Marquis Residence, East Wing Room.
A brocade carpet covered the floor, a grand golden-hued bed made of golden-thread nanmu wood shimmered under the light, and all the tables, chairs, and bookshelves were uniformly crafted from redwood. The fine porcelain decorations gleamed, having been polished to a shine.
Several tasteful paintings and calligraphy scrolls hung on the walls. One of them, a vividly lifelike portrait of a half-naked beauty, faced the large bed directly.
The room was massive, divided by screens into three areas: a tea room, a bathing area, and a sleeping area.
The most extravagant part was the bath area—its pool was wide enough to be used as a swimming pool.
This room was more luxurious than the presidential suite of a five-star hotel.
Corrupt, vulgar, lewd…
He strolled around the room, cursing quietly with a smile tugging at his lips the whole time.
After being rescued by Honglian and Yuan Tong, the old Marquis ordered that he be locked up here.
According to the original host’s memories, this was the Young Marquis’s private room, and from now on, it was his.
The door outside was locked. He couldn’t leave.
After walking a few circles, he felt tired and collapsed onto the massive bed.
So comfortable… the bed was soft, and he couldn’t help but let out a satisfied hum.
What to do next? Who was trying to kill this sixth son? The kidnappers had been captured, so interrogation results should come soon…
He stared absentmindedly at the carved ceiling, thoughts drifting, and soon fell asleep.
He didn’t know how much time passed when the sound of the door opening jolted him awake.
“Young Master, the Marquis requests your presence.”
A guard opened the door and called out from the entrance.
Although the Marquis title could be inherited, the old Marquis had five sons. While it was most likely to go to this sixth son, everyone in the residence still referred to him as “Young Master.”
Outside the residence, most people addressed him as the Young Marquis.
He glanced at the guard, got out of bed, and followed him through a winding corridor to the entrance of a study.
The guard stopped at the door and gestured him inside. He entered alone.
Inside, the old Marquis sat at a desk flipping through a book, with an opened letter beside his hand, evidently just read.
He stole a glance at his cheap old man. In his fifties, his temples had grayed. He had a strong and proportioned build, a square face, and a neatly trimmed several-inch-long beard on his chin.
His features were sharp and defined—straight nose, broad mouth, thick brows, piercing eyes—radiating natural authority.
This old Marquis was definitely a legendary figure.
The Ji family originally came from a wealthy merchant background in the capital. The old Marquis had inherited a massive fortune when young.
But uninterested in business, he longed to enter officialdom. Unfortunately, he lacked the education, so he spent years mingling among officials, seeking opportunity.
His persistence paid off.
With help from a court official, he met the then Third Prince. The two hit it off instantly.
At the time, the Third Prince was competing for the crown prince title, but his elder brothers had far stronger backing, and almost no one believed in his chances.
After several meetings, the old Marquis discovered the Third Prince’s remarkable talents. He then poured all his wealth into bribing officials to support him.
The Ji family had strongly opposed this move, fearing ruin if he lost—and possibly a catastrophic end.
But the old Marquis won the gamble. With his full support, the Third Prince seized the title of crown prince.
Later, he continued to assist the crown prince wholeheartedly, offering strategies and advice, helping him eventually ascend to the throne.
After the emperor’s coronation, he wanted to reward him with high titles, even kingship, but the old Marquis declined.
Maybe he had experienced enough of power or had grown tired of the deceitful world of politics. Once eager to enter court, the old Marquis now wished only for a free and idle life.
The emperor respected his wishes and granted him the title of First-Rank Marquis.
Afterward, the old Marquis moved his entire family from the capital to Yangzhou, enjoying a leisurely life in this picturesque part of Jiangnan.
From nobleman to merchant, strategist, and even imperial in-law, the old Marquis had lived an extraordinary life. He had survived multiple assassination attempts, often escaping by the skin of his teeth.
