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

"Let's go, let's go see her at Qingzhi Courtyard."

It wasn't to comfort her, but rather to make her look foolish.

As soon as Xiao Lie reached the door, the maids and servants knelt down in a panic, as if they had seen a ghost. At the same time, the sound of shattering porcelain and curses came from inside the room.

"That damned Xiao Lie, what good is his momentary triumph? He'll get what's coming to him sooner or later..."

Xiao Lie frowned slightly. What if smashing something like this would destroy his entire fortune?

"Was the Crown Princess like this before?"

When asked about his mother, he had no idea what Xiao Lie meant by "this kind of thing." He only saw the young man's face suddenly darken, looking as if his mother had died, which was extremely unpleasant.

Hmph, how dare they ruin the things in his Zhenguo Duke's mansion like this? Do they think he's dead?

Xiao Lie waved his hand, looking displeased.

"Since it's so easy to break things, replace everything in the Crown Princess's room with wooden ones. As for the original items, send them to the treasury."

Xiao Lie glanced around, his gaze finally settling on Sixteen. "Team leader, this matter is being handled by you again..."

Sixteen looked bewildered and pointed to himself incredulously, "Me?"

"Yes, it's you."

Lin Wan'er knew nothing about this matter. By the time she found out, the house had already been ransacked, making her tremble with anger. She wanted to go to Xiao Lie to demand justice, but she was only coldly stopped by him.

"I'm sorry, but the young master said that you cannot go anywhere without his permission, and you certainly cannot leave Qingzhi Courtyard."

After being repeatedly rebuffed with the same excuse, Lin Wan'er's momentum waned, and her face turned ugly.

Xiao Lie sat in a rocking chair, legs crossed, slowly sipping his tea. He was waiting for news, and sure enough, that evening Qiu Niang came to see Xiao Lie with a box of pastries.

Her face was rosy and her voice was soft. In order not to contradict her character and background, she specially wore a white dress. Under the moonlight, paired with white jade and pearl jewelry, the already beautiful woman became even more like a fairy from the moon palace.

"Greetings, Your Highness. I heard that Your Highness is not in a good mood, so I specially made some pastries to send over, hoping that Your Highness will like them."

After saying that, she picked up the food box and tried to rush into the room, but Xiao Lie stood there like a door god, his voice indifferent.

"Qiu Niang, it's not appropriate for a man and a woman to be alone together so late at night."

"I'll accept the pastries, you can go back now."

Qiu Niang froze. If she went back, wouldn't all her hard work tonight have been for nothing?

She pursed her lips in dissatisfaction, her eyes brimming with tears, making her appear even more delicate and pitiful.

"Why do you say that, Your Highness? Do you not like Qiu Niang? But from the very first time Qiu Niang met Your Highness, she already knew that Your Highness was her only husband."

"Even if the Crown Prince doesn't acknowledge it, it doesn't matter."

With that, the food box clattered to the ground. Qiu Niang removed her white veil and approached step by step, revealing her smooth, fair skin. Under the lamplight, the heroine's skin was as white as snow, and her collarbones were delicate. As she slowly loosened her sash, the spring scenery beneath was faintly visible.

Qiu Niang threw herself into Xiao Lie's arms, her eyes brimming with tears.

"From the very first moment Qiu Niang saw the young master, she admired him and begged him to take her in."

"This..." Before Xiao Lie could refuse, she forced him back step by step until he was forced onto the soft couch next to her.

Meanwhile, outside the Duke's mansion, lights blazed and commotion raged. Under orders from the commander, a squad of soldiers forcibly kicked open the gates of the Duke's mansion without permission.

"Just search for me!"

The steward was shocked and tried to stop them, but the commander shouted him back.

"The emperor is subject to the same laws as the common people. If nothing happens, I will apologize and make amends. If something happens and you continue to obstruct me, be careful that you don't commit another crime."

The commander claimed it was a search, but he himself led a group of trusted men straight to Xiao Lie. When he kicked open the door and saw the two engaging in ambiguous behavior, a cold glint appeared in the commander's eyes.

"How dare you, Xiao Lie! Right here under the Emperor's nose, you dare to forcibly abduct a woman and defile the purity of an innocent girl! Do you think the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty are dead, which is why you dare to be so lawless?"

"Guards! Seize this man!"

As he spoke, several soldiers surrounded him, but Xiao Lie stopped them.

He sneered, "It looks like a search, but Commander Xie doesn't seem surprised at all?"

"Commander Xie, you have no connections and have worked your way up to this position through your own efforts. It wasn't easy. Are you sure you want to continue investigating? If you make a mistake, you might lose your job."

"If you step down now, I can pretend nothing happened."

Commander Xie threw his head back and laughed heartily, "Stubbornly resisting, utterly foolish."

"My future and wealth depend entirely on this day, so there's no need for you to worry about it, Your Highness. You should worry about yourself first."

Xiao Lie narrowed his eyes slightly. "It seems Commander Xie is quite confident."

This man used to have a good reputation and was fairly and impartial in enforcing the law, but he insisted on getting involved in this matter and being used by others. Xiao Lie originally wanted to give him a chance, but you can't stop someone who wants to die.

He gave a slight sneer, "Alright, I hope Commander Xie won't misunderstand later."

Upon hearing this, Xie Ruming felt a sudden unease. After thinking it over and over for a long time, he still couldn't figure out what way Xiao Lie could possibly break the deadlock.

He looked at the disheveled woman beside him, wiping away tears and sobbing, and felt somewhat relieved.

With witnesses and physical evidence in hand, it will be incredibly difficult for Xiao Lie to clear his name; he's probably overthinking it.

Xiao Lie spoke with such conviction, but he might just be fooling him.

Having thought all this through, Xie Ruming straightened his back, feeling even more confident.

"You don't need to hold me back, I can walk by myself, but before I leave..."

Xiao Lie turned around and looked behind the screen. "I would also like to ask Your Highness to step forward and bear witness for me."

The Fifth Prince, Prince Jing? He's here too.

Xie Ruming was startled and followed Xiao Lie to look behind the screen. A few seconds later, a gentle and refined handsome man slowly walked out. He tapped his palm with a folding fan, his eyes smiling, and his gaze towards Xie Ruming held a deeper meaning.

"Young Master Xiao certainly treated me to a good show tonight; it was truly spectacular."

"However, the person acting here is quite unexpected. Commander Xie, His Majesty is still alive, yet you are so eager to serve others. I wonder what Father Emperor would think if he knew?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Ruming's face turned pale, and he swayed, as fragile as a piece of paper.

Although the Imperial City Garrison is not a high-ranking position overall, its special function is related to the safety of the capital and it has always been directly responsible to the emperor. If it is interfered with by others, it will only arouse the emperor's suspicion and lead to his death.

In an instant, Xie Ruming's whole body stiffened, and a chill ran down his spine.

He stammered for a long time before finally managing to find his voice, "This...this is just..."