"If it hadn't been for their greed for my Yu family's wealth, the Rongguo Duke's Mansion wouldn't have arranged for Shen Ge to be engaged to me. But after the engagement, they considered themselves to be of higher status, especially that Shen Ge. He felt I wasn't worthy of him, so he had an affair with that high-born Qin woman."

"But Qin, in turn, despised Shen Ge's status as the second son of the main line, feeling that Shen Ge had no hope of becoming the next heir to the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, so she married his elder brother, Shen Lin. But after Qin's marriage, the two continued to associate with each other, even to the point where Qin moved out under the pretext of Buddhist worship, carrying on a secret affair with Shen Ge every day."

"It was precisely when I was returning to the capital to get married that I happened to witness those two shamelessly engaging in dirty, filthy deeds by the roadside, and that's when I resolved to break off the engagement with Shen Ge. But I was just a fallen merchant's daughter. What power did I have to contend with the powerful Rongguo Duke's Mansion? So, I burned my boats and became the Crown Prince's concubine, using the Crown Prince's hand to reclaim my Yu family's property. I was lucky, too. The Crown Prince treated me well, and His Majesty and the Empress were enlightened. I donated all of my family's property to the military, and I was granted the title of a first-ranked imperial concubine. Now, in the capital, I have some influence. At least, it's more than enough to deal with the enemies who harmed my family and seized my property."

"Even a lone merchant's daughter like me can do this, can take control of my own destiny. Surely, young master, you haven't had it worse than I did before, have you?"

Yu Qingwu's eyes were smiling, her voice calm. When she mentioned the past, the past sorrows, there was no trace of misery or pain in her expression, as if she were just telling someone else's story.

However, it was precisely this calmness, this frankness, that stirred up waves in Song Guan's heart.

Yes, the woman before him, born a merchant's daughter, having lost her parents in childhood, living so humbly, was still able to reach this point today, living with such confidence.

Why should he feel inferior because of his background?

Are kings, dukes, generals, and ministers born with a silver spoon in their mouths? Heroes are never judged by their origins.

In an instant, a sense of empathy as fellow sufferers caused Song Guan's vigilance to relax a lot, and he felt much closer to Yu Qingwu.

At the same time, the feeling of embarrassment and inferiority from earlier quietly dissipated.

Instead, a surge of courage suddenly arose in his heart.

A courage that an elder brother should have for his younger sister.

He turned his head, took a deep look at Song Yilan, who was beside him, her face cold and unable to speak, and calmly replied to Yu Qingwu, "Crown Princess, I am Song Guan, the son of Song Yan, the Tusi of Qingzhou, born to a concubine, ranked fifth among my brothers. Compared to my noble brothers, my status is indeed somewhat humble. My birth mother was just a rough servant. However, even so, I am still Alan's elder brother. At this critical moment, I can still make the decisions for Alan."

His expression was serious, and as he spoke, he glanced at Song Yilan, who was about to flare up.

He劝said in a persuasive tone, "Alan, what this lady says is quite right. That Shen Ge and Qin are not good people at all."

"If they were good people, they wouldn't have incited you to come here, knowing full well that you would be captured by others. Moreover, Shen Ge and Qin repeatedly say that the Rongguo Duke's Mansion is just taking back the dowry of the Crown Princess's mother, but if you think about it carefully, how much contempt do they show for the Crown Princess and her mother in their words? If the Rongguo Duke's Mansion looks down on them so much, why would they give the dowry?"

"So, they must be lying. Now they are simply stepping on your life to provoke a dispute between Qingzhou and the imperial court, so that they can reap the benefits. I think we should cooperate with the Crown Princess."

"We... we must not let elder brother be deceived, nor can we let father be deceived. Fifth brother, I don't want to see you jump into the fire pit even more."

Song Guan looked at Song Yilan, and as he spoke, he vaguely revealed a bit of helplessness and probing.

Although he had heard Yu Qingwu's words just now, he no longer felt how embarrassing his background was, but when facing his father's most beloved, and consistently aloof, third younger sister, Song Yilan, he was still somewhat timid.

And Song Yilan, at this moment, had no reaction to Song Guan's words.

She stared at Song Guan expressionlessly, with a look that seemed like ridicule, yet also like anger.

After a moment, she suddenly chuckled, looked at Yu Qingwu, then looked at Song Guan, and said in a mocking tone, "Song Guan, you've been fooled by this vixen after just a few words from her?"

"Lowly birth is lowly birth, born to a concubine is born to a concubine, descendant of a prostitute is a descendant of a prostitute. Even if she becomes a Crown Princess, she's still a despicable vixen!"

She gritted her teeth, and as she spoke, she became almost venting and fierce.

Hearing this, Su Yan suddenly raised her hand, ready to slap her again.

But before the slap could land on Song Yilan's face, it was stopped by Yu Qingwu.

However, stopping her did not mean that she would easily let Song Yilan go.

This woman was really asking for a beating and didn't understand the situation. Did she really think that every place was her Qingzhou territory, and everyone was her father?

What was even more ridiculous was that she clearly understood the true colors of Shen Ge and Qin Yiliu, but because she refused to accept it, because she felt she had no face, she insisted on venting her anger on herself.

Glancing coldly at Song Yilan for a moment, Yu Qingwu slowly stood up and walked step by step in front of Song Yilan.

Seeing her suddenly approaching, Song Yilan subconsciously shrank back, but her mouth was still unforgiving, and she said angrily, "You... what do you want to do? I warn you, if you dare to touch a hair on my head, my father won't let you go! You better let me go! Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what? Otherwise, you'll let your father kill me?"

Yu Qingwu sneered, her face no longer had the kindness of persuasion just now, only eyes full of coldness and ridicule.

She stretched out her hand, her sharp nails slowly ran across Song Yilan's red and swollen face, stared into the pupils in her eyes that were intertwined with horror and anger, and used force fiercely.

"Ah!" Her nails tore through the red and swollen skin, and the intense burning pain caused Song Yilan to scream instantly.

Slap!

Song Yilan opened her mouth, just about to threaten again, when Yu Qingwu slapped her hard on the face again.

"You... you dare to hit me!"

This time, not only Song Yilan, but even Su Yan was stunned.

Earlier, when she saw Yu Qingwu let them go, she thought that this Crown Princess was a coward.

Now, seeing Yu Qingwu take action, she was completely dumbfounded.

Song Guan was even more dumbfounded. Seeing that Song Yilan had been beaten again, he hurriedly shouted at Yu Qingwu, "Crown Princess, I am willing to cooperate with you, please don't hit my third younger sister anymore!"

"Don't worry, I won't hit her again."

"But..." Yu Qingwu's eyes shifted, and under Song Guan's confused gaze, she smiled gently at Su Yan and said softly, "Su Yan, since Miss Song likes to mention prostitutes so much, she must like being a prostitute very much. Therefore, I would like to trouble you to take a trip and send her to the most famous brothel in this county. With Miss Song's beauty, she should be able to make a name for herself, and perhaps even become a courtesan."