Chapter 528: Bestowed A Marriage 3

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Qi Qingyao did not know how to react even after Lu Yan left. No matter how you put it, if they really were seriously contemplating this, the one who was gaining advantage was her since Lu Yan’s family was the wealthiest in Northern Liang!

Apart from that dark incident in his past, he was absolutely pure and chaste the rest of his life! He was a completely clean and lovely guy. He was nothing like her, who did not have a good reputation in her hometown. Forget her having kids out of wedlock, she did not even know who the father of the children was. If this had happened in Daming or the farther areas of Eastern Ling, the sinner would have likely been drowned in a wicker basket!

Although she had carved out something of a name for herself afterward, the added value that enabled her to come to Capital City came entirely from Si Jin and his sudden existence!!

Without Si Jin, she was just an ordinary little woman from a normal village!

Qi Qingyao still was not quite clear about what she was actually capable of.

Qi Qingyao returned to the dining hall from the front hall and noticed that the triplets had already eaten. Dabao and Xiaobao were pestering Zhu Shen to hire a teacher, saying that they wanted to study!

Li Ruoxuan had brought Erniu to the garden.

They were supposedly starting their first lesson.

Qi Qingyao sneakily ran over to peek and saw that Li Ruoxuan was sitting on a stone platform while Erniu was hugging a traditional drum stool while seated below the platform. Her chin was in her hands as she listened solemnly to Li Ruoxuan’s words.

Erniu looked confused most of the time since she was just a four-year-old child, and it was unrealistic to expect her to be able to understand everything.

Li Ruoxuan did not hold it against her, however, and would even nod his head sometimes and ask Erniu whether or not she understood and to ask him questions if she did not. Erniu furrowed her brows seriously, firing off her questions continuously like cannons as if she had hundreds and thousands of ‘why’s.

Qi Qingyao’s heart dropped, would Li Ruoxuan throttle Erniu out of exasperation?

She was a child and would naturally have a lot of questions. The girl did not know how to read much either and her knowledge of the world was even more lacking!

Hence, Erniu had treated Li Ruoxuan as a regular teacher at that moment and bombarded him with questions.

Qi Qingyao’s eyes were fixed on the pair nervously. If Li Ruoxuan showed a hint that he was going to rough up Erniu, she would have to swoop in and save her!

To her surprise, after a moment,

Li Ruoxuan still looked very calm, he even laughed.

He continued to explain all sorts of things to Erniu.

Erniu also looked as if she was very satisfied with her “teacher’s” answers.

An hour later, Li Ruoxuan declared that they would end their lesson for the day, his reasoning being that a child would not be able to take in too much anyway. He let Erniu off to play before having lunch later on.

After Erniu went looking for Dabao and Xiaobao to play,

Qi Qingyao walked in from the other side of the courtyard walls, coughing lightly.

She feigned calmness as she said,

“And here I thought you wouldn’t have the patience.”

Li Ruoxuan remained seated on the large stone platform. He glanced up at the sky before getting to his feet and jumping down. He said, “She’s only 4 years old, she’s at an age where she wouldn’t be able to sit still anyway. Her personality is quite similar to yours. If I weren’t patient, this disciple of mine might just run off.”

Qi Qingyao, “…”

Li Ruoxuan began walking toward the study. Qi Qingyao followed him quietly. He did not turn around to chase her away.

With that, Qi Qingyao followed Li Ruoxuan all the way to the study.

Li Ruoxuan sat behind his yellow rosewood table and glanced at the large pile of letters and documents on his table. He looked up and asked Qi Qingyao while he tore open a letter,

“Didn’t you say that you wanted to head out today? Why are you still here?”

“I don’t feel like it.”

Qi Qingyao randomly chose a carved, redwood round chair at the side to sit down. She picked an apple from the fruit plate beside the study table and began munching on it.

She started talking business as she chewed.

“Did you know? I gave Lu Yan a suggestion that we can go ahead with the request of the imperial edict and then just get a divorce after we are done.”

Li Ruoxuan’s fingers suddenly stopped. He lifted his head to look at her.

Qi QIngyao continued, “This doesn’t count as a refusal of the imperial edict now, does it? Anyway, guess what? In the end, not just Lu Yan but his entire family all found it agreeable for us to marry according to the imperial edict. They didn’t even think about us getting a divorce… Don’t you think it’s a bummer?”

Li Ruoxuan’s expression was rather bizarre. His lips slightly parted, he said, “So you had originally planned to get married first then get a divorce?”

Qi Qingyao sat up straight from her initially lazy posture. “I said a lot of things just now, did none of them get into your head?”

Li Ruoxuan coughed lightly. He retracted his gaze and pretended to go back to reading his letter. As if nothing happened, he said, “Of course, I heard what you said. What I meant is, why didn’t you tell me your plan earlier if you had already drawn it up?”

Qi QIngyao answered with a strange expression, “Why should I need to tell you that? I’m the one who’s being betrothed, not you.”

Li Ruoxuan, “…”

He had no idea how to answer that after she made it sound as if there was nothing wrong at all.

However, the Lu family’s decision… Li Ruoxuan could understand it.

Although Li Ruoxuan did not really fancy Qi Qingyao, he still did not want her to get stuck with the Lu family after marrying their young master!

He deliberately said,

“You have Si Jin backing you, of course the Lu family would be happy to trap you, little miss popular.

“Si Jin’s power is too horrifying and unfathomable. He could come out of the battle against two grand masters unscathed while having killed one and heavily injuring the other. That means he has the power to go up against four grand masters at once. If someone was really equivalent to four grand masters, just think about what kind of existence he is.

“If the Lu family has a grand master of such a level backing them, to them it would mean that they would become even more powerful!

“Generally speaking, if the Lu family decided to rebel afterward, it would be a piece of cake for them…”

…

…

Qi Qingyao looked at Li Ruoxuan, dumbfounded.

“Y-you mean to say that, the Lu family just wants to use me?” How foolish of her to think that Lu Yan was being earnest just now.

Li Ruoxuan said lightly, “Who asked you to be so disillusioned, leading you into thinking that Lu Yan actually likes you in earnest? Would the wealthiest family in Northern Liang sincerely accept a widow with three kids to marry their most favored child as his lawfully wedded wife?”

Qi Qingyao, “…”

One of the three greatest illusions of life was that the wealthiest family would allow their son to marry a widow who already has a few children!

Li Ruoxuan once again made things clear. “If you really don’t want to go against the imperial edict, just don’t worry about what the Lu family does. After you marry him, just go according to your initial plan and get a divorce after a month.”

Although Li Ruoxuan used to quite hate the fact that Qi Qingyao had Si Jin by her side, he was wishing for Si Jin’s quick return at this moment.

If Si Jin were to appear, Qi Qingyao would not have to go against the imperial edict. Si Jin would just have to enter the palace and forcefully get rid of it!

No one else could defy the little empress’s orders apart from Si Jin.

Qi Qingyao sighed. “It doesn’t matter what I do, I will always be reduced into a political chess piece! Truly, one’s fortune is their own ruin.”

Qi Qingyao pressed her lips together and said, “If humans are unable to jump too high, trying it would only lead to their legs being broken easily!”

Li Ruoxuan begged to differ. “Everything is a double-edged sword. If you weren’t this capable, you might have already starved to death in the village long ago, no? ”

Qi Qingyao, “…”

Her silence led to Li Ruoxuan thinking about another matter.

The Head Grand Secretariat had likely received news of her being bestowed marriage as well.

He was suddenly very curious how Jiang Yeqian would react to this.