The most dissolute couple in the capital

Liu Lu was always efficient in his work.

Within a day, the servant returned to report: "Your Highness and Your Highness's Consort, that Miss Su is the Qianqian that Young Master He mentioned."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengjing took a deep breath: "It really is her! I knew it! There aren't that many stories of people selling themselves to bury their fathers playing out in the capital every day. The money He Li gave me is probably all wasted."

"Why is Your Highness in such a hurry?" Cui Qingyi soothed gently. "Now that we know where they are, the rest is much easier. There must be something going on in the rumors that strange men often roam around the Su family and that they are being watched by thugs. Although our young master He may not be the brightest, he is still the son of the Prefect of the Capital. If he gets involved in some dirty business, the Prefect's Mansion will lose face."

Li Chengjing wholeheartedly agreed: "Qingyi is right. I do have a good candidate for investigating people's backgrounds."

Half an hour later, Wang Chengyuan, dressed in a priceless Shu brocade robe with cloud patterns and three or four pieces of top-quality mutton fat jade hanging at his waist, swaggered across the threshold.

"Your Highness, what urgent matter do you have to discuss with me in the middle of the day?"

A maidservant served tea, and Wang Chengyuan picked it up, glanced at it, and then sighed dramatically, "Alas, the quality of this Jian kiln rabbit fur teacup used to entertain guests is far too poor. I recently acquired a set of top-quality ones, which I will send to you another day—it's not expensive, only ten taels of gold."

Cui Qingyi didn't say a word; the Wang family is truly wealthy.

Li Chengjing was already used to this guy's flamboyant style: "Stop talking nonsense, let's get down to business. You have wide connections and know all sorts of people. Go and find out who that widow and orphan family surnamed Su are in the narrow alley of Chang Le Fang in the west of the city. Especially the girl in the family."

Wang Chengyuan gasped, glanced at Cui Qingyi, and then spoke in a voice that seemed soft but was clearly audible to both of them: "Your Highness, if you want to take a concubine, you can't just openly do it in front of the Princess! You should send me a message quietly, and I guarantee I'll arrange the beauty for you without a sound. If you anger the Princess..."

"You son of a bitch!" Li Chengjing kicked out, but Wang Chengyuan nimbly dodged it. "My love for the Princess is unwavering, stop trying to sow discord!"

Wang Chengyuan then became more serious: "For such rough work, you could just send any guard. Why did I, this young master, have to do it personally?"

Cui Qingyi spoke up at the opportune moment: "Young Master Wang, you may not know this, but this Miss Su has recently had her monthly allowance completely drained by Young Master He, and she even borrowed fifty taels of silver from the Wang Mansion. We went to investigate today, and there were some local ruffians loitering around her house, so there's probably more to the story. Only someone with your discerning eye, Young Master Wang, could see through the mystery of these accounts at a glance."

"What a joke!" Wang Chengyuan sneered. "Interesting. I want to see how he was tricked into buying cosmetics with his pitiful monthly allowance. Leave this trivial matter to me."

The Wang family has been operating in the capital for many years and naturally has its own connections.

Three days later, Wang Chengyuan swaggered back into the Liang Prince's mansion.

"It's been investigated." Wang Chengyuan walked straight to the table. "This matter is not as simple as He Li encountering some female swindler."

Li Chengjing immediately leaned closer: "What do you mean? Does she really have something she can't say?"

Wang Chengyuan sneered, pulled out several sheets of paper covered with dense writing from his sleeve, and slammed them on the table: "This Miss Su's original name was Su Ruolan. Her father was a county magistrate of the eighth rank, who was dispatched to the frontier. He died in the line of duty two years ago. The imperial court provided a pension, and with the Su family's original savings, the widow and her orphan originally owned a very nice three-room shop and a two-courtyard house in the most prosperous West Market of Chang'an."

"Since you have a house and a shop, how did you end up living in such a dilapidated alley and need He Li's help?" Cui Qingyi asked with a frown.

"That's where the problem lies." Wang Chengyuan pointed with his folding fan. "Soon after Su's father died, her second uncle, Su Lei, appeared. Su Lei has the land deeds and family division documents left by the old master. He insists that the shops and houses were left to the second branch of the family by the old master. He also secretly bribed local thugs in the capital to harass and vandalize the Su family's widow and her two daughters every day, trying to drive them to their deaths so he can seize the family property."

Cui Qingyi frowned: "Where did these land deeds and documents come from?"

Wang Chengyuan thought for a moment: "I think it's probably a forgery!"

Li Chengjing was furious and slammed his fist on the table: "Outrageous! Under the very nose of the Emperor, there are still such beasts who seize their widowed sister-in-law's property! Doesn't the government care?"

"Manage? How can you manage it?" Wang Chengyuan scoffed. "The documents my second uncle has are extremely convincing, and he's spent a fortune bribing the officials in charge. Miss Su is just a weak woman with nowhere to turn. What's more, her mother is so upset about this that she's fallen seriously ill and bedridden; they've almost drained her of the money for medicine."

Cui Qingyi pondered for a moment: "So, the money He Li gave her was actually used to buy expensive medicinal herbs and to grease palms?"

"Your Highness is wise." Wang Chengyuan glanced at Cui Qingyi with admiration. "I have investigated where the money He Li recently pawned went. Miss Su took the money, but she neither squandered it nor ran away. She spent a lot of money to buy ginseng and lingzhi to prolong her mother's life at the pharmacy, and gave the rest of the money to several clerks and lawyers in the Jingzhao Prefecture."

Cui Qingyi's eyes flickered slightly: "Is she stalling for time, preparing to countersue her second uncle?"

"That's right." Wang Chengyuan waved his fan loudly. "This girl is ruthless. He Li, that sucker, is quite famous. She got the information from somewhere and used He Li's kindness as a cover. Moreover, I think she knows a bit about He Li's identity, which is why she targeted him. She probably wants to use his influence! As long as the lawyer submits the complaint to Magistrate He of the Capital, with He Li's connection, she has a chance to turn the case around."

After hearing the whole story, a brief silence fell over the main hall.

Li Chengjing rubbed the goosebumps on his arms. "But she made a very risky move! Lord He is not someone to be trifled with."

Wang Chengyuan continued, "If Lord He knew that He Li had been framed by an orphan girl and dragged into a property dispute involving forged land deeds and hooliganism..."

Li Chengjing paced around the room in frustration. "If this gets out of hand, that desperate second uncle of the Su family will turn around and accuse Miss Su of colluding with the son of the Prefect of the Capital to bully others. That stupid boy He Li won't be able to clear his name no matter how hard he tries! It might even affect Lord He's reputation."

Cui Qingyi looked up at Li Chengjing: "What I'm most worried about is Miss Su's source of information. Who exactly pointed her in this direction and helped her find He Li? Besides involving He Li, is there some other motive behind it?"

Li Chengjing thought for a moment, then snorted coldly, "No matter what schemes they have, there shouldn't be anyone in this capital who can stand above me. Even if I do encounter someone who can, I can settle things with a simple kowtow! Don't worry, Your Highness!"