“Xu Chenqing…”

Lost in thought, Xu Chenqing didn’t notice Yun Ge’s delicate figure standing hesitantly at the doorway, gazing at the handsome man inside.

Xu Chenqing looked up and smiled faintly at the young woman wearing a goose-yellow dress at the door. “Why don’t you come in?” The young woman’s face flushed slightly as she tugged at her sleeve, looking at Xu Chenqing expectantly.

“You look beautiful,” Xu Chenqing praised with a smile.

Indeed, she was beautiful. The young woman’s delicate features wore no makeup, yet her slightly reddened cheeks seemed touched with natural rouge, as lovely as peach blossoms. Her bright eyes carried a hint of unease, making her even more endearing. Though Ye Li wasn’t particularly fond of dressing up, she had excellent taste. The goose-yellow silk dress was embroidered with pale pink plum blossoms, and a light-colored sash encircled her willow-slim waist. Since it was early winter, she also wore a light purple cape trimmed with white fox fur. The fluffy white fur framing her neck made Yun Ge’s petite face appear even more delicate and lovely, impossible to look away from.

Hearing Xu Chenqing’s praise, the young woman’s smile brightened further. Xu Chenqing gazed at the flower-like smile of the young woman not far away, momentarily lost in thought…

## The Regent Prince’s Manor in Nanjing

The Regent Prince’s manor was extraordinarily lively that day. Anyone of any standing or capability in Nanjing, both within and outside the city, had been invited to attend Prince Li’s banquet. Though some people’s expressions weren’t particularly pleased, Prince Li’s mansion now held supreme power in Jiangnan, their word as good as law. Even those who disliked it dared not go against Prince Li’s wishes.

Ye Li still brought along Zhuo Jing and Wei Lin. Wei Lin stepped forward to present their invitation to the steward greeting guests at the door. The steward couldn’t help but secretly admire the handsome young man before him. Though this Master Chu was from the Northern Territories, his handsome features and graceful bearing were rare even in Jiangnan, known for its talented scholars. No wonder Yu Zhou was called the land of the wise. Coming to his senses, the steward quickly had someone escort Ye Li’s group into the manor.

This was Ye Li’s first time entering Prince Li’s manor. Though she was already thoroughly familiar with its layout, actually entering was quite different. Northern architecture emphasized grandeur, while Jiangnan focused on intricate details. Mo Jingli had always cared about appearances, so naturally, the Regent Prince’s manor was the finest residence in all of Nanjing. Its size even rivaled the former Prince Ding’s manor in the Chu capital. This clearly showed how intensely Mo Jingli competed with Mo Xiuyao.

The banquet was held in a great hall at the center of the prince’s manor. The hall was nine rooms wide and five rooms deep, with golden bricks paving the floor in magnificent splendor. Above the main entrance was the name “Taihua Hall.”

Many people frowned slightly at the entrance. Ye Li stood at the great hall’s doorway and raised an eyebrow, asking, “Why does this Taihua Hall seem familiar?” Zhuo Jing softly laughed, “Young Master, it rather resembles the Diligent Government Hall in the Chu capital. No wonder it seems familiar to you.”

Ye Li suddenly understood. It wasn’t that Taihua Hall’s appearance resembled the Diligent Government Hall. The Diligent Government Hall was built by the founding emperor of the Chu dynasty—magnificent yet maintaining an emperor’s mighty presence. This Taihua Hall, however, overemphasized ornate luxury, with carved beams and painted rafters so intricately detailed that it seemed inferior and somewhat petty. But those nine hall doors and the divine beasts at the corners were identical to the Diligent Government Hall. Nine represented the supreme number, only to be used by emperors. Even the main hall of the former Prince Ding’s manor only used the number seven. Mo Jingli’s ambition for the throne was now completely undisguised.

