Chapter Fourteen: What Crown Prince? It's Xiao Jing.

"What!"

Fu Langxing instantly bristled.

"Song Yiqiu! You want me to apologize to you? What kind of daydream are you having! How could I possibly apologize to you!"

Make him, the heir to a noble earl, apologize to a woman with a tarnished reputation?

Absolutely impossible!

Song Sangyu also hurriedly and softly advised, seemingly trying to smooth things over, but in reality adding fuel to the fire:

"Sister! Aren't you making things difficult for him? After all, Brother Langxing is the heir of the Earl's mansion, a man of noble status..."

“Even if he spoke somewhat hastily today, you can’t… you can’t humiliate him like this. Even if you don’t give Brother Langxing face, you should at least give the Earl’s mansion some respect, right?”

Song Yiqiu completely ignored Song Sangyu, and only looked at Fu Langxing before slowly standing up.

She was tall and slender, casting shadows on everyone's faces as she stood up. She spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Young Master may have forgotten. When Grandmother and the old Earl got engaged, they wrote a formal marriage certificate, which... bore the imperial seal bestowed upon Grandmother by His Majesty. This marriage certificate is now safely kept in my possession."

Her gaze swept over the crowd whose expressions had drastically changed:

“As long as I don’t agree, this marriage contract will still stand. Even if the young master makes a scene in the imperial palace today, the reason is still on my side.”

"Do you want to stay here and let more people laugh at the Earl's Mansion, or... an apology in exchange for a termination agreement, and be even from now on? The choice is yours."

Fu Langxing trembled with anger, pointing his finger at Song Yiqiu:

"Song Yiqiu! What's the point of you pestering me like this, making a scene and being unreasonable?"

Song Sangyu immediately cooperated, her eyes filled with tears, and gently tugged at his sleeve:

"Brother Langxing, don't be angry, don't say that about my sister, she just..."

Suddenly, Song Yiqiu flashed a bright smile at Fu Langxing, interrupting Song Sangyu:

"Yes. Making you unhappy is my biggest goal right now."

Having said that, she ignored the varied expressions on the faces of the people in the hall and turned to Bai Mei, giving her a crisp and decisive order:

"Bai Mei, let's go. We have important business to attend to today, there's no need to get bogged down in this stinking mud."

Bai Mei had been holding back her laughter so hard her stomach ached, and upon hearing this, she immediately responded loudly:

"Alright, miss! We don't allow stepping in poop!"

The three—master and servant—walked out with one head held high, one arrogant, and one drooling.

Fu Langxing shouted angrily from behind:

"Song Yiqiu, you stop right there!"

...

Arriving at the bustling market, Bai Mei finally couldn't help but chatter on and on, asking:

"Miss, why didn't you just annul the engagement? That so-called prince is blind and stupid as a donkey, he's not worthy of you at all! If this were Longnan, I would have put him in a sack and given him a good beating!"

Although Qingzhu, in disguise, was also disappointed by Fu Langxing's words and actions today, she still whispered in defense:

"Perhaps... Young Master Fu has listened to slanderous words and has his own reasons..."

"Difficulties?"

Bai Mei scoffed.

"Just because he has grievances doesn't mean he can spew nonsense and slander the young lady's innocence in front of so many people. I think he deserves a beating!"

Song Yiqiu listened to the two bickering, smiled slightly, and remained remarkably calm:

"Of course, the marriage should be called off. But it's not that he's forcing me to break it off now; it's that I can break it off when I want to."

Bai Mei blinked:

"Huh? Why?"

"If something doesn't benefit us, we shouldn't rush to do it. If we're going to do it, we should extract the greatest benefit from it."

Song Yiqiu spoke calmly, her strategic brilliance on the battlefield mirroring her wisdom in everyday life.

"If I back down so easily, who will clear my name? Am I just going to suffer the mud that Fu Langxing and Song Sangyu threw at me for nothing? There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

Bai Mei suddenly realized, her face filled with admiration:

"Wow! Miss! That's brilliant! You have to use military strategy at home just like you're waging war! I've learned something!"

Qingzhu nodded thoughtfully:

"I second that proposal."

Bai Mei became excited again:

"So, Miss, where should we go now to cause trouble... no, where should we strategize?"

Song Yiqiu stopped and looked up to signal:

"arrive."

A magnificent building came into view, with a vermilion gate and several uniformly dressed servants guarding the entrance.

Above the door hangs a black plaque with gold lettering: Doushengzhuang (斗胜庄).

Qingzhu turned pale with fright upon seeing this and quickly grabbed Song Yiqiu's sleeve:

"Miss, you mustn't! This...this is the most famous gambling den in the capital, a place where all sorts of people gather. I've heard the owner is extremely powerful. If Master finds out we've come to a place like this, he'll definitely punish us severely!"

Song Yiqiu patted her hand reassuringly:

"Qingzhu, from now on, we can't wait for others to harm us before thinking about how to hide and defend ourselves. We must strike first and take the initiative into our own hands."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Sometimes, the most dangerous place is actually the safest, and it's where we can find what we're looking for."

Qingzhu seemed to understand, but still nodded firmly:

"This servant will obey Miss."

Bai Mei wrapped her arm around Qing Zhu's shoulder, her spirit soaring:

"What are you afraid of! Qingzhu, I'll protect you! Whatever dangers we face, the three of us sisters will brave them together!"

Qingzhu blushed as she was hugged, and whispered in response:

"well……"

The three had just reached the door when a tall, burly servant stopped them.

The servant glanced at them, seeing that they were three women dressed in ordinary clothes, and a hint of contempt appeared on his face as he gave them a perfunctory reply.

"Ladies, you seem to have come to the wrong place. Feizhige (the largest cosmetics and jewelry shop in the capital) is at the other end of South Gate Street. This is not the place for you."

Song Yiqiu wasn't annoyed. She took out a wooden plaque from her bosom and handed it over.

"I'm looking for Manager Sun."

The servant glanced at the wooden sign, scoffed, and didn't even bother to take it:

"Ha! Every day, there are at least eight or ten people who come up with all sorts of rare and precious treasures to our Dousheng Manor to broaden their horizons!"

"What strange things haven't I seen? I've never seen anyone like you trying to get in with just a broken wooden sign! Go away, get out of the way, don't block the way for our distinguished guests!"

After he finished speaking, he waved his hand impatiently, turned around and put on a fawning smile as he approached another magnificent carriage that had just stopped.

Three or four young men dressed in fine clothes got out of the carriage, followed by a man in plain blue cloth.

Song Yiqiu's gaze fell on the back of the crowd. Xiao Yongjing? What's he doing here? And dressed like that?

The servant bowed and scraped to the young masters, behaving with utmost respect.

Bai Mei was so angry that she rolled up her sleeves:

"Hey, I have a short temper! You snobbish bastards! Miss, don't stop me..."

Qingzhu quickly pulled her back, looking at Song Yiqiu with concern:

"Miss...it seems we really can't get in..."

Song Yiqiu was not surprised. Her mind raced, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the Crown Prince and the servant, and suddenly a smile appeared on her lips.

She whispered to Bai Mei and Qing Zhu:

"Wait."

Having said that, she suddenly flashed a bright smile, strode quickly toward the Crown Prince, and exclaimed with delight:

"Xiao Jing! Oh, what a coincidence! You're here to play too?"