The male supporting character was actually myself.

On a joyous day for family reunion, the Marshal's Mansion was thrown into turmoil by a handwritten letter.

Each of the concubines was eager to impress others, and they even went so far as to search the trees with their maids and servants. If the garden and lake in the Marshal's Mansion hadn't been frozen over and so clearly visible, they probably would have had to drain all the water to find someone.

"Young Marshal, we have news!" Not long after, a member of the personal guard jogged in, saluted, and replied loudly, "Just this evening, someone saw the young master at the Juyuanxiang Pawnshop in Caowei Alley, a street away. It seems he pawned some silver dollars and hurriedly left for East Street."

We are currently following the leads, but it's a holiday and the streets are almost deserted, making it difficult to find witnesses.

Upon hearing the confirmed news that Dong Chen had left the Marshal's Mansion at some unknown time, Li Tianxing became even more anxious.

People who have become dulled by reading are the least able to think clearly. What if the eldest son has a mental breakdown and wants to find a secluded place to end his life? In this freezing cold and vast world, where would he find someone?

"Stop turning over stones in the manor! Dongchen is outside! Hurry up! Jiang Chen's personal guards are too few, everyone go out and help! Also, open all the closed shops and ask if anyone has seen him!" Li Tianxing was so anxious he was jumping up and down.

After receiving the order, Lieutenant Li temporarily organized everyone in the mansion, including the concubines, into small teams and spread them out along the main street to search the entire city.

The owner of Juyuanxiang Pawnshop was quickly summoned. After reviewing the ledger, he replied tremblingly, "General, the young master did indeed pawn some things here, all jade and gold and silver ornaments, for a total of twelve silver dollars."

"Twelve silver dollars?" Zhang Ziqiu clenched her handkerchief, her expression changing slightly.

Seeing that his sister looked nervous, Zhang Mingyuan quickly lowered his voice and asked, "What's wrong? Did you remember something? This is a matter of life and death. What time is it now? Don't hold back, just say what you want to say!"

"I..." She looked up and saw that everyone was staring at her, and she felt a little guilty. Her voice trembled as she said, "I... I saw that Dongchen always looked sullen and sighed, and I felt that this couldn't go on forever."

I was thinking... I'd have him copy down some of the newly drafted school rules and regulations for me, and then I took twenty silver dollars from my dowry and gave them to him so he could have some time to meet up with his friends after the holiday..."

Zhang Ziqiu trembled with nervousness, tears streaming down her face. She waved her hands helplessly, saying, "I...I meant well...He took twenty silver dollars from me, and then pawned it for twelve more, adding it all up..."

Earlier, he had been sighing and lamenting in the house, saying that he was incompetent and couldn't even let his confidante steal a day to relax during the holiday.

Could it be that Dongchen... took the money and gave it to a prostitute?

"Today is the day of family reunion on the day of the Beginning of Winter. Buying her a night so she doesn't have to entertain guests is like some kind of romantic act that pedantic scholars like." Jiang Chen, who had everything under control, said coldly, "Go to Qinxiang Xiaozhu. Those two vixens surnamed Ruan definitely know where Big Brother went!"

When the concubines heard that the young master had actually pawned things in the mansion to raise money so that the prostitutes who entertained customers every day could take a break before the start of winter, they all found it unbelievable.

"Oh my, our young master is truly worthy of being an overseas student; even his thoughts are so unconventional. He's on the verge of death himself, yet he's still thinking about prostitutes?"

"I heard that the women in that brothel are really good at seducing men. That's why their business is still booming even during wartime. They've completely bewitched the young master."

"Thirty silver dollars to buy her a night's rest so she doesn't have to entertain customers, what kind of romance is that?"

"Tch~ The more promiscuous they are, the more they'll play the victim, fabricating a pitiful backstory to gain sympathy. Scholars like the young master take pride in frequenting brothels and finding confidantes. They don't even want to live themselves, yet they're making plans for courtesans. Perhaps they can even leave a lasting legacy and be praised by people in the future."

"What a waste of a good year! Thirty silver dollars can only buy one night. What kind of celestial being is she?"

"I heard those two are no good. They seduced the young master when they were still young girls, and now they've rekindled their old flame!"

"Tsk tsk, this is a rare opportunity, I really have to go and see for myself..."

…………

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Everyone Knows

Zhang Ziqiu's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.

Already feeling guilty, she sat anxiously in the car on the way to Qinxiang Xiaozhu, her hands clutching her handkerchief so tightly she almost twisted it to pieces. She wondered to herself if she had jumped too quickly earlier.

First, I pretended not to see him while I was out, giving Li Dongchen a chance to slip away. Will others notice anything amiss?

Then there's the letter with the biggest flaw. It contains only a few sentences, but I painstakingly copied them from his handwritten notes, stroke by stroke. The handwriting is fine, but if Li Dongchen carefully examines it, he'll know that I definitely did it!

