Bian Ruohan was sent back by palace servants before the hour of xu. When Lu Heng learned that Eunuch Li from Cian Palace had come, he donned a raincoat and rain hat to personally greet him at the front.

Eunuch Li smiled and bowed to Lu Heng, “Earl, this servant pays his respects. The Empress Dowager specifically instructed this servant to escort the madam back to the mansion. Now that she has been safely delivered, this servant has completed his task.”

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. To trouble you with a trip so late—it’s truly been hard work.” Lu Heng smiled and stepped forward, naturally handing over a brocade pouch heavy with golden melon seeds.

Eunuch Li weighed and felt the shape with his hand, immediately knowing what was inside. His eyes crinkled with smiles as he tucked it into his bosom, his attitude becoming several degrees more attentive and fawning: “What are you saying? This is all part of this servant’s duty. Earl Zhongyi is too polite.”

“Not at all. On such a cold day, please just consider this wine money to warm yourself. Does the Empress Dowager have any instructions?”

Eunuch Li glanced at Bian Ruohan, who stood nearby without saying a word, head lowered like a wooden post. He pulled Lu Heng aside and said in a low voice, “The Empress Dowager was in quite good spirits today. Her Majesty is advanced in years and loves nothing more than seeing the younger generation living in harmony and happiness. Earl Zhongyi is an understanding person—you should comprehend this.”

Hearing this, how could Lu Heng not understand?

The Empress Dowager’s mood had originally been good.

So it must have been disturbed by Bian Ruohan.

The Empress Dowager liked seeing the younger generation living in harmony and happiness, meaning she was already tired of this newlywed couple repeatedly causing trouble and bringing their disputes to the palace.

So he couldn’t leave Bian Ruohan in the capital. He would have to take her along when he took up his post. Otherwise, if word reached the Empress Dowager’s ears, it wouldn’t be “harmonious and happy.”

The Empress Dowager’s meaning might very well be the Emperor’s meaning as well—he couldn’t ignore this.

Lu Heng felt annoyed inside but appeared very grateful on the surface, repeatedly expressing thanks, “Thank you for Eunuch Li’s guidance.”

“Ah, you’re too polite, Earl. You’re someone capable around the Emperor, and the Empress Dowager thinks very highly of you. In the future, this servant will surely have many matters, big and small, requiring your assistance.”

Lu Heng had always known that Eunuch Li from Cian Palace was somewhat fond of small gains. Hearing this, he naturally understood this was preparation for future requests, getting his words in early.

Lu Heng exchanged more pleasantries with Eunuch Li and personally held an umbrella to escort him out of the Lu residence.

After returning to the room, Lu Heng stood beside the canopy bed, looking at Bian Ruohan who had already turned her back to him and lay on her side. He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

His voice became gentle, “This time you’ve made a scene all the way to the palace. Are you still angry?”

Bian Ruohan suddenly sat up clutching the quilt, looking up at Lu Heng with grievance, tears falling again as she said in a hoarse voice, “I know you despise me. I-I also know I was wrong that day. But you always lose your temper with me over that cheap woman. I wasn’t born just to be your outlet for anger. You… I already know I shouldn’t have caused trouble, yet you keep holding onto this matter, refusing to acknowledge me, making me unable to hold my head up at home.”

At this point, Bian Ruohan couldn’t help but burst into wails.

Lu Heng rubbed his temples, put on a smiling face, and sat on the bed edge, his large hand gently stroking her tear-stained cheek, “Still crying?”

Bian Ruohan forgot to shed tears, her eyes wide as she stared at Lu Heng.

This was the first time Lu Heng had been so close to her, the first time he had willingly touched her skin.

This man was the head of the Lu family, the current Earl Zhongyi. He was born so handsome. Just as her mother had said, she had married in as a second wife—could she expect the man to be “pure as ice and jade” too? Moreover, men learn about such matters in their teens. He had slept with countless women. Even if he strayed again, she was still the dignified wife of Earl Zhongyi—no one dared change that.

She was, after all, imperial family, and her looks weren’t bad. It was just that she was too spoiled, making it difficult for the man to back down gracefully.

Thinking of this, her lotus-white arms actively wound around Lu Heng’s neck. Bian Ruohan blushed, “My lord, this concubine knows she was wrong. I’ll never cause trouble like this again, never bring our family matters to the palace again. Is that good?”

Lu Heng smiled, his large hand reaching into her garments to knead. She blushed and moaned softly, but the red lips she actively offered were inadvertently avoided by him.

The Emperor probably wouldn’t give him the power to be willful anymore. Since things had reached this point and couldn’t be changed, he would just maintain “harmony and happiness.”

“Princess Consort, you say this rain has been falling for four or five days straight. If it continues like this, won’t it delay our journey?” Ji Yun brought a bowl of hot tea to Qin Yining, “Please have some hot tea to warm yourself.”

Qin Yining nodded. Her slightly cool fingers touched the warm teacup, and the warmth penetrated directly through her pores, making Qin Yining sigh comfortably.

“This rain—summer hasn’t even arrived, yet it feels like we’ve entered autumn. Let’s bring more warm clothing for our departure. Huichuan County is even further north than here.”

