Magistrate Liu sighed and, seeing the Heir Apparent seated in the middle gesture for him to sit, dared to take a seat opposite the two men.
These two who had arrived suddenly this morning were not people one could ordinarily meet.
The older, more composed one was the Heir Apparent of Prince Ning.
Prince Ning was the elder brother of the current imperial family, with his fief located in the prosperous Jiangnan region, indicating the imperial family’s considerable care for this elder brother.
The other one…
His status was even more extraordinary.
The nephew of the current Empress, the cousin of the Crown Prince, and the most beloved grandson of Grand General Huangfu, Duke of Changsheng of Dayu.
As a child, he entered and left the imperial palace as if it were his own home, known in the capital as a notorious little troublemaker.
Due to certain special reasons, his public name did not follow the surname of the Empress’s maternal family but instead took his mother’s surname, Hua.
However, the Huangfu family still recorded his name and rank in the family register as Huangfu Shaoyu.
As he was the twelfth among his generation in the Huangfu family, he was called Twelfth Master.
These two before him were genuine imperial nobility, royal relatives.
Magistrate Liu would normally have to search with a lantern and kowtow just to catch a glimpse of such esteemed guests.
"Twelfth Master, you watched the entire scene just now. Did you notice anything?" Magistrate Liu asked softly.
Twelfth Master smiled, straightened his posture, glanced first with his charming peach-blossom eyes at the Heir Apparent seated in the middle, and then spoke unhurriedly.
"Notice anything?
Not at all. I was too busy watching the little beauty fighting fiercely to defend her own reputation. How could I have paid attention to anything else?" Twelfth Master said with a smile.
"Twelfth Master, please don’t tease this humble official.
This matter could be big or small. Originally, it didn’t need to be brought to court, but now the whole of Gusu City knows about it.
Alas, it also involves wealthy young ladies and newly appointed Provincial Graduates…" Prefect Liu said with a troubled expression.
Prefect Liu’s words immediately displeased Twelfth Master.
"You old fool, do you really think I don’t know what you’re thinking?
You think it’s just some dirty business from the inner chambers, don’t you? Is it necessary to drag two Provincial Graduates into this?
Aren’t you just thinking about smoothly getting through next year’s Metropolitan Examination and Palace Examination?
This year’s Jieyuan from Jiangnan is also from your Gusu. Perhaps next year’s Palace Examination will see that Su Jieyuan take the top spot, achieving the Triple First, right?
That would make your evaluation next year look very good." Twelfth Master asked with a cold laugh.
Magistrate Liu looked thoroughly embarrassed.
"Why don’t you consider how much harm such an incident causes to young women in their boudoirs?
For those men, others might see it as a tale of talented scholars and beautiful ladies, or just another romantic topic for gossip.
But for the young women in their boudoirs? It’s a catastrophic disaster.
Their reputations are unjustly tarnished. How could they have good marriages afterward?
In families that cherish their daughters, they might be confined indoors for life, spending their days with Buddhist scriptures and ancient lamps.
If they encounter more rigid families, the young lady might be drowned in a pond or take her own life to prove her innocence.
Magistrate Liu, those are living lives!
That Fourth Miss Ye was right. Who doesn’t have daughters? If your own daughter faced such a situation, could you still sit here comfortably and blame Fourth Miss Ye for making trouble?" Twelfth Master asked.
Magistrate Liu dared not utter a single word in rebuttal.
Being called an "old fool" by this Twelfth Master, he had no thoughts of objecting.
He had long heard that this Twelfth Master had caused quite a few outrageous incidents in the capital. When he pointed at the noses of those old pedants in the Hanlin Academy and cursed them as "old fools," even the imperial family couldn't stop him.
Once the curses were out, what could anyone do about it?
At most, he'd be punished by being forbidden from visiting the Hanlin Academy for a month…
Moreover, this Twelfth Master acted unpredictably. He had even considered building a "grass tower" in the capital, a place exclusively for ladies and young misses to amuse themselves.
Well, it was essentially the same as those pleasure houses—a place where men leaned against railings, selling their smiles, but with women as the clientele.
It was only later that he couldn't find suitable men and gave up on the idea…
"Twelfth Master, it was this official's oversight!" Magistrate Liu hurriedly admitted his mistake.
Twelfth Master snorted through his nose, then propped one leg on the couch before picking up the tea brewed by the tea servant.
"The Ye Family is no small household. The masters of the Ye Family have likely already heard about this matter.
It would be better for Magistrate Liu to adjust his attitude.
Although the Ye Family is merely an Imperial Merchant, a family of merchants, Master Ye has built quite a network of connections over the years by throwing money around.
If Master Ye were truly angered, there would be some commotion in the capital as well."
Magistrate Liu quickly assured him that he would remember this.
Seeing Magistrate Liu's sincere attitude, Twelfth Master didn't want to say more and personally poured him a cup of tea.