Even if the maids and servants found out in his study, he couldn't clear himself of suspicion...

Also, just now at the pawnshop, I was afraid that the general and the others would not notice that I was too late and would miss the show, so I said something out of turn. Will it arouse suspicion?

Zhang Ziqiu was caught in a dilemma and began to regret her decision. She wished she had discussed the plan with Xiu'er before making it...

A mix of nervousness and fear welled up inside her, causing her to tremble uncontrollably, her lips even quivering.

Li Tianxing said anxiously in a low voice, "If those two vixens refuse to tell Dongchen where he is later, Lieutenant Li will just use torture to pull out their teeth. At this critical juncture, I'm not afraid of people saying that the Marshal's Mansion is abusing its power."

"Yes!" Lieutenant Li replied with a cold expression.

He then lowered his voice and said, "General, I don't think the young master is necessarily suicidal. Perhaps he's just acting out of spite. He's probably enjoying himself with the Ruan sisters at Qinxiang Pavilion right now. Would it be... risky for us to make such a big fuss and go there?"

"Damn it, he's just playing tricks on me. If he really messes up the whole family and makes it impossible for us to celebrate the festival, while he's enjoying himself with prostitutes, I'll kick him out of the house right now!"

Face? He's shameless himself, who cares about saving face for him?

"I'll just pretend I don't have a son, at least I'll be less angry." In his anger, Li Tianxing wouldn't listen to any advice.

Moreover, he believed he knew his proud, arrogant, and conceited eldest son well. If he had left a suicide note, even if it was just for show, he should have done it convincingly. If he couldn't even be bothered to fool his father, then he was really disrespecting him and had to be severely punished!

However, Lieutenant Li had a clearer perspective from the sidelines.

Looking coldly at the two young masters, the second young master was a bit unruly and irritable, but he was a man of his word and a man of his word. Li Jiangchen usually did not go back on his word.

As for the eldest young master, Li Dongchen, he's timid, cowardly, and incompetent, yet he loves to spout those pretentious, literary nonsense. Would you really expect him to ponder something over such a trivial matter? That's highly unlikely.

Most of the time, they used those rather clumsy tricks to win favor, trying to control the commander-in-chief.

In previous years, the warlord favored his eldest son and was quite swayed by his underhanded tricks. But now...

If the young master is really just putting on an act and getting entangled with the Bai sisters for fun, he probably won't get the slightest advantage from the increasingly clear-headed commander!

With the sound of horses' hooves and the hustle and bustle of carriages, the entire Marshal's mansion, along with his concubines, followed the young marshal's personal guards in a grand procession straight towards Qinxiang Xiaozhu.

Anyway, the warlord didn't explicitly forbid them from following along. The concubines in the deep mansions were happy to watch the excitement and gossip, and no one wanted to be left behind. They wished they could sprout wings and fly to the front to find out what was going on.

"General? What's wrong with you...?"

When the managers and thugs of the Paramount were having a great time eating and drinking on the first floor, they looked up and saw a row of soldiers carrying big guns, with the commander at the head being none other than the usually reclusive warlord. They were stunned for a few seconds.

"Is Li Dongchen upstairs?" Jiang Chen stepped forward and asked.

The other person nodded frantically, like a chick pecking at rice, "Yes, yes, the young master..."

"Waaaaah... Brother, I can't live like this anymore!" Zhang Ziqiu didn't know how things would develop. If it was all bark and no bite and she was exposed, she would be completely finished. Seeing this, she immediately covered her face with a handkerchief and began to sob. "I've only been married for a short time, and Dongchen has made such a fuss over a prostitute. Waaaaah... Why is my life so miserable!"

Seeing this, Jiang Chen immediately added fuel to the fire, "Alright, Dad, as long as we know that Big Brother is not in any danger, let's go back. Otherwise, if we make a scene in front of so many people, Big Brother will really lose face."

"General, think twice before you act," Lieutenant Li hurriedly reminded him.

Seeing his sister crying her eyes out, Zhang Mingyuan snorted angrily, "If you don't want to die, then sneaking out is fine, but why write a final note?"

"Is he perhaps determined to bring poison and perish together with the vixen? I've heard that scholars love to sacrifice themselves for love at the drop of a hat!"

A double suicide pact?!

The Paramount thugs on guard immediately panicked. With such a large entourage coming from the Marshal's Mansion, even a fool could see that something was wrong.

Besides, what they said didn't sound like good news. Just the other day, Bai Moli was punished because of the young master's matter. What if they really tried to kill themselves by drinking poison? How could I, as a servant, explain that?

"That little bitch, it must be Bai Moli who caused this trouble again!" The manager's face turned pale, and seeing this, he didn't care about anything else and tried to rush upstairs.

