Qin Yining didn’t continue pressing the matter, leaving time for Manager Dahu to consider. She picked up her tea bowl and toyed with the lid, casually observing the other men present.
The moment she raised her eyes, she met Liu Ban’s gaze directly. Unlike before when Liu Ban had been frank and open, he quickly averted his eyes. Then, as if realizing his behavior was inappropriate, he straightened up and looked at Qin Yining with a forced smile.
Qin Yining returned the smile without betraying her thoughts, but suspicion had already taken root in her heart.
Manager Dahu’s thoughts ran deep—it was difficult to discern his true intentions from his facial expressions. But Liu Ban and the others were straightforward men who weren’t skilled at concealing their thoughts.
Their current demeanor clearly indicated they were hiding something from her!
Qin Yining lowered her eyes and set down her tea bowl, acting as she normally would.
Seeing that she was no longer observing them, Liu Ban and the others quietly breathed sighs of relief.
“Boss Qiu’s idea does have merit, but both Earl Zhongyi and Prince Zhongshun are not easy to deal with. Now that they’ve taken their positions, we must be even more careful in our actions.”
“You’re quite right.” Qin Yining nodded with a smile.
Manager Dahu continued, “However, this is indeed a good method. Having Earl Zhongyi bring the items out, then finding a way to intercept them on the road—this would save us considerable trouble.”
“Indeed. This method could eliminate some complications. However, this was just a plan I conceived on the spot. How we actually implement it shouldn’t rely solely on my word—we need to discuss it together before making a decision. Though I’ve had some luck in business, I ultimately lack Hall Master Qiao’s extensive experience in the martial world. This matter still requires your input.”
With a few natural sentences, Qin Yining skillfully elevated Manager Dahu, making him feel extremely pleased.
“Not at all. Boss Qiu is a heroine among women, and your ideas are excellent. It’s just that with such a vast treasure at stake, we cannot help but be cautious.”
Qin Yining nodded repeatedly, expressing her understanding.
After chatting for a while longer, Qin Yining rose to take her leave. Manager Dahu escorted her all the way to the main hall.
Rain fell steadily, forming small puddles on the courtyard’s stone bricks. Qin Yining had to take her maid through the covered walkway toward the entrance.
At the main gate, Pang Xiao hurriedly emerged from the gatehouse, acting like old friends as he bid farewell to the gatekeeper: “Let’s drink together another day!”
“Absolutely!” The gatekeeper nodded repeatedly.
Pang Xiao then respectfully bowed: “Boss, shall we return?”
Seeing that Pang Xiao had gotten so into his role that he’d made a friend in such a short time, Qin Yining found it quite amusing. She gave a subtle nod of approval.
Once in the carriage, Pang Xiao drove around the street corner before Qin Yining suddenly lifted the curtain to speak to him.
“My business didn’t go well today. Those men had strange expressions—arrange for some brothers to investigate their residence. I suspect they’re planning to do something behind my back.”
Pang Xiao immediately grew serious: “Rest assured.”
After lowering the curtain and carefully shielding Qin Yining from the rain, Pang Xiao whistled toward the rear.
Soon, two skilled Tiger Guards with exceptional lightness skills and stealth abilities quietly infiltrated the residence, finding corners where they could carefully lie in ambush.
At the Lu residence, Bian Ruohan stood anxiously by her vanity table, clutching her handkerchief with her head lowered.
Yesterday when Lu Heng returned home, he’d encountered the chaotic scene in the residence. After careful inquiry, he hadn’t even seen her face before going directly to the government office.
This morning when he returned, Bian Ruohan had carefully approached to help Lu Heng change clothes, but he didn’t need her assistance. He changed into casual wear himself and sat on the heated kang by the window to drink tea, leaving her standing aside.
Bian Ruohan felt both angry and wronged. She’d originally meant well, but who could have predicted things would turn out this way? She’d lost all her personal savings, yet she couldn’t even complain—she had to swallow her grievances like broken teeth mixed with blood.
Tears swirled in her eyes. After holding back for a whole night, she truly couldn’t bear it anymore.
Lu Heng set down his tea bowl and tapped his finger on the kang table, producing distinctly clear sounds.
“Come sit.” His voice was neither warm nor cold—temperate, one might say.
Bian Ruohan startled, pulling herself from her resentful emotions. With lowered head, she gracefully approached Lu Heng.
Lu Heng smiled slightly. “Sit down. Tell me exactly what happened—the whole story from beginning to end, so I can see how we should handle this matter.”
Though Lu Heng was smiling, in Bian Ruohan’s eyes, his expression seemed terribly cold and detached, as if he were handling official business rather than facing his newlywed wife.
Tears flowed uncontrollably.
Bian Ruohan sobbed as she spoke: “Those violent mob—I couldn’t stop them no matter what. They came into our residence and stole our belongings. Whether I scolded them or ordered people to block them, it was all useless. Then that Qin woman arrived and not only let those thieves go with our stolen goods, but also claimed she would compensate for our losses. But she was just moving her lips in front of people! When everyone left and I asked her for compensation, she said I should first return her family’s things—settling accounts one by one. Earl, don’t you think she was bullying me?”
Bian Ruohan told Lu Heng about the incident that had made her feel most wronged. But hearing these words stirred entirely different feelings in Lu Heng’s heart.
Faced with such a foolish and troublesome Bian Ruohan, Qin Yining’s intelligence, wit, and capability made his heart yearn for her even more. Her every smile and frown seemed to appear before his eyes.
With such a contrast in Bian Shi, Lu Heng’s feelings for the unattainable Qin Yining only grew stronger.
However, the woman before him was the wife arranged by the Emperor—he had to consider this fact and couldn’t completely disregard Bian Ruohan’s feelings.
“Enough. I thought it was some major matter, but it turns out to be women bickering.”
She’d been bullied, yet Lu Heng merely called it bickering between her and the Qin woman!
Bian Ruohan’s heart ached as if pierced by needles, and tears streamed down her face: “When my lord says this, what am I to do? Clearly she bullied me, and when I tell you about it, you should at least help resolve it for me. But you’re completely taking an outsider’s side.”
Seeing Bian Ruohan being so unreasonable, only knowing how to make demands based on her petty concerns like an immature child, Lu Heng grew impatient.
“Wasn’t it you who first ordered people to rob the Prince’s residence?”
Bian Ruohan choked at these words, lowering her head: “I… I didn’t. I only had them teach a small lesson, and I never told them to beat anyone or steal people’s property.”
Bian Ruohan prided herself on her noble birth—what didn’t she have? If she hadn’t harbored resentment toward Qin Yining, how could she have made such a decision? But her seeking trouble with Qin Yining was entirely because she cared too much about Lu Heng. Who told Lu Heng to keep thinking about someone else?