When it comes to eavesdropping on secrets, Wei Shuwan knew she couldn't compare to Li Qingchen, so she obediently sat back down and just watched Li Qingchen's reaction.

Li Qingchen poured her a full cup of tea and pushed it towards her. Wei Shuwan unconsciously picked up the teacup, about to drink, when suddenly something occurred to her. Her face paled, and she put the tea down, saying, "This humble woman dares not!"

She had almost forgotten that Li Qingchen also had the identity of the Prince of Xiaoqiaochuan. How could she, a mere family member of a fifth-rank official, be worthy of him pouring tea and water for her?

Realizing this, Wei Shuwan quickly stood up, took the teapot, and refilled Li Qingchen's cup with tea, as a way of returning the courtesy.

Li Qingchen's originally solemn expression was amused by her. Just then, his expression suddenly changed, and he said calmly, "Someone is coming upstairs."

Wei Shuwan stopped what she was doing and listened quietly to the sounds outside, not daring to move. However, this was, after all, an inn, and each room had brick and stone walls, unlike the teahouse rooms separated by bamboo strips last time, so the soundproofing was much better. Wei Shuwan listened quietly for a long time, but heard nothing at all.

But she trusted Li Qingchen's hearing, so she kept a close eye on his reaction.

As expected, Li Qingchen accurately identified the direction of the footsteps: "They are definitely going to the next room to find Qi Dazhong."

Having received this confirmation, Wei Shuwan immediately went to the wall separating the two guest rooms and listened carefully, but still couldn't hear anything.

She gave up and obediently sat down opposite Li Qingchen, not daring to interrupt. She just opened her peach blossom eyes wide, waiting for Li Qingchen to tell her about the next development on the other side.

Li Qingchen sat there leisurely, without leaning towards the wall or even turning his ear in that direction, yet he could hear the sounds coming from next door clearly.

"The newcomer was a man, and he sounded quite young. Qi Dazhong called him 'Young Master'."

Wei Shuwan's eyes narrowed; it was him...

In fact, she had suspected before that the eldest son's family was responsible for this, since the second son's family only had one male heir. After she got married, her younger brother became blind, and the entire Wei family and the second son's family's businesses would have to be managed by the eldest son's family.

From the perspective of benefiting from the arrangement, the people from the long-term branch of the family are indeed the most motivated.

Wei Shuwan had suspected her eldest uncle, her eldest aunt, Wei Shuyao, and even her grandmother, but she never suspected her eldest brother Wei Chengxu, who was not even in the mansion that day!

Firstly, Wei Chengxu always gave off a refined and gentle impression, never vying for attention. Secondly, Wei Chengxu was the gentlest person on the eldest branch of the family towards Wei Shuwan; he was the one who mediated when Wei Shuyao threw tantrums, reprimanding his younger sister for her unruly behavior. Thirdly, at that time, Wei Chengxiu was studying at Xiuxiang Academy and never returned to the mansion except for the ten-day holidays, so he was among the first to be excluded after the incident.

But the only person Qi Dazhong would call "Young Master" is Wei Chengxu. Wei Shuwan couldn't accept it for a moment. She had lived two lives and thought she was good at judging people, but she never expected that she had failed to see through such a terrifying person next to her!

From Wei Shuwan's utterly shocked expression, Li Qingchen could sense that this person was hiding something very well, to the point that Wei Shuwan couldn't believe it.

However, he still summarized the news he had heard to her: "Qi Dazhong asked him for money, and he said that the Wu Junwei family had declined and that he was now living under someone else's roof in the second branch of the family. He had no money to support his repeated gambling."

Wei Shuwan gradually calmed down and pressed on, "And then, did Qi Dazhong give up?"

"Of course not. Qi Dazhong swore that this was the last time. As long as he gives him the money, he will never use the matter from twelve years ago to blackmail him again."

When the other party mentioned "twelve years ago," two dark glints flashed in Wei Shuwan's eyes as she waited for Li Qingchen to continue.

Li Qingchen shook his head with some regret, "Unfortunately, as soon as Qi Dazhong mentioned twelve years ago, that man flew into a rage and told him never to mention those old things again."

Wei Shuwan sneered, "His reluctance to let Qi Dazhong mention it already gives me the answer."

Li Qingchen continued listening to what was being said next door, repeating the words in the tone of the person who had come: "Qi Dazhong, we agreed from the beginning that this was a one-off deal, but every year you've said it was the last time! Twelve years, and you've done this every year. When will this end? I've had enough. Are you going to blackmail me for the rest of my life?!"

Then, in Qi Dazhong's voice, he repeated the reply: "Although your Wu County Wei family is finished, your second branch of the Wu family is at its zenith! You don't have it, but the second branch does. You can ask them for as much as you want, can't you get it?"

“I’ve told you before, my second uncle is not my grandmother’s biological son. It’s already embarrassing enough that our eldest branch of the family is living in their house. Do you think I can still ask for money?”

"The kindness of giving birth is nothing compared to the kindness of raising. In my opinion, since the second branch of the family isn't their biological offspring, they should support your eldest branch even more to repay their kindness!" Qi Dazhong, with his own calculations in mind, offered Wei Chengxu some terrible advice.

Seeing that Wei Chengxu still couldn't make up his mind, Qi Dazhong dropped another harsh threat: "Young Master, if you can help me through this crisis, I promise I won't bother you again. But if you refuse to help me this time, don't blame me for turning ruthless and telling the Second Master and Second Madam everything that happened twelve years ago! Not only will your two families be irreconcilably broken, but you'll probably end up in jail!"

These words had an effect. Wei Chengxu trembled all over, his eyes turning red like two blood moons: "How much do you want this time?"

Seeing that the other party had relented, Qi Dazhong was overjoyed. He initially held out two fingers, but then thought that this was the last time, so why be so honest? He changed his two fingers to five: "Five hundred taels!"

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