His thoughts flashed quickly, and he respectfully greeted, “Father, your son has arrived—”
From the original host’s memory, the person he feared most was his Fifth Brother, Ji Ping, who was from the martial world, highly skilled, and born of the same mother. Unlike the others, Ji Ping never went easy on him and often beat him up.
Next was the old Marquis, who could cut off his food or throw him in confinement.
“Do you know what you did wrong?” the old Marquis asked without looking up.
“I do.”
“And what was your mistake?”
“I shouldn’t have sneaked out in the middle of the night…” He paused, then added, “And… I shouldn’t have made Father worry.”
The old Marquis set down the book, examined him carefully, and said, “I heard that when the kidnappers took you, you kept calm under pressure and talked your way through the situation. Not bad.”
“Those bandits were just stupid, cough cough…”
“Don’t just stand there. Sit.”
Seems this cheap old man was in a good mood. He quickly sat at the small table in the study. There was freshly brewed tea. He poured a cup to moisten his throat.
“Can you guess who put a price on your head?” the old Marquis asked.
“Uh… I can’t guess.”
He felt a bit embarrassed. There were too many people who could hold a grudge.
“Father, who was it?” he asked when the old Marquis didn’t speak for a while.
“No rush, still investigating. We should know soon.”
Just as the old Marquis finished speaking, a knock came from the door.
An elderly man, about the same age as the old Marquis, entered.
He instantly recognized him as Ji Fu, the steward of the Ji family, whom everyone called Uncle Fu.
Ji Fu was from the same clan as the Ji family. Though only a steward, he had followed the old Marquis for decades and earned his absolute trust. His status in the residence was high, and everyone treated him with respect.
“Marquis, we’ve found the answer.”
“Speak.”
“According to the kidnappers’ statements, the ones who hired them were from the Han Residence. It was their steward, Han Cheng, who made the arrangements. This was likely ordered by the Prefect himself.”
Yangzhou Prefect Han Mian?
Was it because of Miss Han?
Ji Huaian felt like crying. He cursed the original host in his heart. How dare he even harass the Prefect’s daughter? No wonder someone wanted him dead.
“Are you sure?” the old Marquis asked.
“Most likely.” Ji Fu paused, then asked, “Marquis, should we send someone to get rid of the Prefect?”
Ji Huaian had just picked up a cup of tea when he heard this and nearly dropped it.
Get rid of the Prefect, just like that?
This old steward was that ruthless?
He was speechless.
The old Marquis shook his head. “This started with An’er’s mistake. The Prefect is merely a protective father. We can’t act recklessly.”
At least his cheap old man was reasonable…
According to his memory, the Young Marquis hadn’t actually succeeded with Miss Han, but what he had done was still beastly.
He drugged her, dragged her into a private room at an inn, and tried to assault her. But Miss Han had a strong will. Not only did he fail, he got beaten up.
That day, many people saw him carry Miss Han into the inn. They stayed in the room for a long time. Regardless of what happened, her reputation was ruined.
The Prefect wanting to kill him was entirely understandable.
“Here’s what we’ll do—prepare a visit to the Han Residence tomorrow. Let’s go and propose marriage for An’er. Once Miss Han enters our Marquis Residence, the Prefect will naturally calm down. If he refuses, we’ll deal with him then.”
“Pfft—”
He had just taken a sip of tea and ended up spitting it out.
He thought the old Marquis was the reasonable one, but it turned out this whole family was rotten.
Uncle Fu beamed, “Miss Han is beautiful, and she matches Young Master perfectly. With this marriage, we not only resolve the grudge but become in-laws. Two birds with one stone. Marquis, your plan is brilliant.”
One simple move turning an enemy into family… The old Marquis truly had some skill. Ji Huaian couldn’t help but admire him a little.
As for Uncle Fu’s ‘perfect match’ talk, he could only sweat awkwardly.
“An’er, do you have any objection to this marriage?” the old Marquis asked, looking at him.
The image of Miss Han’s beautiful face surfaced in his mind. He instinctively replied, “I have no objection. Father, please make the decision.”