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

Seeing that she still wanted to dawdle, Xiao Lie was too lazy to say anything more and simply waved his hand, and a servant brought over a box of jewelry.

"As long as you keep Prince Kang calm and prevent him from causing any more trouble in the coming days, all of these things will be yours."

With just a casual glance, Lin Wan'er was stunned by the exquisite and beautiful jewelry inside, unable to look away. Whether the jewelry was beautiful or not was secondary; the most important thing was its value.

That jadeite bangle so green it seemed to drip water, that pure white pearl necklace, and that heavy gold bangle inlaid with jewels and filigree…

Lin Wan'er swallowed hard, having already made up her mind.

Nothing in this world is as reliable as tangible benefits.

"Okay, I promise."

Xiao Lie slowly revealed a smile, "Then it's up to you."

If it weren't for the fact that he needed time to arrange for people and help Shen Qinglan move her dowry, he wouldn't have bothered to come to Lin Wan'er. Now that Lin Wan'er has agreed, that's the best possible outcome.

On the other side, Prince Kang waited for a long time but Xiao Lie never showed up. After returning to his palace, he realized that he had been tricked by Xiao Lie.

Xiao Lie staged a feint; the person he truly wanted to find was his queen.

Jiang Heng stared intently at the woman in front of him, his face dark and full of suspicion.

"When did you start seeing Xiao Lie?"

Shen Qinglan sneered and threw away the pen in her hand.

"What do you mean by that, Your Highness? Do you think I have an affair with Prince Xiao?"

Who knows?

The prince doesn't feel guilty saying this. If we're talking about the beginning and the end, who can compare to the prince and the heir's wife?

"You! Shen, I'm talking to you calmly right now, don't push me."

Is this considered forcing her? When Prince Kang committed such a disgraceful act, why didn't he consider that he was also forcing her? Fortunately, she had long since given up on illusions and was now planning to withdraw.

Thinking of this, Shen Qinglan didn't bother to meet Prince Kang's gaze. She lowered her eyes and took a sip of tea.

"I know what Your Highness is worried about, but Your Highness, the reason the Heir Apparent invited me to his residence is entirely because of you. If the Kang Prince's residence hadn't been unable to raise the funds, why would the Heir Apparent have gone to such lengths to lure me out and plan my dowry?"

King Kang's face turned pale. Unable to save face, he angrily flicked his sleeve and said.

"Whose fault is this? It's all your own fault for taking matters into your own hands and signing the IOU without permission. Now it's all your own doing."

Yes, all of this is her own fault, and has nothing to do with him, right? Then who was it that couldn't withstand the pressure and pushed her out that day?

Shen Qinglan had already experienced disappointment, so when she heard the Prince of Kang's words again, she felt not much disappointment, but only deep weariness.

"Say whatever you want. Since Your Highness is so dissatisfied with me, then I don't need to stay any longer. Yunxiu, why don't you see the guest out quickly?"

Yunxiu walked up to King Kang and extended her hand.

"Your Highness, please."

Seeing her blatant disrespect, Prince Kang's face turned ashen. Without waiting for her to say anything more, he turned and left. Yunxiu stared at the young man's angry back, feeling somewhat worried.

"Miss, if you're so ruthless, what if you really anger the Prince?"

"Then it's up to Xiao Lie. Since he wants a share of my dowry, he'll have to show some strength."

After Jiang Heng left, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease. He had to write another letter to inquire about Xiao Lie's recent situation. Upon learning that Xiao Lie had been quite normal lately, he couldn't help but frown.

Perhaps he's overthinking things.

Xiao Lie had no ulterior motives and had no connection with Shen Qinglan. Was he really inviting Shen Qinglan to his residence for money?

……

The news of the Duke's mansion pressing for repayment of debts, after several twists and turns, finally reached the emperor's ears. Within two days, Xiao Lie was fortunate enough to receive an imperial decree summoning him to the palace for an audience.

Inside the imperial study, the emperor's face remained expressionless, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"I've heard that you and Prince Kang have been having quite a bit of a commotion these past few days."

Xiao Lie's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly knelt on the ground, putting on a wronged look.

"Your Majesty, I had no choice. It pains me to spend so much silver. If it weren't for Prince Kang's ruthless act of disposing of the bodies of Liu and her son, my Duke's mansion wouldn't be in such dire straits."

"If Your Majesty is displeased, I can simply grit my teeth and bear it. It's such a large sum of money; I can endure it."

The emperor had originally intended to give him a warning, to tell him not to go too far, but to his surprise, he immediately feigned grievance, acting as if he were deeply righteous and had to yield because of imperial power. This made the emperor's intended words of reprimand stuck in his throat, unable to be uttered.

The Emperor coughed twice. "You have been wronged in this matter, my dear minister. Even if the Crown Prince has good intentions, I cannot let you suffer this injustice."

"De Shun, bestow upon the Crown Prince the coral that Nan Yue presented as tribute last month, as my compensation."

Soon, two eunuchs brought out a piece of red coral. Although the coral was richly colored and in excellent condition, it was quite small in size. Such a piece would only fetch a little over a thousand taels of silver on the market.

The emperor actually wanted to use this to offset more than 20,000 taels of silver, clearly determined to make him suffer this injustice in silence.

That shameless, despicable emperor. Luckily, he hadn't held out any hope at all.

Xiao Lie gritted his teeth inwardly, but put on a submissive appearance and knelt down to express his gratitude.

De Shun waved his hand, and the two eunuchs immediately lifted Coral and left with him.

After he left, the emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he were sizing him up.

"Deshun, what do you think that kid was thinking just now?"

De Shun bowed and replied with a smile, "His Majesty's reward is a blessing that others can only dream of. The young master is so sensible and understanding, he must be very happy. Perhaps after taking the coral back, he will hold a coral appreciation banquet, invite his friends, and boast about it."

"You, you still know how to say nice things. I only gave him a piece of red coral, how could that be worth so much silver? He's respectful on the surface, but who knows what he's cursing me in his heart."

"But you're right. If I'm willing to reward him, that's his good fortune. He has to accept it whether he likes it or not."

If Xiao Lie had shown even the slightest dissatisfaction just now, it would have been an act of disrespect for the emperor's authority and an offense against the emperor, giving him an excuse to punish him.

Thinking of this, a profound meaning flashed in the emperor's eyes.

"Everyone in the capital says that Xiao Lie is the most dissolute of the rich, but I think his character is better than that of the sons of noble families."

He never revealed anything, but no matter how well he pretended, once he arrived in Kyoto, he was still just a wild monkey who couldn't escape his grasp.

The emperor waved his hand and said, "Go and send a message to Prince Kang. Tell him that I have already taken care of the matter of the silver. Tell him to behave himself these days. If he causes any more trouble, not only will others try to bring him down, but I will not let him off the hook either."

Deshun acknowledged and respectfully withdrew.

Although His Majesty's tone was stern, he could see clearly that if His Majesty didn't truly place high hopes on the Third Prince, why would he give him such a special reprimand?