"I gave Xiaoxi so many life-saving elixirs, and she's quick-witted, she should be fine," Ji Dengtu muttered to himself, but the wine in front of him suddenly lost its flavor.

In the end, he couldn't sit still any longer, and with a flash, he rushed towards the city gate.

After a while, a flamboyant madam swayed her slightly plump waist and said, "Old brother, I heard you don't like young girls, do you expect me to...?"

She froze halfway through her sentence, staring at a table full of peanut shells and a tilted wine glass, but there was no one in sight.

Soon a shrill scream rang out in the room: "That damned bastard, he's trying to get something for free!"

A servant boy nearby said timidly, "He doesn't seem to have any girls yet, so it doesn't count as...it doesn't count as prostitution, right?"

"Don't I know? Why are you so nosy! Once you're inside Hongxiuzhao, drinking isn't charged!"

...

Meanwhile, on the back mountain of the academy, after seeing off the Empress, Zu An couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. He used to envy the protagonists of those harem novels, but now he understood that it wasn't easy for them either. Having so many women around, especially arriving one after another, was exhausting...

Fortunately, he cultivated the Primordial Chaos Scripture, which tempered his body to be extremely strong. I don't know how those ordinary people could handle him.

Shaking his head to dispel these chaotic thoughts, he decided to go to the Heavenly Prison. Bi Linglong and Liu Ning had both told him the same thing, so it was best to resolve this as soon as possible, especially since Zhao Xiaodie knew about his relationship with Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen.

Not long after, they arrived near the Heavenly Prison. Zhao Xiaodie was, after all, a princess of the Qi Prince's Mansion. It would be too bad for her to be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison without being convicted. Therefore, she was temporarily placed under house arrest in a house near the Heavenly Prison.

These places were specifically used to house women of high status. After all, the prison was a filthy place, and if the jailers did something bad, it would be embarrassing for everyone.

Upon noticing someone approaching, guards quickly stepped forward to stop them: "Unauthorized persons..."

Halfway through his speech, he finally saw Zu'an's face clearly and was startled. His voice trembled slightly as he said, "Greetings, Regent! I'm blind..."

Zu An was taken aback: "You know me?"

He had arrived in a hurry and hadn't brought any attendants or worn his official robes, so he was worried that some trouble might arise.

"Your Highness is joking. Who doesn't know you now?" the guards said with a smile. "Your portrait is the most popular item to sell on the street."

If in the past, many officials in the capital did not know him, even though he was already a marquis and a favorite of the Crown Prince. After all, there were too many people in the capital with good backgrounds and families, and no one paid attention to a newly promoted young man.

But after the battle with the Meng family, who doesn't know him?

"My portrait?" Zuan had only asked casually, but upon hearing this, he stopped in his tracks.

The guards wore fawning smiles: "Ordinary people buy these to ward off evil spirits and prevent being bullied by high-ranking officials."

"High-ranking officials and nobles, on the other hand, bought them back..."

"What are you going to do with it?" Zuan asked curiously.

"Let them remember the Regent's face, teach their own nephews a lesson, and warn them that it doesn't matter how spoiled they are on ordinary days, but they must not offend you if they encounter you." The guards finally explained in a flurry of words.

Zuan: "..."

It's unbelievable! They sold me a portrait, but didn't mention sharing the portrait fee with me.

And if everyone recognizes me in the future, how can I pretend to be weak to outsmart others?

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, so he decided to go back and instruct the Embroidered Robe Envoy to shut down the related business.

He entered Zhao Xiaodie's room with a dark expression. The girl in the floral dress, who had been sitting by the window in a daze, was startled by his sudden entrance. After recognizing him, she patted her chest and said, "Oh, it's Brother Zu! You scared me to death!"

Despite forcing a smile, her beautiful face still betrayed her weariness and exhaustion.

Zuan gestured for her to sit down: "Come and see if anyone has bullied you on your journey?"

"With my status here, who would dare? Besides, with Brother Zu protecting me, no one would dare to touch me." Zhao Xiaodie smiled. "Brother Zu, did you come here today because the imperial court has reached a conclusion on how to deal with our Qi Prince's Mansion?"

Zuan nodded: "That's right, the things you were worried about before won't happen. The court has decided to handle this matter quietly, and will even restore your father's reputation, treating it as if they were dealing with things together in the secret realm."

He ultimately didn't take credit for these achievements as Bi Linglong and Liu Ning had taught him, because that would seem somewhat despicable.

Zhao Xiaodie, who had been extremely nervous, burst into tears of joy upon hearing this: "Brother Zu, am I dreaming?!"

“Of course it’s true.” Seeing her jumping and skipping around, Zu’an couldn’t help but smile. “Of course, your Qi Prince’s Mansion will never have the power it once had.”

After frolicking for a while, Zhao Xiaodie finally calmed down a bit and bowed respectfully to Zu An: "Brother Zu, thank you so much. My father committed such a heinous crime, yet our Qi Prince's Mansion is still safe. It must be because you did so much for me in court. I have no way to repay your great kindness. If Brother Zu doesn't mind, I am willing to offer myself..."

"Ahem, there's no need for that," Zu An quickly interrupted her.

“Brother Zu, what they said is true,” Zhao Xiaodie murmured, her heart truly filled with gratitude.

Originally, after what happened at Zishan, they thought that even if the Qi Prince's family wasn't raided and wiped out, they would definitely be imprisoned for life, or even secretly executed.

The result is that all that's been done is a reduction in wealth and status. How could that have been possible without someone's help?

You have to understand that the Crown Princess has been fighting with the Qi Prince's mansion for so many years, she certainly wouldn't let go of such a good opportunity to kick someone when they're down.

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