One is the eldest son of the Marshal's family;

One of them is the boss's most valued cash cow. If someone were to die at Qinxiang Xiaozhu, even several of his own lives wouldn't be enough to compensate for it!

"I want to see what he's up to!" Enraged and barely containing his anger, Li Tianxing was emboldened. He turned around, pulled a gun from his youngest son's waist, kicked open the door, and went straight upstairs.

The stewards and thugs couldn't outrun the young marshal and his guards, and they crowded around him as they ran upstairs.

Then came Zhang Ziqiu and a group of concubines eager to watch the drama unfold, along with numerous servants, old women, and maids...

In the room, a bottle of fine wine was drunk clean by the three of them, leaving only the empty bottle lying to the side.

Behind the scattered pink gauze, the lighting was dim and the atmosphere was ambiguous; the exquisite silk sheets were crumpled and messy.

"Hoo... Brother Dongchen, I love you so much..." Ruan Xiangqin's eyes were hazy, her snow-white arms were resting on the edge of the bed, and her cherry lips uttered soft murmurs;

Ruan Xiangyun was drawing circles on her body with a soft white feather, teasing her like a cat from time to time.

"I love you too!" Li Dongchen felt better than ever before.

He even considered giving Xiangqin a chance to ask the manager what exactly was added to the wine, so she could get a recipe and enjoy it occasionally!

"Dangdang!"

Just as the trio reached a crucial moment, the door was suddenly kicked open violently.

At this critical moment, Li Dongchen was startled and stunned. The next second, he saw many people rush into the room. The light was too dim and the pink gauze was swaying, so he couldn't see what was going on for a moment.

However, at almost the same time, the little white cat had already jumped up and torn away all the curtains that were blocking the view.

Pink gauze fluttered down from the sky. Li Tianxing stared intently and saw that the previously indistinct figure on the bed had been revealed to be a completely white body. He was instantly enraged and his blood boiled. Without thinking, he raised his hand and fired a shot at the roof.

"Duang!"

"Ah! Help!"

"Dongchen! What happened?"

The chaos happened in an instant; the three people, extremely excited under the influence of the drugs, reacted a beat too slowly. By the time the others were stunned by the gunshot, Ruan Xiangqin and her sister screamed and hurriedly grabbed the bedsheets to cover their private parts.

"Father?" Li Dongchen was even more confused after his initial dejection.

He couldn't believe it—why his father would suddenly appear here!

Isn't today the Beginning of Winter, a day for eating dumplings? Logically speaking, Dad shouldn't want to see me. He's already spoiling his youngest son rotten, so there's no way he'd let me eat over there.

Everything was planned perfectly. I was going to sneak out for the night and go back tomorrow morning without anyone noticing. How did it all become public knowledge?

"I don't have a son as disgraceful as you!" Li Tianxing stepped forward and kicked him hard to the ground, kicking him wildly a few times in a fit of anger and frustration. "I really thought you had some scholarly integrity, ha, turns out you're still a leopard that can't change its spots! From today onwards, get out of the Marshal's Mansion!"

Seeing this, Jiang Chen rushed forward to mediate the fight, and casually tossed a piece of clothing to Li Dongchen, who was lying naked on the ground clutching his head, saying, "Big brother, look how angry you've made Dad. Hurry up and apologize to him."

“Youngest son, let’s go. From now on, you are my only son, Li Tianxing’s only son. I don’t want him as my son, and I won’t allow him to take the surname Li anymore!” The old man was so angry he was practically fuming. When he turned around and saw the two naked sisters, his anger flared up even more. “The Paramount Ballroom is a business that opens its doors to the public, so naturally we can’t blame them.”

Son, pass on my order that no one is to be allowed to bully others by taking advantage of the power of the Marshal's Mansion.

"Qinxiang Xiaozhu's business is booming, that's good. They're doing well with low profit margins and high volume, so the prices are indeed a bit low. I should talk to the owner and suggest raising the prices for the Bai Moli sisters, otherwise they might not even break even."

After uttering a few sarcastic remarks, Li Tianxing turned and left.

Lieutenant Li and Jiang Chen followed closely behind, while a group of concubines stood aside without moving, looking around and whispering among themselves.

"She doesn't look like much at all. She's a used and filthy prostitute who works every day!"

"Ugh~ What's that smell in the room? It's giving me a headache."

"You don't understand, do you? They're wearing expensive perfume! After all, they're two pieces of rotten flesh that's been ridden and straddled by thousands of men, they need to cover up the stench, right?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, average-looking, mediocre physique, and dirty too. What do you think this young master is after?"

"What else could they be after? The women in that building are so versatile and know how to have fun. Didn't you see how two sisters are serving one man? In an ordinary family, it would be the sister-in-law or something, and some men actually like that!"