This was the first time Su Mingzhi had ever treated Su Qingran so warmly.
In the past, he and the rest of the collateral relatives had always regarded her as a jinx.
While her grandfather, the Pingyang Marquis, had still been alive, they didn’t dare say anything openly. But behind his back, they all avoided Su Qingran whenever possible, treating her like a plague.
The moment her grandfather passed away, the Su family stopped pretending altogether.
They seized control of the Marquis Residence and openly accused Su Qingran of bringing about her grandfather’s death.
Yet now, with that enormous dowry hanging in the balance, Su Mingzhi suddenly wasn’t afraid of this “cursed lone star” anymore.
Meanwhile, at the Duke Protector’s Residence.
Gu Qingyan was in his study, writing a letter when one of his subordinates hurried in to report:
“Young Master, Miss Su has appeared.”
The brush in Gu Qingyan’s hand paused.
He looked up.
“Where?”
“This subordinate doesn’t know exactly where she first appeared. By the time the news reached us, the current Marquis had already taken Miss Su to the Pei Residence to dissolve the engagement.”
At this, Gu Qingyan let out a cold laugh.
“Su Mingzhi is being that kind-hearted?”
“This subordinate doesn’t know. However, I heard both sides ended up arguing over Miss Su’s dowry, and the dispute became quite serious.”
Gu Qingyan’s phoenix eyes were as deep and unreadable as ever.
His face was as cold and refined as an immortal banished from the heavens, yet his brows furrowed slightly.
He looked at his subordinate.
“We searched for her for so long and found nothing. How did she suddenly appear out of nowhere?”
“I… don’t know.”
The subordinate lowered his head awkwardly.
Truthfully, Miss Su was simply too strange.
No matter how they investigated, they couldn’t figure out her movements.
The capital wasn’t particularly large, nor was it especially small.
For someone to disappear completely for so many days was no easy feat.
After a moment, Gu Qingyan shook his head.
“Forget it. As long as she’s alive.”
He lowered his gaze and resumed writing.
He had known the Pingyang Marquis for years and regarded him as an elder.
When the elder’s only granddaughter encountered difficulties, lending a helping hand seemed only natural.
But now that Su Qingran was safe, there was no need for him to interfere further.
Meanwhile, Su Qingran was riding in a carriage back toward the Marquis Residence with Su Mingzhi when they noticed a large group of soldiers posting something on a public notice board.
“Stop.”
Su Mingzhi immediately ordered the driver to halt the carriage.
“What are they posting over there?” he asked curiously.
“Master, shall I go take a look?” the servant asked.
After some thought, Su Mingzhi nodded.
“Go.”
He glanced toward the crowd.
“It looks serious. I’ve never seen so many soldiers gathered for a notice before.”
Su Qingran, however, couldn’t have cared less.
All she wanted was to get back to the Marquis Residence as quickly as possible and empty out every last bit of property her grandfather had left behind.
Having a spatial storage ability really was convenient.
She was looking forward to seeing how Pei Xingzhou planned to recover a dowry that no longer existed.
The carriage remained parked at the roadside.
Su Mingzhi turned to Su Qingran.
“Qingran.”
His tone suddenly became unusually gentle.
“What are your plans now?”
Since she no longer wanted to marry Pei Xingzhou, did she have another type of husband in mind?
“Would you like Second Uncle to help find someone suitable?”
Su Qingran almost laughed.
So this was the famous strategy of crossing the river and then tearing down the bridge?
He had only just used her to recover her dowry, and now he was already thinking about marrying her off.
As expected.
The ugliest thing in the world was human nature.
After witnessing countless examples of humanity’s darkness during the apocalypse, Su Qingran wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
Once a person had served their purpose, they were discarded.
Lowering her head sadly, she replied:
“I… want to return to the Su family’s ancestral homeland.”
“Yuzhou.”
The moment Su Mingzhi heard the name, his expression changed dramatically.
“Yuzhou?”
“You really want to go there?”
Originally, he had been considering arranging a marriage for her.
