The most dissolute couple in the capital

Cui Qingyi sat in the carriage, looking at the alley entrance through the half-lifted curtain. Li Chengjing and He Li had already gotten out of the carriage. Today, Li Chengjing had brought He Li here to "face reality," but as soon as they turned into the alley, they heard a noisy shouting and cursing in the distance.

"You brat! If you give up the house today, we can all part ways amicably!"

A middle-aged man with a fierce face stood with his hands on his hips in front of a dilapidated courtyard gate, followed by seven or eight burly men, each carrying a stick. The gate was half open, and a young woman's stern voice came from inside.

"This is the home my father left us, don't even think about it!"

"Your father?" The middle-aged man sneered, waving a yellowed piece of paper in his hand. "It's a government land deed in black and white; the shop and house belong to the second wife. What right do you, a mere girl, have to hold onto them? You'd better get lost, or I'll have your mother's sickbed carried out and thrown into the street today!"

"Someone come here!" Su Lei waved his hand, and the group of men behind him surged into the courtyard.

The sound of shattering porcelain came from inside the courtyard, followed by a woman's scream—

He Li clenched his fists and took a big step forward.

Li Chengjing reacted quickly and grabbed his arm, but was thrown off balance.

"What politeness!" Li Chengjing shouted, "Stop right there!"

He Li ignored him, rushed to the gate of the Su family compound, grabbed a burly man who was about to rush in by the back of the collar, and pulled him back forcefully.

Caught off guard, the man staggered back two steps. He turned around, about to curse, but when he saw that He Li's clothes, though changed, were still made of valuable material, he paused for a moment.

"Who are you?" the middle-aged man asked, frowning.

He Li was furious: "Bringing people to forcibly seize a private residence in broad daylight! Do you think there's no law in this capital?!"

Su Lei sized him up, noticing that although he was well-dressed, he had no attendants with him, only a similarly young man hurrying towards them from the alley entrance. Su Lei sneered, "Where did this brat come from? This is a family matter of the Su family, what's it to you? Get lost and mind your own business!"

He Li gritted his teeth: "What kind of skill is it to bully orphans and widows! If you have the guts, go to the Jingzhao Prefecture and settle this matter!"

"Go to court?" Su Lei laughed confidently. "What court? I have the house and land deeds, even the officials in the government recognize them. Kid, are you bored or something? Or are you after this little slut—"

"Try saying one more word." He Li took a step forward, his fists clenched.

Cui Qingyi quickly walked to Li Chengjing's side and whispered, "Stop him."

Without a word, Li Chengjing rushed forward and grabbed He Li's shoulders tightly: "Alright, alright, calm down!"

He Li struggled to turn around: "Let me go! Didn't you see they were trying to kick people out! Miss Qian... Miss Su's mother is still sick, that's life-threatening!"

"I saw it," Li Chengjing said in a low voice, "but what's the point of you rushing in now? Even if you can't win, it's not a good thing whether you win or not! Use your brain, which is filled with nothing but kindness!"

"I don't care." He Li's chest heaved violently. "I don't care about reputation or consequences. They're bullying me!"

"But Miss Su cares," Cui Qingyi's voice rang out at the right moment. "You are Lord He's son, and your every move is tied to the He family. If you rashly stand up for her, even if you are in the right, if Su's second uncle goes to the yamen to file a complaint, saying that you have an affair with Miss Su and that you are abusing your power, how will you prove your innocence? In that case, it won't just be you who will be implicated, but also Miss Su. Once her reputation is ruined, her life is over."

He Li's hand fell to his sides. "So I'm just going to watch them kick them out?"

"Who said we had to watch?" Cui Qingyi's lips twitched slightly, and she gave a wink to the four guards from the Liang Prince's Mansion following behind her.

The guards understood immediately, and to keep a low profile, they specially changed into ordinary civilian clothes this time.

"Hey, hey, hey! Brother, what are you doing in broad daylight?" The lead guard blocked their way with a grin. "We just came back from buying tofu in the alley next door when we heard all this commotion. Is this some kind of fight? If the Imperial Guards on patrol hear this, things could get messy."

Su Lei glared at them impatiently: "None of your business! Get lost!"

Another guard, unperturbed, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and chuckled, "Oh, this uncle's got quite a temper. Let me tell you, a few days ago someone caused trouble in Yongxing Ward, and the Imperial Guards caught them red-handed and threw them straight into jail. The ward head is currently looking for someone to take credit for. Uncle, you've brought so many people with you... tsk tsk."

Su Lei's expression changed.

Although he was used to running rampant in this area, he knew that the patrols in the capital had become much tighter recently. If he were to be caught by the Imperial Guards, the lowly constables he had bribed wouldn't be able to protect him.

"I'll remember that!" Su Lei pointed angrily at Su Ruolan in the courtyard, "I'll take this house back sooner or later! Don't think you can hide forever!"

Having said that, he flicked his sleeves, turned around, and left with his men.

As he was leaving, his gaze swept over He Li and Li Chengjing, who were standing at the alley entrance, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes, as if he was trying to remember them.

Cui Qingyi calmly withdrew her gaze.

After Su Lei's men had gone far away, Su Ruolan came out from behind the courtyard gate. Her hands were still trembling slightly. When she saw He Li, her eyes reddened, but she quickly lowered her head and curtsied.

"Young Master He..."

He Li opened his mouth, about to step forward, but was stopped by Li Chengjing.

"Alright, it's good that everyone's alright." Li Chengjing said with a playful smile, but his tone left no room for argument. "This isn't the place to talk. Let's go back first."

He Li glanced at Su Ruolan, hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.