Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

Seeing Zhao's expression, Manager Sun seemed to realize something. His face darkened with anger, and he said indignantly, "Could it be that the boy is lying to us, and that he's not Lord Chen's son...?"

Zhao: "..."

Although she was also very angry, she had to admit that the bastard hadn't said anything wrong.

However, while it was easy for him to leave the Chen residence, it was impossible for him to return.

She took a deep breath to calm her anger before saying calmly, "Chen Chang'an... he was indeed once a member of the Chen family, but he recently molested my cousin and disrespected my father. My family has expelled him from the family and severed their father-son relationship. He now has no connection with our Chen family whatsoever."

Manager Sun was stunned by what he heard, and his mind was a little confused.

Isn't that young master Chen her son? What kind of mother treats her son like that?

Zhao seemed to notice Manager Sun's confusion, her lips twitched slightly, and she explained, "Chen Chang'an... he is the son of my master and his deceased wife."

Manager Sun immediately understood, and looked at Zhao with a look of realization.

The owner of Qing Shuang Fang was the young master of the Chen family, but his mother was not the daughter of the Grand Tutor; the Grand Tutor's daughter was merely his stepmother.

Judging from Mrs. Chen's attitude, she seemed quite dissatisfied with her stepson.

This is good news for Ruyilou.

He smiled and spoke again, "I see. It's not appropriate for me to comment on Lord Chen's family matters. However, Ruyi Tower is genuinely interested in the formula for Qing Shuang Lu, and the price is negotiable. After all, he was once a member of the Chen family, so I thought it best to inquire..."

Zhao flung her sleeves and said coldly, "There's no need to ask anymore. Chen Chang'an has severed his father-son relationship with my master and is no longer a member of the Chen family. The Chen family will not concern itself with his affairs. Whether he lives or dies is none of our business..."

Manager Sun has been in charge of Ruyi Tower for many years and is a shrewd old fox who knows how to read people's expressions.

The meaning of this matriarch of the Chen family is already very clear: even if Ruyi Tower kills that boy, she will not cause trouble for Ruyi Tower.

He was relieved to hear her words.

What Ruyi Lou cared about was her father, Zhao Taifu, not Chen Wenyuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Of course, he wouldn't actually kill Chen Chang'an.

After all, he was the son of the current Vice Minister. As long as he wasn't injured or crippled, he would have at least given Vice Minister Chen some closure.

Manager Sun cupped his hands in greeting to Madam Zhao and said with a smile, "I understand. I apologize for disturbing you today. I hope you won't mind. I'll take my leave now."

Zhao exchanged a glance with him, nodded slightly, and said, "See the guest out."

Just as Chen Fu saw Manager Sun out, Chen Wenyuan walked in from outside. He brushed past Manager Sun, and as he entered the hall, he turned back and asked Zhao Shi, "Who is that person? What is he doing here?"

Zhao first poured him a cup of tea and held it to Chen Wenyuan's lips before saying, "He is the manager of Ruyilou. Ruyilou has launched several new scented dews, and I asked them to reserve one of each..."

Chen Wenyuan nodded, took the teacup, took a small sip, and did not ask any further questions.

He was still pondering where he had offended His Majesty. Ever since His Majesty had deducted a month's salary from his pay, the way His Majesty looked at him had not improved; on the contrary, it had become increasingly hostile…

At that moment, Madam Zhao stepped forward, took his arm, and said, "Master, that child Chang'an... are you really not going to do anything about him?"

Upon hearing this name, Chen Wenyuan's face darkened completely. He slammed his teacup on the table and roared, "Don't mention him to me! I, Chen Wenyuan, will pretend I never had this disobedient and unfilial son!"

"Okay, okay, let's not talk about him anymore..."

Madam Zhao gently patted his chest, then changed the subject, asking, "What about the matter of re-selecting the bride for Princess Zhaoyue...?"

Mentioning this matter, Chen Wenyuan sighed softly and said, "Let's talk about this again in a few days. When I brought it up last time, His Majesty seemed somewhat displeased. His attitude towards me has worsened considerably these days, and he inexplicably fined me a month's salary. Now is not the time to bring this up again..."

Hearing his refusal, Zhao's face immediately darkened. She released Chen Wenyuan's hand and said unhappily, "You're supposed to be Xuan'er's father, yet you're completely unreliable. If you won't agree, fine, I'll ask my father to think of a solution!"

After saying that, she flicked her sleeve and strode away.

Watching Zhao leave, Chen Wenyuan rubbed his temples, sighed deeply, and looked helpless.

He had absolutely no way to deal with his wife.

In this household, he was nominally the master, but his future and fate depended entirely on his wife's whims, and he could only turn a blind eye to some of her actions...

If the Zhao family doesn't like Chang'an, then he can't like it either.

He wouldn't interfere with what Zhao did to him.

At first, he couldn't stand it, but after watching it for a while, he got used to it.

Leaning back in his chair, he gazed out of the hall, gradually becoming lost in thought.

These past few days, the scene of Chen Chang'an angrily rebuking him on the street has frequently come to mind.

In his memory, his eldest son was a spineless coward who swallowed his anger and endured whatever came his way. He dared not resist any of Zhao's harsh words, which was one of the reasons why he disliked him.

He, Chen Wenyuan, doesn't need a useless son.

But that day was the first time he had ever met Chen Chang'an.

Ever since Zhao falsely accused him of molesting Zhao Wan'er, he has become a completely different person, as if someone else's soul has been implanted in his body.

Chen Wenyuan's eyes flickered. If he hadn't encountered Zhao Shi, he would definitely have fulfilled his responsibilities as a father to Chen Chang'an.

Unfortunately……

Although he is now the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a high-ranking official of the fourth rank, he could lose everything he has with just a word from the Grand Tutor.

A real man must be willing to give up some things for the sake of his future...

Recalling that figure, a trace of guilt appeared on Chen Wenyuan's face, but it quickly disappeared...

……

early morning.

Before dawn, a long queue had already formed in front of Qing Shuang Fang.

The autumn heat wave is almost over, the number of mosquitoes is gradually decreasing, and the queue at the entrance of Qing Shuang Fang is getting shorter day by day.

A scholar had just reached the front of the line and was about to enter the shop when suddenly everything went black.

Three burly men, as tall as iron towers, blocked his way.

Scholars are flexible and adaptable. Although he was furious about being cut in line, he could only shrink back and take a few steps back.

The three burly men didn't enter the shop. The leader, a burly man with a face full of scars, stood shirtless, revealing festering, swollen skin on his arm. He yelled at the top of his lungs, "Where's the shopkeeper? Get out here!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the other two burly men also started shouting.

"Pay me back! This lousy Qing Shuang Lu has ruined my brother's life!"

"If you don't pay me back today, I'm smashing up your shop!"