Exile after Divorce? Empty the Scumbag Husband First!-Chapter 259 - 251: Princess Jiaceng Under the Bamboo Hat—Her Expression Hidden Yet Known
Even her father often mocked her with this, but if this time... she claimed the child as her own, who would dare to laugh at her as a hen that doesn’t lay eggs once she returned to her fiefdom in the future.
She slightly raised her eyebrows and looked down at Ruan Jiao.
"If you don’t want to die, then stay obedient."
...
When the farce in front of the Governor Mansion ended, Ruan Mian also left the place with the crowd.
At this moment, she had already formulated a plan in her mind.
While she was in the city, she took the opportunity to visit the post station.
But upon arriving at the post station, she found that Xie Huai’an had locked himself in the study and hadn’t appeared.
At a loss, Vice Minister Dong saw Ruan Mian, and it was as if he saw hope. He hurriedly approached her.
"Miss Ruan, you’re finally here, I was thinking I would have to personally go find you."
"What has happened?"
"The Lord... he hasn’t eaten for a whole day and night and refuses to let anyone into the study. I’m very worried."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Mian frowned slightly, realizing that something had happened.
Vice Minister Dong continued, "Han Ling... was killed in the Water Prison."
"Han Ling was killed?"
Han Ling was one of the pieces of evidence of collusion between the Xuanjia Army and foreign enemies. His Hidden Guard caught him and put him in the Water Prison, ensuring strict guarding, not even allowing Han Ling the chance to commit suicide.
Despite this, he was still assassinated.
Doesn’t that mean...
"Lord Vice Minister, have you thoroughly checked everyone at the post station? Has it been peaceful recently?"
Vice Minister Dong truthfully reported, "It seems there is a spy within the Hidden Guard. I’ve thought of other ways to deploy newcomers to maintain safety around the post station."
"However, the Lord is troubled because of this..."
"It’s okay, I’ll talk to the Lord, you don’t need to worry."
If she were Xie Huai’an, she reckoned her mood wouldn’t be good at this moment.
It was like a duck in one’s mouth, surely they could extract some useful information from Han Ling, but he was silently assassinated.
The interruption of evidence could be ignored, but the key issue is that the spy might be in his Hidden Guard, and his previous deployments might have been leaked.
That’s why he’s retreating in the study, not even thinking of eating.
Ruan Mian wasn’t very clear about his schemes, nor did she understand the imperial power struggles. She could only discern everything based on the limited information from the original book, which was always incomplete.
There wasn’t much she could do now.
As she was pondering, the study door suddenly opened, and Xie Huai’an walked out with a gentle expression, holding her hand as he approached her.
"Why did you come today?"
Seeing him in a better condition than expected, Ruan Mian truthfully told him her purpose for coming today, and mentioned Ruan Jiao’s pregnancy with the governor’s child.
"Husband, I might have to stay a few more days within the post station these days."
Upon hearing this, Xie Huai’an’s complexion visibly improved: "For me, that is something to be desired."
"However, since you’re handling Ruan Jiao’s matter, it must be quite complex. I wonder if there’s anything I can do to assist you?"
Ruan Mian quickly shook her head, firmly holding his hand and sincerely saying, "I can handle my matters; they’re all minor issues, but as for you..."
"I heard from Lord Vice Minister that there’s a spy in your Hidden Guard, and they killed Han Ling?"
Xie Huai’an, restraining his emotions, nodded: "Indeed, as long as the person behind remains unchecked, I will never find peace in Wuheng."
"Before, I thought the governor was appointed by the Holy Emperor, but I recently received news that Chen Bozong was strongly recommended by Prince Shuo’s trusted circle."
Ruan Mian’s eyelids flickered slightly, detecting his suspicion: "So, husband, you are concerned that Prince Shuo and King Yan are secretly colluding?"
In the original book, she hadn’t had the impression that Prince Shuo had any dealings with King Yan, but she hadn’t seen the latter half of the book.
However, piecing together the previous events, his concerns were not unfounded.
If Prince Shuo indeed participated in King Yan’s rebellion, the world would certainly be in trouble, because... Prince Shuo’s fief was beyond the north of the Capital City; once he raised troops, it would be a direct strike towards the heart.
Collaborating with King Yan from the east, the reinforcements from Heart Peace Place certainly wouldn’t arrive in time.
And who knows how many of their followers are already implanted in the court.
The new emperor has a heavy burden in stabilizing the regime.
But time waits for no one, and the pressure on Xie Huai’an’s shoulders is imaginable.
Ruan Mian thought for a moment, just about to speak, when a servant suddenly came to report.
"My lord, Governor is here." Ruan Mian didn’t expect that, with the major incident at Chen Bozong’s residence, he would have the leisure to come to the post station instead of handling matters at home?
Could it be that he had something important to discuss with Xie Huai’an?
With this thought, the couple went to meet Chen Bozong.
But he didn’t have any particular business; he merely brought two jars of wine and, upon seeing Ruan Mian, offered them with both hands.
"Miss Ruan, seeing you here, I brought this to find you. Smell it and see, what kind of wine is this?"
She didn’t expect that he was here specifically for Ruan Mian.
Xie Huai’an’s eyebrows moved slightly, moving closer unnoticeably to stand beside Ruan Mian.
Ruan Mian knowingly took it, but first handed it to Xie Huai’an, speaking intimately: "Husband, would you like to smell it?"
This address of "husband" truly reached Xie Huai’an’s heart.
He smiled gently, and in front of Chen Bozong, he held Ruan Mian’s hand softly, leaned over to smell it, while Ruan Mian also leaned in without reservation.
Their noses met, and Ruan Mian blushed slightly as they shared a smile.
To others, it looked like a young couple flirting, something hard to watch.
Chen Bozong’s expression indeed darkened.
At this moment, Ruan Mian recognized that the wine was her own brewed ginseng wine.
"Governor, what is this..."
Chen Bozong, seeing them separate, squinted his eyes and smiled, "I indeed underrated Miss Ruan. Your business has reached as far as the garrison."
He looked at the two of them with a meaningful gaze.
It seemed he had specifically inquired about her background, possibly having thoroughly investigated her business.
After all, the ginseng wine business wasn’t large; its sales were simply handed to the shopkeeper of the tavern next to the pharmacy.
If he knew about this, he surely had inquired about all the other businesses as well.
"Before I was transferred to Wuheng, this place had suffered from natural disasters and misfortunes, and the regulations on border trade were lax. But now that I am appointed by the court, I must enforce strict policies on cargo export."
"I came today to give Miss Ruan a heads-up, in acknowledgment of my appreciation and admiration for you."
Chen Bozong spoke these words nicely, but in reality, he intended to cut off her connections.