Entering the hall, many nobles were already seated. As soon as Ye Li entered, she saw the Marquis of Muyang and his son seated near the front, along with the resplendently dressed and radiant Yaoji sitting beside Mu Yang. Yaoji smiled and nodded at Ye Li, and naturally, Mu Yang sitting beside her immediately turned his gaze as well. He looked at Ye Li, then at Yaoji. Yaoji smiled and whispered something in Mu Yang’s ear, and only then did Mu Yang nod to Ye Li.

Ye Li returned the greeting indifferently as a servant led her to her seat. Though the Chu family was a prestigious house of Great Chu, they currently held no power in Nanjing. Therefore, Ye Li’s seat wasn’t very close to the front, but neither was it at the back. For someone of Chu Junwei’s status, this seating position was quite generous.

As soon as Ye Li entered the hall, she attracted many gazes. Many who didn’t recognize her began asking each other whose young master could possess such bearing.

“Might you be Young Master Chu Junwei?” asked the middle-aged man seated beside Ye Li with a smile.

Ye Li nodded and cupped her hands in greeting. “May I ask your name?” The middle-aged man smiled, “My surname is Lin, just a mere merchant, not comparable to Young Master Chu’s noble lineage.” Ye Li smiled, “Master Lin is too modest. The Lin family leads Jiangnan’s silk trade, with wealth rivaling the greatest fortunes of our time. How could a mere branch member of the Chu family compare?”

Ye Li’s words pleased the middle-aged man greatly. Merchants, though wealthy, lacked noble status and often felt both envious and resentful of these scholarly noble families. A single kind word from such people was worth a hundred from ordinary folk. “Haha, Young Master Chu is too kind. How can we money-grubbing merchants compare to your noble refinement?”

This middle-aged man wasn’t unfamiliar to Ye Li. Though they had never met, Lin was Jiangnan’s foremost silk merchant. Most of the silk that Li City traded to the Western Regions was dealt through the Lin family. As the primary mistress of Prince Ding’s manor, Ye Li naturally knew her business partners well.

“Master Lin flatters me. I merely happened to be traveling in Jiangnan for studies when this occurred… Prince Li… I’m just a branch member, how could I speak for the Chu family?” Ye Li sighed softly, her beautiful brows slightly furrowed.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man also sighed, “Young Master speaks truly. Alas, with Prince Li in power now, as the saying goes, ‘commoners cannot fight officials.’ What can we common folk do?” He had major business dealings with Prince Ding’s manor—indeed, it was precisely because of Prince Ding’s manor’s business that his Lin family had truly secured their position as the leading silk merchant in Jiangnan. How could anything happen to Prince Ding’s manor benefit the Lin family? Moreover… he didn’t have any faith in Prince Li at all. If the Lin family’s silk business wasn’t so firmly rooted in Jiangnan and impossible to move, he would have relocated to Li City long ago.

Now things were worse—everyone knew how well-informed Prince Ding’s manor was. If news of him donating money to Prince Li reached Prince Ding’s manor… The middle-aged man frowned, his expression growing even more troubled. Sitting beside him, how could Ye Li not know what he was thinking? She sighed helplessly as well, “Fortunately, my home is in Yu Zhou. If I can get through today and immediately set out to return to Yu Zhou, there shouldn’t be much trouble. At worst, I’ll just have to give this villa in Nanjing to Prince Li’s manor. I trust Prince Ding’s manor won’t blame me, considering the Xu family’s relationship.”

Hearing this, the middle-aged man was stunned for a moment before suddenly brightening. He grabbed Ye Li’s hand and smiled, “Young Master is traveling far from home and surely couldn’t have brought too many burdensome items. If there’s anything you need, please let me do my part to help.”

Ye Li calmly withdrew her hand and smiled faintly, “How could I trouble Master Lin with such matters?”

The middle-aged man smiled apologetically, “How could it be trouble? As the saying goes, at home one relies on parents, abroad one relies on friends.’ I also wish to become friends with Young Master Chu, though you might find us merchants too vulgar.”

