Chapter 26: I give this act an 80.

A day's lessons had ended, and Lanling boarded Ye Jingyu's carriage to return home.

Passing by the Civilian Academy, the spectacle of noble scions humiliating commoner students was once again playing out. One after another, the extravagant carriages of the nobility deliberately moved at a snail's pace, forcing the commoner students to stand at the sides of the road, bowing low, motionless.

Just then, a voice suddenly rose, saying, "Have the nobles of this kingdom really sunk to such shallow and foolish depths?"

The voice was full of masculine charm, assertive but not profound. It was powerful, yet not shrill.

Then, a man in plain clothes stood out from the crowd.

Seeing him, Lanling couldn't help but cheer; the newcomer was truly good-looking.

Over six feet tall, his handsomeness rivaled that of Suo Lun, but his presence was even more imposing.

For on that beautiful, jade-like face, a pair of eyes sharp as a hawk's glinted, and with his tall, robust physique, he had no hint of effeminacy about him— he was a man brimming with strength and charisma.

Though clad in humble garments and a commoner by birth, his aura even subdued many nobles.

Moreover, reprimanded by him, many noble scions actually hung their heads, not daring to retort.

Lanling was curious—who was this man? Despite being a commoner, he could hold so many noble scions at bay.

Ye Jingyu said, "This man is Ling Ao, the most outstanding student at the Royal City Academy and the spiritual leader of the commoner students. He hasn't even graduated yet but has already caught the eye of the royal family, and upon graduation, he will be appointed as an attendant to Prince Zili."

An attendant is not a servant, but rather an assistant. Suo Lun, as the heir to an earldom, is esteemed enough, right? But even for him, serving as Prince Zili's attendant is somewhat beneath his status— normally the sons of dukes and marquises are eligible to be attendants to the Crown Prince.

However, for Zili to choose a commoner as his attendant was not just surprising but also incredibly domineering.

At this moment, Ling Ao was not noble but already highly distinguished; barring any unforeseen circumstances, in twenty years he would become one of the commanders of the kingdom's army—many nobles present would have to look up to him.

Ye Jingyu said, "For you, Ling Ao has another identity."

"What is it?" Lanling asked.

"Your romantic rival," Ye Jingyu said. "He comes from Linhai City, which is the domain of your fiancée. Not only does your future father-in-law, Gui Xingfu, hold him in high regard, but even your future wife, Gui Qinshao, seems to have a fondness for him."

Hearing this, Lanling's eyes narrowed. Although he wasn't Suo Lun, he absolutely wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.

Whoever tried to make a cuckold out of him would find their whole family wearing green hats.

"Let's go, you can't afford to provoke him for now; let's keep to our own paths," Ye Jingyu said.

Ye Jingyu sped up the carriage, ready to leave.

At that moment, Ling Ao stepped forward, blocking the path of Lanling's carriage.

"Suo Lun, is it?" he said blandly, as casually as if he were calling a cat or a dog.

Opening the carriage curtain, Lanling said, "Yes, please don't block the way."

Ling Ao said, "I just want to tell you something."

Lanling said, "Is it to ask me to renounce my fiancée or something of that sort? If so, there's no need to say it."

"No, not to ask you to give up," Ling Ao said. "Little Shu, this swan, has nothing to do with you now. I hope you won't mention Gui Qinshao's name in the future. She's fastidious, and so am I. We both prefer that her name doesn't come out of your mouth, please."

His arrogance was sky-high, dictating that not even Gui Qinshao's name could be spoken—despite the fact she was Suo Lun's fiancée, and unrelated to Ling Ao.

Coldness filled Lanling's heart as he said indifferently, "You play a good tough guy; I'll give you eighty points."

Then, Ye Jingyu's carriage accelerated, passing by Ling Ao.

...

Once home, Lanling immediately encountered two uninvited guests, one fat and one thin.

Seeing Lanling enter, the three immediately rose to greet him, saying, "Greetings to the young master."

Lanling frowned and said, "What's the matter?"

At that moment, Suo Ningbing came out gracefully and said, "Little brother, come here."

Lanling followed Suo Ningbing into the back room and saw his sister's brows furrowed. "What's happened? Who are those two outside?"

Suo Ningbing said, "They're here to collect a debt, incurred by Suo Lun."

Lanling asked, "How much?"

Suo Ningbing replied, "Three thousand and nine hundred Gold Coins."

"That much..." Lanling almost leapt, saying incredulously, "What on earth did that bastard Suo Lun do to owe so much money?"

It was an astronomical figure, indeed; an army of ten thousand soldiers wouldn't even earn that much in a year.

Suo Ningbing said, "Nine hundred Gold Coins are gambling debts, and the remaining three thousand are loans from a gold bank."

A gold bank, akin to an ancient bank.

Lanling asked, "Could there be any fraud involved, owing such a large sum?"

Suo Ningbing replied, "I've checked, all the documents are legitimate, bearing Suo Lun's signature and thumbprint, and the witness's seal."

Lanling asked, "Where did that bastard Suo Lun spend those three thousand Gold Coins? He couldn't use that up even in a brothel in ten years."

Suo Ningbing said, "At an auction, Princess Zhining took a fancy to a piece of calligraphy. To please her, Suo Lun spent a fortune to purchase it for Princess Zhining."

Lanling said in surprise, "What piece of calligraphy? It actually required three thousand Gold Coins?"

Suo Ningbing said, "It was a handwriting by the Dragon Emperor, extremely rare. His Majesty's calligraphy very seldom comes out into the open, and with three thousand years passing by, there are now less than ten pieces in existence, so the price is normal."

