"But no matter what you choose or what consequences you must bear, your mother will support you. However, you must be clear about one thing. Once you agree, you cannot harbor any other thoughts..."

"I can’t help you with your cultivation, but as someone who has been through this, I must teach you a few things."

"That young master from the Prime Minister’s Mansion may like you now and want to take you as a concubine, but the difference in status between the Su Mansion and the Prime Minister’s Mansion is a world apart. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we’re climbing far above our station."

"Whether you resist in your heart or submit, in the eyes of outsiders, you are already a vain and ambitious social climber. They’ll even say you plotted behind the scenes to murder your fiancé."

"Don’t expect the young master from the Prime Minister’s Mansion to pity you or think more highly of you because of this, so don’t try to play hard to get. You must remember this: while he still likes you, do everything you can to secure enough benefits and advantages for yourself. Only what you can hold in your own hands is what truly matters."

"The Prime Minister’s Mansion holds immense power. Even the Immortal Dao Sects of the entire Celestial Central Province are wary of them. During this time, try your best to obtain the resources, Cultivation Techniques, and Spirit Stones you need for your cultivation. If you can win more of his affection, that would naturally be for the best..."

"Otherwise, once he grows tired of you, it will be nearly impossible to ask for anything for yourself."

"Don’t think your mother is being materialistic, but all men are like this. When he likes you, he will cater to your every whim and cherish you. But once he’s tired of you, he won’t even want to look at you."

"Your mother is powerless and cannot protect you. The only thing that can protect you is your own strength and cultivation. When you one day become strong enough to control your own destiny, what’s to stop you from cutting away this humiliating past with a single slash of your sword...?"

"Mother..." Su Qinghan’s eyelashes trembled, her heart a whirlwind of complex emotions.

Madam Su smiled faintly, took her daughter’s hand, and led her outside the rear hall.

She glanced at the night sky outside and sighed, "The Su Family has wronged you, and your mother has wronged you even more... Word has come from the City Lord’s Mansion. Young Master Jiang has returned after dealing with that assassin, Lin Fan. He is resting at the City Lord’s Mansion tonight."

"Over the past few days, the clan elders have spread the news of Young Master Jiang wanting to take you as a concubine throughout all of Yu Yi City. But they are worried the Prime Minister’s Mansion will look down on the Su Mansion’s humble origins. After all, this was Young Master Jiang’s decision alone. There’s no guarantee he won’t change his mind if this drags on for too long."

Hearing this, Su Qinghan instantly understood why she had been made to bathe and change into this light, gossamer dress of Jueqiao fabric tonight.

She lowered her gaze, her thick, fan-like eyelashes trembling incessantly. Her heart was clearly anything but calm.

"The family can’t wait any longer?"

Madam Su’s nose tingled, and tears finally welled up in her eyes. Her voice trembled, "It’s because your mother is powerless..."

...

「City Lord’s Mansion.」

Inside a quiet courtyard surrounded by green bamboo and the fragrant scent of osmanthus.

Jiang Lan sat at the head seat, his long, fair fingers gently caressing a teacup.

"To suddenly disturb Young Master Jiang’s rest tonight is truly presumptuous."

"We hope Young Master Jiang will forgive us."

In the spacious and brightly lit hall, several of the Su Mansion’s clan elders were all smiles, their demeanor both obsequious and humble.

Behind them followed a beautifully dressed woman with impeccable makeup. She held the hand of Su Qinghan, who stood with her head lowered. Their features were somewhat similar, making it obvious at a glance that they were mother and daughter.

’The Su Mansion is even more anxious than I imagined.’

Jiang Lan could tell their intentions with a single glance.

He chuckled inwardly but his expression remained impassive. He merely nodded slightly and said, "Elders of the Su Mansion, if you have something to say, just say it."

"It’s getting late. If it’s not urgent, I don’t have the time to sit here and chat with you."

Seeing that Jiang Lan made no mention of his offer from three days ago to take Su Qinghan as a concubine,

The expressions of the Su Mansion’s clan elders shifted slightly, but they maintained their deferential demeanor and said with a fawning smile, "Young Master Jiang, you came to the Su Mansion three days ago. You left three Sumeru Rings filled with Celestial and Earthly Treasures and said you wished to take Qinghan as a concubine, giving her three days to consider..."

"Do you... still remember this matter?"

"Now that you mention it, I do recall."

Jiang Lan smiled and looked at Su Qinghan, who was dressed completely differently from her usual self. "So, Miss Qianhan, what is your decision?"

Su Qinghan kept her gaze lowered. She could clearly feel her mother’s hand, which was holding hers, tighten slightly, as if angered by Jiang Lan’s casual and demeaning attitude.

She squeezed her mother’s hand with her other hand to reassure her, then took a step forward. Raising her eyes, she said softly, "Thank you for your favor, Young Master Jiang. The entire Su Family is overwhelmed by this honor. How could we possibly refuse the chance to cling to a high branch like the Prime Minister’s Mansion and leap through the dragon gate?"

Hearing her words, the faces of the Su Mansion’s clan elders instantly bloomed with smiles, looking as if a great weight had been lifted from their chests.

"Miss Qianhan, rest assured. I will naturally not go back on my promise. I will treat you well in the future."

"Your Su Mansion knows how to appreciate a favor. You won’t be short on benefits. Tomorrow, I will order my men to send over the betrothal gifts."

Jiang Lan wasn’t the least bit surprised by this outcome.

However, he put on an expression of utter infatuation. With a smile, he rose from the head seat and, ignoring the presence of the others from the Su Mansion, wrapped his arm directly around Su Qinghan’s slender waist.

Seeing this, Madam Su looked like she wanted to say something but held her tongue.

She had thought that when her daughter, on the way to the City Lord’s Mansion, said Young Master Jiang was not what people thought him to be and told her not to worry, it meant she understood him well.

But after seeing it with her own eyes, she realized her daughter’s words had only been to comfort her.

Since entering the hall, this villain, despite feigning some semblance of etiquette and refinement, had kept his eyes practically glued to her daughter. He stared without blinking, as if he couldn’t wait to devour her whole...

Madam Su sighed in her heart. No matter how upset she was, she could only let it be.

The clan elders of the Su Mansion, seeing this scene, were completely satisfied. Naturally, they didn’t dare to overstay their welcome and disturb them, so they made their excuses and left.

Sacrificing Su Qinghan alone in exchange for the entire Su Mansion’s rise to power was, no matter how one looked at it, worth it.

Soon, only Jiang Lan and Su Qinghan remained in the spacious and brightly lit hall.

The other maids in attendance also tactfully withdrew.

"Miss Su, is your attire tonight meant to be a test for me?"

Jiang Lan was indeed aroused by Su Qinghan’s revealing attire, but for the sake of his long-term interests,

He released Su Qinghan, returned to his seat, took a sip of tea to suppress his arousal, and asked with great interest.

Su Qinghan’s body, which had been tense the entire time, finally relaxed.

Hearing his words, the corner of her mouth lifted into a slight curve, but her voice was as cool and detached as ever when she asked, "Isn’t this the exact situation Young Master Jiang wished to see?"

’If not for Young Master Jiang’s proposal to take her as a concubine, how could today’s scene have ever come to pass?’

’Speaking of which, what is his real motive for doing this? Is he just shooting himself in the foot?’