Upon hearing Zhao Yefan's voice, Su Muxue looked up. She stared at him quietly, her heart beating faster than usual.

But in just a moment, Su Muxue scoffed, "How could the people of my princess's residence make a mistake? Considering that Prince Zhao is a very busy man, we didn't invite him."

"However, since Prince Zhao is here, why not take a stroll in the courtyard outside?"

"It's rare to have all the noble ladies of the capital gathered here with me today. Prince Zhao, take a look and see if there's anyone suitable to take back as your princess consort. I won't keep you here any longer."

Then she turned her head and looked at Yan Wenxuan with a smile, her voice even carrying a hint of gentleness: "Young Master Yan, what do you usually like to do?"

The three seated people noticed that the atmosphere between Su Muxue and Zhao Yefan was a bit strange, but they pretended not to hear it. Yan Wenxuan was called on by Su Muxue again, and only then did he stand up to answer Su Muxue.

Zhao Yefan knew the purpose of Su Muxue's banquet. He stood there watching Su Muxue, Yan Wenxuan, Huo Yunchen, and Yang Yulang chat and laugh. No one present even glanced at him.

A moment later, a young eunuch approached and whispered, "Young Master Zhao, the princess has not summoned you. You should not be here. Please come with me."

Zhao Yefan pushed the eunuch aside and walked straight to a chair to sit down, leaving everyone present stunned by his actions.

Zhao Yefan calmly poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and said, "Those places outside are so boring. I prefer to stay here and chat with the three young masters."

He glanced at Yan Wenxuan and said, "Young Master Yan, didn't your mother usually keep you well hidden? Why did she let you out today?"

Yan Wenxuan was suddenly prompted by Zhao Yefan's question and hurriedly replied, "My mother said that the princess invited me this time, so I cannot refuse."

"So, did you come to this banquet out of consideration for the princess or because of your mother's orders?"

Yan Wenxuan was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to answer. Although he was good-looking, he was not very smart. He always did whatever his mother said and never had his own ideas.

Zhao Yefan chuckled and said, "Young Master Yan doesn't know how to answer. Perhaps you should go back and ask your mother first before answering my question."

Yan Wenxuan was stunned for a moment, and then stupidly replied to Zhao Yefan with a simple "okay".

Zhao Yefan smiled at Yan Wenxuan, not understanding why, before turning to look at Yang Yulang.

“The newly appointed top scholar, Yang Yulang, if I remember correctly, your father, Yang Wenyan, was previously only an eighth-rank official in Rong County. Later, due to embezzlement, he spent a large sum of money to be exempted from punishment.”

"However, you are different from your father. You were intelligent from a young age and always ranked first in every exam. You also received financial support from your maternal uncle, who was a merchant, and became the top scholar at a young age."

"There are some things I don't understand, namely that your maternal uncle has arranged for his only daughter to marry you."

"But what happened that made you, after becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination, the first thing you did was to ask your childhood sweetheart cousin to break off the engagement?"

Yang Yulang was the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examination. In the past year in the capital, he had received a lot of attention, and countless young ladies from prominent families wanted to marry him.

Hearing Zhao Yefan suddenly speak so frankly about him and his family is like having his clothes stripped off in public.

Yang Yulang was about to step forward and argue with Zhao Yefan, but then he remembered that Zhao Yefan's father was a Duke, someone he couldn't afford to offend.

He could only laugh awkwardly and say, "Perhaps Prince Zhao has inquired incorrectly."

Yang Yulang wasn't stupid; he had just noticed the strange thing between Zhao Yefan and Su Muxue.

Exposing his shortcomings in front of everyone is a warning to him not to covet Su Muxue. Thinking of this, he immediately stood up and turned to Su Muxue.

“Princess, I suddenly remembered that there are still some matters at the Hanlin Academy that I need to attend to today, so I will take my leave now. I hope the princess will forgive me.”

Su Muxue did not speak. She just looked at Zhao Yefan with a slightly cold expression. It was Chunyun beside her who felt something was wrong and immediately signaled the eunuch next to her to take Yang Yulang away.

After Yang Yulang left, Zhao Yefan turned to look at Huo Yunchen, having heard that the young master Huo had a large number of concubines and maids in his harem.

"I've also heard that Young Master Yang is quite the gentleman when it comes to matters of the heart. He usually only lightly whips your concubines, and I've heard that he's crippled quite a few of them."

"Recently, you suddenly sent all your concubines to a villa in the countryside overnight. I'd like to know, after you marry the princess, will you bring those concubines back?"

This is a slap in the face, a stab to the heart. Zhao Yefan has completely exposed the true nature of the three people Su Muxue carefully selected.

Huo Yunchen was about to make a hasty excuse when he heard Su Muxue say sternly to Zhao Yefan, "Zhao Yefan! What do you mean by this?"

Chunyun, who was standing to the side, secretly thought that something was wrong. She had served Su Muxue since she was a child, so how could she not understand that Zhao Yefan was different in Su Muxue's heart?

Chunyun immediately had Yan Wenxuan and Huo Yunchen invited away, and she herself, along with a group of maids and eunuchs, left the tea room, closing the door behind her before leaving.

Seeing that everyone had left, Zhao Yefan stood up and looked at Su Muxue.

"These are the three girls you carefully selected in the capital?"

Su Muxue sneered, "Who I choose is none of your business. Who gave you the audacity to cause trouble in my residence?"

Zhao Yefan walked step by step toward Su Muxue. He lifted the beaded curtain that was covering Su Muxue and stared intently into her eyes.

"What does this have to do with me? I'd like to ask you, you slept with me for no reason, and now you want to marry another man?"

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