The abstinent prince, practicing Buddhism, is seduced by a voluptuous beauty into breaking his vows.

In the main hall of the Yongning Marquis's residence, the charcoal fire crackled and popped.

Su Cheng'an sat in the main seat, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.

Aunt Liu stood beside him, her eyes red-rimmed, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Su Yaoyao calmly sipped her tea, almost as if she was about to grab a plate of melon seeds to crack open.

"Yaoyao," Su Cheng'an put down his teacup, breaking the awkward silence with a somewhat forced smile.

"Your aunt has managed your mother's dowry all these years; she's done a lot of work, if not meritorious. Those shops and estates, if it weren't for her diligent management, would probably have fallen into disrepair long ago..."

"Father is right," Su Yaoyao said calmly. "That's why I've come today to properly thank Aunt."

Aunt Liu's eyelids twitched.

Su Yaoyao continued, her tone as gentle as if she were having a casual chat:

"Auntie has kept these things for me for so many years; it must have been very hard work. Now that I've come of age, it's time for me to learn how to manage my own things. You promised to give me the account books and land deeds within three days. Auntie is so capable; I'm sure you've already organized them."

The words were polite, but the meaning was quite clear.

Su Cheng'an's expression darkened further: "Yaoyao, what do you know about business, you're just a young lady? These things should be left to your aunt..."

"Father," Su Yaoyao interrupted him, raising her eyes, "I may not know how to run a business, but I do know how to do math. The Brocade Silk Shop has 'losses' of three thousand taels in three years, and the rice shop in the west of the city has 'repair costs' of five thousand taels in five years... I have calculated all of these clearly."

She pulled a stack of papers from her sleeve and pushed them in front of Su Cheng'an:

"This is the bill calculated by the accountant hired by my maternal grandfather. If Father doesn't believe it, he can have someone else check it."

Su Cheng'an stared at the densely packed numbers, his temples throbbing with anger.

"My lord..." Consort Liu tugged at his sleeve, her voice choked with sobs.

"I truly did not embezzle... that money was all used for the shop's operation... Miss, you're trying to drive me to my death..."

"That's not right, Auntie." Su Yaoyao gently put down her teacup, the crisp clinking sound making Auntie Liu shudder.

"I was just taking back what belonged to my mother, how did that become driving you to your death? Could it be... that those things were really misappropriated by your aunt?"

She turned her gaze to Su Cheng'an: "Father, what do you say?"

Su Cheng'an's forehead was sweating.

How could he not know that Aunt Liu had touched those dowry items?

He turned a blind eye to one thing, partly because Aunt Liu was very skilled and had him completely submissive;

Secondly, he also felt that Su Yaoyao was weak and easily bullied, and couldn't cause any trouble.

Who would have thought...

This daughter is like a completely different person!

"Yaoyao, we're all family, why make things so tense?" Su Cheng'an tried to smooth things over. "How about this, I'll make the decision and give you the existing shops and jewelry first. The rest... we can sort them out slowly, okay?"

"Take your time to sort things out?" Su Yaoyao smiled. "Father, I will naturally take the shop and jewelry. But how long will Auntie take to sort things out? I don't think it's necessary to bother. Just give me the rest of the items, valued at one million taels, so as not to trouble Grandfather later."

"Your stuff—how could it possibly be worth a million taels?!" Su Cheng'an's face darkened.

Just then, a maidservant rushed in and whispered a few words in Aunt Liu's ear.

Aunt Liu's eyes suddenly lit up, and the dejected look on her face vanished, replaced by uncontrollable excitement and pride.

Although her voice was low, Su Yaoyao, with her sharp ears, still heard the sentence:

"Really? Okay, okay! Throw them all in!"

Su Yaoyao used her teacup to cover the upward curve of her lips.

The fish... has taken the bait!

—High returns, guaranteed profits, referral bonuses.

In ancient times, this would have been an absolute game-changer!

Those boasts from finance guys in my past life were definitely worth listening to.

One by one, tempting projects were revealed to Aunt Liu through a "middleman".

Invest a small amount upfront, and reap rich rewards.

Once she gets a taste of success, she'll invest her entire fortune... even by taking out high-interest loans.

And incidentally... they'll also recruit those "behind-the-scenes" people.

At that time...

"My lord," Aunt Liu suddenly spoke, her voice much lighter, "Since the eldest young lady insists, I... am not unwilling to give it to her."

She looked at Su Yaoyao, her eyes full of smugness: "It's just that there are some old items that I can't find all of in a short time. If you trust me, Miss, please give me three months. After three months, I will definitely return the dowry in its entirety."

"Three months?" Su Yaoyao raised an eyebrow. "Is Auntie planning to rob a money exchange?"

"You!" Aunt Liu suppressed her anger and forced a smile. "Don't worry, Miss, I... have my own ways."

She thought to herself that as long as that "deal" went through, she could come up with not only a million taels, but even ten million taels!

Not only will she return the dowry, but she'll also give Su Yaoyao a good slap in the face!

Su Yaoyao feigned hesitation: "Words alone are not enough; Auntie, you must give me a guarantee, right?"

"So... what would the young lady like?"

"Why don't we draw up a written agreement? That way we won't have any problems explaining things later..."

Su Yaoyao took out a piece of paper that she had prepared beforehand from her sleeve and pushed it in front of Aunt Liu.

"It's clearly written in black and white that if I can't produce the full dowry within three months, my aunt will compensate me with one million taels of silver."

Aunt Liu looked at the document and hesitated for a moment.

But then she thought, what is this dowry compared to the success of that "big deal"? Money will flow in like water, and she'll have everything she wants.

"I'll stand there then!" Aunt Liu raised her chin, her tone arrogant. "Do you think I'm afraid the young lady will renege on her debt?"

She picked up her pen, wrote down the agreement, and pressed her fingerprint on it, her movements swift and decisive.

Su Yaoyao took the document, examined it carefully, and then put it into her sleeve with satisfaction.

"Then Yaoyao will wait for Aunt's good news."

She rose, curtsied, and said, "Father, I'll take my leave now."

Su Cheng'an was about to say something when Aunt Liu secretly tugged at his sleeve and gave him a wink.

After Su Yaoyao left, Su Cheng'an frowned and asked, "Do you really have a way to raise one million taels?"

Aunt Liu smiled smugly: "Don't worry, My Lordship, I've found a sure-fire way to make money. Once I have the money, it'll be enough for Yun'er's dowry, let alone a ten-mile-long wedding procession!"

She could almost see herself rolling in money, trampling Su Yaoyao under her feet.

Su Yaoyao stroked the Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

idiot.

just wait.

Wait until your "treasure trove" becomes a "bottomless pit," and until your backers turn into enemies one by one...

You will face creditors demanding payment, your brother's betrayal, and...

He was utterly disgraced.

----

As soon as Su Yaoyao stepped out of the main hall, she ran into the person she least wanted to see in the corridor.

Xiao Qiming, dressed in a royal blue brocade robe, stood in the snow with a gloomy expression. When he saw Su Yaoyao, his eyes lit up, but then his face hardened again.

"Su Yaoyao!" He strode over. "You really are here!"