A short while later, Qin San came out with a dark face, carrying a bundle on his back.

"I'm sorry, you guys must have found this funny."

Qin San felt very embarrassed. Li Youran and Tang Lei didn't say much either, and the three of them hurriedly left.

Tang Lei was able to discover Li Youran's disappearance in time because when he came to find her last time, he was so preoccupied with his romantic feelings that he forgot the task assigned by the Second Prince.

The jewelry shop has been open for business for some time now, and its ledgers contain numerous records of spending by the families of officials of the fourth rank and above.

Even those in high positions only receive a few hundred or a few thousand taels of silver in salary, while their families spend several thousand or a few hundred taels on jewelry alone.

The shady dealings involved are obvious to everyone, but if we were to use them as leverage, they would be a valuable piece of evidence.

Most importantly, some officials' mistresses would also buy jewelry here, and in order to show off their status, they would introduce themselves as mistresses.

It is believed that the vast majority of officials, in order to maintain their own dignity, would absolutely not want such things to be exposed to the public.

“Lanshan, your second brother is now a protégé of the Prime Minister and is highly regarded by him. If he goes to the capital, he will be able to find a good marriage.”

Zhao's mother earnestly advised Zhao Lanshan.

Zhao Lanshan's second brother was a government official in the capital. Although he did not hold a high-ranking position, he always worked for the prime minister.

The Prime Minister now intends to promote someone and wants to form a marriage alliance with the Zhao family.

Zhao's mother thought this was a good opportunity. After all, it was the Prime Minister's mansion. Even if he was born out of wedlock, he would still be much richer than the sons of ordinary families, and at least he would not have to worry about food and clothing.

However, Zhao Lanshan was hesitant. First, she couldn't let go of Liu Zhiyuan, and second, she was worried about life in the capital.

In this small county town, the Zhao family would definitely be one of the most prominent families, and they would be looked up to wherever they went.

But things were different in the capital. In the capital, even a falling plaque could hit three officials, making the Zhao family seem insignificant.

Moreover, she was marrying the son of a prime minister, a son born out of wedlock and who was not favored by the emperor...

Zhao Lanshan seemed to be able to imagine the future, a life where he would have to be inferior to others.

Although it sounds good to outsiders that she married the son of a prime minister, she is ultimately an unfavored illegitimate son, and it's unknown what her future will hold...

Compared to her mother, Zhao Lanshan thought about things more deeply.

However, since it was not agreed upon beforehand, and it was her parents' decision, Zhao Lanshan couldn't break free from these constraints, so she simply nodded shyly.

Zhao's mother hurriedly left with a smile, instructing the servants to pack their belongings and take the whole family to the capital.

If you think about it, at this critical juncture, the Prime Minister's efforts to win over so many officials, both high and low, are not without purpose.

Although the Prime Minister stood with His Highness the Third Prince, he was also worried that the Third Prince might fail...

The Third Prince is still a prince. Even if he commits a heinous crime, as long as the Emperor is reluctant to punish him, he will at most be sent to the Imperial Clan Court.

But he was different; he could easily lose his head. The prime minister was trying to win over these officials at this time to pave the way for his future.

If something unexpected were to happen, these officials would have vested interests in him and would naturally help him.

At worst, they can save their lives; it's just that outsiders don't know these things.

“Miss, you’re finally back. It’s all my fault for being useless and letting Miss Hua be taken away by bad guys.”

Before Li Youran even entered the house, Dajun and Xiaohong knelt on the ground, crying and kowtowing to Li Youran.

"It's not your fault. It's a great blessing that you two are safe and sound."

Li Youran showed no sign of blaming them, which made Dajun and Xiaohong feel even more ashamed.

After instructing Dajun and Xiaohong to wait outside for Li's father and his party, Li Youran hurriedly went to the shop, found the account book, and checked the figures with Tang Lei.

"Manager Li, Young Master Liu came to see you and left you a letter."

Before Li Youran could respond, Tang Lei caught the letter first and said to Li Youran.

"Is it Liu Zhiyuan?"

Li Youran nodded.

Tang Lei frowned even more deeply. He had long suspected that the kid had ill intentions, but he never expected that he would start writing letters to Li Youran now.

"Both of you are now serving His Highness the Third Prince. If you have any complaints, you must keep them to yourselves."

Li Youran was amused by Tang Lei's appearance, her brows furrowed deeply, looking as if a formidable enemy was at hand.

For some reason, seeing Tang Lei's jealous expression made Li Youran feel very happy.

"Serving His Highness the Third Prince?"

"Yes, Liu Zhiyuan is now working under the Minister. Isn't the Minister working for the Second Prince? So you two are colleagues."

"colleague?"

Tang Lei found Li Youran's speech very strange, as she always used some odd and unusual words.

"Colleagues, working together."

Li Youran smiled and took the letter from Tang Lei, then read it with an air of nonchalance.

Although she was curious about what Liu Zhiyuan might be writing in his heart, she figured it would just be some mundane family matters, ordinary greetings, or at most, a glimpse into his feelings. But she never expected Liu Zhiyuan to actually…

"What's wrong?"

Tang Lei also noticed that something was wrong with Li Youran and hurriedly asked her with concern.

He asked me to meet him at Zhiweizhai in the afternoon.

Li Youran did not tell Tang Lei that Liu Zhiyuan was behaving very strangely, appearing disheartened.

Li Youran had no idea what had happened to Liu Zhiyuan that would drive him to such despair...

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!