You can't even find a trace of anyone. The ambitions you had when you first opened the shop have now completely vanished.

The disparity and anger transformed into relentless, ant-like motes, frantically gnawing at her veins and heart, driving her to the brink of madness.

He Yi, on the other hand, had long anticipated this situation. Now, their Zhiweitang restaurant was bustling with activity, while the Zhengtianxiangfang across the street was deserted and lifeless. Whenever He Yi saw this, she felt extremely happy.

Everything earned through hard work and wisdom is far more reliable than plagiarism or imitation.

That day, the closing time was a little earlier than the previous days. After counting the silver, she took Liuyun and Qingju and prepared to return to the Princess's Mansion to rest. However, little did she know that as soon as the carriage arrived at the Princess's Mansion, Heyi actually saw a sneaky black shadow not far away.

As He Yi got out of the carriage, the dark figure in the shadows of the corner of the mansion came over almost impatiently. He Yi was slightly nervous, but upon closer inspection, it was really strange. If it were robbers or something, people from her princess's mansion would have come out as well.

He's probably just a beggar.

"Who!? Who's there?"

Liu Yun stepped forward warily, asking questions in that direction while quickly drawing his weapon to block He Yi's path.

Not far away, the figure bowed and greeted them before staggering towards the three of them, hiccuping. Even before they got close, the strong smell of alcohol hit them.

Using the light from the lanterns under the eaves of the Princess's mansion, He Yi stared at the newcomer. He saw that the man was filthy and smelly, with a stubble beard on his face. It was none other than Sun Sanlang!

He Yi felt strange. Her only interaction with Sun Sanlang was when she went to investigate the Lin family's case with Zheng Yu some time ago. At that time, Zheng Yu was gambling heavily, which made her worry that she might be "sold out" by Zheng Yu.

Little did anyone expect that Zheng Yu would pull off a miraculous turn of events and successfully lead her away. From then on, Sun Sanlang respected Zheng Yu even more.

Fearing that the two would report him to the authorities, Sun Sanlang exchanged all the gold and silver he had obtained with them, and they never saw each other again after that.

What made He Yi curious today was why Sun Sanlang was here all of a sudden.

"My little princess, my dear princess..."

What is this for?

Sun Sanlang staggered toward her. He Yi looked down at him and saw that the damned guy was unsteady on his feet, as if he had drunk quite a bit.

His voice was terribly hoarse, obviously from years of heavy drinking that had damaged his throat; his eyes were cloudy and dark, and he seemed to have ill intentions.

But the moment he got close to He Yi, a faint smile appeared on his lips. That smile seemed to make He Yi realize that Sun Sanlang, who looked like a beggar, still had a shred of rationality.

Sun Sanlang naturally recognized He Yi as well.

He awkwardly and nervously rubbed his hands together. As he got closer, he deliberately stepped back and continued to cup his hands towards He Yi. Zheng He Yi felt strange. What kind of approach was this?

As He Yi approached, she saw that Sun Sanlang was already walking towards her.

Sun Sanlang maintained a fawning smile on his face, looking at her with such embarrassment, and He Yi saw despair in his eyes.

Sun Sanlang has come to He Yi because he has nowhere else to turn. He should actually go to the Minister's residence to find Zheng Yu.

[What a joke! He was the one who cuckolded Minister Zheng back then. Going to the Minister's residence now would be suicide!]

Looking at Sun Sanlang across from her, He Yi couldn't help but sigh inwardly at his disheveled state. After all, although this man was a compulsive gambler, he had initially helped her and told her the secret of the Lin family.

Seeing Sun Sanlang fall to such a state, it is indeed his own fault, but it is still a pity. He Yi wanted to ask clearly what Sun Sanlang was trying to do by intercepting her here.

"Sun San?"

He Yi glanced at Sun Sanlang, and then at what he was holding.

Liu Yun reminded her, "Princess, be careful. Don't get close to him, and don't let him get close either." She smiled, indicating that Liu Yun didn't need to be nervous, before stepping forward, but not getting close to Sun Sanlang.

Instead, she kept a safe distance and asked, "What are you doing here? What do you want with me?" He Yi glanced at the box in Sun Sanlang's hand, vaguely understanding something, and simply asked bluntly, "Are you in some kind of trouble these days?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Sanlang almost burst into tears. He felt uneasy and lowered his head, stammering and muttering.

“Young Princess, Miss Heyi, to be honest, I, Sun San, am truly ashamed to face you. That Red Beauty Gambling House… my Red Beauty Gambling House… it’s all gone now. They say even a god can lose in the long run, but I just don’t believe it…”

“I always thought I was a lucky person, and I was even planning to open another casino, but now… now, everything is gone, I, Sun San, have nothing… I… Little Princess…”

When Sun Sanlang spoke incoherently, He Yi immediately understood. Seeing Sun Sanlang wearing only a thin coat and shivering in the cold wind in front of his own door, it was obvious that he was so hungry and cold that he was about to sleep on the streets.

In the end, He Yi couldn't bear it and looked back at Qingju.

"Qingju, go to the kitchen and see if there's anything that can fill his stomach. Bring some for Sun Sanlang to eat, and also get two taels of silver."

"Princess!"

Qingju was naturally unwilling. You see, back then, Sun Sanlang and Lin Shi conspired to leave the capital after the master died and become lovers in the wild. That matter caused a great uproar and really brought shame to the Minister's Mansion.

Now that Sun Sanlang has become like this, Qingju thinks it's just as he is. She doesn't want to help him at all. Helping anyone else would be better than helping this guy. This gambler doesn't deserve pity or sympathy.

But He Yi was different. She knew that Qingju was unwilling, but she still ordered again, "Go, it's just some food. We have plenty of these in our mansion."

Seeing He Yi's gentle tone, Qingju didn't quite understand, but Sun Sanlang immediately knelt down in front of He Yi, looking extremely grateful.

Qingju went to prepare, and soon brought over a bowl of steaming red bean porridge and two hot steamed buns. "Princess, that's all."

After saying that, Qingju reluctantly handed it to Sun Sanlang. Sun Sanlang could tell that Qingju didn't like him, but that didn't stop him from eating. He quickly finished his food.

Qingju carefully handed a small purse containing two taels of silver to Heyi. "Princess, here's two taels of silver. Consider it a small donation, but I hope this damned future doesn't come."

He Yi took the purse, and seeing that Sun Sanlang was still wolfing down his food, she walked up to him and handed him the purse.

"Eat something to warm yourself up, then find something to do. Gambling is never a long-term solution. You've seen plenty of people getting rich and poor over the years. Are you still holding onto this?"