Miss Truth-Chapter 474 - 309: The Plan Begins

Chapter 309

Facing Liu Qingsong, Ran Yan showed not the slightest hint of shyness. She gave him an indifferent glance before stepping inside.

Liu Qingsong hastily called out to her, "Hey, hey, I need to talk to you."

"What hey, hey, call her Jiulang’s wife," Xiao Song said, dissatisfied.

Ran Yan was slightly surprised; she had initially thought that Lady Xiao had treated Liu Qingsong as a foster daughter just for fun, but it turned out she truly considered him family. She wondered whether Duke Song and the Dugu family acknowledged it as well...

Ran Yan thought to herself that if even someone as unreliable as Liu Qingsong could gain the Xiao Family’s approval, it would indeed be a blow to her pride if she could not.

Liu Qingsong readily adapted, "Jiulang’s wife, I have important matters to discuss with you."

Ran Yan stopped in her tracks, "What matter?"

Liu Qingsong, with a sycophantic smile towards Xiao Song, said, "Jiulang, can I have a word with Jiulang’s wife?"

Xiao Song frowned slightly, glanced at Ran Yan, and nodded, "I will go to the study."

He appeared quite calm, yet Ran Yan felt he was upset, only to immediately conceal it. For a wife and brother to speak of conspiracies in front of him, if it were any other man, he would probably have become furious long ago; it was no wonder he was upset.

"Let’s talk over there in the pavilion," Ran Yan suggested and began walking over.

Liu Qingsong clearly wasn’t in much of a mood for jokes today and promptly followed her.

The pair had just settled down when Liu Qingsong couldn’t wait to say, "Princess Jinyang fell ill three days ago. Since you’re in the midst of wedding preparations, I didn’t mention it, but I’ve heard it’s more serious than before. The Emperor is deeply troubled — it’s the perfect opportunity for us to make a move."

He paused before continuing, "Illnesses caused by qi tend to break out in spring; it’s already mid-March, and after a while, we’ll have to wait again. Even if we cannot catch the Emperor’s eye this time, it’s the moment for us to choose sides: whether to align with Li Tai or to make use of the Crown Prince. Miss Ran, I think you at least owe me an answer so I can be prepared."

This matter required discussion with Xiao Song. Ran Yan did not want to speak of this issue on the second day of her marriage, but it would be better to know his opinion sooner rather than later, so she said, "You head back first—I’ll have someone send you a message tonight."

Liu Qingsong furrowed his brows and stared at her for a long while before huffing, "Aren’t you offering food?"

"Doesn’t Sang Chen feed you?" Ran Yan spoke already rising from her seat, smoothing her skirt, "It’s not easy for our family’s husband to earn money; I need to spend carefully. If you want to mooch a meal, you might as well go see Ah Yun; isn’t she the money-earning little loli?"

"Even Jiulang told you this!" Liu Qingsong doubted what actions of his Xiao Song had reported to Ran Yan; this was unbearable. It was already miserable being blackmailed by one person, and now with Ran Yan included... Liu Qingsong truly didn’t dare expect any "kindness" from Ran Yan.

"Oh, right," Ran Yan turned around at the steps and said, "As part of my dowry, I have a property in East Market. I plan to discuss with Ah Yun about partnering up to open a medical clinic—she’d be the shopkeeper, you’d be the resident doctor, and I’d provide the premises. Ah Yun would take forty percent of the income, while you and I would take thirty percent each. How does that sound to you?"

Liu Qingsong honestly wanted to blurt out that she was a fool, but then he had an epiphany. He suddenly realized that Ran Yan’s goal wasn’t to make money at all, but rather a "cultivation" plan. Given her current status, she couldn’t do as she pleased; the only way was to withdraw behind the scenes, find someone to put in front, combine the capabilities of two people into one, and make a name for themselves. In this way, when they approached any Prince, it would carry some weight, and others would take them seriously.

Ran Yan had always been someone who liked to speak with facts; she believed that no matter how much you speak, others won’t believe you if they are inclined not to.

"A two-pronged approach, Miss Ran." Liu Qingsong laughed with a hehe, he had been worried that a woman would lose her fighting spirit after getting married, but now he had swallowed a comforting pill.

"These are just my initial thoughts; once I come up with a detailed plan, we’ll discuss it further. If you have any good ideas, feel free to come and talk," Ran Yan added, "However, our house doesn’t provide meals."

"Come on, Ran Yan, Jiulang’s monthly salary includes more than enough rice that he can’t finish eating, don’t be so stingy!" Liu Qingsong huffed.

The salary of Court officials not only included money but also rice allowance, land, servants, and so on, with rice allowance and land making up a significant proportion.

Ran Yan ignored him and went straight to the study to look for Xiao Song.

In Xiao Song’s study, case files were still piled up like a mountain, with the rich aroma of ink overwhelming the senses, and almost no space left to set foot near the desks. Xiao Song was buried in that pile of case files, engrossed in reading.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Ran Yan, got up from inside, and smiled, "Finished talking?"

Ran Yan scrutinized him carefully and couldn’t detect any abnormalities; perhaps in the time that had passed, he had been able to control his emotions very well. Ran Yan softly called out, "Husband,"

"Hmm," Xiao Song’s smile became noticeably brighter than before, and the corners of his eyes and brows were tinged with happiness. He stepped forward to take her hand and said, "I once said that I would take you to Guanshan on our wedding day. After we return from the three-day visit to your family, let’s set off for there."

Although these reactions were subtle, Ran Yan didn’t overlook them, and they made her clearly realize that he had indeed been angry before.

"Hmm," Ran Yan clasped his hand in response, "I have something I would like to discuss with you."

Xiao Song sat down on the mat and pulled her into his embrace, "What’s the matter?"

"I want to continue performing autopsies." Ran Yan used the most fundamental issue to firstly gauge Xiao Song’s attitude. If he opposed this matter, then speaking further would be in vain.

Xiao Song gently stroked her waist and nodded, "This matter, you needn’t say anything; I already know. I don’t plan to stop you, but the family won’t agree to it, so you’ll have to do it privately."

"It should be so. However, I think autopsies play a crucial role in solving cases at times, so I hope this skill isn’t limited to just me. But to achieve my goals, not only will it take a long time, but I also need access to the highest power. If I have the Court’s support, it will be easy to promote," Ran Yan first outlined her general thoughts.

Xiao Song paused, no longer teasing her, and after seriously considering for a moment, he said, "So, you want to leverage the power of a certain Prince?"

"Yes, so I wanted to ask for your opinion, who would be more suitable..." Ran Yan’s tone seemed a bit guilty, after all, this wasn’t the future where she could strive however she wanted. Here, having married Xiao Song, she was bound to carry many restrictions, and Xiao Song was a genuine man of ancient times. It was rare for him to indulge her to this extent.

To Ran Yan’s surprise, Xiao Song gave a very clear answer, "The Crown Prince."

Seeing Ran Yan’s astonishment, he smiled slightly and continued, "No matter what, he is the Crown Prince, with the backing of the Li family, and in recent years, the Emperor has become increasingly dissatisfied with him; wouldn’t he be anxious? Li Tai... has great ambitions but lacks the demeanor of a sovereign. Although he is also born of the Empress, I guess that Duke Li doesn’t think highly of him. As for Li Ke, I hope you have not considered siding with him."

"Grudge!" Ran Yan laughed. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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