I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

"what?"

Chun Tao was startled when Fang Yuan suddenly asked her that question.

She unconsciously took a step forward with her left foot, looked up at Fang Yuan, and really wanted to tell him the whole truth.

But she held back her words and said, "Yes, the First Prince did say such a thing in Mount Jiuyi."

"However, this servant believes that the First Prince did not intentionally target the son-in-law. Rather, the son-in-law was with the Seventh Prince Qin Feng at the time, and it was Qin Feng who implicated the son-in-law."

Nodding, Fang Yuan felt that Chun Tao's words made some sense.

So, it turns out that the person at Tianxiang Tower yesterday was indeed the Seventh Prince Qin Feng himself.

Qin Feng plagiarized his poem and stole the glory that rightfully belonged to him as the "Poet Immortal." He's a thief!

Not only that, Qin Feng also shared a room with Liu Mei. Although nothing happened between them, he still felt uncomfortable.

What's most despicable is that Qin Feng also lied to his wife, Song Qian. Otherwise, Song Qian would never have lent the booklet to Qin Feng.

The Seventh Prince Qin Feng is a shameless, heartless scoundrel!

Having made up his mind to find an opportunity to kill Qin Feng later, Fang Yuan suddenly asked:

"By the way, Chun Tao, where's your sister? I haven't seen her in a long time."

"My sister, she, she..."

Chun Tao stammered, unsure how to answer her question for a moment.

Her older sister, Xia Liu, is still imprisoned in the First Prince's residence, and her fate is unknown.

She couldn't very well tell Fang Yuan directly; if she did, her sister Xia Liu would be doomed.

Just as Chun Tao was wondering how to answer the question and was about to make up a lie to get by, Xiu'er suddenly poked her head out of the back door and looked into the alley:

"Young master, so you've been here!"

"Miss wants you to go to the front yard to receive the imperial decree; someone from the palace has arrived!"

Upon hearing Xiu'er's voice, Fang Yuan instinctively shielded Liu Mei behind him with his body, "I'm going, I'm going..."

Xiuer smiled and said, "Then hurry up, young master, don't keep Miss waiting."

After saying that, Xiuer turned around and went back.

Fang Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief after Xiu'er left.

He turned to Liu Mei and ordered, "Keep a close eye on the Seventh Prince Qin Feng. Report back immediately if there is any news."

"yes!"

After bowing respectfully, Liu Mei turned and left.

But the moment she turned around, a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.

The eldest prince Qin Li's method worked.

Even the clever and difficult Fang Yuan mistakenly believed that the person at Tianxiang Tower yesterday was the Seventh Prince Qin Feng, and even planned to take the opportunity to retaliate against the Seventh Prince!

After watching Liu Mei leave, Fang Yuan led Chun Tao into the Song residence through the back door.

They hadn't walked far when they saw Xiuer leaning against the moon gate, waiting for the two of them.

Fang Yuan steadied himself and stepped forward to speak, "Xiuer, don't misunderstand. That person was a distant relative of Chun Tao and Xia Liu. They came to stay with them, but they know the rules of our Song family and don't easily take in outsiders."

"They didn't know what to do, so they came to ask me. I gave them some money and told them to go and seek refuge with someone else."

Xiuer nodded and said with a smile, "The young master's kindness remains as strong as ever. I admire him."

After saying that, Xiuer led the way. When she turned around, she couldn't help but roll her eyes and mentally complained.

It's a shame that she thought her son-in-law Fang Yuan was a good person all these years. Miss Song Qian had always misunderstood him and had even tried to bring the two together to ease their relationship.

But after what happened yesterday and today, she no longer thinks so.

She felt really stupid.

For so many years, I've been kept in the dark and haven't been able to see Fang Yuan's true colors.

Fang Yuan is two-faced; he's a complete liar who spouts endless lies!

That person just now wasn't some distant relative; it was Liu Mei, whom she had just met yesterday.

Seeing that Xiu'er didn't suspect anything, Fang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and followed Chun Tao to the front courtyard. "Xiu'er, what did you just say? Go to the front courtyard to receive the imperial decree?"

Xiuer didn't even turn her head. "Yes, someone from the palace has arrived. They're just waiting for the young master."

"Is the decree addressed to me?"

Fang Yuan looked on incredulously.

"I think so, but I'm not entirely sure. You'll know when the young master arrives."

Soon, Fang Yuan arrived at the front yard, which was filled with people.

The elders of the Song family, who are usually hard to gather, are all here now, with no one absent.

Song Qian stood at the front, dressed appropriately, and was talking with the eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree.

Upon seeing Fang Yuan's arrival, everyone looked over, and the eunuch, following procedure, began to announce the imperial decree in his hoarse voice.

"Fang Yuan, the son-in-law of the Song family, displayed great wisdom and skill at the Dragon Vein Gathering of Mount Jiuyi. Such talent deserves to serve the country. Therefore, he is hereby exceptionally conscripted into the army to serve under the Crown Prince. This is the imperial decree!"

These words caused an uproar at the scene, especially among the elders of the Song family.

They all looked at each other, completely baffled.

Fang Yuan was just a scholar who taught children to read and write.

When did he become so resourceful and skilled in martial arts?

The Jiuyi Mountain Dragon Vein Conference? They had heard of it; it had caused quite a stir in the capital a few days ago.

Fang Yuan went too?

Unlike the elders of the Song family, Fang Yuan, the person in charge, turned as black as the bottom of a pot upon hearing the imperial decree.

These days, he has just led his subordinates from Tianyi Tower to sabotage the Song family's grain transport to the front lines, either burning down granaries or destroying the grain transport wagons.

Today, he has become a member of the expeditionary force.

Isn't this like lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own foot?

I broke my pen in half before I realized I was taking my final exams.

Before he could think any further, he suddenly felt a cold gaze directed at him—it was his beloved wife, Song Qian.

Song Qian didn't speak, but Fang Yuan could tell what she wanted to say from her eyes.

Song Qian wanted to question him about what exactly was going on.

What does this Dragon Vein Conference have to do with him?

Didn't he say he went to the countryside to recruit students?

Fang Yuan dared not look directly at him, his gaze darting away.

He knew that the rift between him and Song Qian was growing deeper and deeper.

Swallowing hard, Fang Yuan tried to salvage his relationship with Song Qian, so he cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, are you mistaken? This humble subject has never been to Mount Jiuyi."

"snort!"

The eunuch Qin Li had specially sent to deliver the imperial decree sneered and glanced sideways, saying, "Fang Yuan, you know perfectly well whether you went to Mount Jiuyi or not. Do we really need to bring witnesses here to confront you on the spot?!"

"You, Fang Yuan, are capable of bearing the crime of deceiving the emperor? And how many heads does the Song family have left to chop off?"

The eunuch delivering the imperial decree glanced around and deliberately intimidated and shouted.

Upon hearing this, several elders of the Song family were so frightened that they almost wet their pants.

They surrounded Fang Yuan, angrily rebuking him:

"Fang Yuan, don't forget who picked you up. You little wolf cub, are you trying to kill everyone in our manor?"

"Fang Yuan, accept the imperial decree immediately, or you will be expelled from the Song family."

"Fang Yuan, you repay kindness with enmity, you will die a horrible death!"

As he was being insulted to his face, Fang Yuan's expression grew increasingly grim. He really wanted to kill these old bastards and elope with Song Qianyuan.

But he knew he couldn't, and Song Qian wouldn't go with him.

Finally, contrary to his usual behavior, Fang Yuan waved his arm to push aside the Song family elders who surrounded him, and stepped before the eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree, saying, "This humble subject, Fang Yuan, accepts the decree!"