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

Outside the Prince Kang's residence, several people sat in a circle, watching as the gatekeepers came to beat them with sticks.

One of them shouted, "Don't even think about hitting us! We're here to collect debts for the Duke's son!"

"What kind of thing is this, daring to come to the Kang Prince's mansion to collect debts? If you're short of money, I'll give you two copper coins. Don't get in our way here."

"Speak," the guard said, swinging his stick several more times, startling everyone so much that they jumped up and retreated.

"Hey, what are you doing? Just because the Kang Prince's Mansion can't pay its debts, does that mean you can take action?"

"That's right. If you really can't pay back the money, you can go to the Duke's mansion and ask the heir to grant you a grace period. But you've taken action, are you trying to renege on your debt?"

"I never expected that the prestigious Kang Prince's Mansion would also learn those tricks to renege on debts."

These people shouted louder and louder, attracting many pointing fingers and whispers. The guards at the gate looked panicked and were at a loss for what to do.

"What nonsense are you all spouting? Don't you dare tarnish the reputation of my Prince Kang's Mansion."

If things escalate and damage Prince Kang's reputation, causing his residence to be ridiculed by everyone, these guards will definitely receive a severe beating.

But these people wouldn't leave, and even if you didn't chase them away, they would still sit in front of the door shouting to collect debts and drive them away, and they would shout even louder.

The guards holding sticks were sweating profusely, barely managing to stand up to the debt collectors.

"Don't talk nonsense. How could His Highness Prince Kang deliberately delay paying back the money?"

"If it wasn't intentional delay, then why has His Highness Prince Kang not even shown his face, nor sent anyone to handle this matter, despite us being here for so long? Only you guards have come forward, attempting to drive us away. Isn't this an attempt to renege on your debt?"

"Exactly, exactly. It's laughable that even His Highness Prince Kang would renege on his debts."

The debt collectors hired by Xiao Lie shouted loudly, which attracted the attention of the people.

They all felt that this Prince Kang had previously had an improper relationship with the Crown Prince's wife, and now he owed the Crown Prince money and was dragging his feet on paying it; he was truly a despicable person.

Someone muttered curses under their breath, "What kind of Prince Kang is he? With such character, he's no different from those lowlife scum."

"I'm better than him. At least I know to pay back debts and I would never lay a finger on someone else's wife."

This remark was met with another burst of laughter.

When news of what happened in front of the mansion gate reached the inner courtyard, Prince Kang, who had been hiding there in peace and quiet, finally could no longer bear it.

He threw the teacup in his hand hard on the ground, smashing it to pieces, and cursed angrily through gritted teeth.

"This Xiao Lie is going too far."

Not only did they steal his woman before, but now they dare to publicly demand repayment of his debts, damaging his reputation.

Was he deliberately delaying payment? Xiao Lie suddenly made him pay such a huge debt out of thin air; where was he supposed to get the money to fill this hole?

He did manage to smuggle some goods in an attempt to make money, but now, because of that damned canal gang, his business has been completely ruined.

"Your Highness, what should we do? If we let them continue this commotion, by tomorrow all the noble families in the capital will know about this farce."

Jiang Heng was furious.

"You're asking me? Who should I ask?"

If he knew how to handle it, why would he be hiding here? After thinking it over, he felt that the one who deserved to die the most was Xiao Lie. If he were gone, all of this would be over.

The steward hesitated for a moment, then said, "How about we invite the Princess over? When she married into the Prince's mansion, her bridal procession stretched for miles, and she brought countless dowries."

Everyone in the capital was saying that the dowry the Grand Tutor gave to his beloved only daughter was enough to buy the entire city. If that were true, then 27,000 taels of silver would be nothing more than a drop in the ocean for her.

But this seemed to strike a nerve with Jiang Heng, almost making him jump up in anger.

"You want me to misappropriate her dowry?"

"Well... there's nothing we can do about it."

"Shut up! Only the most worthless man in the world would misappropriate a woman's dowry."

If he really did that, he would probably never be able to hold his head up in front of the Shen family again. Besides, he knew in his heart that he had always been cold to the Shen family, and now asking them for help was more painful than having a knife to his throat.

But what if... it's not the Shen family?

Lin Wan'er's stay in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is practically like sitting in a golden nest. Imagine having her move the Duke's silver out, then returning it to him, using the Duke's silver to pay off his debts—it sounds intriguing. If Xiao Lie knew this, he'd probably be furious.

Jiang Heng was already unwilling to accept this debt, but now that he had come up with this solution, everything became clear.

"Wonderful! Who says the Shen family is the only wealthy family in the world?"

The steward, seeing his master's sudden change of mood from joy to anger, was puzzled and could only obediently lower his head and stand guard in place.

Soon, Jiang Heng secretly picked up a pen and wrote a letter. However, this time, he did not use a carrier pigeon, but instead sent his own informant to deliver it quietly.

Outside the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, a maid who had gone out to buy groceries touched her temples, straightened her basket, coughed, and walked into the mansion with an air of composure.

"Miss, His Highness has sent another letter."

Lin Wan'er was overjoyed, thinking that the matter from last time had come to a head, but it turned out that what Prince Kang really wanted was for her to steal silver.

Lin Wan'er was furious. She crumpled the paper in her hand into a ball and threw it on the ground. Chunxue unfolded it, looked at it carefully, and also complained.

"Miss, didn't you send His Highness to investigate the affair? If the Crown Prince has truly fallen for someone else, perhaps he would have made him divorce you. Why doesn't His Highness care about this matter? He even sent you to steal silver. What if the Crown Prince finds out…?"

Chunxue couldn't continue speaking; her eyes were filled with grievances for her young mistress.

Lin Wan'er's chest heaved with anger. She leaned on the coffee table and gave a cold smile, a glint of cold light flashing in her eyes.

"It's not that he doesn't care about me; he probably doesn't care about me at all now."

"Speak," Lin Wan'er said, sweeping a pile of teaware off the table and onto the floor. Only after hearing the clattering sounds did she feel a little more at ease.

Since Jiang Heng doesn't care about her at all, then she shouldn't blame her for being ruthless and unjust.

Lin Wan'er coldly ordered, "Go and invite the young master."

"Miss?"

"I said, go and invite the Crown Prince."

Lin Wan'er's face was cold and gloomy. Chunxue felt a chill in her heart and dared not utter another word before hurriedly leaving.

Inside Qingfeng Garden, Xiao Lie raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"It's quite a rare thing that Chunxue, that maid, actually came to see me."

"Not only that, Chunxue also said that Lin Wan'er invited you over again."

"Serious business? What serious business could Lin Wan'er possibly have?"

Thinking back on the past few days, almost all the major events in the manor were related to Lin Wan'er, Xiao Lie silently shut his mouth again.

He was also curious about what Lin Wan'er wanted from him.

"Let's go take a look."

The master and servants hurried towards the West Garden at a leisurely pace, while Lin Wan'er was already so anxious that she was restless and stood in the courtyard looking around.