There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 44 Dissolution of Engagement

This is the only one of its kind, and it even has his name engraved on it. I'm afraid it's never been properly looked at in all these years.

She carelessly gave others leverage over her, and while they were still engaged, she cheated on him with other girls. Forget it.

Hai Daren no longer wanted to deal with him; let him be.

A sweet, charming voice rang out: "Evidence? I wonder if the family heirloom jade pendant I have counts as evidence?"

A young woman in a pink dress stepped gracefully into the front hall.

Hai Yao was completely dumbfounded, standing there blankly. How did she get here? Could it be that they had all conspired together?

Hai Yao's mind raced as he quickly analyzed the pros and cons; marrying Gu Ziying would greatly benefit his future career.

After all, her father was a second-rank official in the court, half a rank higher than her own father. He was the Minister of Revenue, wielding real power, and was an important official in the court.

The Gu family is wealthy and powerful, and Gu Ziying is the legitimate daughter; her dowry will be substantial, and he can squander it as he pleases once he receives it.

The Gu family doted on her and would only keep giving her more money.

Moreover, Gu Ziying is very beautiful. Although she's not his type, she's still quite nice. From all aspects, marrying her would be a sure win.

Zhelan was only interested in her because she was pretty, elegant, and refined—not a common, vulgar woman—and had a good figure; she was his type. He just wanted to play around with her and never had any real feelings for her.

If this one is gone, just look for the next one.

After weighing her options, Hai Yao coldly asked, "Who are you? How dare you steal my family heirloom jade pendant?"

Zhelan was stunned, took a step back, and looked at him with disbelief: "Steal? You kept saying you loved me, gave me your personal jade pendant, and said you would marry me when you returned to the capital, but it was all a lie."

Zhelan knew he was heartless, but she never expected him to be so shameless. All those days of affection had ultimately been wasted.

Hai Yao pointed at Zhe Lan and said, "Don't spout nonsense. I will only marry Zi Ying as my wife in this lifetime."

Looking at Zhelan, he said fiercely, "Who do you think you are?"

"I never knew my beloved granddaughter had suffered such an injustice!" A loud voice boomed as an elderly man with white hair entered.

Looking at Hai Yaoyi, his eyes held a murderous intent.

Zelan: "Grandfather, I miss you so much."

Zelan threw herself into the old man's arms, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

The old man's eyes softened: "My dear Lan'er, you've been wronged, why didn't you tell your grandfather? Your grandfather would definitely stand up for you."

Zelan didn't speak, she just kept sobbing.

Lord Gu quickly stood up: "Lord Ning, please take a seat."

After bowing, Zhelan stopped crying, her eyes red, and stood beside Lord Ning.

After looking around, Lord Ning could roughly understand the situation.

Lord Ning gave Hai Yaoyi a sharp look: "Now that we have both witnesses and physical evidence, what else do you have to say?"

Hai Yao's legs trembled as he stood there; he was exhausted. The relentless onslaught had left him utterly drained and mentally drained.

Now that Lord Ning has arrived, he's truly afraid that Lord Ning will kill him.

Hai Yao knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "I confess, I confess, it's all my fault."

Hai Daren also knelt down. He had always been a diligent and conscientious official, busy with official duties, but had rarely disciplined his son.

He had been deceived by his son for over twenty years, believing him to be a refined and upright person, yet discovering his unspeakable behavior and vehement lies.

He was filled with helplessness, and his eyes reddened: "Lord Ning, Lord Gu, it is my fault for failing to raise my son properly. I apologize to you on behalf of my son. As for the annulment of the engagement, just say to the outside world that my son was of bad character and unworthy of Miss Gu."

Lord Gu flicked his sleeve: "We'll return all the betrothal gifts to you; we don't care for them."

Lord Hai: "Lord Ning, I will definitely pay a visit to Miss Lan another day to apologize."

Lord Ning: "No need. I will explain the situation to the Provincial Education Commissioner and have him stripped of his Juren degree."

The student from Ocean University honestly replied, "Yes."

This is all his son deserves.

However, this completely ended Hai Yaoyi's political career.

Haiyao wilted upon hearing that the imperial examination system for successful candidates in the provincial examinations was abolished.

He wanted everything, but got nothing.

He has nothing left now, absolutely nothing.

Finally, Hai Yao was dragged out of the Gu residence by her father.

Looking at Lord Hai's back, which suddenly appeared ten years older, Lord Gu couldn't help but sigh, "Lord Hai has done a good job as an official, just like his father..."

Lord Gu: "Lord Ning, it's getting late. Would you like to stay and have lunch with us?"

Lord Ning waved his hand: "I'll take Lan'er back."

The four girls agreed to have lunch together tomorrow at noon.

[Ding~ Congratulations, host, for completing the hidden side quest: Dissolve the engagement between Gu Ziying and Hai Yaoyi. Quest reward: A copy of Sun Tzu's Art of War]

This system is really flawed. What use is Sun Tzu's Art of War to her? Is she supposed to go into battle and deploy troops?

Although Li Shuchen complained about Xiao Jizi, he felt quite pleased and returned to the inn with Grape at a brisk pace.

Once those vintage rose gold mirrors are sold out, it's time to put the renovation of the "top-tier" room on the agenda.

Li Shuchen was planning the layout of the top-tier room in the Sanbao Hall. When he returned home in the evening, he sought out Xiao'er to practice calligraphy. Perhaps because he was in a good mood, his calligraphy improved exceptionally well that day.

I drifted off to sleep, and when I woke up it was already 9 a.m.

After getting ready, I went to check out the inn; it was almost time to meet them.

Li Shuchen brought Grape to Xiangchi Tower, and the waiter, being very perceptive, led her to a private room.

The private room was reserved by Princess Changning, and Li Shuchen was the first to arrive.

Li Shuchen may not be good at anything else, but he's most enthusiastic about eating.

Not long after, Gu Ziying arrived in Zhelan.

It was obvious that Gu Ziying was in a good mood, with a faint smile always on her lips.

Princess Changning has also arrived. The dishes were ordered in advance and have all been served.

After everyone had eaten a couple of bites of food, Li Shuchen started to cause trouble.

She raised her small glass: "Come on, let's toast to Ziying and Zhelan recognizing the scumbag and successfully dumping him before things get out of hand!"

"Dry" *4

"A toast to my sister Ziying's successful annulment of her engagement and return to single life! Cheers to her freedom!"

"Dry" *4

"Zhelan didn't believe the sweet words of that scumbag and rationally extricated herself. Cheers!"

"Dry" *4

After three cups of wine, all four men had rosy cheeks.

I ate a few more bites of food

Gu Ziying raised her glass.

"This cup is a toast to Shu Chen. If you hadn't taken me to Jiangnan, I wouldn't have discovered his two-faced nature, or his schemes to break off my engagement, which led us to wear down his patience and reason one by one. Drink up."

Li Shuchen laughed: "We're good friends, and good friends will go to great lengths for each other."

Gu Ziying: "Yes, thank you," and then downed her glass.

Seeing that Gu Ziying had dried her food, Li Shuchen quickly made her a replacement.

Gu Ziying: "This cup is to Zhelan. When we went to find you, you didn't kick the three of us out. Thank you for trusting us."

Gu Ziying: "I've had mine, you can drink as you like."

Zhelan also lost money by drinking.

Gu Ziying: "This cup is to Princess Changning, to thank you for helping me find clues. I'll drink it."

Princess Changning felt a little embarrassed and also offered a cup of wine as compensation.

Zelan raised her glass: "Thank you for telling me the truth that day, otherwise I would still be kept in the dark."