Lanling said, "Such a precious item, and Princess Zhining just accepted it without any qualms?"

Suo Ningbing said, "Of course not, she sternly refused Suo Lun's gift. In a moment of embarrassment and anger, Suo Lun burned the Dragon Emperor's handwriting to ashes."

Suddenly, Lanling spit out a mouthful of old blood.

That bastard Suo Lun was really bleeding cash in his courting efforts. He spent three thousand Gold Coins on something and then just burned it! That's the epitome of a wasteful spender.

Suo Ningbing said, "The key issue is that Suo Lun didn't have that much money when he bid for the Dragon Emperor's handwriting. He borrowed the amount from the Royal City Gold Bank. Now the time has come and they've come to collect the debt."

Lanling said, "What's the deal with the nine hundred Gold Coins at the gambling house? Is Suo Lun fond of gambling?"

Suo Ningbing said, "He isn't short of money, so he's not fond of gambling. He only gambled for the sake of a woman named Yi Yun, who is the daughter of a down-and-out noble. Her father loved to gamble and had racked up a huge debt, so he was going to marry her off to the gambling house owner as a concubine. Suo Lun couldn't stand it and stepped in to help, thus taking on the debt himself and saving the girl."

Lanling said, "At that time, Suo Lun was ardently pursuing Princess Zhining, wasn't he? Why would he get involved with another girl?"

Suo Ningbing said, "This Yi Yun was his classmate and former lover."

Lanling instantly ground his teeth with rage. It was a good thing that Suo Lun was already dead; if he were still alive, Lanling would make sure to beat him to the point of being unable to fend for himself, or even better, castrate him into becoming a eunuch.

Suo Ningbing said, "But Suo Lun didn't have any money, and so he could only issue an IOU in the name of the House of Count Tianshui to the gambling house."

Lanling said, "If we insist on not repaying, what could they do to us?"

Suo Ningbing's cheeks reddened and she said, "Paying debts is a matter of integrity."

Lanling said, "Sister, that still depends on what kind of debt it is."

Then, unexpectedly, Suo Ningbing glanced at Lanling. This little brother wasn't as honest as he looked on the surface – even talking about defaulting on debts with such confidence.

Suo Ningbing shook her head and said, "We can't default on the debts, as there are collaterals for both. The three thousand Gold Coin debt was secured with a manor, while the nine hundred Gold Coin debt was secured with a shop. Suo Lun had stolen the deed copies of these two properties from home."

Lanling's heart skipped a beat and he said, "The manor and shop that were collateralized – they couldn't be the very two properties that were given to Duke Zhi Ting, could they?"

Suo Ningbing nodded and said, "Exactly, those two. Once the deadline arrives and we haven't repaid, the gambling house and the gold bank will take their promissory notes and deed copies to the Royal City Court to request the transfer of ownership for these two properties. And since these two properties now belong to Duke Zhi Ting, they will end up in a legal dispute with the Duke over these assets."

Upon hearing this, Lanling realized the severity of the situation, with a shiver running down his spine.

Clearly, Princess Zhining had made her move again.

In the first round, Suo Ningbing went to bribe Duke Zhi Ting. Sensing the danger, Princess Zhining made her first move, getting Luo Ge to expel Suo Lun (Lanling).

So, Lanling approached Suo Lun's former lover, Tutor Niya, once again capturing her affection. With Niya's intervention, Principal Jian Yong retracted the decision to expel Suo Lun, and Lanling passed through the obstacle smoothly.

But no sooner had Suo Lun returned to the Royal City Academy than Princess Zhining's second move struck him – precise, ruthless, and lethal.

Although three thousand nine hundred Gold Coins was a significant sum, these two creditors never intended to actually reclaim the money.

Their goal was quite simple – to push the Suo Family into completely infuriating and offending Duke Zhi Ting.

Their plan was clear; the Suo Family definitely couldn't afford the three thousand nine hundred Gold Coins.

Once the deadline arrived, the creditors would take their promissory notes and deed copies to the Royal City Court, asking for the transfer of the two properties.

However, the two properties were now in the hands of Duke Zhi Ting, creating a dispute.

Thus, the two creditors would face off against Duke Zhi Ting in court, contending for the properties.

How enraged would Duke Zhi Ting become once it got to that point?

After accepting the bribe, he immediately put in the effort, even at the risk of upsetting the Crown Prince. And to think, the properties the Suo Family had offered were already owned – are the Suo Family playing me for a fool? Do they see me, Duke Zhi Ting, as a mark?

At that time, Duke Zhi Ting would not just cease to help the Suo Family; he'd certainly join Prince Zili in crushing the Suo Family.

It's important to note that the Suo Family were already hard-pressed in their struggle against Prince Zili, and Duke Zhi Ting was their only significant backer.

Although this backer was greedy, he was also straightforward and a desirable ally.

If they were to offend Duke Zhi Ting, the consequences would be unthinkable. The Suo Family were already struggling to withstand Prince Zili; adding Duke Zhi Ting to the mix would lead to their utter destruction.

Princess Zhining's tactics were truly cruel and calculating, completely pulling the rug out from under them.

Lanling said, "How many days are left before the repayment deadline?"

"Two days," replied Suo Ningbing. "These two creditors have specifically chosen this time to demand repayment."

Lanling asked, "How much money do we have left at home?"

Suo Ningbing replied, "Just over three hundred Gold Coins."

Immediately, Lanling was startled – to think that the vast Earl's mansion had only a mere three hundred Gold Coins left!

Consequently, with the Earl's house resources, it was utterly impossible to repay the debt.

…

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