The entire Su Mansion was on high alert, the air thick with tension.
Several clan elders appeared and respectfully invited Jiang Lan inside, serving him fine tea without the slightest hint of neglect.
Su Qinghan had just woken from her morning training when a handmaiden informed her that the Son of the Prime Minister had barged into the Su Mansion early that morning with a large retinue of guards, and no one had dared to stop him.
Even the clan elders with the most profound cultivation levels had appeared to personally attend to him, and they had urgently sent someone to summon her.
"Hm?"
'Young Master Jiang is here?'
Su Qinghan was actually a little surprised that Jiang Lan would come to the Su Mansion. She tidied herself up briefly and, without applying any makeup, went straight to see him.
"Miss Qianhan, why did you leave that day without a word?"
In the main hall, Jiang Lan sat with a leisurely air, dressed in white robes. He was as handsome as jade, his bearing graceful, and a smile played on his lips.
'I'm not done shearing this sheep, and she already thinks she can run?'
The many members of the Su Mansion obediently withdrew, leaving only Su Qinghan and Jiang Lan, along with a few clan elders who remained, worried that something might go wrong.
"Please forgive me, Young Master Jiang," Su Qinghan explained. "Once I saw that you had awoken safely, I grew concerned that my clan might worry, so I departed ahead of time."
Jiang Lan chuckled, casually setting down his teacup. "And here I thought you left in such a hurry because you were afraid I might eat you up."
As if struck by a thought, the corners of Su Qinghan's mouth lifted into a slight curve. "I have faith in your character, Young Master Jiang. You aren't that kind of person."
Jiang Lan gave a noncommittal smile. With a casual toss, a Sumeru Ring, shimmering with a faint, soft light, suddenly appeared before Su Qinghan.
"What's this?"
Su Qinghan was slightly surprised.
"Why don't you take a look?" Jiang Lan said with a smile.
Su Qinghan extended her Divine Thought into the ring. Her flawless, jade-like face first showed confusion, which slowly gave way to surprise, then shock. Finally, all expression vanished from her face as she seemed to fall into deep thought.
Jiang Lan sipped his tea at a leisurely pace, unsurprised by Su Qinghan's reaction.
The few clan elders to the side were equally shocked and stunned, but they didn't dare overstep and say a word. They could only stare at the Sumeru Ring, their minds racing with speculation.
'Barging into the Su Mansion first thing in the morning and tossing out a Sumeru Ring like that... no matter how you look at it, it has the air of a payoff, a way to dismiss someone after the deed is done.'
'Especially considering the rumors that have been swirling around Yu Yi City these past few days.'
The clan elders could only sigh inwardly, filled with melancholy and a sense of powerlessness.
'The Su Mansion finally produced a Qilin Lady, only for her to be ruined by this number one wastrel of Great Xia. And now he comes with a Sumeru Ring, trying to pay her off and send her away.'
"Young Master Jiang, what is the meaning of this?" Su Qinghan asked in confusion.
"I simply don't wish to remain indebted for your care these past few days, Miss Qianhan," Jiang Lan said with a faint smile.
'As the Son of the Prime Minister, he wasn't short on anything, especially not money. No, that's wrong. He wasn't short on anything at all, which naturally included money.'
Su Qinghan shook her head and pushed the Sumeru Ring back toward him. "This is far too valuable. I cannot accept it."
Jiang Lan, his smile unwavering, said, "Don't be so quick to refuse, Miss Qianhan. I've also heard the rumors in Yu Yi City. They concern your very honor. How could I possibly turn a blind eye?"
As he spoke, he gave a light wave of his hand, and three more Sumeru Rings appeared before Su Qinghan.
'My honor?'
'Aren't things perfectly innocent between us?'
A trace of suspicion flickered in Su Qinghan's eyes. After getting to know Jiang Lan, she found it impossible to believe he was genuinely interested in her.
'So why is he saying this? Is he still trying to tarnish his own reputation?'
"I have already explained the situation to my father and will take full responsibility for you, Miss Qianhan."
"These things are a token of my sincerity. After I marry you, I will absolutely treat you well. Of this, you can rest assured, Miss Qianhan..."
Jiang Lan gently blew the steam from his teacup, his expression more serious than ever before.
'While this was partly driven by a perverse sense of humor, it was more for the sake of securing Su Qinghan's loyalty in the long run. After all, there was no better sheep for shearing.'
Su Qinghan froze, her beautiful eyes widening in sheer disbelief.
'Seeing how serious he looked, she was overcome with a sense of the absurd. He can't be serious, can he?'
'Though her interactions with Jiang Lan over the past few days had dispelled much of her previous animosity toward him, she couldn't say she had developed any deep affection either. It was more a slight curiosity and admiration...'
The Su Mansion's clan elders were now frozen to the spot, wondering if they had misheard.
If not for Jiang Lan's intensely serious expression, they would have suspected him of playing a cruel joke on the Su Mansion.
"Young Master Jiang... are you serious?" Su Qinghan collected her thoughts, forced herself to calm down, and stared at Jiang Lan with her luminous eyes.
Jiang Lan nodded slightly. "I will give you three days to consider, Miss Qianhan. If you're worried about whether I'll treat you well in the future, I could even make a vow or something first..."
Su Qinghan fell silent for a moment before replying with a complicated expression, "Since you've put it that way, Young Master Jiang, I will consider it."
'Although she still didn't understand why Jiang Lan was so insistent on marrying her, her understanding of him from the past few days told her that he definitely had his reasons and motives.'
'Was he after her beauty? Her body?'
She dismissed the thought immediately. 'With his serious mysophobia, he'd be repulsed by me before anything else.'
'Could it be that he's still just trying to ruin his own reputation?'
Jiang Lan didn't stay long. After giving Su Qinghan three days to consider his proposal, he left with his retinue of guards.
'Based on his understanding of Su Qinghan, she wouldn't refuse. She had no reason to.'
'She's clearly tempted, yet she insists on putting on a hesitant and guarded front...' Sensing the waves of fortune flowing toward him, Jiang Lan wanted to laugh.
'Women. They never say what they mean.'
'In terms of status and background, I'm the most powerful noble in all of Great Xia, second to none. In terms of character, I may feign incompetence, but I am as pure as ice and jade. In terms of looks, I have the grace of an immortal and a transcendent bearing...'
'If you were to ignore my past disposition and actions, I could truly be called the dream of countless maidens in Great Xia.'
'No matter how special Su Qinghan might be, she's still a woman, after all.'
After Jiang Lan left the Su Mansion, a flood of clan members, who had been eavesdropping outside, surged into the main hall. Su Changkong's expression was particularly grim as he fought to suppress his simmering anger.
"Qinghan, you don't have to..."
He was about to advise his daughter not to be angry, but the words caught in his throat. Su Qinghan was far calmer than he had expected; there wasn't the slightest trace of anger on her face.
"He says he's giving you three days to consider, but it's really just a three-day reprieve. If we can't give him a satisfactory answer after those three days..." His face was etched with worry.
"Hiss..."
And as he was speaking, a series of sharp gasps echoed from the side, one after another.