The prince is fierce: Who dares to steal my woman?

Sunlight streamed obliquely into the hall, illuminating the rows of guards standing solemnly. Their figures swayed gently in the breeze, as if even the air itself had frozen.

Upon hearing the news, everyone's expressions tightened, they quickly straightened their clothes, and bowed respectfully to the Crown Prince.

"Your Highness, please do justice for me!"

Yu Jin's voice trembled slightly as he looked at the Crown Prince, his eyes gleaming with a pleading light, as if he had grasped at a lifeline.

Liu Zhan's brows revealed an extraordinary heroic spirit. He slowly raised his hand, his eyes piercing, and said, "Minister, what exactly is the matter? Please tell me slowly."

Yu Jin quickly feigned a pitiful expression and cried out, "Your Highness, that playboy Xiao Jinyan, who only knows how to play with women, actually dared to try to force my legitimate daughter Zhen'er to be his concubine! Zhen'er is the apple of my eye; how could I stand by and watch her fall into the tiger's mouth? I refused with all my might, but this only earned me Xiao Jinyan's even more frenzied revenge. Not only was he not satisfied with that, but he also made an outrageous demand, asking for the dowry I had prepared for my illegitimate daughter Xin'er—a full fifty million taels of silver! Although I have some wealth, where would I get such a huge sum of money? But Xiao Jinyan doesn't care at all; he even threatened to forcibly seize the property in my residence to use as the dowry!"

Madam He immediately burst into tears and said, "Your Highness, Xiao Jinyan's behavior is no different from that of a robber or bandit. Please, Your Highness, do us justice!"

Liu Zhan's eyes deepened. He gently stroked the jade thumb ring on his finger, weighing the pros and cons and the course of this struggle in his mind. He then turned to Xiao Jinyan and said, "Your Highness, is what the Attendant said just now true?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinyan slowly spoke, his voice low and firm: "What the Attendant said is largely true, but it also contains embellishments and slander against me. According to etiquette and agreement, I should have married Zhen'er, the eldest daughter of the Yu family, as my wife. She is a woman of unparalleled beauty, a perfect match for me. However, the Attendant took it upon himself to betroth his illegitimate daughter, Xin'er, to me. Isn't this disrespecting our Qi State Duke's family? Therefore, I proposed that my eldest daughter, Zhen'er, become my concubine, but the Attendant firmly refused. Even so, Xin'er, though an illegitimate daughter, is still the daughter of the Prime Minister, the rightful wife of the heir of my Qi State Duke's family. Yet her dowry is extremely meager, probably less than half the dowry of an ordinary prefect or magistrate's daughter. Under these circumstances, it is not unreasonable for my Xiao family to ask for a small dowry to appease our grievances, is it?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhan's eyes deepened, as if he were weighing the pros and cons in his heart. He knew that Xiao Jinyan's father, Duke Xiao Cheng of Qi, held considerable military power, and that gaining his assistance would undoubtedly solidify his position as crown prince.

After a moment, Liu Zhan spoke slowly, his voice carrying a subtle hint of authority and depth, and said softly, "Minister, I, the Crown Prince, originally advocated for your eldest daughter, Zhen'er, to marry into the family. However, you were reluctant and secretly arranged for a concubine's daughter to marry instead, without informing me beforehand. Now that Xiao Jinyan has caught you red-handed, how do you plan to explain this?"

Yu Jin, his face full of sorrow, slowly spoke, his voice trembling slightly: "Your Highness, my beloved daughter Zhen'er is the apple of my eye. It is truly unbearable for me to marry her off to Xiao Jinyan, that infamous playboy."

Liu Zhan's tone was authoritative and unquestionable: "Minister, is your concubine's daughter Xin'er not your own flesh and blood? Aren't you afraid that Xiao Jinyan will ruin her?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Jin was speechless for a moment. He opened his mouth, but found himself unable to respond.

Liu Zhan coughed lightly and continued, "Alright, Your Excellency, there's no point in talking about this now. Let's discuss how to resolve this issue. Either you let Zhen'er suffer a little and become Xiao Jinyan's concubine, which would at least ensure her lifelong stability; or you can make up for the betrothal gifts for the Xiao family and let this marriage proceed with dignity."

Upon hearing this, Yu Jin's face instantly turned ashen. He almost jumped up to retort, "Your Highness, what is Zhen'er's status? How can she become a concubine for that纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled brat)? Furthermore, do you know that Xiao Jinyan's so-called betrothal gifts are simply a bottomless pit? He's not just asking for betrothal gifts; he's clearly extorting money from us. He's trying to confiscate this old minister's property!"

A glint of light flashed in the Crown Prince's eyes. He gently patted Yu Jin's shoulder and said earnestly, "Minister, don't be so short-sighted. Xiao Jin's father, Xiao Cheng, is a powerful regional official with a large army. If we can seize this opportunity to unite with him, we will undoubtedly be contributing to our future great cause. Your current loss is nothing but a drop in the ocean, insignificant. When Father Emperor passes away and I ascend the throne, I will definitely compensate you doubly, elevating the glory of your Yu family to even greater heights. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Jin felt a mix of emotions, as if his heart was being gnawed by a thousand ants, causing him unbearable pain. He could only nod reluctantly and say, "Since that's the case, then let's just give Xiao Jinyan some additional betrothal gifts."

Seeing Yu Jin compromise, Liu Zhan smiled faintly. He then turned around gracefully and looked intently at Xiao Jinyan, who was standing to one side. He said slowly, "Minister Xiao, at my urging, the Chamberlain has agreed to make up for the missing betrothal gifts. If there is any shortfall, we can collect some money from the Chamberlain's residence."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinyan nodded quickly and smiled, "Since His Highness the Crown Prince has spoken, then this humble subject will not stand on ceremony."

Having said that, he immediately ordered his men to take action, his eyes gleaming with an indescribable excitement and pride. He waved his hand, and Luo Chuan, Guan Lingxuan, and the others, along with a group of well-trained servants and guards, quickly assembled, moving silently through Yu Jin's mansion like a group of ghosts.

Xiao Jinyan personally led the group, moving through the carved beams and painted rafters, each step so decisive and powerful. Calligraphy, paintings, antiques, jade, jewelry... these treasures, imbued with the essence of time, were picked up one by one by their hands and carefully placed into several large boxes that had been prepared beforehand.

Xiao Jinyan's gaze was quickly drawn to the valuable calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall. He slowly approached, his fingertips gently gliding over the delicate Xuan paper, as if he could feel the breath and emotions of the figures in the paintings.

Among them, a genuine work by Wang Xizhi is particularly eye-catching; its smooth brushstrokes and profound artistic conception are truly moving.

Wang Youjun, also known as Wang Xizhi, was a famous calligrapher of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and can be called the king of the calligraphy world.

Just as Xiao Jinyan was about to acquire this priceless work, Yu Jin finally couldn't hold back and hurriedly tried to stop him.

"That's a genuine work by Wang Xizhi, a priceless treasure!"

Yu Jin's voice carried a hint of pleading and helplessness. He knew that this collection was not only a symbol of wealth, but also the essence of his life's collection.