"You will have to worry about how to manage your annual income, whether you deposit it in a bank or buy more land."
An Ran finally came to her senses and found an opportunity to interject.
"Does the Marquis intend to hand over all his assets to me?" An Ran looked at Lu Mingxiu with a complicated expression.
Lu Mingxiu had come prepared. He said matter-of-factly, "Since ancient times, men have been in charge of external affairs and women have been in charge of internal affairs. Isn't it normal for you to be in charge of managing the household?"
Looking at the box full of things, An Ran thought to herself that this was probably all the wealth of the Pingyuan Marquis's mansion. If she had already married into the family, it would be natural for her to manage the household affairs, but they weren't even married yet, and Lu Mingxiu had already sent all of this over.
What if she wanted to keep it secretly? She might foolishly hide it in her dowry or leave it to her maternal family, the Marquis of Nan'an.
Wouldn't the Pingyuan Marquis's estate suffer a loss for no reason? And no one else can see it, so isn't he afraid of being taken advantage of in secret?
As if he could read An Ran's mind, Lu Mingxiu offered a few words of explanation, but these words did little to make his actions seem more rational.
"I'm not entirely sure what's in here either." A rare hint of embarrassment flashed across Lu Mingxiu's face. Even in his most destitute moments, he had never worried about making a living. He was only determined to restore the Pingyuan Marquis's mansion and to rise above his circumstances to avenge his parents.
An Ran's eyes widened in surprise.
He didn't even know what was inside, so how could he bring it all over without any worries?
"Your Excellency trusts me so much?" An Ran looked up at Lu Mingxiu. Lu Mingxiu was quite tall; even An Ran, who was considered tall for a woman, had to look up to see him. Her gaze was clear, like a pool of still water, reflecting his image. She curled her lips and said, "What if I embezzled?"
Lu Mingxiu lowered his head slightly, his expression relaxed, and said gently, "These things originally belonged to both of us. I granted you the right to dispose of them as you see fit, so how can you say it's embezzlement?"
An Ran was slightly taken aback. She blinked and felt her eyes sting.
Even though she had only met Lu Mingxiu a few times, he trusted her wholeheartedly.
She vowed not to betray his trust!
"I understand." An Ran took a deep breath, and when she looked up again, a gentle smile appeared on her face. "Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will do my utmost."
An Ran stopped making excuses and said she couldn't manage it.
In fact, after marrying Chen Qian in her previous life, she had learned about these things through observation and experience. Although Chen Qian was not so trusting and generous as to hand over all his wealth to her, he did give her several shops and farmland to manage.
Later, when his second wife entered the household, she fell seriously ill and took all of these things away.
She was willing to learn how to manage these things just to have a few more words with Chen Qian back then, so naturally she can pick them up again and manage them even better now, to live up to Lu Mingxiu's trust.
“However, let me make this clear from the start.” An Ran agreed readily, but then smiled slightly, her eyes flashing with cunning and playfulness, and said, “If I were to give up all my wealth for the Marquis, I wouldn’t be able to afford to do so.”
A faint smile appeared in Lu Mingxiu's dark, jade-like eyes.
"It will be enough to compensate myself when the time comes."
Is this a joke directed at her?
An Ran was taken aback by what she heard. She hadn't expected that someone as known for his cold and rigid personality as Lu Mingxiu would say something like that.
An Ran, whose face had just begun to flush, felt that she had blushed more times today than she had ever done since her rebirth. She had already decided that she wouldn't be afraid of being alone in the future; she could live a good life on her own.
But why do I feel a little moved by Lu Mingxiu?
Can you really fall in love with someone after only meeting them a few times?
Seeing that An Ran's cheeks were as radiant as the morning sun, but her eyes were somewhat dark and unclear, Lu Mingxiu thought that he had been abrupt with her.
As expected, he got carried away. Lu Mingxiu thought with some annoyance that he should have asked Chu Tianze for more advice.
His words were still somewhat inappropriate. Lu Mingxiu made up his mind that he would think carefully before speaking next time, so as not to put the young girl in a difficult position.
“If you don’t have enough people, take this and send someone to the Pingyuan Marquis’s residence to find Qin Feng.” Lu Mingxiu handed An Ran a small black jade token and instructed her, “Qin Feng will arrange it for you.”
An Ran hesitated for a moment, then nodded and took it.
The jade token was too small. When An Ran took it, his slender fingers covered most of it. Despite being extremely careful, An Ran was afraid of dropping it and breaking it. Inadvertently, she still touched his fingertips.
She immediately recalled the hand that had supported her on the frightened carriage that day; the warm, dry palm that had brought her peace of mind.
An Ran almost instinctively wanted to pull her hand back.
Seeing this, Lu Mingxiu simply placed the token in her palm and told her to keep it safe.
“It’s not just you who should handle these matters; if you encounter any trouble, go to him.” Lu Mingxiu’s gaze swept over the camphor wood chest, and he looked at An Ran earnestly, saying, “No matter what it is, you can go to him, and he will naturally help you.”
An Ran nodded "steaming hot," feeling her heart swell with pride.
"I'll have someone carry the boxes to your room in a bit." Lu Mingxiu saw that it was getting late and he needed to go back early to make preparations. "The bottom two boxes contain some silver notes and things that Her Majesty the Empress has given you. Keep them safe."
Lu Mingxiu thought for a moment and then said, "I have already ordered someone to redraw the geomantic map of the Marquis's residence, and it should be delivered in a few days."
“The Marquis’s residence is still relatively empty, with not much stuff.” Lu Mingxiu said, “If you like how you want it decorated, write it down and send it to Qin Feng. He will take care of it. If you want anything added or subtracted, just tell him.”
Yun Shu returned the Pingyuan Marquis's residence to him, and also bestowed upon him the adjacent house. After the two residences were connected, the Pingyuan Marquis's residence was rebuilt. However, Lu Mingxiu was always busy with official duties and had no time to manage it. Apart from the study and bedroom, the rest of the place was only passable.
In truth, Lu Mingxiu really wanted Anran to go and see for herself, and to decorate the mansion to her liking before the wedding. But thinking about it, it was ultimately unrealistic, so Lu Mingxiu gave up the idea.
An Ran nodded, her beautiful eyes already glistening with tears.
"If you find it troublesome, just focus on decorating the main courtyard." Lu Mingxiu was a little unsure whether it would be too much of a burden for An Ran to handle all of this.
An Ran shook her head.
She blinked, suppressing the tears welling in her eyes, and a faint smile played on her lips, making her very pleasant to behold. "No trouble at all. I'm just afraid I don't understand, and giving me random advice might displease the Marquis."
"I didn't—" Lu Mingxiu was about to say that he would like An Ran no matter how she arranged things, but a thought flashed through his mind and he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.