throne, then I will be the King of Huainan. You, as the regent, actually want to marry me? Lu Jing, your intentions are as clear as day!"

She turned and walked away without another word. Green Bamboo, seething with anger, glared at Li An and quickly followed Su Qingwan. Lu Jing's heart sank. He wanted to explain, but was speechless, unsure where to begin, and could only fall silent.

Su Qingwan would neither understand nor comprehend the pressure he endured in Kyoto. After all, she was solely focused on the interests of Huainan and hadn't considered the complex situation in the capital at all.

Li An couldn't help but advise, "Master, why don't you just tell the princess the truth? You're under a lot of pressure too. Huainan is a hot potato right now; everyone wants it, but no one wants to touch it!"

Lu Jing sighed and said, "Let her calm down for a few days." Su Qingwan must be extremely angry right now and needs some time to process herself. It's not too late to talk to her after she calms down.

Lu Jing turned and went back to the front yard. Passing the training ground, he saw General Xiao Ning practicing martial arts. General Xiao Ning's wedding was fast approaching, and he had been in high spirits lately. Lu Jing knew he was a general sent from the southwest, had a close relationship with Su Qingwan, and was exceptionally brave from a young age. His fiancée was a bandit, and Su Qingwan had arranged their marriage. If nothing unexpected happened, he would one day become the great general of Huainan.

Lu Jing had some concerns about this, not because he doubted General Xiao Ning's loyalty. After all, General Xiao Ning came from the southwest, and Su Qingwan had no one else to rely on, so she had no choice but to appoint a general from the southwest.

In reality, however, this harbored enormous risks. She urgently needed to cultivate her own loyal forces, especially in terms of military power. Xiao Wu was completely different from the Prince of Huainan twelve years ago. Back then, the Prince of Huainan held military power, which was the most crucial element in his fiefdom. He commanded hundreds of thousands of troops, forming a solid defense line in the southwest.

Currently, all the troops are stationed in the southwest, and the number of guards in Huainan is not large. Lu Jing thought that he would definitely have to send tens of thousands of troops back to Huainan to garrison the border, as the border does not actually need so many troops. However, these soldiers have been loyal to the southwest for many years, and it is hard to say how loyal they are to Huainan. Su Qingwan is neither the King of Huainan nor has she ever been on the battlefield, and she is also a woman. Whether the soldiers can trust her is really an unknown.

People come and go, and it's uncertain whether the former authority of the King of Huainan and his heir will still be enough to intimidate the army. If the Grand General favors the southwest, then the Huainan garrison will effectively be aligned with the southwest; if they have ulterior motives, the Huainan garrison will likely be difficult to mobilize.

General Ning was focused on practicing martial arts and had no time for anything else. When he finally noticed someone, he only caught a glimpse of Lu Jing's clothes and didn't pay it any mind.

For the next two days, Su Qingwan was busy negotiating trade agreements with Xilin Yongxuan, leaving early and returning late, seemingly trying to avoid Lu Jing. But that wasn't the case; she was genuinely overwhelmed with work. Besides Xilin's affairs, she also had to worry about the farmland. Summer was almost over, and the autumn harvest was just around the corner, so she was particularly concerned about Huainan's harvest this year. Despite the fine weather, she frequently went to the countryside to inspect the crops. By the time she returned to the city, it was nearly evening. Hungry and exhausted from a day in the sun and wind, she looked quite disheveled. Seeing this, Lu Jing felt a pang of sympathy and said, "Even if you're avoiding me, you don't need to go to such lengths. This is the Huainan Prince's residence. If you don't want to see me, I can stay at the inn."

Su Qingwan rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "Don't make yourself sound so righteous. If I really asked you to go to the post station, you'd be unhappy again!"

Too lazy to deal with Lu Jing, she quickly washed up and went to the flower hall, where the housekeeper had already prepared a meal.

Su Qingwan quickly finished a bowl of noodles. In the southwest, noodles and flatbreads are the staple food, very filling. Having traveled extensively, she didn't have the same level of formality as a lady from a wealthy family. While she had been paying attention to etiquette when disguised as Xie Zhaolan, she was less concerned with such things in the Prince's residence.

Lu Jing wasn't surprised. He and Su Qingwan had stayed at the estate for a while and knew her temperament. He found her free-spirited and easygoing nature quite charming. The two ate in silence, truly practicing the rule of not speaking while eating. After dinner, Qingyun brewed tea and served fruit. Lu Jing showed no intention of leaving, clearly intending to continue his conversation with Su Qingwan.

Su Qingwan didn't want to drag things out any longer and wanted to resolve the matter quickly so Lu Jing could return to the capital sooner. So she spoke first, "Why don't you want Nianqing to succeed as the Prince of Huainan? He's my brother's eldest son, and his claim to the throne is rightful. The Princess and my brother are engaged. The last time she came to Huainan, she intended to save him, but knowing it was hopeless, she married him, and there were even witnesses at their wedding. Nianqing is a true descendant of Huainan blood. Although he grew up in the Lu family, the Princess never allowed him to be close to them. The Lu family's extermination didn't affect him much, and he's aware of his Huainan origins. Although I can't fathom Nianqing's thoughts, I suspect he'd like to acknowledge his ancestry."

Lu Jing's expression was solemn as he slowly said, "If you could choose between the eldest princess's son and the increasingly declining Prince of Huainan, which would the young master choose? This is a very real question. The young master cannot return to the capital and become the eldest princess's son because the Lu family was wiped out, leaving only him, whose status is awkward. The eldest princess intentionally exposed his identity; many generals have seen him and know he is of Huainan blood, so he will definitely have to return to Huainan. This is a path the eldest princess has long planned. Have you ever considered that once the young master inherits the throne of Huainan, he will be the elder in his fiefdom of Huainan? If the eldest princess wanted to stage a coup, it would be as easy as turning her hand?"

“Nianqing wouldn’t do that!” Su Qingwan retorted.

Lu Jing's expression was calm, but his tone left no room for argument: "They are mother and son. The young master was raised by the Eldest Princess. Although you and he are related as aunt and nephew, there is little affection between you. He will not listen to you. You and I both know the Eldest Princess's ambition to become emperor. If it weren't for the late emperor's proper checks and balances and the fact that his reign was short, she might not have backed down. Now the emperor is young and unable to rule personally, so we share power equally and there are no conflicts for the time being. But as my power becomes more and more secure and the emperor grows up, the conflicts will inevitably intensify, and a split is only a matter of time. The Eldest Princess is already planning ahead, so the fiefdom of Huainan must not fall into the hands of her own son."

Su Qingwan's brows furrowed tightly, still somewhat disbelieving. "You're saying... the Eldest Princess will rebel? Is it just your imagination, or is it really true?"