Song Ruier knew that Ji Changsheng was afraid. Those sons of high-ranking families all said that he had offended the Princess Zhenguo, and the Princess Zhenguo would not let him off. Qiao Lian'er was a favorite of the Emperor. Even if their family had a century-old foundation, they would not dare to easily oppose her, and there was no need for them to have such a powerful enemy as Qiao Lian'er for his sake.

He sneered inwardly. These people, who used to act as if they were willing to go through fire and water for him, had all turned into cowards now, including Ji Changsheng, who was no better.

After finding a teahouse and taking a seat, Ji Changsheng felt uneasy, as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

"Brother Pang, I heard you haven't been doing well lately."

Song Ruier sighed: "What else can we do? Everyone thinks that Princess Zhenguo has a problem with me and keeps her distance from me, but that's not the case."

"Could there be another hidden story behind this?" Ji Changsheng quickly asked.

He still regarded Song Ruier as his savior and as a friend.

However, with the Princess Zhenguo gaining power, he had to avoid suspicion for the sake of his family.

"My hand was accidentally poisoned. I heard that Princess Zhenguo was very capable, so I begged her to heal my hand. However, I didn't know her well, and she was unwilling to help. That's why the scene on the street that day happened. I never expected that people would spread rumors and make it sound like this."

“Brother Ji, think about it. I am just a student who has worked hard to pass the civil service exam. Everyone can see that I am buried in my studies all day long. How could I possibly have any grudge against Princess Zhenguo? She is a favorite of the Emperor. If I offend her, wouldn’t I be asking for trouble?”

"Brother Pang, are you telling the truth? Oh dear, if that's the case, why don't you explain it to everyone?"

Song Ruier raised his right hand: "Everyone is keeping their distance from me, not only because of the misunderstanding between me and the Princess Zhenguo, but also because my right hand is crippled, and they all think I have no future."

"However, I think that since I saved Brother Ji's life, things are a little different. Fortunately, Brother Ji is willing to see me."

Ji Changsheng sighed.

"With Brother Pang's perseverance and intelligence, I believe that even if his right hand becomes useless, he will still find a way to make a living in the future."

As he spoke, he took out several silver notes from his sleeve and placed them in front of Song Ruier. These silver notes were either worth five thousand taels or ten thousand taels.

“Brother Pang, even if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have remembered this kindness. Now that you are in a bad situation, I should do something. Please accept this small token of my appreciation.”

If it were anyone else in this situation, seeing these 100,000 taels of silver notes, it would be impossible not to be tempted.

But for Song Ruier, what he will be able to get in the future is far more than just 100,000 taels.

Moreover, his hatred for Qiao Lian'er cannot be dissolved even a little by this amount of 100,000 taels.

Therefore, he looked at the 100,000 taels of silver without being moved, and instead pushed it in front of Ji Changsheng.

"Brother Ji, I didn't call you here this time to ask you for this."

"That Brother Pang was doing this for—"

"Actually, I felt very uneasy after disturbing Princess Zhenguo that day. I kept thinking about what I could do to make amends and improve her impression of me," Song Ruier said.