Only Inviting Her?

Liu Hongyu was wondering what brought Prince of Qi here when he heard this and paused for a moment. He then gestured to Prince of Qi Zhao Ruxi, saying, "Your Highness, matters concerning farmland and irrigation are under the jurisdiction of Lord Zhao."

"This humble official, Zhao Ruxi, greets Your Highness Prince of Qi." Zhao Ruxi then stepped forward, bowed, and paid her respects.

Xiao Lingyan nodded slightly. "Lord Zhao Lord Zhao, there's no need for such formalities. In that case, I'll trouble you to come with me for a walk in the fields."

Liu Hongyu and the others were taken aback again.

Although their place is not far from the capital, it is a small and unremarkable place, so few high-ranking officials or nobles come here. Those who manage estates here are usually their stewards. Now that a prince has actually come, it's a rare opportunity, and they all have the idea of flattering and getting close to him.

Now, Xiao Lingyan only asks Zhao Ruxi to accompany him, and the group is quite disappointed.

Even Cai Yaozong, who was in the Crown Prince's camp and shouldn't have been involved with Prince of Qi, felt extremely regretful. Just over a month ago, he was in charge of the farmland and irrigation. This glory today should have belonged to him.

If Cai Yaozong is like this, it goes without saying that Liu Hongyu and Li Li, who have no powerful backers, are even worse off.

Liu Hongyu looked at Zhao Ruxi, waiting for her invitation.

If Zhao Ruxi were sensible, she would say that she had just arrived in Nanyang and was not yet familiar with the situation Nanyang, and invite his superior to go with her. Then it would be perfectly reasonable for him to go along.

Prince of Qi is a young prince, and Zhao Ruxi herself is an unmarried young woman. Even if she harbors ambitions to marry into the royal family, wouldn't it be inappropriate for her to go out alone with Prince of Qi like that? Wouldn't there be endless gossip and criticism then?

Zhao Ruxi is a smart person; she should know how to protect herself.

To his disappointment, Zhao Ruxi simply bowed and replied, "Yes."

Liu Hongyu's eyes darkened, and he quickly weighed his options between Zhao Ruxi and Xiao Lingyan. He decisively bowed deeply and said to Xiao Lingyan, "Lord Zhao is a woman, and it is quite inconvenient for her to go to the fields. Why don't I accompany His Prince of Qi for a walk? I have been in Nanyang for many years and am very familiar with all aspects of Nanyang."

Upon hearing this, Cai Yaozong and Li Li both cursed Liu Hongyu inwardly for being shameless, and were extremely jealous.

With Liu Hongyu speaking like this, the Prince of Qi would certainly not refuse him. After all, he was the chief official of a prefecture, Prince of Qi had to give him some face.

Moreover, he pointed out Zhao Ruxi's female identity, and anyone with even a modicum of respect for the proper conduct between men and women would no longer allow Zhao Ruxi to accompany him, lest others use the damage to the reputation of female officials to attack Prince of Qi.

"No need," Xiao Lingyan said calmly. "It's fine for Lord Zhao to come with me to take a look."

He looked up at Zhao Ruxi and asked, "Since this is Lord Zhao's official duty, surely you wouldn't have another official perform your duties just because you are a woman?"

"I had no such intention. I will accompany Your Highness to the fields." Zhao Ruxi kept her head down.

Xiao Lingyan nodded. "Alright, let's go then." With that, he turned and walked towards the horse being led by the guard.

Upon hearing Xiao Lingyan's words, Xiang Ming hurriedly went to the stables to fetch Zhao Ruxi and their horses. Under the watchful eyes of Liu Hongyu and the others, Zhao Ruxi nimbly mounted her horse and followed Xiao Lingyan and his group out of the city.

Only after the group had disappeared from sight did the people standing at the entrance of the yamen, led by Liu Hongyu, return to the yamen.

Li Li silently followed Cai Yaozong up the steps, finally unable to resist asking, "Is His Highness Prince of Qi married?"

