"Then, we'll keep things as they are now," said Jiang Yeqian.

Zhao Xin, "..."

​​

Did this mean that he should continue to have his people pretend to search for Jiang Yeqian?

After pausing for a moment, Zhao Xin asked, "You… won't return to the capital with us?"

Jiang Yeqian had come to Qingzhou City for a mission, but because his stopover had gotten extended for quite a long time due to getting injured. He indeed should be returning, but when his thoughts drifted back to that woman who seemed so eager for him to leave, Jiang Yeqian said decisively, "Not for the time being."

"Sir, but the state preceptor's people are here…"

"It's alright, I know what I'm doing," said Jiang Yeqian.

As the two spoke, some passers-by walking by the entrance of the alley turned to glance at them.

Jiang Yeqian suggested, "Let's talk somewhere else."

…

Early morning the next day.

Qi Qingyao felt refreshed when she woke up from her sleep. After washing up, she looked over the three of her kids as they obediently washed and dressed themselves. She could not help feeling rueful that her children were so precocious that she need not lift a finger to help them. They were little dolls who had already learned how to be independent, and they were just absolutely adorable and charming. Qi Qingpao only had to help them with their hair!

After that, she got the waiter to bring them their breakfast. Qi Qingyao ran next door and knocked on the door. There was no answer. Thinking for a moment, she kicked open the door. She found the bed and the entire room in perfect condition, nothing disturbed. There was an air about it that suggested that no one had stayed in the room for very long, which perplexed her.

Just as she exited the room, she came face to face with a figure donning a mask of a cow's head.

Jiang Yeqian?

Qi Qingyao looked at him suspiciously.

She noticed that there were drops of morning dew on his shoes, and wondered where he had been.

Qi Qingyao approached him and asked in a soft voice, "You, don't tell me you went drinking with some escorts yesterday night."

"I only went out for breakfast," Jiang Yeqian said, sounding unperturbed.

Qi Qingyao could tell that he did not want to talk about it, so she said nothing further.

Besides, that man had always been mysterious.

When the two of them returned to the room, they saw Si Jin climbing in through the window. He looked travel-worn, yet his expression was one that radiated with vigor.

"Don't tell me you went to do some morning exercises this early?" Qi Qingyao was confused about him entering through the window.

Si Jin nodded and said seriously, "Yep, morning exercise."

Qi Qingyao, "???"

'The f*ck, you're kidding me.

'I said morning exercise as an obvious joke and you're really f*cking rolling with it.

'Damn it!

'Both of them could have both gone out at midnight to go drinking with escorts!

'How weird.'

What annoyed Qi Qingyao even more was that if she had known that these two men would neglect sleep to indulge in outdoor frolicking, she would not have spent money booking the room for them. What a waste of money!

Seething, she sat down while muttering curses. The group dug into their breakfast.

Si Jin loved rice porridge so much that he practically inhaled two big bowls in a row!

As they were having breakfast, Si Jin asked Qi Qingyao what plans she had for the future.

Jiang Yeqian could not help pausing at this too. He turned to look at her.

The three little children also looked at their mother, their expressions expectant.

Qi Qingyao pondered for a bit before asking, "How much would it cost to buy an attached mansion like Heir Pei's in Baishui Town?"

The three children's eyes widened.

'Now that mother has money, she wants to buy a house?

'Still, how big of a mansion can one buy with 10,000 taels?' they wondered.

Jiang Yeqian contemplated the scale of Heir Pei's attached mansion and noted that its size was more or less the same as some of the homes in Capital City. He said, "I don't think you can get an attached mansion like that in Qingzhou City with only ten thousand taels, considering the land here is extremely expensive. If you also want to get antique furniture and paintings for the house too, it'll cost you at least a few million taels in total."