Liu Qingxi watched the person leave, a victorious smile appearing on her face.

However, in the next moment, her body was struck by a palm, and with a "bang," she slammed into the opposite wall before falling to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.

A pair of black official boots stepped forward from the ground.

Liu Qingxi was dizzy and struggled to believe her eyes, murmuring to herself: "How could it be, how could it be, how..."

Shen Chen, with a somber face, called out, "Peng Ran."

As his voice fell, a man appeared in front of him.

"Go to the Liu Mansion secretly and check. If there are people in strange attire, use all your strength to control them. Be careful, the other side may use the Gu technique."

"Yes." After responding, the man disappeared using Qinggong.

Liu Qingxi lay on the ground, looking up at a pair of terrifyingly cold eyes. Although she had only made Shen Chen say one sentence using the Gu technique, she knew her good days were over.

This man would not let her go.

The power of the Investigation Factory should not be underestimated. That night, they tied people up and sent them to Prime Minister Shen. With the blade at Miao Qiu’e’s neck, she easily removed the Gu and said Liu Qingxi had threatened her with her grandson, coercing her to come to the Capital City. Shen Chen, considering her forced by threats, broke her arm and did not pursue the matter further, but immediately imprisoned Liu Qingxi in the Imperial Prison for the crime of plotting against a high-ranking court official.

After finishing these tasks, it was already midnight.

When Shen Chen returned to Chaoxi Courtyard, Qin Yin was still kneeling there. Since Ye Zhi was released from prison three days ago, the first thing Shen Chen did upon returning to the Shen Mansion was to order Qin Yin to leave. The Investigation Factory could not accommodate him, and Lanhua Pavilion would not keep him. Yet he continued to kneel until now.

As soon as the master returned, Qin Yin expressed his loyalty:

"Mr. Shen, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have treated Miss Ye like that. I thought you didn’t care about her. This time, I was so out of my mind that I wanted to teach her a lesson. From now on, I will serve her as the future mistress, and such incidents will not occur again. If they do, I, Qin Yin, will slit my own throat."

After saying this, he kowtowed twice.

The night wind was cool, passing through the corridor and blowing over the entrance of Chaoxi Courtyard.

The elegant and imposing young man, wearing a blue cloud-patterned gown, stood straight in place, like a mountain rock in isolation.

He smiled lightly: "You don’t know, when I was powerless, Miss Ye told me confidently: Xiao Chen, I will use the full power of the Ye Mansion to help you rise to the top."

"Do you know who paid for my tuition at the Upper Imperial College? Who gave me the money to open my first gold shop? It was this Miss Ye who gave me all her allowance. The assistance I received from the Ye Mansion in my childhood was much more than these."

"To hold her in my arms is to win the world. Do you know why I study diligently every day, train persistently, and have no interest in power, yet become an official? All of this, for what?"

Shen Chen answered himself: "It’s all for the rightful embrace."

The young man’s rich voice echoed in the night.

Guo Hao, hiding in a tree on watch, heard everything clearly. Senior Brother Shen was saying so much heartfelt words for the first time.

Qin Yin lowered his eyelids, kneeling on the ground, his expression unreadable.

The elegant and imposing young man said indifferently: "You should go; there’s no place for you here."

"I know I crossed the line and will honor Miss Ye as the mistress from now on, without any disrespect. If Mr. Shen does not forgive me, I will continue to kneel here." Qin Yin felt bitterness in his heart; clearly, the future mistress had also made mistakes. Mr. Shen’s favoritism was too obvious...