He had just seen Zhao Ruxi and Prince of Qi standing together; the man was handsome and the woman was beautiful, and they were both in the prime of their lives. For some reason, he felt that the two were a perfect match.

When he thought about how Xiao Lingyan had made a special trip to the yamen, asking Zhao Ruxi to come along instead of Liu Hongyu, he couldn't help but think about the relationship between men and women.

Cai Yaozong paused, his expression changing slightly.

Liu Hongyu's rank was too low, and he didn't have much contact with the capital. He only dealt with matters in Nanyang through the Linjiang Prefecture government. He was unfamiliar with the situation in the capital and didn't even know which prince was married or not. Hearing Li Li's words, he was also very curious.

Seeing Cai Yaozong stop and his expression change, he felt a pang of anxiety and quickly stopped, asking Cai Yaozong nervously, "How is it?"

Cai Yaozong said, "Prince of Qi Highness Prince Qi seems to be unmarried. I heard that His Majesty is very anxious and upset about this."

Liu Hongyu's expression changed, and his face turned deathly pale.

Oh no! If Prince of Qi came specifically for Zhao Zhiwei, then why did he rush out to stop him and even volunteer himself? Wouldn't that have earned him Prince of Qi's dislike? He tried to flatter him, but ended up making a fool of himself.

"His Highness Prince of Qi and Lord Zhao..." He wanted to ask Cai Yaozong to confirm the relationship between Xiao Lingyan and Zhao Ruxi, but he stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

These words cannot be spoken carelessly. To speak ill of the prince's private affairs would be a death sentence if word got out, ending his career.

Furthermore, it's unlikely that Cai Yaozong would know whether Xiao Lingyan and Zhao Ruxi had any relationship.

He quickly corrected himself, "Ahem, I meant that since His Highness Prince of Qi is with Lord Zhao, we don't need to worry about him. Just go about your business, everyone disperse."

With that, he went into his own house first.

The others also went inside.

Once inside, everyone was unsettled, pondering whether Zhao Ruxi truly had the potential to become the Consort of the Prince of Qi, whether they had offended Zhao Ruxi too much, and whether the situation had eased later.

Meanwhile, Xiao Lingyan saw that Zhao Ruxi was very skilled at riding, so he felt relieved. After leaving the city gate, he slowed down and waited for Zhao Ruxi's horse to come up.

Seeing this, Zhao Ruxi spurred her horse forward and rode alongside him, looking at Xiao Lingyan with a questioning gaze.

Xiao Lingyan's actions today were completely different from what they had discussed.

The original plan was for Liu Hongyu, Cai Yaozong, and a few others to leave the city together, so the two wouldn't have to meet alone. Once Xiao Lingyan returned to the capital, he would propose the engagement to Xiao Ge.

Xiao Lingyan laughed and said, "The situation has changed."

It was a bit windy today, and it was hard to hear clearly while on horseback. Seeing farmers already working in the fields in the distance, he simply stopped his horse and dismounted.

After Zhao Ruxi dismounted and walked to his side, he repeated what Xiao Ge had told him, saying, "I am now following an imperial decree to pursue my wife, so there's no need for such a roundabout way."

As he spoke, he asked, "Shouldn't you inform Mister Kumu beforehand?"

The elders of the Earl of Suiping's Residence all listen to Zhao Ruxi, and now the only obstacle between the two is Kang Shilin.

Zhao Ruxi thought for a moment and said, "Let's just grant the marriage directly. I'll explain to my master later."

No matter what, Kang Shilin will be angry about this, so let's settle the marriage first to avoid causing any more trouble.

"Okay, that's what I meant too," Xiao Lingyan said.

The two men weren't just going through the motions; they genuinely wanted to ask the old farmers in the fields about their thoughts on farm tools.

They stayed in the fields for half a day before Xiao Lingyan left, and Zhao Ruxi led her guards home.