If he hadn’t fled to the northwest, how would Luo Meixiang have poured all her resentment onto his sister, scheming to make her lose her chastity and forcing her to marry far away to a minor county magistrate?

What good would it do to see her? What could he do? Could his sister possibly divorce Qu Yi?

Lingling was already so grown up—what would be the point of divorce?

He could support his sister and niece, but what would happen to Lingling in the future? In this worldly society, a daughter without a father or paternal clan would have no security for the rest of her life!

Although he could ignore others’ judgments, what about when Lingling married in the future?

He had already wronged his sister—how could he wrong Lingling too?

But that unwillingness and humiliation constantly reminded him.

However, his father repeatedly warned him not to defy his stepmother. His grandmother didn’t like him, and Luo Meixiang was cunning and shrewd. In the months since returning to the residence, he had found no way to deal with her.

Regarding the matter of his sister’s lost chastity years ago, he had quarreled with his father.

What had his father said then?

“Meixiang could never be that kind of person! It’s your sister who failed to maintain her womanly virtue!”

Not only did he firmly believe Luo Meixiang, he even whipped him with a riding crop.

From that point on, he and his father became like strangers, not exchanging letters for many years.

Yet when he was about to return, his father specifically wrote him a letter telling him not to defy Luo Meixiang after returning to the capital!

As if he, Liang Zhe, was an unreasonable rebellious son who specialized in causing trouble!

Humiliation, unwillingness, anger…

After so many years of tempering, he was no longer that little boy who could be manipulated and bullied by anyone.

But even though he was resourceful and valiant in battle, in the capital—this place of scheming and machinations—he found himself at a loss in the short term.

First, he had no connections. Apart from Mo Yiting, a childhood friend, and people from his uncle’s family, he had no other familiar acquaintances. He hadn’t brought many people back with him either—besides Liang Yanjun, there were fewer than ten. With insufficient manpower, he was constrained in everything he did.

For a simple example, living in the Marquis Pingxi’s residence, most of those handling his food and clothing arrangements were servants of the Liang household. Could he trust these people? Not only didn’t he dare trust them, he had to constantly guard against them. It took considerable effort before he managed to arrange his mother’s dowry servants into various positions.

Second, he wasn’t familiar with the intricate relationships in the capital. Having left the capital nearly ten years ago, many things were different from before. Besides, he had only been ten years old then—how much could he have known about all these complexities? Enemies on the battlefield were visible, but the people here all smiled pleasantly.

It took him much time to gradually become familiar with the capital.

He didn’t have much energy left to deal with Luo Meixiang.

Every day he had to watch his enemy pretend to be virtuous and magnanimous before him, yet he couldn’t expose her true face.

If not for the Fourth Prince’s mediation, his marriage arrangements would probably have fallen into Luo Meixiang’s hands again.

Even so, he had already suffered setbacks at her hands several times. Her biological grandmother, Old Madam Liang, was very dissatisfied with him and had scolded him face-to-face several times.

When he could barely protect himself, dealing with Luo Meixiang was easier said than done.

So he simply rarely returned to the residence.

Liang Zhe felt quite agitated.

That day in the imperial palace, when he heard Qin Shuying’s forceful and uninhibited words, for some reason, he actually absorbed strange energy from this frail young girl.

When he saw Qin Shuying again at the Lu residence, listening to Liang Yanjun’s reports about her affairs, Qin Shuying’s causing havoc at the Lu residence actually made him feel cheerful.

Later, continuing to pay attention to Qin Shuying’s affairs, learning that she had counterattacked from a desperate situation, actually seeing through and utilizing others’ schemes against her—it almost made him want to clap and cheer.

He still remembered Qin Shuying’s mocking words to Lianpin: “Your Majesty, is the Qin residence my support? Do you believe this?”

Qin Shuying, such an orphaned girl, actually didn’t consider the Qin residence her support at all. She was like a winter plum blossom, standing proudly, not depending on anyone, not clinging to anyone, but relying on her own abilities to secure her own place!

If even an orphaned girl had such courage and boldness, while he who had killed countless enemies on the battlefield without hesitation was now bound hand and foot by inner residence intrigues—what kind of talk was this?!

He went to see his sister.

Fortunately he saw his sister and learned from her some things that couldn’t be said in letters.

If he hadn’t gone to see his sister, he probably would never have known there were so many things he didn’t know about.

Qin Shuying—when she had grievances, she sought revenge; when she had hatred, she vented it.

Never ambiguous, never wronging herself!

How satisfying!

How exhilarating!

How thoroughly refreshing!

So then…

But before he could raise his sword, Luo Meixiang had quickly struck first. Today’s scheme must be related to Luo Meixiang!

What excellent calculation!

They knew he would absolutely never defile Qin Shuying’s chastity, so they schemed to drug him and render him unconscious.

That fake palace maid would defile Qin Shuying’s chastity, then pin the blame on him.

…

Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached. Liang Yanjun and Liang Zhe exchanged glances. Liang Yanjun quickly retied Liang Zhe, then leaped up, pushed open the back window, and quickly crawled out.

Liang Zhe lay down among the pile of clothes and pretended to sleep.

The footsteps reached the door, mixed with a young girl’s voice: “How unlucky, how did the clothes get wet for no reason? Fortunately we can change here.”

As she spoke, someone pushed open the door, and a young lady with two maidservants walked in.

As soon as they entered, they saw a dead person lying on the ground—a bare-chested man with blood flowing from his mouth and nose, his eyeballs rolled back, looking as horrifying as could be.

“Ahh—”

All three screamed simultaneously. The young lady’s eyes rolled back and she fainted, falling to the ground with a “thud.”

How could the two maidservants care about their fallen mistress?

Trembling all over, screaming, they competed to turn around and run out.

…

After a commotion, princes and young masters from aristocratic families all came upon hearing the noise.

As the host, Princess Fu’an naturally had to come.

She already understood the situation—they hadn’t managed to trap Qin Shuying?

Not only that, but her own person was dead too?

Princess Fu’an unconsciously touched her heavily powdered face, her expression turning ashen!

After hesitating at the doorway for a moment, she followed behind the Seventh Prince and walked in.

The dead person had already been covered up—with so many distinguished people present, it was unseemly to leave him exposed.

Princess Fu’an was ultimately a woman. Though she held the dignity of a princess, she was still young, only thirteen years old, so her brother, the Seventh Prince, took charge.

With such a commotion, the head manager of Guangbin Tower had naturally arrived at the scene early.

This was a murder case. He didn’t dare make decisions on his own. Knowing that everyone had been alarmed, he hurriedly consulted the Seventh Prince, then reported to the authorities.

While waiting for the officials to arrive, the guards discovered an abnormal bulge in the pile of clothes.

“Who’s there?”