Before Elder Ping could even have a proper talk with his daughter, Shui Xia arrived with her entourage, looking quite menacing. "Elder Ping, Your Excellency requests your presence."

When Pingyi heard the word "Your Excellency," the man's face subconsciously appeared in her mind. As Elder Ping was about to leave, a hint of anxiety flashed in her eyes. If it were her father from before, she wouldn't be afraid or worried. But she felt that Elder Ping now had something more important in his heart than herself. She became hesitant and uncertain. "Father, I really don't want this to happen. Is that alright? I beg you."

Pingyi looked at him pleadingly. When Elder Ping turned around and met his daughter's eyes, his heart softened. He did not answer Pingyi's question, but turned and followed Shuixia away, leaving Pingyi alone in the mansion, trembling with fear as she thought about these things.

Inside the council chamber, everyone was talking at once, each with their own reasons and opinions. Although they were all talking about the same thing, they still had some differences and viewpoints on certain issues.

"If you ask me, Your Majesty, it's not impossible for you to marry Pingyi, but one of my Xu family's daughters must also come! Otherwise, I will not agree to this! Even if you agree, I will still oppose it!"

"What right does your Xu family have? The best way to resolve this is for neither family to fight over it. Besides, His Majesty cultivates the Path of Ruthlessness. What are those girls supposed to do here? Grow flowers and plants in the harem? Don't ruin their bright futures!"

"What's wrong with the Heartless Path? Does the Heartless Path not have physiological needs? You old bumpkin! They have physiological needs, and they have several women around them. Isn't that just perfect? ​​They don't love any of them. They can favor one at a time. If they can get pregnant, it's their honor. If they can't, it just means they're not lucky enough!"

"What did you eat before you left home? Your breath stinks! What do you mean by 'favoring'? Your Xu family has so many children, yet you don't treat their lives like your own. We all cherish our children! Only you would do something like using your children to curry favor with the powerful! Don't you all agree?"

"What are you pretending for? Don't you have any self-awareness? You still have the nerve to talk back to me? You're like a toad trying to eat swan meat, you have no self-awareness at all!"

"..."

The cacophony of voices made Qi Guze's head spin. He could only wait for Elder Ping to arrive. He leaned back, closed his eyes, and refused to listen to a word. These old guys were quite a match for each other when they started arguing. No one gave an inch, and their words were all incredibly sharp. When it came to their opinions, they were all incredibly outspoken, completely ignoring the fact that Qi Guze was sitting there.

"Elder Ping has arrived." Someone shouted this, and everyone heard it. Instantly, the entire council hall fell silent, and everyone turned their gaze toward the person who had entered through the door.

Shui Xia followed Elder Ping into the main hall. Elder Ping's face was calm, showing no sign of guilt at being caught. He was much more composed than everyone else present. He stood there, bowed slightly to Qi Guze, and asked, "I wonder what Your Excellency has summoned me here for today?"

"Elder Ping, there are rumors that I am engaged to your daughter Pingyi. Are you aware of this?" Qi Guze didn't push people to their deaths. When people are in dire straits, they will do anything. It's always good to leave room for maneuver.

Elder Ping raised an eyebrow in surprise, as if he were hearing about this for the first time. "Outrageous! How could such a thing happen?! I had no prior knowledge of this. I hope Your Majesty can investigate this matter thoroughly and clear my daughter's name!"

Elder Xu pointed at Elder Ping's nose and started cursing, "How come I never realized you were such a good actor! Even now, you still try to argue that this has nothing to do with you. How can you be so shameless! Don't you feel guilty saying such things?"

Elder Ping looked at Elder Xu in astonishment. "I don't know what you mean. Do you think I would do something to ruin my daughter's reputation? Your intentions are truly malicious! Anyone who has a father like you is incredibly unlucky. I raised my daughter from a young age and love her dearly. I know that His Excellency has no feelings for my daughter, so how could I possibly send her here? There must be some misunderstanding. Some villain is trying to frame me, to create a rift between me and everyone, so that he can take the opportunity to win everyone over when things fall apart!"

As Elder Ping spoke, his eyes glanced at Elder Xu intentionally or unintentionally, the implication quite clear. Elder Xu understood immediately, and his hand, pointing at Elder Ping's nose, remained raised. "How dare you speak like that! Who are you implying here, openly or subtly?! Do you think everyone is like you?! Stop spouting nonsense! Your mouth is full of filth and vulgarity! It's unbearable to hear!"

"You call me foul-mouthed? Everyone here knows that Elder Xu loves to spout nonsense. Besides, what I said was foul-mouthed. It's you who can say things like 'It's good if your daughter gets pregnant, but it's okay if she doesn't,' and you even think of someone like the Venerable as despicable as you." Elder Ping's fighting power was not low at all. He didn't need anyone's help; he could silence Elder Xu all by himself.

Seeing that the argument had almost died down, Qi Guze, sitting in the main seat, interrupted them, "Alright, let's leave it at that. Stop discussing it. Since Elder Ping says someone framed him, we need to investigate this matter thoroughly and find out what really happened. Also, take down all the news from the outside world. We can't let it tarnish Miss Pingyi's reputation. Otherwise, if this fine young lady is disliked by others because of this, it would truly be my fault."

Qi Guze's words, seemingly an explanation to everyone, were actually spoken solely by Elder Heping, implying that he would find someone to take the blame, but preferably someone who was genuinely guilty. His subsequent words were a combination of a slap and a sweet treat.

After receiving the outcome, Elder Xu's face was filled with obvious malice, and his eyes were filled with hostility as he looked at Elder Ping. He had returned empty-handed and felt that he had gained nothing from this trip.

The others were satisfied. Although they hadn't managed to get all their daughters in, at least Elder Ping's daughter, Pingyi, hadn't gotten in either. Thinking about it this way, they seemed to feel a bit more balanced. Their mood brightened instantly, and they became much happier.

As soon as Elder Ping sat down at home, Ping Yi rushed over to greet him, "Father..."

She called out tentatively, wanting to see her father's reaction. Seeing the relieved expression on Elder Ping's face, she slowly realized that Elder Ping no longer treated her as a tool, and a hint of joy flashed in her eyes.