Hearing that other craftsmen could fill the vacant positions, the manager breathed a sigh of relief, as he was afraid of delaying the progress of the hot spring resort.

He had no doubt that once the hot spring resort was completed, it would become a new favorite among the prominent families of Beijing.

But this incident also served as a reminder to him that good intentions shouldn't be taken too far, lest they cause more trouble.

The second young lady is a kind person and doesn't hold these things against him, but he feels bad inside.

Song Zhiyu had no idea what the manager was thinking. She stared thoughtfully in the direction the man in black had left, and whispered a few words of advice, "I'm leaving this place to you. The new craftsmen will be here tomorrow, so make sure they're well taken care of. If there's anything else you can't handle, just send someone to deliver a message to me."

After saying that, Song Zhiyu turned around and left in the direction she had come from. She was going to meet Prince Li.

*

Another place, the back mountain.

The man in black knelt tremblingly before the Prince, his voice shaking slightly, "Your Highness, I have already taken most of the craftsmen away. Without them, Song Zhiyu's hot spring resort would definitely be difficult to build."

They've bribed all the artisans within a few miles; absolutely no one would dare help Song Zhiyu.

As he spoke, the man in black wiped the sweat from his brow. Even though he had completed the tasks assigned by the Prince of Li, he still felt uneasy, his natural fear of the Prince of Li dominating him.

He was especially afraid when Wang Xiao became increasingly gentle.

Li Wang slowly turned the jade thumb ring on his hand, his lowered eyelids concealing the cold glint in his eyes, and his thin lips parted slightly, "Not enough."

His goal was to obtain Mount Li and the minerals hidden within it. Simply delaying the construction of the hot spring resort was not enough to satisfy him.

He wanted to prevent the hot spring resort from being built at all, and to force Song Zhiyu to hand over the land deed for Lishan.

Upon hearing this, the man in black felt a chill run down his spine, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. "I will do everything I can to obtain the land deed for Mount Li. I hope Your Highness will grant me some more time."

After their first encounter today, he knew that Song Zhiyu was not easy to deal with, and getting the land deed for Lishan from her would be as difficult as climbing to the sky.

No matter how difficult it is, he has to try. His Highness's methods are beyond the tolerance of ordinary people.

"What if we can't get it?" Prince Li glanced at him, his voice calm and unhurried.

The man in black shivered. "If I can't get it, I'm willing to be punished in the water dungeon."

"In that case, I will give you another chance. If I do not see the land deed in three days, you do not need to come back." Prince Li did not want to delay any longer. Those ores were of great use to him, and he had to get them as soon as possible.

Despite the extremely gentle voice, the man in black felt a chill run through his body for no apparent reason.

The Prince Li's residence never supports useless people. If he fails to complete the tasks assigned by His Highness, he will face certain death.

He was about to express his loyalty when he saw the Prince's face darken, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes, as he spoke in a low voice in the direction he had come from, "Who?"

As soon as Li Wang finished speaking, to the astonishment of the man in black, Song Zhiyu, who had been hiding in the shadows, appeared gracefully before them.

She strolled around with such ease and nonchalance, as if she were walking in her own courtyard, completely unashamed of eavesdropping on others' conversations.

The man in black was astonished; he hadn't even noticed that Song Zhiyu had been following him all along—it was truly unbelievable.

Song Zhiyu, who doesn't know martial arts, managed to follow him here without him noticing at all.

Was it his oversight, or was Song Zhiyu hiding his true strength?

The man in black couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried, his probing gaze never leaving Song Zhiyu.

Meanwhile, Song Zhiyu, who was the focus of the two men's attention, gently rubbed her fingertips, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

“If Your Highness wants the land deed I have, you can discuss it properly. Why resort to such despicable means?” Song Zhiyu’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and the corners of his eyes turned up, revealing a hint of coldness.

Li Wang remained expressionless, showing no embarrassment at having his conspiracy exposed. Instead, he asked casually, as if having a casual conversation, "You heard everything."

"I heard everything I should and shouldn't have heard." Song Zhiyu nodded slightly, her smiling expression possessing a unique liveliness.

Upon seeing this, Li Wang was momentarily lost in thought, his eyes dark and unfathomable.

What a pity.

If those previous events hadn't happened, taking Song Zhiyu into his household would have been equivalent to having the support of both the Princess's Mansion and the Duke of Ling's Mansion.

Now he can only watch helplessly as these forces join the Crown Prince's camp.

"I think Miss Song has misunderstood." Li Wang Junyi's face was adorned with his usual gentle smile, his mild and polite demeanor easily deceiving everyone.

"My new concubine loves the scenery of Mount Li and the hot springs there. So I thought I'd buy the land deed for Mount Li from Miss Song, just to win a smile from my beauty."

He wasn't sure if Song Zhiyu knew the secret of Lishan, so he had to use Su Yinglue as a pretext.

"I heard that Miss Song and my concubine met at the Treasure Pavilion not long ago. She was very impressed with Miss Song and has been thinking about seeing her again."

Coincidentally, he also had something he wanted to verify.

A newly acquired concubine? Su Ying?

Song Zhiyu raised an eyebrow, it seemed that Li Wang did not yet fully trust Su Ying.

This person is extremely suspicious. Although it doesn't show on his face, he can connect everyone who has come into contact with Su Ying, and even suspects her.

Song Zhiyu pretended to lower her eyes and ponder for a moment, "You mean Miss Su? We did meet once at the Treasure Pavilion that day, and it just so happened that my elder sister was also there."

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