The most dissolute couple in the capital

Three days later.

The verdict from the Jingzhao Prefecture has been delivered.

Su Lei forged official documents in an attempt to seize his deceased brother's property. According to the law, he was to be flogged eighty times and exiled three thousand miles to Lingnan.

His accomplice, clerk Zhang Wu, was corrupt and perverted the law, forged official seals, was dismissed from public office, flogged sixty times, and exiled two thousand li away.

The Su family's ancestral home, shops, and all their assets were returned to Su Ruolan and her daughter.

The prefect personally intervened in the case and specifically instructed the neighborhood head to take good care of the Su family mother and daughter in the future to prevent anyone from taking the opportunity to bully them again.

A few more days passed.

He Li entered the front hall of the Liang Prince's Mansion with great interest.

He had come to return the fifty taels of silver. Li Chengjing had Liu Lu take the money and said, "What, did your mother take pity on you and give you a subsidy?"

He Li scratched his head: "No, Miss Su came to see me yesterday."

Cui Qingyi asked with great interest, "Oh? What do you mean?"

He Li said with a hint of emotion, "She said that she approached me under the name 'Qianqian' because she was desperate and had no other choice but to take advantage of me. She acted improperly and came to apologize."

Li Chengjing laughed and said, "Not bad, this girl is quite frank. At least she pulled back from the brink, realized her mistake, and corrected it. Is she heartbroken?"

He Li shook his head: "After she took back the Su family's shop and old house, she raised the money and sent it over in just a few days. I declined, saying that her family was still in financial difficulty, but she insisted on paying it back in full and refused to take advantage of me in the slightest."

Even if they get everything back, it will probably not be easy for the Su family to raise this much cash.

He Li then said to the two of them, "Miss Su also asked me to thank you both. She doesn't know exactly who made the move, but she has guessed a thing or two. I told her not to worry about it."

Li Chengjing casually waved his hand. He had only helped out for fun and naturally wouldn't hold a grudge about such a small matter.

Cui Qingyi then asked, "Did you ask where you were first heard about?"

He Li replied, "I asked her about it too. She said that at first she relied on selling embroidery to supplement her family's income. One day, when she went to the embroidery shop to deliver her work, she overheard the shop assistants chatting and mentioning me. They said that the son of the Prefect of the Capital was the most 'charitable'... At that time, her mother was seriously ill and her second uncle was pressing her hard. She had nowhere else to turn, so she followed the shop assistant's advice to the place she frequented to find me."

Which shop?

He Li said his name.

Cui Qingyi and Li Chengjing looked at each other in bewilderment.

This shop appears to be owned by the Wang family.

After He Li left, Li Chengjing asked, "Why did the Wang family get involved in these matters?"

Cui Qingyi recalled what Cui Lingyi had told her about the Wang family's affairs, and Li Chengjing sighed: "Wang Si is getting old now, and the younger branches of the family are all restless and have their own plans."

Although Wang Chengyuan's father, Wang Si, had risen to the position of Grand Secretary and enjoyed unparalleled prestige, this prosperity could not conceal the predicament of the Wang family having no successors, as his sons were all mediocre.

The whole family was counting on Wang Yu, who had almost married Cui Lingyi.

No matter how exceptionally talented he is, it's unknown how many years it will take for Wang Yu to single-handedly support the entire Wang family.

To put it bluntly, what real skill is it to pass the imperial examination at a young age? The imperial examination can produce a top scholar in three years, but how many years would it take for a family to produce another prime minister who holds a central position?

The Great Ning Empire has always been extremely stingy with bestowing titles. Apart from a few meritorious officials who made great contributions during the founding of the dynasty and were granted titles, most of their descendants had to rely on solid military achievements to obtain such titles.

Even if an ordinary civil official holds a high position, he may not be able to easily reach the threshold of a noble title.

Furthermore, with the current emperor vigorously promoting the imperial examination system, although it has not completely eradicated the influence of aristocratic families, those who truly wish to enter the central government and wield real power must ultimately rely on their genuine talent and learning to pass the examinations step by step. The descendants of the Wang family are clearly far lacking in this regard.

As Wang Si grew old and his energy waned, retirement was only a matter of time.

Once the position of Grand Secretary becomes vacant, the emperor, in order to maintain balance in the court, will inevitably appoint another high-ranking official from a prominent family to fill the vacancy.

In the current imperial court, Cui Wenhan, the head of the Qinghe Cui clan and Minister of Personnel, is undoubtedly the most popular successor in terms of seniority and reputation.

What's even more alarming is that the princes and princesses are now coming of age, and the struggle for the throne is brewing, making the future succession of the imperial power increasingly complicated and intricate.

When Wang Si was in power, he was able to suppress some of the problems and barely stabilize the situation by virtue of his accumulated prestige over the years. But if he were to step down one day, how would the Wang family, which was in a period of transition, cope with the situation?

With the road ahead narrow and no way to retreat, it's no wonder that the Wang family was as anxious as ants on a hot pan, wanting to get involved in everything.

After discussing it with Li Chengjing, Cui Qingyi passed the message back to Wang Chengyuan.

When the message arrived, Wang Chengyuan was lounging lazily on the couch in his room, casually admiring an exquisite gilded openwork incense ball. The ball was inlaid with the finest pigeon blood rubies, and its interior was made of multiple layers of gold and silver carvings, with an extremely ingenious mechanism. No matter how he handled or turned it, the incense burner inside remained stable and did not tip over. It was truly a masterpiece of craftsmanship and unparalleled luxury.

After hearing the confidant's whispered report, Wang Chengyuan's fingers, which were fiddling with the incense ball, paused slightly. A hint of mockery flashed in his eyes, but he waved his hand dismissively, ordering the confidant to leave.

The afterglow of the setting sun pierced through the intricately carved window frames, casting dappled light on his young profile, dividing the sunlight into patches of light and shadow.

"I watched him build his magnificent mansion, I watched him host lavish banquets..."

Wang Chengyuan casually tossed the priceless incense ball onto the table, making a dull thud.

He gave a half-smile, "His building is about to collapse..."