Chapter 29: Why Did It Get Wet...

"Why are you here?"

Seeing Jiang Luan, Hua Zhao wore an expression as if she had seen a ghost.

Jiang Luan asked with curiosity, "And where exactly did you expect me to be at this hour, Miss Hua Zhao?"

Naturally, she expected him to be in bed with some wild man, only to be caught red-handed tomorrow in front of everyone! Hua Zhao thought, filled with spite.

However, knowing she had been outplayed by Jiang Luan and had suffered a crushing defeat, she glared at him viciously.

People bustled past them, busy scooping water to extinguish the fire, leaving them no time to spare for the naked man pinned to the ground. Jiang Luan met Hua Zhao’s gaze in silence, absorbing the malice radiating from her eyes. He could not fathom it; they were strangers, so where did such deep-seated hatred originate? Was it simply because he had refused to play the role of the submissive victim in their scheme?

In the chill of the spring night, Jiang Luan felt a shiver run through his entire body.

Qi Shaolin seemed to sense his complex emotions, stepping back slightly to take Jiang Luan’s hand. Feeling his cold fingers enveloped by a warm, broad palm, a trace of warmth returned to Jiang Luan’s heart.

He instructed Zuo Lang, "Go and invite the Old Master here."

Upon hearing this, Hua Zhao jerked her head up and said coldly, "Young Mistress, do you really dare?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Jiang Luan replied calmly. "The Qi Manor has been shrouded in fog and shadows for too long. Today, I intend to set things right and purge the household of its rot."

"But if you do this, there will be no turning back," Hua Zhao lowered her voice. "In front of all these guests, have you thought this through?"

"Hua Zhao, you are a clever person," Jiang Luan said with profound meaning. "You just think too highly of yourself and too little of your master."

Hua Zhao froze for a moment.

The fire at the granary had only been a small blaze and was quickly extinguished by the collective efforts of the crowd. Once the crisis was resolved, everyone gathered in Hua Zhao’s courtyard, curious to see what the deal was with the naked man.

When Qi Yuheng arrived at the courtyard and saw all the guests present, along with a stark-naked man lying on the ground, he was so furious he nearly fainted.

"What on earth is going on here? Who is this man!" Qi Yuheng roared.

It was the first time Jiang Luan had seen Qi Yuheng in such a rage. Perhaps the head of the Qi family truly valued his family's reputation—or perhaps it was simply the presence of so many onlookers that made him feel humiliated. But whether it was reputation or face, both seemed far more important to him than his own descendants.

The man shivered on the ground, face pressed down, not daring to meet anyone's eyes.

Seeing this, Hua Zhao immediately knelt on the ground and said with aggrieved tears, "This servant does not know… The Young Mistress caught this man from somewhere; I have never seen him before!"

"Are you implying that I brought this man here to frame you?" Jiang Luan narrowed his eyes.

Hua Zhao looked up to meet his gaze and declared firmly, "I do not know how I have offended the Young Mistress to make you stage such a play and smear my reputation for no reason!"

"Grandfather, this man is clearly..." Qi Shaolin began to argue, but was silenced by a wave of Qi Yuheng’s hand.

The small courtyard was crowded with onlookers—servants, maids, and guests who had been drinking. Lanterns and torches lit the space as bright as day. Supported by his attendants, Qi Yuheng walked to the center of the yard and stared at the man on the ground. The man was curled up, burying his face in the dirt, his wretched state exposed for all to see.

"Who are you?"

Qi Yuheng grabbed the man by the hair, forcing him to lift his head.

In the flickering torchlight, Jiang Luan recognized him instantly as the "old flame" of the original owner from the ancestral hall. But since the man had later been taken away by Prince Suping, Qi Yuheng did not recognize him.

"Who sent you?" Qi Yuheng demanded.

The man closed his eyes. He had not said a word since being caught, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Hua Zhao calmed herself. She thought to herself that since this guy was caught outside the courtyard, it had no direct connection to her. Furthermore, as a man of Prince Suping, if Liu Deng simply said, "I was sent by the Young Mistress," no one would be able to verify otherwise.

"Speak!" Qi Yuheng shouted at the man.

This was clearly the perfect opportunity to frame Jiang Luan, but for some unknown reason, Liu Deng kept his mouth shut tight, refusing to say a word. As time ticked by, Hua Zhao remained on her knees, sweat streaming down her temples and forming small craters in the dirt.

Jiang Luan watched on composedly.

*Say something, you useless piece of trash!* Hua Zhao screamed internally, wishing she could pry Liu Deng’s mouth open and speak for him. But Liu Deng just lay there with his eyes shut, seemingly determined to play dead to the end.

"Grandfather, please do not agitate yourself," Jiang Luan said, having seen enough of the spectacle. He stepped forward to pat Qi Yuheng’s back, helping him catch his breath. "In my opinion, since this man is parading his naked body in broad daylight, if he doesn't have some strange perversion, he must have left evidence somewhere."

As he spoke, Jiang Luan glanced toward the tightly closed door of the inner chamber.

Hua Zhao’s heart skipped a beat, and she stared at Jiang Luan in terror.

"That makes sense. We should go in and take a look." Qi Yuheng nodded and stepped toward the room.

"Old Master, you cannot!" Hua Zhao scrambled on her knees to block his path, shouting to stop him.