Ye Li smiled warmly, suddenly finding this person quite interesting. After some thought, she nodded and smiled, “I’m not sure how I could repay Master Lin’s kindness.”

The middle-aged man cautiously looked around and smiled, “Perhaps we could discuss this privately?”

Ye Li said, “I’m just a branch member of the Chu family. What if I end up disappointing Master Lin? Wouldn’t that be unfortunate?”

The middle-aged man had no choice but to lower his voice and smile, “Actually, it’s nothing much. With Young Master’s talent, I can’t believe you truly do not influence the Chu family. I just… hope Young Master could help introduce me to either Young Master Qingchen or Young Master Han.” When Prince Ding and his wife weren’t in Li City, Young Master Qingchen held all authority in Prince Ding’s manor, while Han Mingshi managed Prince Ding’s manor’s external business. An introduction to either would be worthwhile.

Ye Li lowered her eyes and smiled faintly, “So that’s it. Such a small matter is no trouble.”

Hearing this, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but feel relieved, and his estimation of Ye Li rose even higher. This was no small matter—for someone of his status, meeting Young Master Qingchen was extremely difficult. This Chu Junwei must have quite a close relationship with Young Master Qingchen to be so confident. “Then I thank you, Young Master,” the middle-aged man said with cupped hands and a smile.

“The Regent Prince arrives! His Majesty arrives!” A sharp voice interrupted what the middle-aged man was about to say next. Ye Li smiled faintly, gesturing for him to continue their discussion later. The middle-aged man hurriedly suppressed his slightly regretful expression and stood to welcome the Regent Prince and Emperor.

The young Emperor wore bright yellow dragon robes and followed beside Mo Jingli. Though Mo Xuyun was nearly a year older than Mo Xiaobao, looking at him now, Mo Xuyun appeared to be half a head shorter than Mo Xiaobao had been when Ye Li left Li City months ago. Trembling as he followed beside Mo Jingli, he looked nothing like a sovereign ruler, more like an abused, pitiful child.

Ye Ying walked beside Mo Jingli. Seeing how pitiful the child looked, she originally wanted to reach out and help him but didn’t dare move due to Mo Jingli’s expression.

“Paying respects to the Regent Prince! Paying respects to His Majesty!” According to protocol, even with the Regent Prince in power, the Emperor should have been announced first. But the earlier announcement had put the Regent Prince first, and among the banquet attendees, the court officials were already accustomed to this, while many of the invited wealthy merchants either hadn’t noticed this issue or naturally went along with it for fear of offending Prince Li.

“Rise,” Mo Jingli said, looking down at everyone from above, speaking only after he had seated himself in the main position on the dais.

“Thank you, Regent Prince,” everyone said in unison.

Ye Ying also sat down on Mo Jingli’s right side. The young Emperor Mo Xuyun carefully glanced at Mo Jingli before walking to the empty seat on the left and sitting down. Below, the crowd secretly shook their heads seeing the Emperor’s timid demeanor.

Mo Jingli looked down at the guests and officials with satisfaction and smiled, “Everyone need not be so formal. Please enjoy the food and drink.” The crowd again thanked the Regent Prince, but who among those seated didn’t have their sources of information? They naturally knew what the Regent Prince’s purpose was in holding this banquet. Especially those wealthy merchants who had been forcefully invited—their smiles were stiff, and they had no appetite for food or drink.

The banquet’s atmosphere was somewhat strange, but Ye Li paid it no mind. She ate and drank with natural composure, as if completely unaware of this banquet’s purpose. From the dais, Mo Jingli could naturally see everyone’s expressions from his elevated position. These past few days, Mo Jingli’s mood had been terrible. First, Dongfang You had disappeared—though normally Mo Jingli often felt like strangling that woman, when she suddenly vanished, many matters in Mo Jingli’s hands came to a standstill. Dongfang You tightly held many things from Cangmang Mountain in her own hands, and once she was gone, Mo Jingli simply couldn’t mobilize that portion of power. Then there was the Empress Dowager openly falling out with him at court. Though probably everyone inside and outside Nanjing knew of their poor mother-son relationship, openly confining his birth mother like this still led to Mo Jingli facing considerable criticism from scholars. Now, seeing everyone’s stiff but necessarily obedient expressions in the great hall, Mo Jingli suddenly felt his mood improve greatly. What did it matter if these people opposed him in their hearts? Openly they still had to obey his commands, kneeling respectfully before him.

