Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

The Chen residence.

Zhao's room.

Zhao Wan'er lay on the bed, her face deathly pale and her lips devoid of any color.

An elderly man with gray hair withdrew his fingers from her wrist and said, "Miss Zhao is also suffering from a sudden surge of anger and liver qi stagnation. She needs to rest quietly for several months and must not be subjected to any further stimulation."

Standing by the bed, Zhao looked at her unconscious niece with an extremely gloomy expression.

She turned to look at the old woman from the Zhao family, suppressing her anger as she asked, "What exactly happened? Magistrate Liu Yuan of Wannian County made a promise beforehand, why did he suddenly change his mind?"

The old woman knelt on the ground, her face filled with fear, and said in a trembling voice, "Miss, this old servant doesn't know either. Originally, Lord Liu was about to make the judgment when that girl from the Xiao family suddenly barged in. The two confronted each other for a while. Later, the clerk called Lord Liu to the back room and, I don't know what they said, when he came back, he changed his tune, saying that there was insufficient evidence and that he was being released without charge..."

Zhao clenched her fist, her knuckles cracking.

She went to great lengths, even sacrificing her niece's innocence, to have Liu Yuan, the magistrate of Wannian County, preside over the court and convict Chen Chang'an in front of the people.

Once the charges are proven, the rebellious son will be exiled to the army. If she secretly arranges for some people to eliminate him, Chen Chang'an will cease to exist in this world.

At that time, the master was a righteous and upright Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel who would put aside his own family ties for the greater good, and no one could utter a single word against his promotion.

With Chen Chang'an dead, his engagement with Princess Zhaoyue is naturally null and void.

To this end, she even told Liu Yuan that the Chen and Zhao families would shield him from the pressure from the Zhenyuan General's Mansion, so he didn't need to worry.

This was originally a brilliant plan to kill two birds with one stone, but she never expected that something would go wrong on Liu Yuan's side.

If we let Chen Chang'an off the hook this time, it will be difficult to find a reason to do so next time.

Zhao took a deep breath, about to say something, when Chen Wenyuan strode in, his face ashen. He asked as soon as he entered, "What happened? What went wrong with Liu Yuan?"

Zhao looked at him, gritting her teeth, and said, "I also want to know. Everything was arranged perfectly, and that rebellious son was about to be convicted, but Liu Yuan suddenly changed his tune, saying there wasn't enough evidence. He'd already taken the money; do they think we're fools?"

Chen Wenyuan frowned and said, "Could it be that he's still worried about the Zhenyuan General's Mansion...? No, I'll send someone to ask him what happened!"

Wannian County Government Office

In the back hall of the county government office, Liu Yuan sat alone in a chair.

Yun Zhan, the leader of the secret guards, had been gone for quite some time, and the chair he had just sat on was now completely cold.

Liu Yuan picked up the teacup, but his arm trembled, and the tea rippled in circles on the rim of the cup.

The commander of the secret guards personally came forward to explain that Chen Chang'an's background was even more profound than he had imagined.

If I insist on punishing Chen Chang'an today, tomorrow my secret guards might even show up in his bedroom.

Thinking of this, a chill ran down his spine, and the back of his official robes was once again soaked with cold sweat.

He trembled as he put down the teacup, spilling tea onto the back of his hand without him noticing.

The matter of the secret guards must never be brought up proactively.

He dared not tell anyone about what happened today, including Zhao and Chen Wenyuan.

Seemingly realizing something, his face paled, and he immediately took out a stack of silver notes from his sleeve, handed them to the clerk waiting at the door, and urged, "Quickly, find a trustworthy person to send these silver notes back to the Zhao family..."

Qing Shuang Fang.

Princess Zhaoyue paced back and forth in the hall. When she saw Chen Chang'an and Qing Shuang walk in, a hint of joy appeared on her face. Just as she was about to go forward, she suddenly stopped when she saw the veiled woman next to Chen Chang'an.

Upon entering the shop, Chen Chang'an looked at Gu Qingcheng and said, "Thank you, Miss Qingcheng."

Gu Qingcheng smiled slightly and said, "You're welcome. I just can't stand what those people are doing."

Her gaze swept over Princess Zhaoyue before quickly shifting away. She said to Chen Chang'an, "I still have some matters to attend to in the building, so I won't disturb you any longer, young master."

Chen Chang'an nodded slightly and said, "I won't see Miss Qingcheng off any further. I will definitely pay her a visit another day..."

Gu Qingcheng smiled and said, "Qingcheng eagerly awaits your arrival, young master."

After saying that, she turned and left.

Princess Zhaoyue looked at Qingshuang and asked, "And this young lady is...?"

Qing Shuang first looked at Chen Chang'an before explaining, "Gu Qingcheng, the most famous courtesan in the capital, just helped us..."

After returning to the shop, Chen Chang'an went to the backyard by himself.

Qing Shuang told Princess Zhao Yue about how Gu Qingcheng had stood up for Chen Chang'an at the county government office earlier, then breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Your Highness, thank goodness you were there, otherwise Chen Chang'an would have been in trouble today..."

"I?"

Princess Zhaoyue stared at her blankly, then shook her head and said, "I didn't do anything..."

"what?"

Qing Shuang looked surprised and asked in confusion, "That magistrate of Wannian County was clearly acting under someone's orders to let Chen Chang'an go. If it wasn't His Highness, who else could it be?"

At the same time.

The Imperial Palace.

Inside the Imperial Garden.

Emperor Da Ning, enjoying a rare moment of leisure, was admiring the flowers in the Imperial Garden when Yun Zhan appeared behind him, bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, the Zhao family and Chen Wenyuan colluded with Liu Yuan, the magistrate of Wannian County, to frame Chen Chang'an for indecent assault against an official's daughter. I have already intervened to stop them..."

His Majesty's attitude towards Chen Chang'an was to temporarily let him go, only protecting him in secret; therefore, he did not do anything unnecessary.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Da Ning raised an eyebrow slightly and shook his head, saying, "Indecent assault on an official's daughter... If this charge is proven, he will likely face exile and military service. Given Zhao's personality, she will definitely arrange for someone to make Chen Chang'an disappear completely halfway through. Chen Wenyuan actually sat idly by; he is truly ruthless..."

He seemed to have thought of something, and a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

Then, he turned his head, gazing in the direction of South Street, his eyes deep, and said in a low voice, "If his heart hasn't changed after this incident, I'll be disappointed..."

Qing Shuang Fang.

backyard.

Chen Chang'an sat on the stone bench, but did not practice his skills as usual.

His gaze was fixed straight ahead, his eyes unfocused, lost in thought.

The reason he was able to escape unscathed in court today was not because he was innocent, but because of Qing Shuang, and because of the Zhenyuan General's Mansion behind Qing Shuang.

Without her, with the favoritism of the county magistrate, he would probably be exiled to the army today.

At that time, the business of Qing Shuang Fang, the money he had saved, and all those dreams that he hadn't had time to realize would all vanish into thin air...

Chen Chang'an took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his chair.

He used to think that he would do some business, make some money, marry a few beautiful girls, and live a peaceful life...

But today, his thinking has changed somewhat.

In this world, without power and influence, no matter how much money you have, you're nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter in the eyes of others...

It's best to keep power in your own hands...