Qi Yuheng was taken aback by her intense reaction and murmured, "You..."

The two locked eyes; Hua Zhao’s held naked fear and pleading. "Old Master, you cannot..." She shook her head slightly but refused to explain why.

Qi Yuheng had been confused, but as he was about to speak, a thought flashed through his mind. *Could it be—*

His eyes widened in shock, and he stared straight at the door of the inner room.

By now, some of the onlookers had also begun to catch on.

"This is the South Garden of the Qi Manor. I recall the Prince holding his symposium here..."

"That’s right. With a fire of this magnitude, why is Prince Suping nowhere to be seen?"

"Could it be that inside..."

"Hush!"

The longer it dragged on, the more people realized the truth. The master of this courtyard was not absent because he couldn't appear—but because he was in a place where he *could not* appear. Everyone understood the answer, but no one dared to voice it.

In the corner stood several young, sturdy men in plain, worn-out clothing, looking out of place among the luxuriously dressed guests.

"You invited us here just to watch this kind of play?" one of them asked.

"Hmm," another man, reeking of alcohol, replied lazily, "Though the lead actor seems to have changed."

If Jiang Luan had looked back, he would have recognized this man as the one who had drunkenly teased him earlier that night. But Jiang Luan had no interest in the crowd's reaction. He took a step forward and said, "Grandfather, since Hua Zhao is blocking us so desperately, there must be something unsightly inside. To save you from seeing it, let me go and check for you."

With that, Jiang Luan walked to the door and reached out to push it open.

"Young Jiang!" Qi Yuheng called out in panic.

Qi Yuheng’s expression had turned sour, yet Jiang Luan persisted, "Grandfather, what is it?"

But what could Qi Yuheng say? Could he say, "Don't go! Your father-in-law might be hiding inside?"

"Young Jiang," Qi Yuheng bit his tongue, only able to offer a vague hint. "It is late already..."

"Indeed," Jiang Luan nodded. "In two hours, it will be dawn. I apologize for disturbing everyone's rest."

"So, perhaps we should..." Qi Yuheng wanted to use this as an excuse to let everyone leave and "discuss it tomorrow," giving Prince Suping time to escape.

To his surprise, Jiang Luan changed the subject abruptly: "Then I shall check quickly so we can put this matter to rest!"

"Jiang Luan!"

Qi Yuheng had not expected Jiang Luan to be so unreasonable, and it was too late to stop him. Pale-faced, he watched helplessly as the young man reached out to push the door...

At that moment, the door opened on its own.

Prince Suping stepped out, fully dressed and looking composed, clutching a wooden box.

"Hiss."

Someone gasped; the implication was obvious.

"..." Qi Yuheng’s lips trembled, and for a moment, he was speechless.

Jiang Luan felt no sympathy for the head of the Qi family. He bowed respectfully to Prince Suping. "Your Highness."

Prince Suping did not even glance at him. He walked into the courtyard, clutching the box, and stood before Hua Zhao.

Hua Zhao was still kneeling, meeting Prince Suping’s eyes with a complex expression. "Your Highness..."

Before she could finish, Prince Suping slapped her across the face.

"You little harlot, look at the trouble you’ve caused!"

Prince Suping smashed the box onto the ground. As it shattered, an assortment of dildos and erotic picture books spilled out, so plentiful that the crowd was left stunned.

"..."

Hua Zhao was dazed by the blow, clutching her red, swollen cheek as she stared blankly at her master.

"Old Master," Prince Suping said calmly to Qi Yuheng, "I had long suspected this girl had wild ideas, but as the saying goes, one must catch a thief with the stolen goods. My daughter-in-law and I lacked concrete evidence, so we could not act against her. It just so happened that today I discovered something amiss..."

He glanced at Liu Deng on the ground and said coldly, "It is this man who has been having an affair with Hua Zhao. They were so cunning that I could never catch them in the act."

Prince Suping’s performance left everyone dumbfounded—everyone except Jiang Luan.

Watching Jiang Luan’s calm demeanor, Hua Zhao finally understood what he had meant by "thinking too highly of yourself and too little of your master."

"I must thank my son and daughter-in-law," Prince Suping continued his performance, nodding and smiling at Jiang Luan, "for catching this madman in time, allowing us to expose this little harlot."

Jiang Luan smiled meaningfully, saying nothing. Since Prince Suping was doing all the acting, anything he added would be redundant.

Prince Suping knelt before Qi Yuheng. "It was my failure in discipline to have raised such a licentious servant. I beg the Old Master’s forgiveness!"

Qi Yuheng sighed. Though he sighed, his expression visibly softened.

What could Hua Zhao say now? Pushed out by her master to take the fall, she had no way to defend herself. Tears welled in her eyes as she could only kowtow and plead guilty, "It was my fault. Please, Your Highness, punish me!"

Qi Yuheng felt a pang of pity and said to Prince Suping, "Hua Zhao has served you the longest, after all. Handle it as you see fit."

"I have already given it some thought," Prince Suping said. "It is my fault that Hua Zhao committed such a scandal. She has always been clever and capable, and I have kept her by my side, reluctant to let her go. Now that she is twenty-five or twenty-six, her mind must have wandered... I shall simply send her out of the manor to marry this man, and consider it a good deed done."