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

"You bitch! You call me your sister all the time, and now you want to steal my man! Li Yan, you slut! You'll die a horrible death!"

In the Yongning Marquis's residence, Su Yun'er's boudoir was in a complete mess.

Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were red and swollen, and she grabbed a celadon vase and smashed it hard against the dressing table.

With a crisp "bang," shards of porcelain flew everywhere.

"My dear daughter! Don't smash it!" Aunt Liu rushed in, lifting her skirt, and hugged her tightly. "Don't upset the baby! Be careful of the child!"

Su Yun'er threw herself into Aunt Liu's arms, sobbing uncontrollably, "Mother... what are we going to do now... why did His Majesty bestow a marriage upon the Second Prince and that wretched woman? And why do we both have to marry into the Prince's mansion on the fifth day of next month..."

She raised her tear-filled eyes, her gaze filled with resentment: "What right does Li Yan have? A lowly woman sent to a family temple, what right does she have to become a concubine? What right does she have to marry the Second Prince!"

Aunt Liu hugged her tightly, her eyes also surging with hatred: "What else could it be? Su Qingrun was just made a prince, and the Consort is definitely trying to win over the Ministry of Revenue—Li Yan's father is the Vice Minister of Revenue! His Majesty's bestowal of this marriage might also be because he values ​​the Second Prince's future..."

"What about me?!" Su Yun'er cried out, "I've been with His Highness for so long, and I'm even pregnant with his child. Am I really inferior to the power behind that bitch?!"

"Silly daughter," Aunt Liu whispered, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes, "you must hurry and get the Second Prince to give birth to this child. As long as you give birth to the eldest grandson, what future do you have to worry about? As for Li Yan... humph, so what if she marries him? What trouble can a disgraced slut cause?"

Su Yun'er's sobs subsided slightly, and she asked through choked sobs, "Then... what about the dowry? Li Yan's father is the Vice Minister of Revenue, so her dowry must be very generous. If I enter the family poor, won't I be outshone...?"

The mention of dowry sent a chill down Aunt Liu's spine.

These days, she has invested all the money she can embezzle into that "sure-fire" business, and has even borrowed a lot of money at exorbitant interest rates.

Strangely, they clearly promised that we'd break even and receive our dividends by the end of the month, but there's still no word from them...

"Don't worry," Aunt Liu said, trying to remain calm as she reassured her daughter, "I've prepared everything for you. I won't let you lose face."

But a heavy stone weighed on her heart.

----

East Palace, Qingfeng Pavilion.

Su Qingrun leaned against the headboard, staring wide-eyed at the several large boxes that Lin Mama and Yang An carried in.

The box was brimming with gold and silver jewelry, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, land deeds... a dazzling array of items.

"These...these were all left by my mother?" His voice trembled slightly.

With tears welling in her eyes, Granny Lin nodded: "Young Master, I have kept the list of Madam's dowry all this time. These... were all retrieved item by item according to the list."

Yang An, however, added with a worried expression, "Originally, there wasn't this much. We just wanted to get back Madam's dowry, but who would have thought... someone would stir things up behind the scenes—all the shops and land that Aunt Liu had given to her family over the years, as well as the private property she had secretly acquired, were all 'persuaded' to return, and she even borrowed a lot of money at exorbitant interest rates..."

Su Yaoyao sat on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of medicine in her hand, and smiled slightly upon hearing this.

That person... certainly knows how to do favors.

He Qing, that guy, really hit the nail on the head when he gave her a "gift".

Su Qingrun was so shocked that he sat up straight. The pain from his wound made his face turn pale: "Yaoyao, how could you...?"

Su Yaoyao quickly helped him up and briefly explained the "pig butchering scam"—how the scheme was set up, how Aunt Liu was lured into the trap, and how her family's wealth was gradually emptied.

—Of course, the part about He Qing is omitted.

Upon hearing this, Su Qingrun's face first turned pale, then flushed red, and finally she slammed her hand heavily on the edge of the bed:

"How dare Madam Liu! She dared to sell Mother's belongings! And even dared to lend money at exorbitant interest rates?! And Father... he just lets her do whatever she wants?!"

