To divorce his wife, the top scholar preferred being cuckolded to wearing a red hat.

Because of Ruan's outburst, everyone in the capital knew that Su Sihai was keeping a mistress. In order to quell the rumors, Ruan had no choice but to agree to make Liu Yiyi a concubine and have her move into the Lanmei Courtyard of the Su family mansion.

After entering the mansion, Liu Yiyi lived a secluded life, rarely venturing out.

Even if Madam Ruan wanted to cause her trouble, she would have to find a reason.

……

Yu Susu was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison because her previous report against the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce failed.

She offered 500,000 taels of silver, asking only that the Emperor spare her life.

The Emperor directly entrusted this matter to the Crown Prince.

If it weren't for the assassination attempt, You Susu's willingness to spend money to save her life wouldn't be a bad option.

Unfortunately, after the assassination incident, You Susu was also suspected of being a spy.

As a spy, one's home can be confiscated. Whether she likes it or not, all her silver will have to be turned over to the national treasury.

When You Susu saw the Crown Prince come to interrogate her, her expression remained indifferent. The moment her plan failed, she had already considered everything.

"You Susu, you have slandered the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce and are suspected of colluding with Xiqi. You'd better confess the truth." The Crown Prince spoke in a calm voice, looking into You Susu's eyes, trying to see something in them.

"Your Highness, this humble woman wishes to see Su Mingyue. Is that alright?"

"What did you do to see her?"

"She promised to save my adopted son, and I want to ask her if she still stands by it."

"You complained to her in front of the palace, almost getting her into trouble, and you still expect her to save your adopted son? Are you out of your mind?" The Crown Prince's lips curled up slightly.

"Your Highness, this is a matter between her and me. Whether she is saved or not, I beg the Crown Prince to allow me to see her."

"Alright, I'll send someone to fetch her right away." The Crown Prince waved his hand, signaling his men to go and announce her arrival.

Su Mingyue had been watching a good show all day and was about to go to sleep when she learned that the Crown Prince had summoned her to the Dali Temple because You Susu wanted to see her. She got up, changed her clothes, and went out.

As soon as she stepped out, a dark figure from the Su residence followed her out.

Inside the Dali Temple, You Susu sat in the prison cell, her expression calm as if a storm was brewing.

The crown prince sat not far away, having someone watch her.

Su Mingyue walked into the prison and looked at You Susu, who was still dressed neatly even after entering the prison, with admiration in her eyes.

She could tell at a glance that the other person had a very strong sense of self-discipline.

"Madam You, I heard you wish to see me. May I ask what brings you here?"

“Miss Su.” You Susu looked at her, a smile of indifference to life and death on her lips; “I’m sorry to have troubled you to make this trip.”

"Tell me, what's the matter."

"I have taken care of Fu Jingsheng's matter for you. Is your promise to save my adopted son still valid?"

"Madam You is truly a loving mother. She can barely take care of herself, yet she still thinks about her adopted son. If you really care about him, why did you take this dangerous path? You should have understood before entering the palace that the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce has no problems, and neither do I. Entering the palace would only lead to your death, but you still did it."

"I had no choice," Madam You said with a bitter smile. "They threatened my adopted son's life, so I had no choice but to comply."

"You are not the real You Susu. The real You Susu died two years ago with her man. You impersonated her, took over all her man's businesses, and then moved to the capital. Here, no one knows you, so there's no need to worry about anyone exposing your true identity. Your real identity is a person from Western Qi, a person of Princess Zhou Wenjun of Western Qi, right?"

You Susu raised an eyebrow as she listened to her words; "You're much smarter than I thought. Fu Jingsheng was truly blind to divorce you and marry that good-for-nothing second young lady from the Su family. If he hadn't divorced you, you and he would probably have had a bright future."

"A greedy person, even without Su Ziyu, will have Li Ziyu or Zhang Ziyu in the future. Leaving him is my honor, I have no regrets." Fu Jingsheng is the kind of person whose heart can never be satisfied. Even without Su Ziyu, other women will enter the Fu household in the future.

“You’re quite open-minded. Leaving you is indeed his loss; otherwise, he wouldn’t have ended up like this. I approached him because he’s indecisive and easily manipulated.” You Susu frankly revealed her true purpose in getting close to Fu Jingsheng.

"You're not short of money, and you probably aren't short of men either, so choosing him shows a lack of taste."

"Let's not get off topic. Only you can cure my adopted son's illness."

"It's not impossible to save him. But you have to tell us your true identity. If you can't tell us your true identity, then I'm afraid I can't help you."

“He was a doll that You Susu picked up. After You Susu died, the task of taking care of him fell to me. At first, he was very upset when he found out that his mother was gone. It took me a long time to get him to call me mother. But because of my status, I was destined not to stay by his side and not to watch him grow up safely.”

"If you want to save him, it's simple. Tell us everything you know, and we can spare your adopted son's life." The Crown Prince suddenly walked in: "The crime of a concubine's son is not a crime. Your crime has nothing to do with him, but if you don't tell the truth, I can hardly guarantee your life."

"As long as the Crown Prince can guarantee to save his life, I am willing to tell you everything." You Susu knelt down and kowtowed to the Crown Prince: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness and Miss Su. I left him a sum of money. As long as he recovers, he will not have to worry about his future."

You Susu gave the Crown Prince a letter and then committed suicide by swallowing poison.

The crown prince's face darkened after reading the letter.

“Princess Su, she is indeed Zhou Wenjun’s spy in Western Qi. The letter said that Zhou Wenjun only used her once, which was this time when she went to the palace to file a complaint. She also told me where Zhou Wenjun was hiding. I am going to meet this Zhou Wenjun now. As for her adopted son, if you can save him, please do so. He is just a child after all, and I have no intention of killing him as well.”

“Alright, I’ll listen to the Crown Prince.” Su Mingyue nodded: “Her adopted son’s illness is not difficult to cure.”

……

After returning from Dali Temple, Su Mingyue did not go directly back to the Su residence, but instead went back to Huaihua Hutong.

As soon as she entered the room, she saw Xiao Zhan come out after taking a bath, his hair still wet, wearing only a thin undergarment.

As she entered the room, he smiled and said, "The Crown Prince summoned you so late because of You Susu's case."

"You Susu wanted to see me, so I went." Su Mingyue looked at his abs and, to be honest, this bastard's abs were quite impressive.

A drop of water from his hair fell onto his chest, then slid down his chest and onto his abs, looking incredibly alluring.

This scoundrel is up so late at night, who is he trying to seduce?

"The water is ready, go take a bath." Xiao Zhan was very satisfied with Su Mingyue's absent-minded look when she saw him. He needed to win her heart little by little.