I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

Without looking up, Song Yao asked, "Who paid for it?"

Mrs. Qian was taken aback: "What did you say?"

"Did Young Master Xiao pay for their trip to Chunhong Courtyard, or did Xu Qing pay for it himself?" Song Yao asked again.

The two men exchanged a glance, and one of them answered hesitantly.

"It seems that Young Master Xiao paid for it."

Upon hearing this, Song Yao followed the procedure, wrung out the clothes, shook them out, and hung them on the clothesline.

After she finished, she turned around, looked at Madam Qian, and spoke in a flat tone.

"Then it's alright. Brothels are just places for show. Since Young Master Xiao paid for it, it means he wanted to go. Xu Qing was just accompanying him. He's not going to marry any of the women from brothels, so what do I have to worry about?"

Upon hearing this, Ms. Qian was stunned.

He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say; he couldn't think of anything to say.

The two men behind them exchanged bewildered glances.

They had hoped that Song Yao would fly into a rage after hearing this and then cause a scene with Xu Qing.

Ideally, things should escalate to a point of no return.

Who would have thought that Song Yao would act as if nothing had happened after hearing this? And what she said left them speechless.

It took Qian a while to realize what she meant: "You really don't care at all?"

Song Yao turned around and glanced at her.

"Aunt, if you don't need anything else, the door is over there."

When Song Yao said this, her tone was clearly impatient.

But the sound of her kicking the laundry tub was crisp and clean.

The clanging sound clearly indicated that they were not welcome.

Madam Qian was so angry she was panting heavily, but there was nothing she could do. She could only leave in a sorry state with the two men.

After leaving the Song family, the two men jogged back to report to Chen Shijin.

……

After hearing this, Chen Shijin was also stunned for a long time.

He frowned and vigorously shook the folding fan in his hand.

"Damn, she doesn't even care if her fiancé goes to brothels, she's quite a character."

He gritted his teeth and, like a donkey pulling a millstone, paced back and forth in the house many times.

Finally, they stopped. "Since he's not buying it, let's try a different approach. Have someone investigate who Xu Qing has been associating with lately and find out exactly how many cards he has up his sleeve."

Chen Shijin had no choice. Xu Qing, that poor scholar, had no background before, but now so many people suddenly appeared to help him.

Whether it's the Xiao family, Li Yan, Su Man, or even the Prince of Zhao's side, they all seem to have some interest in him.

This kid has more and more people backing him, making him increasingly difficult to deal with.

However, they couldn't win over Song Yao, and they couldn't explain it to their grandfather in the capital.

Nearby, her father was also pressuring her.

He was caught in the middle, truly in a dilemma.

dong dong dong~~~

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Chen Shijin responded impatiently.

"Come in!!"

A servant boy rushed in and bowed.

"Young master, the master requests your immediate attention to the main hall. He says a distinguished guest is arriving and you must go right away."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shijin frowned. "What distinguished guest? Why did they arrive so suddenly? I had no idea."

The servant also shook his head.

"I don't know either, but judging from the expressions on the faces of the master and the second master, they seem to be very powerful."

Chen Shijin wondered to himself: Where did this distinguished guest come from so late at night?

He casually tucked the folding fan into his waistband and strode towards the main hall.

Upon entering the main hall, Chen Shijin was immediately stunned.

The main hall was brightly lit, even brighter than when the birthday banquet was held.

Father Chen Chengsong sat in the main seat, his face tense, his fingers gripping the armrests of the chair tightly.

Second Uncle Chen Chengbo sat to the left, his usually calm and composed face now showing a very serious expression.

Neither of them spoke; their gazes were fixed on the person standing by the wall in the hall, looking at the painting.

The man was wearing a black brocade robe with dark gold python patterns embroidered on the collar and a jade belt around his waist.

Just by looking at that back view, you can tell that he has an innate arrogance.

He heard footsteps and slowly turned around.

Chen Shijin's legs went weak for a moment.

The visitor was none other than Li Jinghuan, the heir apparent of the Prince of Jin.

This is the same prince who was publicly humiliated and forced to leave in disgrace at the Zhuangyuan Tower.

His gaze fell on Chen Shijin's face, and he smiled slightly.

"Young Master Chen, we meet again."

Chen Shijin spoke with some nervousness, "Greetings...Greetings, Your Highness..."

Li Jinghuan ignored his stuttering.

He walked slowly to the guest chair next to him, lifted the corner of his robe, and sat down.

I picked up the tea that had already been poured and took a sip.

He only spoke after he put down his teacup.

"I, the young master, have come to visit you late at night. I'm sure Lord Chen has already guessed what my purpose is."

Chen Chengsong's expression changed slightly, but he did not respond.

Li Jinghuan didn't wait for his reply and continued speaking on his own.

"Hengyang County isn't a large area, but it's being watched by various forces. I've come today to ask Lord Chen only one question."

He raised his eyelids and stared intently into Chen Chengsong's eyes.

"Which side is your Chen family on?"

In an instant, the main hall became extremely quiet, and even the air seemed to freeze.

Chen Chengsong stammered for a moment, unable to speak. He hesitated for several moments before cupping his hands in greeting.

"What do you mean by that, Your Highness? My family, the Chen family, has been established in Hengyang County for many years and has never participated in court affairs..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Jinghuan burst into laughter, interrupting him.

"Hahaha, not participating? Then let me ask you, do you even believe what you're saying? Do you think I'm just being polite today?"

Li Jinghuan slammed the teacup down on the table, his voice becoming heavy, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.

"I have received information that your Chen family intends to force Song Huaiyi's daughter, Song Yao, into marriage, and has even secretly sent people to disrupt their engagement. You don't think the whole world knows about this, do you?"

Chen Chengsong gripped the handrail tightly.

Chen Chengbo's expression changed immediately. He put down his teacup and tried to keep his voice as calm as possible.

"Your Highness is joking. Our Chen family has never..."

"No?" Li Jinghuan interrupted him impatiently.

"Do you think that I, the Crown Prince, came to you today unprepared?"

Your grandfather sent word back from the capital that you should marry the Song family's daughter before the news gets out, so you can get on Song Huaiyuan's good side, right?

His words were as sharp as a knife.

It instantly cleaved the hearts of the three members of the Chen family.

Chen Chengsong's face turned deathly pale instantly.

Chen Chengbo's hands were already trembling uncontrollably.

Chen Shijin stood rooted to the spot, his legs feeling like they were made of lead, unable to move an inch.

Li Jinghuan looked at them, snorted coldly, and a mocking smile returned to his lips.

The tone became even more condescending.

"I know very well what your old man is thinking. Song Huaiyuan has been in the border region for decades, and now he is about to be reinstated."

You want to marry your daughter before anyone else knows about this, so that when he returns to the capital, you'll be in-laws and you can benefit from his influence. While your Chen family is declining, tying yourself to the rising Song family will extend your Chen family's lifespan by several decades.

After these words were spoken, none of the three people knew how to respond.

However, Li Jinghuan obviously didn't wait for them to respond.

He continued.

"But have you considered that Song Huaiyuan's reinstatement won't be as an ordinary official in the capital! Several high-ranking officials in the court have reviewed his memorial and deemed it feasible. After his return, he'll at least be a Vice Minister in the Ministry of Works, a rank of at least the third grade. He might even be promoted further!"

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a sound of something shattering rang out!