Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

Shen Qinglan trembled slightly, took a breath, turned around and nodded softly, "This concubine understands."

Xiao Lie nodded in satisfaction, and as he turned around, he saw two people sneaking around behind the door.

Xiao Lie, "..."

Gu Mingheng and Lin Yu gave an awkward smile and quickly ran out.

Gu Mingheng: "Brother Xiao, what just happened? You and Princess Kang seemed to be having such a pleasant conversation?"

Xiao Lie glanced at him in surprise.

Is this kid blind? How did he see that he was happy?

Lin Yu chimed in, "Yes, didn't you always get along with Princess Kang?"

She lowered her voice, acting furtively, a hint of gossip flashing in her eyes, and probed.

"Could it be that you were inspired by Prince Kang and Lin Wan'er, and now you want to try... what it's like to steal someone else's partner?"

"you……"

Now Xiao Lie is questioning his existence—how could a young lady like her utter such words? Unexpectedly, Gu Mingheng, standing to the side, also looks expectant and excited, as if he thinks this idea is very likely.

Xiao Lie's face suddenly turned cold. "No, don't make wild guesses. Although I have enough enemies and I can make up for any debts I owe, I'm not bold enough to steal the royal family's daughter-in-law."

Over the years, he and his grandfather had behaved properly, yet the emperor still couldn't help but suspect them. If they were to steal someone else, wouldn't that indirectly confirm their wolfish ambitions in the emperor's mind?

Keep a low profile; now is the time to bide our time and conceal our abilities.

Xiao Lie glanced at them dismissively. "You're welcome to shout even louder. Let the whole street know and see who loses their head the fastest."

Upon hearing this, the two men shrank back and shivered, managing only a forced smile.

"We were just joking, don't take it so seriously."

"That's right, it was just a joke."

He wasn't there to joke with them.

Xiao Lie put his arm around Gu Mingheng and walked inside, then waved to Lin Yu.

After hearing his words, Lin Yu frowned, did a rough calculation, and suddenly slammed his hand on the table.

"How could there only be this much silver? Your Duke's mansion is very wealthy. Even if many of your shops have failed due to poor management in recent years, they still have land bestowed by the Emperor. The grain harvest alone is more than two thousand taels of silver every year."

Lin Yu's mother died early, and she had been in charge of the household affairs since childhood, responsible for all kinds of income and expenditure. She was very familiar with these things. Her Lin family was only a middle-class family in the capital. They earned more than this amount just from rent and shop revenue. The Xiao family, on the other hand, was a clan that had founded the country with the founding emperor. They had received countless rewards. If their annual income was only this much, it would be truly unbelievable.

Lin Yu said indignantly, "Someone must have thought you weren't very involved in things, so they deceived their superiors and lined their own pockets. A small portion went to the Duke's mansion, while the bulk of the money went into their own pockets."

After thinking for a moment, she said decisively, "Report it to the authorities directly."

"No way..."

Why?

"Because the person currently handling the Duke's mansion's general accounts is someone personally appointed by the Emperor. If I report this to the authorities, wouldn't I be throwing His Majesty's face to the ground?"

Back then, the original owner was too young. The emperor, fearing that the original owner would be bullied, personally selected someone from among the imperial merchants to manage all the revenue of the Duke's mansion. However, more than ten years have passed, and the already low income of the Duke's mansion has become increasingly less.

The original owner was always joking around and didn't take it seriously, only saying that the world was tough. But after he transmigrated here and connected the dots, he guessed that there was something fishy going on, so he came here to ask him, and sure enough, it was true.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

This damned emperor not only wanted to take their lives, but he also wanted to steal their money. This is even more painful than having a knife to his throat.

After thinking it over, he had an idea, and then he beckoned to the two of them and whispered a few words.

Gu Mingheng and Lin Yu exchanged glances, both looking hesitant. "This... isn't a good idea..."

Xiao Lie glared at them. "Are you still my friends? You back down over something so small. Fine, fine, I'll just pretend I never knew you from now on."

"Speak," Xiao Lie said, lifting his foot to leave. Gu Mingheng and Lin Yu exchanged a glance and immediately stopped him.

"Don't say that. We never said we wouldn't help."

"Exactly, you're too impatient. Leave this little thing to us."

The next day, the manager of Mingcuifang rushed to the Duke's mansion with his account book in hand, crying out for justice.

The gatekeeper didn't recognize him and didn't intend to let him in, but to his surprise, he knelt down in front of the gate and burst into tears.

"Young Master Xiao, I have served the Duke's mansion diligently for twelve years. I have never dared to take credit, but I have at least done some hard work."

"This Liu Changdong not only falsified the accounts and lined his own pockets, but also withheld our wages as shopkeepers. We really can't survive. We beg the young master to uphold justice."

As he spoke, he began to recount the details, tears streaming down his face.

Originally, they had noticed Liu Changdong's wrongdoing long ago, but because of his forceful actions and powerful background, they dared not speak out. However, over the years, Liu Changdong's behavior has become increasingly outrageous, repeatedly finding excuses to squeeze their wages.

"I have a sick mother and young children at home. We are already struggling financially, but Liu Changdong keeps trying to bribe me with money. Now my mother is sick and we can't even afford her medicine."

This man revealed a series of things, which aroused the indignation of the onlookers. They all cursed Liu Changdong for being a bad person. They were also misled by Wang Mingyi and wanted to stand with him in front of the Duke's Mansion to demand justice.

Wang Mingyi repeatedly bowed his hands in thanks, wiping away his tears, deeply moved.

"Thank you all for your help. I will always remember your kindness and never forget it."

Xiao Lie sat leisurely in his mansion, sipping tea, until the commotion outside had subsided, at which point he strolled out.

"What happened?"

Wang Mingyi recounted his story again, and Xiao Lie flew into a rage, "That Liu Changdong! He actually dared to embezzle money from our Duke's mansion and even used the name of our Duke's mansion to bully others."

He stepped forward and helped Wang Mingyi up, promising, "Don't worry, if this is true, I, the young master, will not let it go easily."

Every now and then, tables, chairs, tea, and snacks were all set up, giving the impression of a court hearing at the gate. Liu Changdong, who was still half asleep, was also pulled from his quilt by the servants of the Duke's mansion. After learning what had happened, his face turned pale, and he repeatedly cried out that he was innocent.

"I am utterly loyal to the Duke's mansion, how could I do such a thing? There must be some thief who is jealous of me and wants to frame me. Perhaps the young master cannot easily believe such a villain?"

The head servant stuffed a rag into his mouth and gave a cold laugh.

"Whether it's a false accusation or not, the Crown Prince will be able to discern the truth. If you have anything to say, save it for when you're in front of the Crown Prince."

"Men, take this man away from me. Also, search everything in this room. If you find a large amount of gold or silver, bring it out immediately."

Upon hearing this, Liu Changdong became agitated, but the servants ignored him and dragged him away.