For the sake of family ties—and admittedly for the sake of that massive dowry—he felt he could at least do that much for her.
But he hadn’t expected her to mention the ancestral homeland.
The ancestral lands lay in the south.
A poor, remote region where life was extremely difficult.
Moreover, the reason their branch of the Su family had left the homeland in the first place was because of a major conflict with the clan.
Eventually, they had been forced to leave.
Of course, that had happened during the previous generation—back when Su Qingran’s grandfather was young.
Even so, Su Mingzhi was convinced that if Su Qingran went there, she wouldn’t be welcomed.
In his opinion, the people of Yuzhou were stubborn, unreasonable peasants who knew nothing but hard labor.
They worked year-round and still barely produced enough to survive.
For all he knew, they were probably still eating tree bark.
His father had often said how fortunate they were to have followed Su Qingran’s grandfather away from the ancestral homeland.
By chance, the previous emperor had once been helped by Su Qingran’s grandfather during his struggle for the throne.
As a reward, he had been granted a marquis title.
That was how their branch of the family had finally risen to prominence.
It was also the reason the Su family line in the capital had become so thin.
Most of the clan members still remained in the ancestral lands.
Naturally, Su Mingzhi wasn’t about to explain any of this.
If she wanted to leave, then let her leave.
It would save him a great deal of trouble.
The moment she heard his reaction, Su Qingran immediately sensed there was something suspicious going on.
Blinking innocently, she asked:
“Second Uncle, is there a problem with the ancestral homeland?”
Su Mingzhi quickly forced a smile.
“No, no problem at all.”
He waved his hand.
“I’m just surprised you know about it.”
“Did your grandfather mention it?”
“He brought it up once.”
Su Qingran nodded.
“I don’t want to stay in the capital anymore. It’s too painful here.”
“I’d rather return to the ancestral lands and quietly live out the rest of my life.”
She sounded utterly pitiful.
Su Mingzhi, on the other hand, was secretly delighted.
“Good.”
“If that’s what you want, then go.”
After a brief pause, he added:
“Should I arrange an escort to accompany you?”
His people?
Su Qingran almost laughed again.
An escort?
Or an assassination squad?
If she died on the road, wouldn’t her dowry become his?
“No need.”
She shook her head.
“I’ll travel slowly by myself and treat it as a sightseeing journey.”
Then she hesitated.
“It’s just…”
“What is it?”
Su Mingzhi immediately put on the expression of a kind, caring elder.
“If you have any difficulties, tell Second Uncle.”
If the original owner had been sitting here, she might actually have been fooled.
“It’s just…”
Su Qingran sighed softly.
“My dowry is still with Pei Xingzhou.”
“I don’t have any silver on me.”
“I was hoping to borrow some travel money from you.”
The moment she said those words, Su Mingzhi’s smile stiffened slightly.
“You mean…”
He raised an eyebrow.
“You want to leave as soon as possible?”
Su Qingran immediately nodded.
“Yes.”
“I’m afraid Pei Xingzhou will use the marriage contract to force me to marry him.”
Her eyes reddened.
“I’m truly afraid now.”
“Nobody in the Pei Residence likes me.”
She squeezed out a few tears for added effect.
Inside, Su Mingzhi sneered.
A woman who had supposedly brought death to all her closest relatives—who would like her?
Still, since she planned to leave the capital and disappear far away, he didn’t mind pretending to care for a few more days.
“Don’t worry.”
He spoke reassuringly.
“Second Uncle will never allow you to marry him.”
“Then I can rest easy.”
Su Qingran lowered her head.
“All I want now is to find a quiet place and live peacefully for the rest of my life.”
“Then return to the ancestral homeland.”
Su Mingzhi smiled warmly.
“It’s the perfect place for retirement.”
The lie rolled off his tongue without the slightest hint of guilt.
Inside, Su Qingran was laughing coldly.
Let’s see whether this old fox could still smile after she emptied the Marquis Residence.
Then she looked up innocently.
“So…”
“How much silver does Second Uncle plan to lend me?”
The question instantly froze Su Mingzhi in place.