“Bring them in!” Mo Jingli’s voice suddenly rang out in the somewhat awkwardly heavy atmosphere of the banquet.

Shortly after, two manor guards dragged in a middle-aged man covered in injuries and forced him to kneel on the ground. Ye Li looked on with some curiosity—she didn’t recognize this person. But beside her, Master Lin couldn’t help drawing in a sharp breath and whispered, “It’s Zhang Baiwan.” In the hall, quite a few people shared Master Lin’s expression. Living in Nanjing, anyone of any standing naturally knew each other. This Zhang Baiwan’s name wasn’t Zhang Baiwan. He was a famous grain merchant in Jiangnan. It was said that sixty percent of the grain shops in Jiangnan belonged to the Zhang family. He counted among Nanjing’s top wealthy merchants, with wealth beyond measure, hence the name Zhang Baiwan (“Zhang Million”).

This Zhang Baiwan had another nickname in Nanjing—”Death for Money.” Though already wealthy beyond compare, he dressed day to day, and even his wife and children lived very simply, as if afraid others would know of his wealth. He could take advantage of others, but if someone gained even a copper’s worth of advantage over him, he wouldn’t be able to eat for days. How could such a person willingly give large sums of money to Mo Jingli for military expenses? Moreover, when Mo Jingli’s army set out, they would naturally need grain. Earlier, Mo Jingli had sent people to negotiate with him, but this person had avoided meeting them. Today he simply didn’t attend the banquet at all.

With Mo Jingli’s temperament, how could he tolerate such defiant behavior? So at this Regent Prince’s banquet, since Zhang Baiwan wouldn’t come proudly bearing an invitation, he was brought in under guard.

Mo Jingli coldly swept his gaze over the somewhat portly middle-aged man kneeling on the ground and sneered, “Master Zhang, you are truly difficult to invite, aren’t you?”

Zhang Baiwan wore a bitter expression and trembled as he said, “Please forgive me, Your Highness, I wouldn’t dare. This humble one was truly unwell, so… please forgive me, Your Highness.”

“Unwell?” Mo Jingli said, “Is that so? This prince’s manor happens to have several quite skilled imperial physicians. Why not let them take your pulse? That would prevent any lingering illness.”

“No… I wouldn’t dare…” Zhang Baiwan’s face went white, truly looking ill now. But how could he dare let Prince Li’s people take his pulse? At this point, even if he had a terminal illness, Prince Li’s imperial physicians would declare him perfectly healthy after taking his pulse. Moreover, everyone knew his claim of being unwell was just an excuse.

“Impudent!” Mo Jingli’s expression darkened as he slammed his hand heavily on the armrest, the heavy sound making everyone’s hearts tremble. Zhang Baiwan’s portly frame shook, his face turning ashen with fear.

“This prince showed you face and you rejected it. Do you truly think this prince is a pushover?” Mo Jingli said sinisterly, waving his hand. “Take him out and give him fifty heavy strokes. I believe Master Zhang’s health will recover quickly.”

Fifty heavy strokes—if delivered, someone like Zhang Baiwan who couldn’t practice martial arts and wasn’t young could go straight to his funeral. Even if Prince Li’s people held back, it would still take seven or eight-tenths of his life. Prince Li intended to swallow the entire Zhang family whole. The seated crowd’s hearts trembled, and some couldn’t help feeling fortunate they hadn’t done anything foolish.

