Once Dong Jing returned to his seat, he gulped and said, “Master, I don’t think this is the right time. Considering how Lady Qi is, she will doubt your intentions.” His master’s confession must have been brushed off.

They might not even stay friends.

Lu Yan cradled his forehead. He knew deep down the timing had been wrong. “It doesn’t matter, I have said what I had to say—it’s better than to leave things vague all the time. I want her to know what I think.”

He had just delivered his words firmly when less than a second later, Lu Yan clutched his heart as if it hurt and sighed emotionally. “God, what if she ignores me after this? Or… rejects me… She wouldn’t give up our friendship too, would she?”

Have you just realized this?! Dong Jing was speechless, but it was not good for him to criticize his master, so he could only comfort him and say, “Master, calm down! This servant thinks that Lady Qi would consider your feelings carefully if she knows that you were not kidding.”

“Really?”

Dong Jing’s words instantly comforted Lu Yan’s feelings of disgust and loss. He said to himself, “Do you think she will accept me? No, no, not accept. Do you… think she will give me a chance to court her?”

Dong Jing did not know how to answer this question. Lu Yan answered as if talking to himself, “No, I have to write a letter immediately when I get home. I cannot force her. I just told her about my feelings. I don’t want to force her to give me an answer immediately…”

Agreeing wholeheartedly, Dong Jing said, “Yes, yes. This servant also thinks that this is the best course of action. A watched pot never boils. If Lady Qi thinks that your confession is to force an answer out of her, would it not backfire? You might not even be able to stay friends after that.”

The white cat on the carriage roof listened in on the conversation between the two in the car and could not help shaking its big tail. Oh, humans!

Then, it narrowed its golden pupils, slightly troubled. Should it support Lu Yan or Si Jin?

Lu Yan was, after all, its owner! He often gave it delicious treats…

Si Jin, however… He was also a good friend!

The white cat could not help but feel even more troubled when it thought of this.

…

…

Hearing from Zhu Shen that Lu Yan had brought Dong Jing along as they left in a hurry, Li Ruoxuan feigned casualness and walked toward the front hall. He noticed her sitting there in silence, as if in a daze. Pretending he did not know what had happened, he asked, “Has Lu left?”

“He left.” Qi Qingyao still looked out of it when she answered absent-mindedly.

“Then what are you doing sitting here alone dumbly?” Could it be that Lu Yan had said something weird just now? Li Ruoxuan wondered.

Qi Qingyao scratched her head. Returning to her senses, she replied, “Little Yan… He, Lu Yan, just now, he…”

Li Ruoxuan made a guess rooted in despise and viciousness, “What happened to him just now? Was he suddenly dying because of some disease flare-up?”

 “No.” Qi Qingyao shook her head and said thoughtfully, “He said a lot of strange things just now.”

“How strange?” Li Ruoxuan asked.

Qi Qingyao touched her lower jaw as she said, “He allowed me to be interested in him, allowed me to like him. He allowed me to have my way with him.”

“…”

Li Ruoxuan could hardly breathe. He walked to a chair at the side and took a seat upon hearing that. Hands gripping the armrest of the chair, he then turned around and asked her, “What did you do to him just now?” To have Lu Yan say that! Was it Lu Yan who had gone crazy just now, or was it her?

 Qi Qingyao spread her hands innocently. “Nothing. We just had a cup of tea together.”

Then that meant, “He went mad?” asked Li Ruoxuan.

“It didn’t look like it.” Qi Qingyao shook her head again.

Li Ruoxuan laughed with a smile and added, “Don’t take it to heart. He was just joking.”

Qi Qingyao continued carefully, “But he didn’t look like he was, he said it pretty seriously.”

Li Ruoxuan continued to try to divert the situation, saying, “You’re the Harbinger. The Lu family wants you so that their strength will double! Businessmen, their words may sound sincere but all they have in their minds is money! Don’t trust him.”

“…”

Qi Qingyao was prepared to reply, but the steward came rushing toward them. He stood outside the hall and reported, “Lady Qi, the Lu family has sent a letter.”

The steward presented the letter with both hands.

Qi Qingyao looked up.

Li Ruoxuan walked over and took the letter somewhat impatiently. He was really curious about the contents of the letter but did not dare open it. He could only bring it over and place it in her hand.

Qi Qingyao muttered, “He just left, and he already sent me a letter. There’s something wrong with him ”

Li Ruoxuan pretended to ask casually, “What did he write?”

“It’s nothing to do with you.” Qi Qingyao turned away to open the letter. Li Ruoxuan distanced himself a little. He pretended to pace around the hall but then stretched his neck and looked toward her back.

Qi Qingyao’s back had, however, obscured his view entirely.

While Qi Qingyao was not paying attention, he lifted himself onto a table. He could see more from higher ground.

Written in the letter.

[To Yaoyao: What I said just now was not because I wanted you to give me an answer, I just wanted to inform you of my feelings. I just want you to give me the chance to pursue you…

Sincerely, Little Yan.]

Qi Qingyao read the letter.

Then, she put it away with her expression somewhat quiet.

“Tsk.”