"Father?" Su Yaoyao smirked. "All he cares about is his official position and his reputation. As long as the Marquis's mansion appears respectable on the surface, he doesn't care how rotten it is underneath. Besides, haven't we gotten everything back?"

She took out the document with Aunt Liu's fingerprint on it from her sleeve and spread it out in front of Su Qingrun:

"Look, it's all in black and white, one million taels. Aunt Liu signed and sealed it herself."

Su Qingrun looked at the receipt, then at the box full of gold and silver, and was speechless for a long time.

One million taels... The Yongning Marquis's mansion is now just an empty shell. Even if Aunt Liu smashed her bones to extract oil, she still couldn't come up with that much money.

"So, brother, you need to get well soon."

Su Yaoyao smiled and scooped up another spoonful of medicine. "The fifth day of next month is Sister Yun'er's wedding. Father sent several invitations early this morning, asking you, as the eldest brother, to carry her on your back to 'escort her to her wedding.'"

Su Qingrun's face darkened: "You want me to carry her on my back to get married? Don't even think about it! Doesn't she have a younger brother? Let him carry her, I'm not going to carry her!"

"That's right," Su Yaoyao said with a smile, "His Highness replied, saying that my brother's injuries are still severe and he can't carry me."

Su Qingrun was stunned for a moment, then exploded: "What does he mean?! Saying I can't carry it?!"

"Brother wants to carry me?" Su Yaoyao blinked.

"That's not what I meant!" Su Qingrun was furious, throwing off the covers to get out of bed. "No way, I have to go find him! What did he mean?! He said I couldn't carry him, Yaoyao, you come up here, let's see if I can carry you!"

Su Yaoyao quickly pressed him down: "Alright, alright, it takes half a day to drink a bowl of medicine. Drink it yourself and get better quickly."

She leaned closer, lowered her voice, and a sly glint in her eyes:

"Brother won't carry it, but we two have to go see what's going on."

As she spoke, she turned to Yang An, her expression becoming serious:

"Uncle Yang, send some more 'sweeteners' to Aunt Liu's side to keep her calm. Don't let her get desperate and do something rash—otherwise, there won't be any excitement on the fifth day of the new year."

She paused, then added:

"Do it cleanly, don't leave any loose ends."

Yang An understood and bowed, replying, "Don't worry, Miss, this old servant understands."

Watching his sister calmly making arrangements, Su Qingrun felt a mix of emotions. He remained silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice:

"Yaoyao...you've suffered so much these past years."

Su Yaoyao paused for a moment, then smiled, her eyes curving into crescent moons:

"It's not bitter. I have my brother, His Highness, and my maternal grandparents' family... I am very content."

As she spoke, she reached out and grasped her brother's hand; his palm was warm.

"So, none of those who bullied us will get away with it."

Looking at his younger sister like this, Su Qingrun suddenly remembered many years ago, when his mother was still alive, she had touched his head and said:

"Run'er, your sister is gentle by nature, and what I worry about most is that she will be bullied in the future. You must protect her."

But now...

Looking at Su Yaoyao's calm and composed profile, he suddenly felt that perhaps it was those who wanted to bully her who should be protected.

He lowered his head and drank the medicine in the bowl in one gulp.

He was so distressed that he frowned.

Yet, I felt a sense of peace I had never felt before.

----

Dusk was falling.

Inside Qingfeng Pavilion, He Qing leaned lazily against the soft couch, playing with a copper coin in his hand.

"Master, oh master..." he murmured to himself, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"One million taels...tsk, that's ruthless." He chuckled. "But I like it."

"I'll also join in the fun and give away a generous gift."

The man in black, head bowed, whispered, "Young Master, but what about our lord...?"

He Qing frowned. "You talk too much."

The coin spun on his fingertip, then he tossed it gently and caught it again.

"The fifth day of the lunar month... is actually a good day."