The guards beside him didn’t give Zhang Baiwan any chance to beg for mercy, immediately gagging him and dragging him out. Soon, the heavy sound of the paddle and Zhang Baiwan’s muffled groans could be heard from outside. Mo Jingli intended to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.

“Regent Prince.” Amid the crowd’s terrified struggle, a clear, deep voice rang out in the hall. Everyone looked toward the sound to see a white-robed young master rise to his feet and say composedly, “Your Highness is about to set out on the campaign, why bother with an ignorant commoner? Please reconsider, Your Highness.”

Mo Jingli raised an eyebrow, looking at Ye Li with an inscrutable expression, “Young Master Chu wishes to plead for him?”

Ye Li smiled, “I’m not pleading for Master Zhang, just… Your Highness campaigns north for Great Chu’s foundation. Killing Zhang Baiwan might harm Your Highness’s reputation.”

“Interesting.” Mo Jingli’s actions were intended to intimidate everyone—he hadn’t truly meant to take Zhang Baiwan’s life. At least, he needed to leave him with enough breath to leave the Regent Prince’s manor. Seeing Ye Li speak thus, Mo Jingli raised his hand to signal someone beside him to go out and stop it.

Shortly after, Zhang Baiwan was dragged back in and thrown to the ground. Though Ye Li had interceded, he had still received over twenty strokes, and a large patch of his back robes was soaked with blood.

Mo Jingli coldly looked at the person sprawled on the ground unable to get up and said to Ye Li, “This prince campaigns north to recover Great Chu’s lost territory. Now I merely seek to borrow some money from the people in the name of the court, yet Zhang Baiwan repeatedly declines. Does Young Master Chu think such a person doesn’t deserve beating?”

Ye Li said calmly, “Such a person naturally deserves beating. However, ‘To kill without teaching is called tyranny; to punish without warning is called brutality.’ As everyone knows, Master Zhang loves money like life itself—temporary foolishness is inevitable. Now that he has learned his lesson, surely Master Zhang won’t disappoint Your Highness again.”

“Is that so?” Mo Jingli raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhang Baiwan. Zhang Baiwan hadn’t accumulated his vast fortune by being a fool. How could he not know he had just nearly lost his life? If not for this Young Master Chu speaking up, in another moment Zhang Baiwan would have become Zhang Dead Man. Seeing Mo Jingli’s gaze sweep over, he immediately nodded repeatedly and said, “This young master speaks truly… this humble one was temporarily foolish, I beg Your Highness’s forgiveness. This humble one is willing to donate five hundred thousand dan of grain for the army.”

Supporting the troops meant giving without expecting repayment. Though Mo Jingli had never intended to repay anything, it sounded better than borrowing. However… “Five hundred thousand?” Five hundred thousand dan of grain sounded like a lot. But as military provisions, it wasn’t even enough for several hundred thousand troops for one month—Mo Jingli naturally wouldn’t be satisfied. Zhang Baiwan’s heart trembled, and with a mournful face he said, “One… one million dan…”

Mo Jingli gave a light snort and smiled, “In that case, this prince must thank Master Zhang for his generous act. Additionally, the army’s later provisions will likely also trouble Master Zhang to arrange. Of course… the court will purchase them at high prices. How about that?”

What could Zhang Baiwan do besides nod? He naturally understood that Mo Jingli’s so-called high prices couldn’t be expected. Even getting market price would be unlikely—in the end, he would probably have to take the loss himself. He could only hope the Li family would leave the Zhang family with some assets after the war.

With Zhang Baiwan’s lesson, the wealthy merchants present naturally became more sensible. Without Mo Jingli even having to speak, they began offering money and goods, with more than half as outright gifts. Though these people had probably cursed Mo Jingli’s ancestors back eight generations in their hearts, they still had to carefully maintain smiling faces. They feared that if Mo Jingli became angry, they might not even be able to leave Prince Li’s manor alive.