Li Ruoxuan had already gotten off the table. With his hands behind his back, he continued pacing the hall. He snorted coldly and said, “It has nothing to do with me if someone confessed to you. But as your current protector, as your daughter’s master, I have something to say. You’re special now—so don’t trust just anyone easily, including me. Everyone has their own schemes. If you fall into the traps prepared for you too readily, you will be the one who will suffer.”

Saying that, Li Ruoxuan then turned to leave the hall.

He strode out toward his courtyard.

Zhu Shen hurriedly tailed his master.

He heard Li Ruoxuan curse as he entered the courtyard.

“Lu Yan, that b*stard, he really knows how to pick a time.”

“Your Excellency?”

Who was it?

Lu Yan?

Pick a time for what?

“He actually confessed to that little woman! How dreadful.” Li Ruoxuan kicked a rock on the ground angrily. That large rock was immediately sent flying toward the wall, making a hole in it before it landed in the pond in the garden on the other side.

There was a splash before it sank to the bottom of the pond.

Zhu Shen looked at his Excellency’s troubled appearance. “Your Excellency…”

“Zhu Shen, prepare ink and paper.”

Li Ruoxuan immediately walked toward the study, utterly discomfited as he said, “I would like to write a letter to the Head Grand Secretariat.”

Zhu Shen, “???”.

Lu Yan had confessed to Lady Qi yet his Excellency wanted to pen a letter to the Head Grand Secretariat. Could he be trying to get him to do his dirty work!?

Not long after.

The letter was sent to the gates of what used to be the Head Grand Secretariat’s residence but was now just Jiang Yeqian’s home.

The steward noted that the State Preceptor had sent a letter and did not dally, hurriedly delivering that letter into master Zhao Xin’s hand.

Zhao Xin immediately pushed the letter toward Jiang Yeqian. “Master, the State Preceptor has sent a letter.”

Jiang Yeqian accepted the letter with suspicion. He noted that the ink was still fresh. “I’m no longer the Head Grand Secretariat, so why did Li Ruoxuan write me a letter?”

“…” Zhao Xin thought to himself, ‘Master, how am I supposed to know if even you don’t?’

Once Jiang Yeqian opened the letter, he realized that the contents were not long…

[To my dear Head Grand Secretariat:

There is something you might wish to know, that’s why I will so kindly tell you.

Lu Yan has confessed to Qi Qingyao…

The little lady Qi is also beginning to consider it seriously…

In his confession, he said something like, “I allow you to be interested in me, I allow you to like me, I allow you to have your way with me.”

Listening to it gave me goosebumps!

I wonder what you think about this.

Yours faithfully, Little Xuan.]

Jiang Yeqian wanted to throw the letter away the moment he saw the opening!

Stomaching his disgust, he continued reading. The matter gave Jiang Yeqian a headache, but he did not throw a fit. Li Ruoxuan’s final sign-off almost made him throw up, though.

Speechless, he burned the letter.

He cursed.

“F*ck!”

“Your Excellency???”

Zhao Xin thought silently, ‘His Excellency is no longer the Head Grand Secretariat, so why would the State Preceptor deliberately send this letter to upset his Excellency? The State Preceptor was crossing the line! He is already a grand master. Just what else does he want?’

Once Jiang Yeqian burned the letter, he cursed hatefully, “Confessing to her at such a time. A woman as shrewd as she wouldn’t fall for it.” Saying that, he added heavily, “She definitely wouldn’t!”

That last part was not for other people. It was mostly for himself.

Zhao Xin, “???”

Who had confessed to who?

It could not possibly be the State Preceptor who had confessed to Lady Qi now, could it?

However, the State Preceptor had always stood to gain from confessing. Had his Excellency believed it just like that?

Jiang Yeqian picked up the teacup and took a sip. He put the teacup down heavily and muttered further.

“Deliberately writing me a letter. He is thinking about having me do his dirty work for him! Does he think I’m stupid?”

Zhao Xin, “???”

What he had said… If it had not been the State Preceptor who had confessed to Lady Qi, then who did? Who would have rushed to confess to the Harbinger?

Zhao Xin was filled with curiosity, but he did not dare ask…

Jiang Yeqian contemplated for a while before saying to Zhao Xin, “Pack luggage. We’re going to live in the State Preceptor’s residence.”

Zhao Xin, “Huh?”

“What are you dawdling for ? Get going,” Jiang Yeqian urged.

Zhao Xin, “But, but your Excellency… you know that the little empress…”

Zhao Xin did not dare continue.

However, he knew that his master understood what he meant.

With a superficial smile, Jiang Yeqian said, “Intelligence on the Harbinger is very valuable and is enough to cover many things. If the little empress were to ask, all I would have to say is that I want to quickly ascend to grand mastership—that’s why getting close to the Harbinger is a good thing. As the saying goes, there are benefits to be reaped by getting into an advantageous position!”

Zhao Xin thought it made sense and so hurriedly went to pack his master’s luggage.

As he was finishing up packing his luggage, Zhao Xin thought, ‘We’re going to go live in the State Preceptor’s residence, but we don’t know if the State Preceptor… will chase us away!’

Before he could even ask, he saw that Jiang Yeqian had already asked the coachman to prepare the carriage and that a few of the maids had even moved some of his frequently used items into the carriage.

Zhao Xin thought to himself, it was like they were moving houses…

It would be very embarrassing if the State Preceptor kicked them out!