“I’ve packed everything for you. You have enough clothes and necessities for the road. If anything’s insufficient, we can buy more once we reach Huichuan County.”

Just then, Pang Xiao returned.

Zi Yuan and Han Xiao took Pang Xiao’s umbrella and placed it outside. Ji Yun and Bingtang served tea and then withdrew.

Qin Yining smiled, “Everything discussed and settled?”

“Mm. The weather’s been bad recently. Should we wait for the rain to stop before departing?” Pang Xiao sat beside Qin Yining and poured himself a cup of hot tea, taking a sip.

Qin Yining shook her head, “We’ll stick to the original plan and depart the day after tomorrow. If there’s rain, we’ll just travel more slowly. Huichuan County isn’t that far from the capital—even taking our time, we’ll arrive within half a month.”

Pang Xiao nodded, reluctant to let her leave yet having no choice but to let her go.

The two spent two tender days together. During these days, rain continued to fall intermittently. When Qin Yining departed, considerable water had already accumulated on the official road outside the city, and the road surface was very muddy.

Qin Yining lifted the carriage curtain and smiled, “Hurry back now. We’ll see each other again soon. Don’t worry—with Master Xie and so many elite Tiger Guards, I’ll be fine.”

In another carriage opposite, Pang Xiao also lifted his curtain to look at her.

Since he was still ill, he naturally couldn’t ride out himself. This way, he couldn’t escort Qin Yining part of the way, which made his heart ache terribly.

“Alright then. Since the time is still good, depart quickly. With the rain, road conditions are uncertain—don’t miss your lodging time.” Pang Xiao instructed Tang Xiu, who was accompanying Qin Yining.

“Yes.” Tang Xiu acknowledged and gave orders.

The caravan slowly began its journey.

Qin Yining smiled and waved at Pang Xiao.

Pang Xiao also smiled at Qin Yining, leaning out halfway to keep watching her until the carriage gradually disappeared from view. Only then did he reluctantly sit properly and order, “Let’s return.”

Suddenly parting from Pang Xiao, Qin Yining’s heart also felt empty. They had been so happy when intimate together—this sudden separation made everything around her feel excessively quiet.

However, everything she did now was for the future when she and Pang Xiao could stay together forever. So this brief separation didn’t amount to much.

Qin Yining’s party didn’t have a smooth journey. Due to the difficult rainy weather, the wheels often got stuck in mud.

“What’s wrong with this weather? Could there be a hole somewhere? This rain has been pattering down for half a month without any sign of stopping. We haven’t seen the sun in so long.”

“Yes, they say spring rain is precious as oil, but with too much oil, won’t it rot the crops?”

Both Bingtang and Ji Yun were worried.

Ji Yun added, “Ever since the Emperor issued the edict making the prince some kind of imperial mausoleum construction supervisor in Huichuan County, the weather has been consistently bad. Could it be that even Heaven is crying injustice for our prince?”

Qin Yining smiled, “Enough. Your thinking is too mystical. Rain is controlled by Heaven—how could humans interfere with such things?”

But neither Bingtang nor Ji Yun thought so.

How severely the Emperor suppressed the prince and princess—they who served close by understood better than anyone. The prince had done so many practical things for the court, yet was gradually weakened to this extent, forcing the princess to secretly send away family and children, even faking death to preserve her life. The current Emperor’s actions chilled even their servant hearts.

It was quite possible that Heaven couldn’t stand the Emperor’s deeds and was thus giving warnings.

However, since Qin Yining forbade such talk, they put away these thoughts and didn’t mention the matter again.

Just as Qin Yining’s inconspicuous caravan slowly approached Huichuan County, in an ordinary household within Huichuan County town, a man of medium build with a dark complexion and two mustaches was pacing back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back.

His robe hem and boots were stained with still-wet mud, showing he had just returned from outside. The floor of the main hall bore messy footprints from his treading.

“Big brother, the Zhou family really doesn’t know how to appreciate favors. We brothers showed them our best skills, yet they stubbornly refused to buy our account.” Another taller middle-aged man said.

“The Lu family’s work is too unreliable.” The man pacing in the center spoke.

If Qin Yining were here, she would definitely recognize his voice as Manager Hu’s, for his hoarse voice was truly unforgettable.

“We bought a county magistrate position from the Lu family, but who knew the Emperor would suddenly interfere and appoint another magistrate. Our magistrate position is definitely usurped.”

“Yes. Haven’t all our silver coins gone down the drain?”

“That doesn’t matter. The Lu family has great wealth—they wouldn’t default on such a sum. But that money for buying office was already scraped together with great difficulty. The Lu family won’t refund money in the short term, and buying another office won’t work. We can only transport the goods out before the new county magistrate and supervisor arrive.”

At this point, Manager Hu looked around the room. Besides Liu Ban, there were four other men—all former brothers from the Qingtian Alliance willing to work with them.

“We’re just six brothers. That stuff is mixed in with large quantities of stone materials. Although I roughly know the location, with just our six men’s strength, it’s impossible to move it out. To steal the goods quietly without alerting the authorities—it’s harder than ascending to heaven.”

“That’s why we’ve been seeking people everywhere, trying to raise more money. The second leader of Black Wind Stronghold has already contacted us. Those heroes on their mountain each have great strength—most convenient for moving stone materials.”