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

The next morning, at the Grand Tutor's residence.

Su Yaoyao had just finished breakfast, and a barely suppressed smile still lingered on her lips. That person…

This is probably the first time I've drunk alcohol. I wonder if I'll get a headache today and miss the morning court session.

The thought that this usually aloof and self-possessed person might be unable to get up due to a hangover amused her; this person... finally showed some humanity...

Just then, Granny Lin hurriedly entered the courtyard with someone.

Both of them had happy expressions on their faces, and Granny Lin was holding a heavy mahogany box in her hands.

"Miss! It's done!" Granny Lin's voice was brimming with barely suppressed excitement. "Liu Shi has taken the bait!"

She placed the box on the table and opened it—inside were neatly stacked stacks of land deeds, house deeds, and banknotes, as well as several thick account books, all of which were properties that Aunt Liu had secretly moved away over the years.

Su Yaoyao put down her teacup, took the stack of papers, and carefully looked through them.

"She's really willing to give it up." Su Yaoyao's lips curled slightly. "It seems that the 'insider business of the Jiangnan Textile Bureau' is quite tempting."

Granny Lin laughed and said, "That's right! Liu Dafu took the bait we set and went back to brag to his sister, saying that his principal tripled in three months. After Aunt Liu tasted the first sweetness, her eyes turned red. These days she has been scraping together money from all over the place, and even pawned her most treasured jewelry."

Looking at her young mistress, she couldn't help but feel a deep respect. "The 'Rongchang Pawnshop' that the young mistress set up, according to her instructions, had extremely high prices offered to her. She thought she had been ripped off! Little did she know that the money would end up in the young mistress's pocket after it was handed over."

As Su Yaoyao flipped through the pages, her brows gradually furrowed.

"No, that's not right." She put down the last receipt and looked at Granny Lin. "Something is still missing."

Granny Lin was taken aback: "Miss means..."

"She didn't take out anything important." Su Yaoyao tapped the table with her fingertips. "She's still keeping some things she's kept hidden away."

Granny Lin's expression changed: "This... this old servant will go and investigate again?"

"No need."

At this moment, the man in the blue robe who had been standing behind Granny Lin suddenly spoke.

He stepped forward, bowed, and said in a steady voice, "Miss, I have successfully deceived Madam Liu in the scheme. However... yesterday, while I was dealing with her, someone suddenly came and whispered a few words to her."

Su Yaoyao looked up at him.

The man was about thirty years old, wearing a slightly worn blue cloth robe. He had an ordinary appearance, even somewhat simple and honest, but his eyes were bright and clear, with a hint of nobility in them.

Su Yaoyao sized him up: "Who are you?"

The man suddenly knelt down, his voice choked with sobs: "I am Yang An, originally the manager of the shop that came with Madam's dowry. My parents died when I was young, and I wandered the streets. It was Madam's kindness that took me in and taught me to read and do accounting..."

He looked up, his eyes filled with tears:

"After Madam passed away, Liu's henchmen drove me out of the shop. For years, I've been managing the accounts at the Grand Tutor's estate, always hoping to one day repay Madam's great kindness. A few days ago, Granny Lin mentioned this matter to me, and I volunteered to deal with Liu, not for any other reason than to repay Madam's kindness in recognizing my talent… I would gladly die for it!"

Some vague memories flashed through Su Yaoyao's mind—

She vaguely remembered that when the original owner was a child, she accompanied her mother to inspect the shops. There was indeed a thin boy who always followed silently behind his mother, his eyes full of gratitude and admiration.

The mother once stroked the boy's head and said, "A'an, study hard, this shop will depend on you to manage it in the future."

So it was him.

"Mr. Yang, please rise." Su Yaoyao personally helped him up. "If your mother were alive, she would be pleased to know that you still think of her all these years."

Yang An stood up, looking at her face, which resembled Jiang's, and his eyes suddenly reddened: "Miss, you flatter me... My life was given to me by Madam, and I will definitely help you get back all of Madam's dowry!"

Su Yaoyao felt a pang of sadness, but then asked seriously, "Sir, you just said that you had already coaxed Madam Liu into giving up her entire dowry, and then someone came? Who was that person?"

"He was an unfamiliar middle-aged man, dressed plainly, but with an extraordinary air about him," Wen Yan recalled. "After hearing what he said, Aunt Liu's face changed, and she stared at the contract for a long time, hesitating. In the end... she still signed it, but only deposited half of her dowry, plus a few shops under her own name."

Su Yaoyao narrowed her eyes: "Half?"

"Yes. These are the ones on the table." Wen Yan pointed to the receipts. "She took back the important ones. She also said... she needs to think about it some more."

"Consider?" Su Yaoyao sneered. "Her brother's gambling debts can't wait for her to consider."

"That's what I thought too," Wen Yan nodded. "But Madam Liu was adamant and wouldn't take any more no matter how I tried to persuade her. I was afraid of alerting her, so I agreed to take half of it first."

He paused, then lowered his voice:

"However... I happened to see that the man later had a jade pendant hanging from his waist."

"A jade plaque?"

"Yes. It's carved from white jade, with a deer carved on it." Wen Yan's expression was solemn. "Miss, have you ever heard of... Mr. Deer?"

"Mr. Deer?"

"Yes." Yang An's expression was solemn. "Over the years, I've heard some rumors while traveling... This 'Mr. Lu' is a mysterious imperial merchant with businesses spanning the north and south, and he has many connections with powerful figures in the court. However, he is shrouded in mystery and rarely shows his face. But how could this Liu family... have any dealings with such a person?"

Su Yaoyao remained silent.

She recalled what Xiao Chenyuan had said—behind Lady Liu, there was more than just Consort Chen.

and also……

A face suddenly flashed through her mind.

Su Yaoyao was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"but,"

She spoke slowly, "In the end, the Liu family still entrusted most of their businesses to you, which shows... there wasn't complete trust between them."

Yang An was taken aback, then suddenly realized: "Miss is absolutely right! If she truly believed that person, she should have sought another way, instead of giving away such a large portion of her money!"

"Sir, you see things very clearly." She picked up her teacup and took a slow sip. "She doesn't trust that person, but she's also reluctant to give up the 'sweeteners' we offered, so she compromised by mortgaging half of her assets and keeping the other half to observe."

Su Yaoyao sat down again and picked up the tea, which had already cooled slightly.

"But she forgot... that greedy people are most likely to end up losing on both fronts."

Yang An's eyes showed approval: "What are your plans, Miss?"

"Since she has concerns..." She turned around, a cold glint in her eyes, "then I should also go back to the Marquis's residence and take a look."

The March deadline hasn't arrived yet, but some people... need a little provocation.

-----

Meanwhile, somewhere in Beijing.

The exquisite and elegant room was filled with a sweet and warm fragrance, and a person was reclining on a soft couch by the window.

He wore a loosely draped, moon-white robe, his dark hair was unbound, and he was playing with a jade-ribbed folding fan in his hand.

After listening to the report from the person kneeling before him, a slow smile appeared on his lips.

"Interesting... I didn't know there was such a thing..."

The folding fan unfolded with a "whoosh," revealing a painting of plum blossoms braving the snow on its surface.

A gleam of keen interest flashed in those captivating peach blossom eyes:

"You don't need to worry about this... Let me see what other skills this noble lady has..."