"Heh, it was my men who took her away..." Luo Ruofeng merely smiled, pulling Ye Jingyu toward his study. A waiting maid had already presented hot towels to wipe their faces...

"Young Master..." Ye Jingyu was startled. Why would Luo Ruofeng take her? But before he could finish his question, Luo Ruofeng cut him off directly...

"Do you like my sister?" By this time, the two had reached Luo Ruofeng's study. The maids and servants had long since tactfully withdrawn, leaving only the two men in the room...

"This..." Upon hearing such a direct question from Luo Ruofeng, Ye Jingyu's face flushed with embarrassment. Although he was deeply fond of Luo Ling'er, she held the status of a Princess, while he? He was currently merely a Baron, with a status gap spanning more than several times their worth?

"Enough, enough! It's just the two of us here, why be shy?" Seeing Ye Jingyu's blushing face, Luo Ruofeng chided him sharply...

"Yes..." Since Luo Ruofeng had put it that way, there was no need for him to be overly coy.

Immediately, Ye Jingyu nodded heavily...

"To be honest, I figured out long ago that you were interested in my sister. But previously, I didn't believe you had the capability to marry her, so I never wished for you two to be together," Luo Ruofeng said plainly, looking directly into Ye Jingyu's eyes...

A wry smile touched Ye Jingyu's face. Back then, he was just a youth newly arrived in the capital, lacking status, strength, or position. How could he be qualified to marry Luo Ling'er? However, the fact that Luo Ruofeng could say this to his face didn't make Ye Jingyu feel depressed; rather, it brought him a sense of relief. At least Luo Ruofeng hadn't concealed anything...

"And now? Don't tell me you want us to be together now?" Ye Jingyu chuckled with a hint of bitterness...

"Heh, it's not that I want you two together now, but rather that you now possess the ability to marry my sister," Luo Ruofeng replied with a subtle smile...

"Oh? Although I earned some merit on the Western battlefield, I'm still just a minor Baron now. The Grand General of the Nation is indeed imposing, but besides those few thousand men under my command, I hold no other troops—it's just an empty title. What do I have to claim the Princess?" Ye Jingyu felt a flicker of curiosity...

"Being able to severely injure Mu Tianhu of the Mu family—is that strength not enough? Jingyu, we’ve known each other for so long, must you still hide these things from me?" Luo Ruofeng asked with a light smile...

Seeing Luo Ruofeng's confident expression and hearing his words, Ye Jingyu understood that the other party was already aware of his true strength. He hadn't expected that merely testing the power of the Zhentian Yin last night would attract such intense scrutiny from him...

"The assassination attempt last night was carried out by the First Young Master’s men, and the person who abducted Qin Yuting was also his. However, the person who carried out the abduction was my man," Luo Ruofeng continued, explaining why the First Young Master had chosen that moment to act...

It turned out that Qin Yan had originally sided with the First Young Master, promising to secretly gift the Bailian Jiandian to him if Ye Jingyu were killed. But who knew that Ye Jingyu would survive the disaster and return perfectly fine? Disappointed in the First Young Master, Qin Yan directly petitioned the Emperor, trading the Bailian Jiandian for his daughter's marriage to Ye Jingyu...

As for what Qin Yan’s true objective was, Luo Ruofeng couldn't quite figure it out...

Angered by this turn of events, the First Young Master naturally sought revenge, sending assassins to kidnap Qin Yuting. Those four Innate Martial Masters were merely bait intended to lure Ye Jingyu away...

However, the First Young Master never dreamed that the assassin he dispatched to abduct Qin Yuting would turn out to be Luo Ruofeng’s man. Of course, neither he nor Luo Ruofeng expected Ye Jingyu to run into Mu Tianhu of the Mu family, nor did they anticipate Ye Jingyu managing to kill Mu Tianhu so inexplicably...

"Why did you do this?" After hearing Luo Ruofeng’s explanation, Ye Jingyu felt a secret jolt of shock. Only now did he realize the extent of the formidable power this seemingly gentle and weak Young Master commanded in Yunjing. He truly had underestimated him before...

"Heh, once Qin Yuting disappears, do you think Father King’s imperial decree will still be issued?" Luo Ruofeng's face still held that faint, warm smile...

Ye Jingyu instantly understood. If the decree were issued, it would be an unrefusable marriage arrangement. Then, regardless of his willingness, Ye Jingyu would have to marry Qin Yuting, unless he defied the imperial order and stood against the entire Shu Yun Kingdom...

But now that Qin Yuting was missing, the bride was gone—how could the decree be issued? It wasn't as if Qin Yan could simply birth another daughter, was it?

Therefore, as long as Qin Yuting did not reappear, the marriage contract could never be finalized. As for the agreement between Qin Yan and his father, Luo Ruofeng wasn't worried either. Now that Qin Yan’s daughter was missing, the responsibility rested on Qin Yan's shoulders, having nothing to do with Luo Xiaofeng. Furthermore, the Bailian Jiandian could now be considered lost entirely...

This way, there was no need to fear Luo Xiaofeng flying into a rage...

"What about Qin Yuting?" Hearing this, Ye Jingyu felt a wave of gratitude. He realized that the most troublesome issue weighing on him had been resolved by Luo Ruofeng without him even asking...

"Rest assured, this Young Master wouldn't do anything as cruel as destroying a beautiful flower. I've arranged for people to send her away from Yunjing, and we'll deal with it after this storm passes. Of course, if you truly wish to marry her, I will immediately order her return," Luo Ruofeng said with a light chuckle...

"No, just keep her away. It’s truly unsafe for her to be in Yunjing," what Ye Jingyu meant by 'unsafe' was naturally the existing feud between him and Qin Yan...

"Heh, relax. Unless you give the word, she will absolutely not appear in Yunjing. But there will certainly be some minor troubles in the next few days, so be careful," Luo Ruofeng assured him...

"Thank you, Third Young Master..." Ye Jingyu nodded. He naturally knew what those "minor troubles" meant. After all, Qin Yuting was the daughter of Marquis Baiyun; her sudden disappearance couldn't possibly pass without some kind of ripple effect...

Everything unfolded as Ye Jingyu had anticipated. The Marquis Baiyun Residence didn't suspect Ye Jingyu much, as the identity of the assassins clearly pointed toward the First Young Master. Qin Yan secretly sought out the First Young Master that very day, but the First Young Master was consumed by anger and refused to offer any explanation. While he indeed harbored the intention of kidnapping Qin Yuting, his own subordinates had now vanished as well, leaving him no room to admit anything...

Because of this incident, the rift between the Marquis Baiyun and the First Young Master deepened further...

Just this single maneuver revealed Luo Ruofeng’s extraordinary capability—he had exploited a small situation to its absolute maximum effect...

Free from the constraints of the engagement, Ye Jingyu expected a period of ease, but he never imagined that after only a few days of tranquility, an imperial appointment from Luo Xiaofeng would leave him utterly bewildered...