The most dissolute couple in the capital

Li Chengjing turned his head and ordered, "Go, summon Steward Sun."

Before long, Butler Sun arrived at the flowerbed, jogging all the way. When he saw the broken chrysanthemum on the ground, a flicker of panic crossed his face, but it was immediately replaced by perfectly timed surprise: "Oh dear! What... what happened? How did such a beautiful flower break?"

He turned to the servants in the flower garden and began to berate them: "How have you been serving them! His Highness specifically requested these flowers, and they've grown into this state!"

The servants knelt on the ground, trembling with fear, and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Butler Sun," Cui Qingyi said.

Butler Sun turned around, a smile plastered on his face: "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

"Don't rush to blame the person below for the flowers dying," Cui Qingyi said slowly. "The soil used for these flowers was wrong; it wasn't red sandy loam. Anyone would have failed to keep them alive. Where did you buy this soil from?"

Butler Sun's smile froze for a moment.

In an instant, he regained his mature and composed demeanor, let out a long sigh, and his face was full of heartache and indignation: "This old servant deserves to die! Those merchants must have been selling inferior goods as superior ones, deceiving our royal palace! This old servant was caught off guard and was fooled!"

He then began to kneel down.

"Butler Sun, please get up." Cui Qingyi gently helped him up, her tone mild. "This isn't your fault. You're so busy; you can't possibly inspect everything personally. But did Butler Sun personally go and purchase this batch of soil?"

"This..." Steward Sun's throat bobbed. "This old servant is getting on in years and has difficulty walking, so I ordered my servants to run the errand."

"Which subordinate?"

"It's...it's Steward Zhao."

Cui Qingyi nodded: "Then let's call Steward Zhao over and ask him. It's not uncommon for merchants to cheat people; if we find out the truth, His Highness will be aware of the situation."

Butler Sun's lips twitched.

He thought the new princess would only ask a question or two and that would be it, but she kept pressing him, her tone gentle, and she even found a way to save face for him.

Now, we absolutely have to call this Manager Zhao.

The servants on the side immediately went to relay the message.

Lee Seung-kyung didn't say a word the whole time, just stood to the side, arms crossed, watching.

Given his personality, it was just a mistake in purchasing, nothing serious. If the flowers were ruined, he would just buy more; if the soil was wrong, he would just replace it. What was so difficult about that?

But his wife was talking, so he decided to shut up.

He made the right choice that any grown man could make.

A moment later, Steward Zhao arrived and immediately knelt down upon seeing the Prince and Princess, repeatedly offering his greetings.

"Steward Zhao, there's no need to be nervous." Cui Qingyi's voice remained gentle. "His Highness's chrysanthemums have been miscarried. Upon closer inspection, it seems the soil is wrong. Didn't you mention this when you bought them from the flower nursery?"

Manager Zhao secretly glanced at Steward Sun.

Butler Sun stood to the side, his expression unchanged, and nodded slightly.

Steward Zhao composed himself and said, "Your Highness, they did say so, but they don't sell soil. This old servant searched everywhere and finally found a merchant in the south of the city to buy from. The merchant said his soil was genuine red sandy loam transported from Lingnan. This old servant doesn't know much about these things, but the color did look similar, so I bought it. It seems... I was deceived by that merchant."

Cui Qingyi gave a soft "hmm," seemingly very understanding.

"What are the surnames of the merchants in the south of the city? Which street do they live on?"

Manager Zhao was taken aback.

He hadn't expected the princess to ask such detailed questions.

"His surname is... Zhou. He runs a business near Fenglefang in the south of the city."

"Mr. Zhou." Cui Qingyi nodded slightly. "That Zhou Tao who deals in local Lingnan products? He does sell red sandy loam, but it's not cheap—thirty taels for a cartload."

Upon hearing this, Steward Sun's expression changed slightly.

Behind him, Manager Zhao felt a "buzz" in his mind, and his mind went completely blank!

Princess... How could the Princess know so much?!

They not only knew the names of the merchants, but also the exact price of the soil.

That... he's clearly a new merchant.

Recalling the recent contest between the Princess and Steward Sun, Steward Zhao understood perfectly well that he had fallen into a trap!

Previously, rumors were rampant in the mansion, but the princess did not punish her. Steward Sun thought that the princess had given in and was very pleased with himself. He never expected that there would be this incident.

If it is discovered that someone has embezzled funds intended for the Prince's Palace, it is a capital offense!

Butler Sun might still be able to save his life by relying on old ties, but what about him? He's just an insignificant little steward, and he'll definitely be the first scapegoat to be dragged out and beaten to death!

Overwhelming fear instantly crushed that insignificant greed. Manager Zhao's legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, his forehead striking the cold stone slab heavily, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me!"

He abruptly raised his head, ignoring Sun Fuhai beside him, his finger trembling as he pointed at him, crying out, "Your Highness, it's not my fault! It was Steward Sun! Steward Sun told me to buy that cheap soil that cost five taels of silver a cartload, but recorded it as thirty taels in the accounts! He said... he said I'd get ten percent of the difference! I was just momentarily blinded by greed, I beg Your Highness and the Princess to investigate!"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Butler Sun shouted angrily. "You're making baseless accusations! You—"

"Steward Sun," Cui Qingyi interrupted him, "there's no rush to a conclusion. If Steward Sun is innocent, the truth will be revealed once the investigation is complete."

She turned to look at Lee Seung-kyung.

Lee Seung-kyung's expression was no longer one of confusion.

He truly didn't expect that anyone in his own household would dare to do such a thing.

He grew up in the palace and later established his own residence. Sun Fu was an old servant transferred from the palace and served him for many years, handling all matters, big and small. He never thought of checking the accounts because he didn't care about those numbers at all.

But now—

Gone was his usual jovial demeanor; when Li Chengjing calmed down, he even possessed a certain regal bearing befitting a member of the royal family. "What exactly happened, Steward Sun?"

Steward Sun knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness... this old servant..."

At this moment, Liu Lu, who had been standing quietly behind Li Chengjing, suddenly took a step forward.

Then he knelt down on both knees.

"Your Highness, this servant is guilty."

Everyone was stunned.

Li Chengjing frowned: "Liu Lu, what's it to you?"