He Qiu Lei, being sensible, had already made his presence known and left an impression, so he didn't linger. He rose to take his leave.
Su Xiao Qi would have to trouble him to first go to the estate and inspect it. If any of the estate workers were unsuitable, she asked him to help screen them out.
He Qiu Lei was eager to assist Su Xiao Qi.
These two, it seemed, were even more influential in the capital than he had imagined.
The identity of the person who accompanied them into the capital was kept secret, but judging by his bearing, his background was undoubtedly extraordinary.
Then there was the Grand Princess who had connected with Su Xiao Qi before even arriving in the capital, and the Duke's mansion. Now there was a royal descendant...
He Qiu Lei felt he could only be shocked and readily agreed.
Upon hearing that Su Xiao Qi had purchased an estate, Liang Jing Chen pondered and asked, "Which estate did Xiao Qi buy?"
Su Xiao Qi did not hide it from him, directly showing him the deed that He Qiu Lei had previously transferred to her.
Liang Jing Chen immediately furrowed his brow. "How did you manage to buy this estate?"
Su Xiao Qi had a premonition of something amiss and blurted out, "What, is there something wrong with it?"
Liang Jing Chen replied, "Wrong, very wrong."
Su Xiao Qi's heart sank, and she instinctively looked at Shen Yun.
Shen Yun sat in the main seat, speaking little, but he was attentive to the topic of their discussion.
He said, "It's likely that such a hot spring estate is not easy to come by in the capital, and many people were probably eyeing it. Yet, the real estate agent, Meng, gave it to us."
Su Xiao Qi also understood.
The implication was that this estate, with its hot springs, was highly sought after, and many people wanted to buy it.
And in the capital, a falling brick could hit any number of important figures.
So, while they had successfully bought the hot spring estate, whether they could keep it intact was another matter.
"Is real estate agent Meng trying to trick us?" Su Xiao Qi asked unpleasantly.
She wanted to buy a good estate, yes, but she had no desire to contend with those important figures.
As the saying goes, commoners should not fight officials.
"Not necessarily. Some people are very cunning. While they want the estate in their hearts, they are likely planning for it to be delivered to them, but they haven't acted yet. They probably didn't expect Meng to act so quickly; he was likely acting out of goodwill."
This was because, according to the usual practice, when a real estate agency obtained such a valuable item, they would naturally spread the word. They would then hold onto it for a while, allowing potential buyers to gather information before gradually negotiating the price, with the highest bidder winning.
However, Meng had broken with convention this time. He had sold the estate the day after acquiring it, even completing the transfer documents. His swift action left everyone utterly perplexed.
Su Xiao Qi, however, understood. Perhaps Meng, with a conscience still intact, moved by her act of leaving that family of three, had earnestly helped her find a truly good estate. He had no time to wait for a better price and had acted immediately. Unexpectedly, his good intentions had inadvertently caused them trouble.
Su Xiao Qi hesitated for a moment. Although the hot spring estate was excellent, if it were to bring them trouble, she felt it would be best to sell it sooner rather than later. This way, they could avoid any complications and sell it before it became unsellable.
Shen Yun, however, saw her fondness for the hot spring estate at a glance. He turned to her and said, "Wife, there's no need to worry. If you like it, let's keep it. We don't need to fret about trouble that hasn't arrived yet. We'll simply deal with whatever comes our way."
Shen Yun's calm and collected demeanor affected Su Xiao Qi. Not only did it ease her concerns about this matter, but it also seemed to illuminate her long-held worries, offering a fundamental solution. For so many days, she had been constantly anxious, worrying about one thing and then another regarding future events. Hearing Shen Yun's words, she finally felt a sense of epiphany.
Yes, no matter how much she worried, none of it had happened yet. Although she had read the book, many of the plot points had already changed. Even the original owner's fate had diverged from the past due to her intervention. How could she be so certain that Shen Yun would still deal with her once he gained power? To condemn him without trial was too unfair to him. Just as Shen Yun said now, they couldn't abandon the estate they had secured just because of something that might or might not happen in the future.
Su Xiao Qi remained silent for a long time. Shen Yun, thinking she was still hesitant, suggested they go and explore the estate right away. If they saw it in person and inspected it, and if she didn't like it, they could sell it; if she did like it, they could keep it, leaving no regrets.
Su Xiao Qi wholeheartedly agreed and immediately voiced her approval. Liang Jing Chen had only made a suggestion, and seeing that both of them were somewhat unwilling, he didn't say much more, only offering to accompany them to see the estate.
"I believe Young Master Liang is busy. We won't trouble you with our affairs," Shen Yun directly refused.
Just as Liang Jing Chen was about to argue, his attendant outside approached and whispered something in his ear. Liang Jing Chen immediately furrowed his brow, bowed to Su Xiao Qi and Shen Yun, and said he had some urgent matters to attend to, and would seek them out again after he finished.
"Go ahead and take care of your business," Su Xiao Qi said gently. She could see that Liang Jing Chen had integrated well into his current life, and their affairs truly did not require his concern. At least, when they themselves could handle things, dragging him in blindly would be of no benefit.
After seeing Liang Jing Chen off, Su Xiao Qi and Shen Yun got into the carriage prepared by Zhang Yu for their outing. An hour later, the carriage stopped in front of a residence. Su Xiao Qi looked around, knowing they had entered the outer courtyard of the estate through a side gate. The courtyard was vast, and the deed indicated it was a five-courtyard structure. However, being built outside the city with the surrounding fields belonging to the same family, they had built it quite boldly. If they hadn't feared exceeding official regulations, they probably would have built it even larger.
Su Xiao Qi was not interested in these pavilions, small pavilions, and the scenery within the courtyard. She walked directly towards the main building of the inner courtyard. She heard that the hot spring pools were built there. As she approached the inner courtyard, she smelled the unique sulfurous scent of hot spring water. Wisps of steam also permeated the air. Upon entering, a wave of heat washed over her. Su Xiao Qi closed her eyes, feeling the moist air and the warm, hot atmosphere, and instantly fell in love with the place. After silently savoring it with her eyes closed for a while, she opened them to look around. It was a large area with three pools built within, separated by rock formations in the middle. Each pool had a separate door leading to an inner chamber. Su Xiao Qi looked around, wishing she could jump in and soak right away. However, remembering Shen Yun was by her side, she restrained herself. But her admiration for the place was evident in her words.
"This place is so wonderful; no wonder so many people were vying for it. Can we manage to keep it?"
Shen Yun's attention had been entirely on Su Xiao Qi. He saw that her smile had not faded since they entered, and he knew she absolutely adored this place. It wasn't just Xiao Qi; he himself liked it. Looking at the mist-shrouded pools and the suitably warm hot spring water, he imagined himself bathing here with Xiao Qi... The scene was too vivid and real, and his cheeks involuntarily flushed.
Su Xiao Qi glanced at him and softly said, "Hey, Shen Yun..."
Shen Yun responded almost immediately, "Call me husband. From now on, you are only allowed to call me that."
Su Xiao Qi was taken aback. She didn't understand why she usually called him Shen Yun, and although he had protested in the past, he had never so seriously insisted she change her address. However, she was intelligent enough not to fuss with Shen Yun over such a trivial matter as a form of address. She readily complied, saying, "Mmm, husband, your face, why is your face red? It looks like, it looks like you're even bleeding from the nose. Are you perhaps overheated..." Seeing Shen Yun like this, Su Xiao Qi nervously took out a handkerchief to wipe his nosebleed.