In no time at all, Ye Li made a rough calculation in her heart—the forced donations from those present had already reached five to six hundred thousand taels of silver, along with countless other goods. With such rich income, even Mo Jingli’s gloomy expression improved considerably. Ye Li also very sensibly donated fifty thousand taels of silver. Though Mo Jingli was somewhat dissatisfied, he considered that Chu Junwei was traveling away from home, and fifty thousand taels was already quite face-giving. Moreover, Chu Junwei’s earlier persuasion had given Mo Jingli a way to step down, making Mo Jingli quite favorably impressed, so he didn’t say anything more. Of course, these fifty thousand taels were ultimately provided by Master Lin sitting beside Ye Li. Master Lin’s face had turned almost green with pain at losing four hundred and fifty thousand taels in a single banquet. Everyone present knew these funds were like throwing meat buns to a dog—gone without return. Fortunately, Jiangnan had always been a wealthy region, and though these merchants suffered considerable losses, they could still bear it. If this were in Nanzhao or Xiling, people might revolt before Mo Jingli could even begin his northern campaign.

Having gotten what he wanted, Mo Jingli no longer had the patience to drink and dine with these people. He offered one toast and then left. Those present were eating with stomach pains, but none dared to leave immediately. Following right after Prince Li left would clearly show dissatisfaction with him. Since ancient times, the notion that the poor shouldn’t fight the rich and the rich shouldn’t contend with officials has been deeply ingrained in people’s bones. Unless they couldn’t survive, ordinary people generally wouldn’t willingly oppose the court.

So everyone absently watched the singing and dancing before them while silently bleeding in their hearts over their lost wealth. The only relaxed person present was probably Ye Li. Though Mo Jingli had left, Ye Ying and the young Emperor remained at the banquet. After all, it was the Regent Prince’s banquet—there had to be some hosts present. However, Ye Li’s current disguise made it inappropriate to speak with Ye Ying. Her gaze calmly passed over Mo Xuyun sitting dazed in his chair, and a very faint smile curved her lips.

“Why is His Majesty at the Regent Prince’s manor today?” Ye Li asked with some puzzlement.

Master Lin beside her hurriedly explained in a low voice, “I heard the Regent Prince had a falling out with the Grand Empress Dowager, saying she was too soft-hearted and couldn’t properly teach His Majesty. He plans to keep His Majesty by his side for personal instruction.”

“Personal instruction?” Mo Jingli intended to frighten the young Emperor to death, right? Moreover, the Grand Empress Dowager was soft-hearted. Mo Jingli seemed to have forgotten he was also raised by that same soft-hearted woman.

“Indeed. Ah… it’s not easy being born into the royal family.” Master Lin looked at the dazed young Emperor on the dais and shook his head repeatedly. Even a fool could see the young Emperor was simply a puppet who couldn’t stand on his own. He was particularly terrified before Prince Li—Prince Li probably wasn’t kind to him. Staying in the palace with the Grand Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager watching over him would have been better. Now staying in Prince Li’s manor, who knew how long he would live?

Ye Li lowered her eyes in thought, then glanced at Wei Lin behind her. Wei Lin stepped forward and bent to receive instructions. Ye Li whispered a few words in Wei Lin’s ear, and Wei Lin silently nodded before returning to his original position. Master Lin looked curiously at the two guards behind Ye Li, increasingly feeling this Young Master Chu was unfathomable.

“Young Master Chu,” Zhang Baiwan, who had just been beaten, came over with a pale face and ingratiating smile, “Thank you for speaking well of me before the Regent Prince just now.” Because Zhang Baiwan had offended Mo Jingli earlier, no one present dared speak with him, and Zhang Baiwan’s relationship hadn’t been very good to begin with. Otherwise, even if he had been momentarily foolish, someone would have warned him earlier. Zhang Baiwan had largely been used as others’ stepping stones. But the banquet hadn’t ended, and though Zhang Baiwan was injured, he didn’t dare take his leave, sitting alone in a corner quite pitifully. Now, he finally managed to come to thank Ye Li.