The three of them chatted idly for a while, and then the Heir Apparent of Prince Ning, who had remained silent until then, spoke up.
"Twelfth, do you think someone deliberately targeted the Ye Family with this incident?
Over the years, the Ye Family's influence has grown steadily, and their prestige now surpasses that of many noble families.
Next year, the procurement list for the Imperial Household Department in the Northern Region and Southwest will also be released.
As the foremost Imperial Merchant, could the Ye Family be targeted because of this matter?"
Twelfth Master shook his head.
"The Ye Family is still under Master Ye's control. The Ye Family's ability to grow and earn the imperial family's favor relies on exceptional courage and determination.
Back when the Northern Region was in such turmoil, Master Ye dared to stake his entire fortune there.
It was through painstakingly cultivated connections that the Ye Family stood out among all merchants.
Although other Imperial Merchants have nobles backing them, the Ye Family's status is not something ordinary nobles can shake.
Today's incident isn't as complicated as you think. It doesn't involve conflicts among Imperial Merchants," Twelfth Master said, shaking his head.
"Then why would someone stir up such trouble out of the blue, just to tarnish someone's reputation?" the Heir Apparent of Prince Ning asked, puzzled.
Twelfth Master poured another cup of tea for the Heir Apparent of Prince Ning.
"It was a coincidence.
Someone is unwilling to settle and wants to climb to a better branch.
But they don’t want to bear the stigma of ingratitude, so they stirred up this mess?
Let me clarify first—I have no evidence. This is just my own speculation. Don’t take it seriously," Twelfth Master said with a laugh.
The Heir Apparent of Prince Ning was taken aback.
Magistrate Liu spilled tea from his cup.
Both spoke at the same time, "Su Jieyuan? That can’t be!"
"Hey, don’t look at me. I already said this is just my own idea, with no evidence whatsoever.
Just treat it as a joke," Twelfth Master quickly distanced himself.
The Heir Apparent of Prince Ning shook his head with a light laugh. Fine, he’d ask in private later—now wasn’t the right time.
But Magistrate Liu’s heart began to race.
"Twelfth Master, why would you think that? Su Jieyuan, who topped the Xiangshi, surely wouldn’t do such a thing…"
"Hold on, what does topping the Xiangshi prove? It only shows he's good at studying, not that he has good character.
You know what the old saying says?
Chivalry often comes from butchers and dog-handlers, while betrayal often comes from scholars.
If those scholars play tricks, it's impossible to guard against.
Think about it—the Jieyuan of the Jiangnan Xiangshi is a top contender for the top spot in next year's Metropolitan Examination.
He's basically guaranteed a spot in the top three.
Would someone like that willingly marry the daughter of a traveling merchant?
Oh, I almost forgot—although the Ye Family treats all girls equally, regardless of status,
in those scholarly families, they're very particular about status.
If this Jieyuan becomes a Zhuangyuan in the future but marries the daughter of a merchant, what good would that do for him?
A Zhuangyuan, young, good-looking—how glorious it would be when he parades through the streets on horseback.
In their eyes, a princess marrying down or the daughter of a prime minister taking a liking to him could happen in an instant.
These connections would greatly help him rise swiftly in his career.
Can the daughter of a traveling merchant offer any of this?" Twelfth Master retorted.
Heir Apparent of Prince Ning and Magistrate Liu immediately understood.
"The most important point is, when this incident happened today, how did that Su Jieyuan react?
His first reaction wasn't to protect Fourth Miss Ye but to hypocritically show understanding for that Wang Lianju.
Tsk tsk, this Su Jieyuan shouldn't be taking the imperial exams; he should be competing for the title of courtesan.
Playing both sides, tsk tsk!" Twelfth Master shook his head as he spoke.
Magistrate Liu looked at Twelfth Master, who had just turned twenty, and found it hard to believe.
You say others are cunning, but you're no less shrewd yourself!
"So, according to Twelfth Master, will the Ye Family swallow this bitter pill?
After over a decade of support, they end up with an ungrateful wolf?
And will Fourth Miss Ye also have to endure this hardship?"
Twelfth Master thought for a moment, took another sip of tea, and then said,
"Master Ye is adept at using praise to undermine others; he'll surely figure some things out.
But Su Jieyuan is also an outstanding scholar, and mishandling this could provoke retaliation from the scholarly community.
Master Ye will likely proceed cautiously. Su Jieyuan's performance in next year's Metropolitan Examination… probably won't even make the top ten.
As for Fourth Miss Ye,
she's a smart person. She must have realized what happened today.
So, to minimize losses, Fourth Miss Ye will definitely consider breaking off the engagement."
Heir Apparent of Prince Ning and Magistrate Liu exchanged glances, somewhat skeptical.
Breaking off an engagement with a Jieyuan? It seems unlikely.
…
In the rear courtyard of Ye Manor in Gusu City, Ye Cishu faced an elderly man.
"Grandfather, Cishu wishes to break off the engagement!"