Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

A few days later, Su Qianrou was feeding the fish in the yard. Looking at the fish swimming leisurely in the pond, she couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Suddenly, Chunzhu rushed over in a panic, panting, and said, "Miss, something terrible has happened! The Marquis, the Marquis wants to marry you off to... Young Master Li."

"Young Master Li, which Young Master Li?"

"Li Hong, son of General Li".

"That's Li Hong, who is arrogant, domineering, and often bullies others by abusing his power."

"Ok".

"Why would my grandfather suddenly make me marry him?"

"This servant does not know, but it is now widely known in the manor that the Marquis intends to marry you to Young Master Li. After the Madam learned of this, she went to see the Marquis and is currently arguing with him. You should go and see for yourself."

"Let's go," Su Qianrou said, scattering the fish food into the pond before quickly leaving.

When she arrived at the Mo Courtyard, she heard arguing coming from inside the house.

"The daughter-in-law does not agree to this marriage."

"It's not up to you to disagree with this matter."

"Father knows what kind of person Li Hong is, yet he still insists on marrying Rou'er to him. Why does Father do this?"

"You don't need to know, just go back and prepare for the wedding."

“My grandfather made me marry Li Hong, but he didn’t even give me a reason. That doesn’t seem right,” Su Qianrou said as she entered.

Royal Palace

In the Imperial Study, Mu Jinchen and Su Jing'an were discussing state affairs.

"Your Highness, I have investigated and found that officials in the court have borrowed a total of 197.85 million taels of silver from the national treasury. Of this, Prince Qing borrowed 68.93 million taels, Prince Min borrowed 43.64 million taels, the Duke of Ming borrowed 26.72 million taels, the Duke of Su borrowed 17.56 million taels, and the remainder was borrowed by other officials."

"Has it ever been returned even a fraction?"

"Never".

"I wish to collect the debt from them. What does Lord Su think?"

"I think it's very good."

"In that case, I will entrust this matter to Lord Su. Does Lord Su have any objections?"

"Your Highness, I will certainly not fail in your trust."

“That’s very good, then…”

Just then, Xu Tao walked in and said, "Your Highness, a servant from Princess Ping Le's side is requesting an audience outside the palace, saying that he has urgent business with Lord Su."

Su Jing'an knew that Su Qianrou was a sensible person and would not send someone to the palace to find him unless it was an extremely urgent matter. Therefore, he said, "Your Highness, may I go out and take a look?"

"Ok".

"Thank you, Your Highness," Su Jing'an said and quickly walked out.

Mu Jinchen instructed, "Yingfeng, go and investigate."

"Yes".

Meanwhile, a large number of people had gathered in the ancestral hall of the Marquis of Anping's residence, including Su Qianrou, the old Marquis, Lin Rong, and Su Shenglin, among others.

"I will ask you one more time: will you marry me or not?"

"I won't marry," Su Qianrou said resolutely.

"Very well, since that's the case, then don't blame me for being impolite. Guards, bring out the family law."

"Grandfather, no, Rou'er is too weak to withstand the family discipline."

“Sister, how can a young woman like you endure family discipline? If Grandfather insists on beating you, then he can beat his grandson,” Su Haoyu stepped forward and shielded Su Qianrou behind him.

"Xiaoyu".

"Sister, don't be afraid, I will protect you."

“Grandfather, Li Hong is not a good son-in-law. If you betroth Rou’er to him, how is that any different from pushing her into a fire pit? Please think it over, Grandfather.”

“Mingxuan, you are mistaken. No matter what, Li Hong is the legitimate son of the General’s Mansion and the future master of the General’s Mansion. If Qianrou marries into the General’s Mansion, she will be the future mistress of the General’s Mansion. What an honor that would be.”

"Third Uncle, don't forget that I am a princess personally appointed by His Majesty, with the rank of first-grade official, while Li Hong is just a commoner with no official title. If I were to marry him, it would be a marriage of rank, and there would be no honor in it."

Su Songwen had truly forgotten her status as a princess, but she still stubbornly insisted, "Even if you are a princess, you are still a member of our Marquis's mansion, and therefore you must obey the arrangements of the Marquis's mansion."

"What if I don't listen?"

"Then I'll beat you until you hear it," the old marquis said mercilessly.

"Therefore, my grandfather was determined to marry me off to Li Hong."

"Yes".

“I disagree,” Su Jing’an said as he entered. He then walked up to the old Marquis, cupped his hands, and said, “Greetings, Father.”

The old Marquis did not respond.

Su Jing'an didn't care and asked, "I heard that Father wants to marry Rou'er to Li Hong. If I remember correctly, Father despises those who are martial artists the most. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped Second Sister back then, and even risked severing ties with her. Now, however, he wants to marry Rou'er to the General's Mansion. I wonder why?"

The old marquis glanced at Su Songwen but said nothing.

Su Songwen lowered his head guiltily.

Su Jing'an immediately knew there must be some hidden reason behind this, and then said, "No matter what the reason, I do not agree to this marriage."

"I've made my decision, and it's no use if you disagree."

"Father, Rou'er is also your granddaughter. I don't ask you to be very good to her, but at least you can't harm her."

Knowing he was in the wrong, the old Marquis remained silent.

Just then, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review led his men in.

"Greetings, Lord Marquis, Lord Su."

"Lord Xu, what are you doing...?"

"Please forgive me, Your Excellency, but I am here to apprehend a suspect."

Su Songwen couldn't help but show a look of panic.

"Lord Xu, you must be mistaken. How could there be a suspect in our Marquis's residence?"

"Yes, Lord Xu, what exactly happened?" Su Shenglin asked.

"There's no mistake. Today at Dingfeng Restaurant, Su Songwen accidentally killed a servant from the General's Mansion. The waiter witnessed it with his own eyes."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Su Songwen.

"I didn't, Lord Xu, you must be mistaken," he said, but his face betrayed his guilt.

"Master Su, you know perfectly well whether it's true or not. Please come with me back to the Dali Temple."

"Lord Xu, is there some misunderstanding here?"

“Lord Su, this was witnessed by the waiter himself; otherwise, I would not have dared to come here to arrest him.”

"That's impossible. The General's Mansion said that as long as Qianrou is married off, they won't report it to the authorities. How can this be..." In his haste, Su Songwen accidentally blurted out his true feelings.

"So, Grandfather insisted on marrying my sister into the General's Mansion in order to cover up my third uncle's crimes," Su Haoyu said angrily.

"Father, is what Xiaoyu said true?" Su Jing'an asked.

The old marquis did not answer, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Su Jing'an was extremely disappointed. "Before, she was the eldest brother, and now she's the third brother. Father, what exactly is Qian Rou in your eyes? Just a tool for profit?"

"She is a member of the Marquis's household, shouldn't she do her part for the Marquis's household?"

"Grandfather, are you sure it's for the Marquis's mansion, and not for your two good-for-nothing sons?"

"you……".

"Qianrou, how dare you speak like that? You have no respect for your elders!" Su Shenglin reprimanded her sternly.

"Am I wrong? My eldest uncle got into a fight over a woman in a brothel, and my third uncle went even further, daring to kill people. In the end, you even wanted me to pay for what you did. I just want to ask, where is your shame?"

Su Shenglin and Su Songwen were speechless after hearing her words.

In the end, Su Songwen was taken away by the Dali Temple.