Ye Li smiled slightly and nodded, “No need for thanks, Master Zhang. It was just a small gesture on my part.”

Zhang Baiwan smiled bitterly, “Young Master’s small gesture saved this old man’s life. If Young Master Chu has any tasks in the future, this old man won’t decline.” Ye Li secretly laughed that this Zhang Baiwan wasn’t truly foolish, but that last statement was just talk—Zhang Baiwan’s money-loving nature certainly wouldn’t suddenly change because of one beating.

“I wouldn’t dare, Master Zhang is too kind.”

Zhang Baiwan looked at Master Lin beside them and said with an ingratiating smile, “If Young Master has time, this old man would like to prepare a modest feast another day. Please honor us with your presence.” Ye Li pondered for a moment, then smiled, “In that case, I’ll trouble Master Zhang then.”

Seeing Ye Li agree, Zhang Baiwan returned to his seat with a delighted expression.

Master Lin looked at Zhang Baiwan and couldn’t help laughing, “Unexpectedly, this Zhang Baiwan has become generous after a beating. Young Master Chu is probably the first person in many years he’s willingly invited as a guest.”

Ye Li smiled faintly, “Master Lin jests.”

Master Lin shook his head, “This Zhang Baiwan never acts without profit. Young Master Chu should be careful.” Ye Li nodded, thanking Master Lin for the warning. Though Master Lin also harbored some other thoughts, the warning was still well-intentioned. There was never kindness without reason in this world.

Zhang Baiwan was quite well-known in Nanjing, and Ye Li naturally knew something about him. While gratitude for saving his life wasn’t wrong, it was more likely he had designs on the Chu family.

Master Lin thought for a moment, then looked at Ye Li with a smile and said softly, “I hear Zhang Baiwan has a daughter of marriageable age…” Though he didn’t finish the sentence, Ye Li already understood his meaning.

Actually, after meeting Ye Li today, quite a few people had similar thoughts. After all, though Chu Junwei was only a branch member of the Chu family, his background was still far above these looked-down-upon merchants. Moreover, this young master was handsome and graceful, and even Prince Li seemed to show him considerable courtesy. Not to mention the countless intricate connections between the Chu family and the Xu family. Such an excellent son-in-law was naturally the object of everyone’s desire. Even Master Lin himself had such thoughts, but unfortunately of his two daughters, the elder had married several years ago while the younger was not yet ten years old. He could only sigh with regret.

Hearing Master Lin’s words, Ye Li was stunned into speechlessness. She truly hadn’t considered this issue—after all, even though she could disguise herself well as a man, she was still a woman at heart, and no woman would imagine others wanting to marry their daughters to her. But now hearing Master Lin say this… Ye Li looked back at Zhuo Jing and Wei Lin.

Both wore strange expressions and after a while, Wei Lin slowly said, “The young master’s outstanding bearing and peerless beauty naturally make him the object of many parents’ desires.” So the prince not only had to guard against men but women as well? Wei Lin and Zhuo Jing couldn’t help secretly feeling sympathy for their prince.

Ye Li helplessly shook her head and smiled, “Thank you for the reminder, Master Lin. I understand.”

Master Lin chuckled and lowered his voice, covering his mouth as he laughed, “I’m just making an observation. They say it’s better to destroy a temple than ruin a marriage, but Zhang Baiwan’s daughter… hehe… Young Master should consider carefully.”

In the corner opposite, Zhang Baiwan had noticed Master Lin might be discussing matters related to his family and glared at him fiercely. Master Lin continued drinking unconcerned, while Ye Li shook her head helplessly and raised her wine cup slightly toward Zhang Baiwan.

The onlookers were somewhat surprised, not expecting this Young Master Chu to show such special consideration to the stingy and miserly Zhang Baiwan.