Pei Zhi couldn't hold back any longer and laughed.

Even someone as slow-witted as Li Zheng could sense that something was amiss.

"Is Young Master Yuan Miss Qin's husband?"

Yuan Chengyu's expression softened slightly. "It doesn't count."

Yuan Chengyu was different from Xie Qi.

If Xie Qi were here, he might have admitted it outright.

But in Yuan Chengyu's heart, only Qin Xiangyang was Pei Zhi's husband.

He was at most Pei Zhi's fiancé; after all, they hadn't formally married, so it wasn't the same.

Li Zheng's expression remained complicated as he watched Yuan Chengyu taking good care of Miss Qin during the meal.

He also showed great care and concern for Miss Qin.

After the meal, Li Zheng said goodbye. When he went to pay the bill, he found that Yuan Chengyu had already paid.

Pei Zhi took out a seal and handed it to Li Zheng.

"Many thanks to Mr. Li for the private room today, which allowed me to enjoy such delicious food. This small gift is nothing but a token of my appreciation."

Li Zheng glanced at it, accepted it with both hands, and thanked him solemnly.

Yuan Chengyu followed Pei Zhi and saw Li Zheng looking at Pei Zhi with affection. Yuan Chengyu pinched Pei Zhi with his hand in annoyance.

After saying goodbye, Yuan Chengyu leaned close to Pei Zhi and said, "Do you think I'm too old?"

Li Zheng remained standing in the same spot, having heard everything Yuan Chengyu said clearly.

Li Zheng gripped the seal in his hand, his movements becoming increasingly chaotic.

Li Zheng never expected that Miss Qin, whom he fell in love with at first sight, would become someone else's mistress.

Yuan Chengyu looks so much older than Miss Qin, his family must already be married.

Why is Miss Qin so depressed?

With such beauty and elegance, why would she become someone's mistress?

Li Zheng returned home clutching the seal, but in the end, he was still unwilling to give up.

Miss Qin must have encountered some difficulties.

Therefore, she had no choice but to give herself to Yuan Chengyu.

Now that he has encountered Miss Qin, he naturally wants to rescue her.

This would free Miss Qin from being an old man's mistress.

He will not look down on Miss Qin and will definitely treat her well.

Li Zheng's brother-in-law is the county magistrate, so finding out where Yuan Chengyu lives shouldn't be a problem.

The next day, Li Zheng, accompanied by his servants, arrived at the residence that Qin Xiangyang had purchased and paid a visit.

Qin Xiangyang got up early this morning, intending to go to the kitchen to see what was prepared for breakfast.

Pei Zhi had a poor appetite when she woke up in the morning.

If there's nothing she likes to eat, she won't eat much.

Whenever Qin Xiangyang had free time, he would go to the kitchen to give a few words of advice.

Upon hearing the gatekeeper's report that a guest had arrived, Qin Xiangyang instructed his servant to give the kitchen a few words of advice before going to meet the person.

A few days ago, when Pei Zhi was reading a book, he mentioned that if the prince consort grew a beautiful beard, he would be extremely handsome.

Qin Xiangyang has never grown a beard, always afraid that outsiders would see it because of his age.

Because of Pei Zhi's words, Qin Xiangyang stayed, appearing much more mature and composed.

Li Zheng introduced himself, "My name is Li Zheng."

"My surname is Qin. May I ask what brings you to my residence?"

Qin Xiangyang looked at the unfamiliar man in front of him, not remembering that he knew him.

"The Qin family?" Li Zheng frowned in doubt.

Li Zheng thought for a moment and then asked, "You are Qin Zhi's father, aren't you?"

Qin Xiangyang choked for a moment. Upon hearing the name Qin Zhi, he naturally knew who she was.

Qin Xiangyang had no idea why this person had come to see Pei Zhi.

Qin Xiangyang couldn't openly discuss his relationship with Pei Zhi.

"Young Master Li, what is it? Please come in and we can talk."

Li Zheng nodded blankly; things seemed to be different from what he had imagined.

If Miss Qin's father is still alive, why would he allow Miss Qin to become someone's mistress?

Could it be that he misunderstood?

Miss Qin exudes nobility; she doesn't seem like the type to be someone's mistress at all.

Master Qin also looked extremely wealthy, and the furnishings throughout his mansion were all of considerable value.

Li Zheng made up his mind; no matter what, he would definitely express his feelings to Master Qin later.

The servant served tea and then left.

Li Zheng stood up, walked directly to Qin Xiangyang, and knelt down on both knees.

Even Qin Xiangyang, who had seen a lot, was frightened by Li Zheng's actions.

"What are you doing...?"

"Master Qin, I have fallen in love with your daughter Qin Zhi at first sight. Please, marry her to me!"

Qin Xiangyang's face instantly turned ashen; nothing could be more shocking than this.

Early in the morning, a young man came up to me and mistook me for my wife's father.

It's absurd that she would so brazenly kneel before him and beg him to allow her to marry another man.

Qin Xiangyang gritted his teeth and said, "Who told you that Qin Zhi is my daughter?"

Seeing that Master Qin's expression was off, Li Zheng carefully examined him.

This Mr. Qin seems to be quite young. Could it be that he has misunderstood again?

"I'm so sorry, I'm really so sorry. You must be Qin Zhi's brother, right?"

"I'm not very perceptive, please forgive my rudeness."

Qin Xiangyang sighed deeply, "Get up first."

Li Zheng thought that Qin Xiangyang wouldn't agree.

"I fell in love with Miss Qin at first sight. Don't worry, as long as she is willing to marry me, I will treat her with all my heart."

Qin Xiangyang was too lazy to waste words with Li Zheng, so he gave a wink to the servant beside him.

The servants immediately came over and helped Li Zheng up.

Li Zheng couldn't very well stay on the ground, so he got up and stood awkwardly to the side.

"Brother Qin, do you think there's something wrong with me?"

"My family owns thousands of acres of fertile land, my eldest uncle is an official in the imperial court, I myself have the title of a scholar, I am the only son in the family, I..."

Qin Xiangyang made a gesture to stop.

What about thousands of acres of fertile land, what about an uncle who is an official?

These things no longer caught Qin Xiangyang's eye.

Qin Xiangyang looked Li Zheng up and down, thinking that Li Zheng was just a greenhorn, and was just planning to find an excuse to get rid of him.

Qin Xiangyang noticed something that looked somewhat familiar hanging from the hem of Li Zheng's clothes.

What is this?

"This?" Li Zheng took it down. "This was a gift from Miss Qin yesterday. I had someone find a rope for it so I can carry it with me easily."

Two years ago, Pei Zhi specifically sought out a master to learn carving techniques.

After achieving some success, he enjoyed giving small carved items to the people around him.

Carved walnuts, human figures, small animals, and so on.

Just like the wooden hairpin in Qin Xiangyang's hair, it was carved by Pei Zhi herself and given to Qin Xiangyang as a birthday gift.

Pei Zhi actually gave Li Zheng a piece she had carved herself. Could it be that Pei Zhi has feelings for Li Zheng?

Thinking of this, Qin Xiangyang then took a closer look at Li Zheng.

Li Zheng is indeed good-looking, although he doesn't seem to be very bright.

Perhaps, after dealing with too many intelligent people, Pei Zhi became interested in this kind of stupidity?

For a moment, Qin Xiangyang didn't know how to get rid of Li Zheng.

"Please wait a moment. I'll have someone bring her over. After we've questioned her, we can discuss other matters."