The princess regretted it.

"Tell me, how did it get like this? Didn't you say you'd already dealt with it? How many things are you hiding from me?" Zhang Chengde straightened his spine, sitting upright in the armchair behind his desk. His voice was deep and powerful, like thunder rumbling from his chest. His aura of authority instantly filled the entire study.

Zhang Hengrui's heart tightened, and he quickly lowered his head, not daring to meet his father's gaze. "Father, after I heard the news that the Dali Temple had arrested Qi Kui this morning, I sent someone to investigate. But before they even returned, I heard that Wang Siqing had entered the palace. I suspect something's wrong with Qi Kui, so..."

"Hmph!" Zhang Chengde snorted, his expression filled with anger. "You're becoming increasingly reckless! When Qi Kui was captured, you should have come to discuss this with me immediately instead of acting on your own. Have you ever considered that there might be a trick going on?"

"?" Zhang Hengrui raised his head and looked at his father, his face full of confusion.

"Still don't understand?" Zhang Chengde asked in a deep voice, "According to your understanding, Qi Kui is a spineless person?"

"Father, that's not the case! I've checked carefully. This man's family members are all gone. He is now alone, and he is quite smart and tough. He is also quite ruthless in doing things." Zhang Hengrui responded quickly.

"In that case, in such a short time, what tricks do you think Wang Zhengxing can use to make him confess and sign?" Zhang Chengde asked again.

"Uh... this..." Zhang Hengrui didn't quite understand his father's intentions. "But father, if he didn't confess, then why did Wang Zhengxing rush into the palace after interrogating him?"

"Don't you understand? If this is a setup, waiting for you to walk into it? He originally had no evidence, so by acting like this, aren't you handing it over to him? Besides, if your assassination attempt fails, will Qi Kui betray you and confess once he learns of your plan?" Zhang Chengde's voice was a little hurried, and he tilted his head slightly, his eyes filled with reproach and scrutiny. "Have you ever considered this?"

Zhang Hengrui was a little confused. He bit his lip and said, "I was not thoughtful enough. Father taught me the lesson, and I know I was wrong. But the situation was urgent at the time, and I was afraid of the long night and many dreams, so I didn't have time to think it through, so..."

"Are you afraid of the long night and the many dreams? Aren't you afraid of making things worse?" Zhang Chengde glared at him. "Now we can only pray that the steward can bring the person back, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous."

"But father, what if Qi Kui really confessed? The emperor might already know about it by now, and the consequences would be..." Zhang Hengrui asked again.

"Even if Qi Kui confesses, there is still a chance for this matter to turn around. At that time, we will have to let the manager take charge. He has a large family in the mansion, and his unreliable son once offended Miss Lin. For the sake of his son and grandson, he knows what to do. But if you send people to the Dali Temple to assassinate him, the nature of the matter is completely different. Have you thought about it?" Zhang Chengde's tone was stern, and his eyes were full of disappointment.

Zhang Hengrui lowered his head in shame, feeling regretful and uneasy, and secretly prayed that the manager could successfully get the man back.

The steward pursued him all the way to the Dali Temple gate, but ultimately, it was too late. He could only watch helplessly as the man, carrying the food box, entered the temple. He didn't even have time to catch his breath; he immediately turned and hurried back. While he didn't know why his master had suddenly changed his mind, judging from his gloomy expression, the matter must be extremely urgent, and he dared not delay even a moment.

The steward ran furiously, his clothes soaked with sweat, but he was oblivious to the situation and simply kept on running. By the time he reached the mansion, he was breathless and almost collapsed. He forced himself to go to the study and report the situation to Zhang Hengrui and Zhang Chengde, father and son.

"Master, Young Master, when I chased him to the gate of Dali Temple, it was too late. The man entered the Dali Temple carrying the food box. I didn't dare to delay and rushed back immediately." The manager said with a guilty look on his face.

Zhang Hengrui and Zhang Chengde's expressions instantly darkened. Zhang Hengrui looked up at his father. Zhang Chengde's face was so gloomy it looked like it could drip with water. He pursed his lips, the furrows between his brows as deep as a knife's, his eyes revealing deep worry and uneasiness. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze flickering.

After a while, he looked up at the manager, his eyes deep, "He Yong, I remember you are a family-born child, right?"

Manager He nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "Yes, Master!"

"I heard that your daughter-in-law gave birth to a big fat grandson for you?" Zhang Chengde asked calmly.

Manager He felt a little uneasy, not quite understanding why the master would ask such questions, so he could only reply respectfully, "Yes! Master, it has been three months."

Zhang Hengrui already knew his father's thoughts. He turned his head, closed his eyes, and said nothing. His hands were quietly clenched in his sleeves.

"He Yong! I remember Miss Lin punished your son for his offense once." Zhang Chengde said calmly.

"Master, I only have this one son. He was a bit of a bastard, but now he has become more restrained after getting married." Manager He said in horror.

"Don't be nervous. I'm not going to pursue your son's affairs. I want to ask you, do you want your grandson to be free from slavery? And take the imperial examination in the future?" Zhang Chengde said slowly, his eyes fixed on Manager He.

Manager He's uneasiness grew more and more apparent. He knew what kind of man his master was. Such a benefit was indeed very attractive to him, not only to him, but to the entire Zhang family. But what would such a benefit be in exchange for? He knelt down with a plop and said tremblingly, "Master, I don't understand. Please explain clearly."

Zhang Chengde slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back, walked slowly to him, and said softly: "You introduced Qi Kui. Now he is exposed. The people you arranged to go to the Dali Temple have probably been arrested by the Dali Temple. Do you know what will happen next?" His voice was like ice, cold to the bone.

After hearing what Zhang Chengde said, He Guanshi's body trembled involuntarily. He almost guessed what the master meant and could only kowtow repeatedly.

Zhang Chengde ignored him and continued, "If this matter involves the entire Zhang family, your whole family will not be able to escape. But if you can take on this responsibility, I can guarantee that your grandson will be freed from slavery and help him take the imperial examination. What do you think?" After saying that, Zhang Chengde looked at Manager He without a trace of pity in his eyes.

Steward He was in agony, knowing he had no choice. He gritted his teeth and made a final effort, "Master, how can I bear the consequences? I'm afraid the Dali Temple won't believe me."