He Yunze gave a wry smile, nodded haphazardly at Prince Xiu, and then said in a low voice, "Your Highness, it's not convenient to talk here..."

Upon hearing this and seeing the smile on He Yunce's face, Prince Xiu thought there was hope, so his attitude towards He Yunce became more amiable.

“You’re right. Let’s meet at that restaurant up ahead.”

After saying this, Prince Xiu lowered the curtain again, and the carriage drove forward.

Seeing the carriage disappear into the distance, Song Ruoan nervously grasped He Yunze's hand: "Husband, what should we do?"

"Prince Xiu has come knocking on your door. How should you explain this to him?"

He Yunze felt heavy-hearted, but seeing Song Ruoan's worried expression, he felt a warmth rise in his heart.

He squeezed Song Ruoan's hand tightly, then spoke soothingly:

“I am, after all, a sixth-rank official. Even if Prince Xiu is very angry, he will still have to consider the consequences. As long as I tell the whole story, Prince Xiu will surely be understanding.”

"Wait a moment, then you can wait in the restaurant. After I finish talking with Prince Xiu in the private room, I will go back to the Marquis's residence with you."

Song Ruoan nodded with some concern.

The two walked to the restaurant that Xiu Wang had mentioned. As soon as they stepped into the restaurant, a waiter was already waiting at the door.

He saw He Yunze's figure, walked to his side, and whispered, "His Highness is waiting for you in the side room on the second floor."

He Yunze nodded, gave Song Ruoan a reassuring look, and then followed the servant to the second floor.

Prince Xiu was already waiting in the side room. Upon hearing the sound of the wooden door opening, he immediately stood up from his seat, a hint of excitement in his expression.

"Did you get the goods? I have lost face in front of Prince Yu today, and I can't hold back for even a moment longer."

Seeing the obvious expectation on Prince Xiu's face, He Yunze's hands, which had been hovering in the air, trembled slightly. He quickly helped him back to his original seat.

"Your Highness, please calm down. I have already met the owner behind Pinxianglou, but the story is a long one..."

Upon hearing this, Prince Xiu's eyes lit up. He took a sip of tea and said, "I used to be skeptical when you said you had a close relationship with that owner, but now it seems that your wife is indeed the owner of Xianglou's junior sister."

Upon hearing this, He Yunze's Adam's apple bobbed. He sat down next to Prince Xiu, a bitter smile on his face: "The relationship is quite close. Not only my wife, but also I... have a very close relationship with the owner of Xianglou."

There is no closer relationship in the world than this.

Hearing this, Prince Xiu was even more delighted: "So you've already obtained the Penglai Wonderland? Have you reached an agreement? When will you send the owner of that brothel to meet me?"

He Yunze sighed heavily: "It is precisely because of our close relationship that I know that everything before me is nothing but a deception. I would never dare to recommend such a film to Your Highness."

Prince Xiu was stunned, his narrow eyes momentarily blank, as He Yunze continued:

"Here's what happened: the owner behind Xianglou is actually Song Xizhi! She's my fickle sister-in-law, and Ruo'an's own sister!"

"She plagiarized Ruoan's secret recipe and opened this incense shop! The incense she makes is all counterfeit! It's fake!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Xiu jumped up from his seat, his face full of disbelief: "You mean the owner behind Pinxianglou is Song Xizhi? Your sister-in-law?"

He Yunze nodded heavily: "That's right, it was Song Xizhi who plagiarized Ruo'an's incense-making secret recipe, which is why the Grass and Wood World changed its name to Wood Trace!"

"The original recipe for the incense is still in Ruo'an's hands! It's an old recipe that's over ten years old. You can tell at a glance that it was passed down to Ruo'an by her master."

He Yunce spoke with utmost sincerity and deep emotion.

Prince Xiu scrutinized his expression, then sneered, "Are you sizing up this Prince Meng?"

He Yunze's heart tightened, and he hurriedly shook his head: "No! Everything I said is true!"

Prince Xiu showed no sign of believing it: "If the owner behind Ruoxianglou is Song Xizhi, why did you wait in front of Ruoxianglou for so long? She is in the same residence as you in the Marquis of Anding. She runs such a large shop. Did you not know anything about it?"

He Yunze pursed his lips: "We don't get along. She's of low character, and the incense she uses is all plagiarized. She's guilty, so naturally she won't tell us."

Prince Xiu then said, "Since her incense is plagiarized, in other words, your wife can create the Penglai Wonderland, right?"

He Yunze stammered, "She had someone make this herself. Apart from that, my wife has the original recipes for everything else. Your Highness, you must trust me!"

Prince Xiu, unable to bear it any longer, threw the tea in his hand directly at He Yunze's head: "Such a clumsy lie, do you think I'm a fool?"

The tea was poured over He Yunce's head, chilling him to the bone.

He felt truly innocent, as everything he said was true, and yet this had happened to Ruo'an.

Why wouldn't King Xiu believe something that's a sure thing?

Prince Xiu merely snorted coldly: "I will personally find the owner behind Pinxianglou."

"And He Yunze, you have deceived me time and time again. You are very good. I will remember everything you have done. Just you wait!"

This was the first time in his life that King Xiu felt he had been fooled, and the first time he had ever been so angry.

After saying this, he ignored He Yunze, who was soaked to the bone, turned around, and stormed out of the room.

He Yunze sat there, the once warm tea gradually cooling down, sticking to his body with an icy chill.

He clutched his throbbing head, his body swayed suddenly, and he quickly grabbed the edge of the table for support.

He was speechless and tried to explain for a long time, but Prince Xiu refused to believe him at all.

He knew it was hard for people to believe, but everything he said was the truth!

He Yunze truly didn't know why, in this life, he no longer had the smooth sailing of his previous life, nor did he have the good relationships that everyone envied.

Even though she had painstakingly managed things and put in several times more effort than in her previous life, she had managed to push everyone to Song Xizhi's side.

Prime Minister Lin was one, and so was Prince Xiu; all their painstaking efforts were ultimately wasted on Song Xizhi.

He Yunze felt a great sense of loss.

He was not happy at all in this life. Even though Ruo'an became his rightful wife and fulfilled his long-cherished wish from his previous life, he did not feel a single bit of joy.