The merchant's rebirth led to the complete downfall of the Marquis's mansion.

秦府

The people monitoring Jiang Su had already relayed their movements to him long ago.

Qin Yao leisurely let Qingzhi dress her up, putting on the newly delivered light green fairy dress and wearing the newly made gold hairpin.

In the past, when she was in front of the people in the Marquis's mansion, she not only had to offer them money and jewelry, but she also had to dress plainly, otherwise she would appear to be full of money.

That's just a nice way of putting it; they were afraid that if she were too glamorous, they would look too shabby.

Now she can dress however she wants, and she wants to dress up in a luxurious way so that they can see that she is someone they can't compare to.

The sun was high in the sky, and Jiang Su and his entourage had been drinking tea in the hall for a long time without seeing Qin Yao. Everyone looked displeased and kept giving Jiang Su meaningful glances.

In order to achieve his goal, Jiang Su kept his anger in check and tried to appease everyone.

Just when things were about to get out of control, Granny Zhao arrived.

"Your Highness, gentlemen, ladies, my young lady is on her way home. Please be patient."

"Miss went to the east of the city to check the accounts today and was unaware that everyone was visiting. She has been neglected!"

Granny Zhao's smile remained unchanged, but the meaning behind her words made most of the people present look unpleasant.

They only found out after they arrived that the Crown Prince had not informed Qin Yao in advance.

They arrived to find no one there. Not only had they been sitting there for so long, but the host had also treated them so well. Even if they were unhappy about waiting for the younger generation as elders, they had no choice but to sit down and continue waiting.

After a long while, Qin Yao, having finished her dessert, finally came out.

Upon entering, one sees the living room packed with locals; Jiang Su is truly willing to spare no expense.

These people are all from collateral branches of the Jiang family. None of them have been capable in the past two generations, so they have been living off the Jiang family.

I don't know what conditions I'll have to promise them before they agree to this.

"Uncles, aunts, and madams..." Qin Yao greeted everyone from afar, "I'm sorry I'm late and have kept you all waiting."

Sitting in the main seat was an elderly man with gray hair, who was also the patriarch of the Jiang family.

Qin Yao had dealt with him frequently in her past life, so she was naturally familiar with his character.

He prided himself on his integrity and the pride of a scholar, and he despised scheming and intrigue, hating evil as if it were his enemy.

Jiang Su invited him here, probably determined to keep her pinned down, but this also makes things easier for Qin Yao, doesn't it?

"Alright, it's also because the young master didn't think things through. We've come at the wrong time." The clan leader waved his hand, and no one dared to speak.

Jiang Su dared not be presumptuous in front of the clan chief and stood up to admit his mistake.

"I wonder what brings you all here today?" Qin Yao asked, feigning confusion as she looked at the crowd.

“Qin family girl, we’re all acquaintances, I won’t beat around the bush with you.” An aunt dressed in dark clothes stood up.

"The heir apparent of the Marquis's mansion is not only related to the reputation of the Marquis's mansion, but also to the entire Jiang family. Therefore, a clean family background and personal virtue are very important."

Qin Yao nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"So, we received news that you... that you had an affair with a servant..."

“Of course we don’t believe it, so we’re here today to get to the bottom of things and prevent you from being stigmatized.”

Qin Yao's gaze swept over everyone, and she hesitated before saying:

"Where is the person who filed the complaint? Where is the evidence? And... have no one from the Marquis's residence come either?"

Jiang Su immediately realized, "Yaoyao, don't be afraid. We're here just to prove that you didn't do such a thing. As long as you've done nothing wrong..."

Qin Yao turned her head away, not wanting to listen to his nonsense.

"Elder, let's set aside the fact that this is a fabricated charge that should have been resolved privately."

"They said I was the betrothed daughter-in-law of the Marquis's household, but the head of the household didn't come. Besides, the young master, I don't know who he listened to, couldn't even produce this person..."

Everyone in the Jiang family changed their expressions. Although the Marquis's mansion was of high status, what they did today was indeed too disrespectful.

Jiang Su was also speechless for a moment. He was so eager to convict Qin Yao that he forgot all about these things. But once the evidence is found, who will remember these things?

The clan elders were truly unaware that the young master was like this, and he hadn't even brought the informant with him.

"Future niece-in-law, don't worry, I will give you a satisfactory answer regarding today's matter."

"I naturally believe the elders' words, but I wonder who the informant claims I have an affair with?"

The clan leader looked at Jiang Su, who immediately said in a serious tone, "It's your servant Qin Liu!"

"I heard that you two grew up together, childhood sweethearts, and he's quite handsome, so you two secretly developed feelings for each other and often exchanged letters. We just need to check Qin Liu's address, and we'll know for sure!"

Jiang Su was very certain, and his confidence made everyone present frown.

They didn't come to catch them cheating.

"This..." Qin Yao hesitated.

Jiang Su saw this as a sign of a guilty conscience.

"Why make things difficult for Yao Yao? He's just a servant; a quick search will suffice. Is Yao Yao afraid...?"

"Young Master, be careful what you say!" Granny Zhao came over in a few steps and took Qin Yao's hand.

“Miss, although our Qin family has never bullied our servants, we cannot allow outsiders to bully us. Since the young master wants to investigate, then we must investigate to the end! The Qin family must be given an explanation for this matter!”

"Don't worry, Granny! We'll naturally give an account once the investigation is complete!" Jiang Su was naturally very confident.

His confidence stemmed from the fact that he had personally delivered the items to the Qin residence the previous night and placed them in Qin Liu's room.

If he didn't have to maintain his image, he would have burst out laughing.

“Alright! This is what the young master said, and I also ask all the elders to be witnesses. Please follow me…” The nanny said, and began to lead the way.

Before long, everyone arrived outside Qin Liu's house.

The Qin family mansion was large and treated the servants well; most of the servants had their own rooms, and Qin Liu was no exception.

Qin Liu, who was still working, has been called back.

A large group of people were standing outside. Qin Yao originally planned to let the servants search after they arrived, but Jiang Su couldn't wait any longer and rushed in.

"Miss!" Granny Zhao looked at Qin Yao with concern.

After all, Qin Yao had previously declared that she would marry no one but Jiang Shizi. Zhao Mama was really afraid that she wouldn't be able to bear it, as he was openly slapping Qin Yao in the face like this.

"It's alright, Granny. The young master is just a bit impatient. He probably wants to find out the truth as soon as possible and clear my name."

Qin Yao's magnanimity drew praise from the elders around her.

They also felt that the prince's behavior was inappropriate, but as long as Qin Yao didn't care, it wouldn't be a big deal.

Qin Yao gave another smile that was clearly one of grievance, yet one that she had no choice but to forgive.

It garnered a wave of sympathy.

Turning her head, Qin Yao revealed a genuine smile. Her emotions were already high, and the atmosphere was just right. Now it was up to Jiang Su to decide how to handle the situation.

"Found it!" The next moment, Jiang Su appeared at the door, holding several letters in his hand.

"Qin Yao, what else do you have to say?" Jiang Su was furious, but he couldn't hide the joy in his eyes.