Chapter 209 - 100: This Bitter Fruit Is What I Deserve, and the Future from the River of Time Is Explained

"There’s no need to worry, my dear. Lan’Er should be here soon," Prime Minister Jiang Lintian said with a smile.

"I haven’t seen Lan’Er in days, so of course I miss him. I dropped everything I was personally handling with the Li Family just to rush back and catch a glimpse of him. And you’re telling me not to worry?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qingshu shot him a playful glare.

Her face was beautiful and captivating. She wore loose-fitting robes with few adornments, showing no signs of her age.

But upon a closer look, one would find her features blurry and indistinct. Look even closer, and you wouldn’t even be able to recall her appearance at all.

As the former Saintess of the Taiyi Sect, her cultivation had long since reached an unfathomably deep level.

It was nearly impossible for an ordinary person to glimpse her true face.

Jiang Lintian chuckled. He knew his wife was saying all this mainly because she had learned from a message that Jiang Lan’s inner turmoil had been resolved, which was why she had made a special trip back to the family.

Although she appeared calm at the moment, he could still sense her anxiety.

After all, Jiang Lan’s inner turmoil was, in a way, her own doing, and for years she had often been lost in self-blame, regret, and anguish.

Learning that Jiang Lan’s inner turmoil had been resolved, she was naturally more excited and happy than anyone. Of course, she was also worried that the news was just a rumor, which was why she had to see him with her own eyes.

"Young Master, the Master and Madam have prepared a banquet and are waiting for you at Biyun Pavilion."

Having just returned to the Prime Minister’s Mansion, Jiang Lan was led by the steward toward the inner residence.

The steward was an old man with a full head of silver hair, yet he was hale and hearty. When he smiled, he looked incredibly kind, his eyes crinkling up completely.

But only those who knew him understood that he was, in fact, a powerful expert of the Sixth Realm—strong enough to serve as a Prefect in the outside world.

"Father and Mother must have been waiting for a while," Jiang Lan said with a slight nod.

Following behind him was Su Qinghan, who had been meticulously groomed and dressed, even wearing a touch of makeup. Her fair hands secretly clutched the sleeves of her dress.

She had been nervous from the moment she first stepped into the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

The luxurious and magnificent sights were almost too much to take in, leaving her inwardly shocked and astounded. However, to maintain the best possible etiquette and avoid embarrassing Jiang Lan, she kept her eyes lowered and didn’t dare to look around too much.

Compared to the magnificent and imposing Prime Minister’s Mansion, with its endless stretch of palaces and pavilions, the Su Family estate in Yu Yi City was no different from a common house of blue brick and tile.

It wasn’t even worthy of comparison. Every jade brick, every colorful glazed tile, and every carved beam of ancient, gold-threaded wood spoke of the mansion’s profound heritage.

Not to mention that after entering the Prime Minister’s Mansion, several powerful, unseen auras had already swept over her from all directions.

Even the corridors and pavilions she walked through were inscribed with Array Pattern Restrictions, emanating extraordinary fluctuations of energy.

Su Qinghan had always considered herself worldly, but today, the sheer grandeur of the Prime Minister’s Mansion still left her heart trembling in shock.

And from this day forward, after meeting Jiang Lan’s parents, she would be considered a member of the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

A whirlwind of complex emotions flashed through her mind, and she couldn’t help but feel a little dazed.

However, more than the magnificent scenery, it was the thought of meeting the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister’s Wife in person that truly made her nervous.

She wasn’t sure if the aura of the Restriction left on her by her master, Yuqing Zhenren, would be detected.

She didn’t dare to even imagine the consequences if it were discovered.

Although Jiang Lan had been reassuring her the whole way, telling her not to overthink it and to just act natural, as if it were any other day.

But... this was the Prime Minister, a man who stood at the apex of power in the entire Great Xia, and even the whole of the Celestial Central Province.

She was just a young lady from the Su Family of Yu Yi City, a nobody... How could she possibly treat this as a normal occasion?

’His power is rumored to be god-like. Can he really not sense the abnormality on me?’

Just then, as if sensing Su Qinghan’s nervousness, Jiang Lan, who was walking ahead, paused slightly and reached out to take her small, cold, and clammy hand.

"It’s not like you to be this nervous," Jiang Lan said.

"Young Master, I..."

Su Qinghan pressed her lips together. Feeling the warmth from his hand, she did her best to remain calm, but her voice still trembled slightly.

"Don’t worry. My father and mother are very kind people. Just be yourself. And don’t forget, I’m right here beside you," Jiang Lan said, his voice as gentle as he could make it.

He knew, of course, what she was so nervous about.

If she had never met Yuqing Zhenren, she might be nervous, but not to the point where her hands were cold with fear.

But now that she knew about the enmity between Yuqing Zhenren and the Prime Minister’s Mansion, how could she possibly remain calm?

’If my parents found out that she had met Yuqing Zhenren and was hiding it from me, what would they think? Would they assume she’s a pawn planted by my side by Yuqing Zhenren?’

Jiang Lan understood the situation perfectly. Back in Yu Yi City, he had already guessed that Yuqing Zhenren had sought out Su Qinghan.

Afterward, however, he never mentioned a word of it, maintaining the appearance of someone who, despite knowing she was hiding something, chose not to ask, trusting her completely.

And he did all this to wait for this very day.

Although Su Qinghan had accepted her current status and acknowledged him, she was still a long way from where Jiang Lan wanted her to be.

Su Qinghan had not yet reached the point of being so utterly devoted to him that she would obey his every word, or even betray Yuqing Zhenren for his sake.