"Miss Qianhan, this must be your younger sister?"
Jiang Lan's gaze swept past the Su Family Patriarch, Su Changkong, before settling on Su Qingyao, who stood beside him.
"Yes."
Su Qinghan replied softly, her eyes lowered. Her simple white dress fluttered in the breeze, making her appear exceptionally calm.
Jiang Lan smiled. "In that case, I must admit I'm curious. Your sister is standing right here, isn't she? So why were you so certain that I was the one who had her abducted? Could it be that in the eyes of the Su Family, I am just some scoundrel who acts with impunity, scorns imperial authority, and tramples upon the law?"
The expressions of everyone from the Su Family, including Su Changkong, changed drastically. Many were overcome with terror.
If that accusation were to stick, the Su Family would be finished today.
Many of them had no idea what was going on, why their live-in son-in-law, Lin Fan, was here, or why he had caused such a massive commotion.
Steeling himself, Su Changkong quickly explained, "Young Master Jiang, you've misunderstood. No one in the Su Family has ever thought such a thing. This is all just a misunderstanding."
"Qingyao was actually taken by a mysterious Fairy whose face was veiled in light gauze. That Fairy was incredibly powerful. She happened to be passing through Yu Yi City, and upon seeing Qingyao's excellent innate talent and aptitude, she wanted to forcibly take her back to her Sect for training."
"But Qingyao resisted so strongly, refusing to be taken away, that the Fairy had no choice but to bring her back to the Su Family. Before she left, the Fairy left a Token so that Qingyao could find her in the future..."
With his explanation, Zhao Tianhe and the others finally understood. The matter really had nothing to do with Jiang Lan at all.
He had ended up taking the blame for that mysterious Fairy, suffering a completely undeserved calamity.
'So we really did misunderstand him? This feels wrong...'
Zhao Dieyi was also stunned, finding it hard to believe.
Although she had no fondness for Jiang Lan, she was a reasonable person. She knew that in this matter, Lin Fan was completely in the wrong.
Although Lin Fan was trying his best to remain calm, the expression on his face grew increasingly grim.
He was clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
He simply refused to believe that things could be this coincidental.
In front of the Snow Moon Pavilion, Jiang Lan's guards had blocked the entrance, forbidding anyone from setting foot inside. They had even shouted that no one was to disturb their young master's "good time"...
'Wasn't that just blatantly telling everyone that he was the one who had abducted Su Qingyao?'
'Could it be that Jiang Lan did it on purpose?'
At this moment, even Zhao Tianhe, who had wanted to protect Lin Fan, fell silent, at a loss for words.
Even if he wanted to protect Lin Fan, he couldn't. The tide had turned against them so completely that if he dared to say another word, he would likely be seen as openly opposing the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Who could have known such a coincidence was possible? No sooner had Jiang Lan arrived in Yu Yi City than the Su Family's second young miss was abducted from her academy.
On top of that, Jiang Lan had an infamous reputation. In the Imperial Capital of Great Xia, he was known to bully men and abduct women, showing no regard even for the Royal Family and Relatives.
So in a small place like Yu Yi City, wouldn't he be even more lawless? Abducting a young woman would be perfectly normal for him, wouldn't it?
Furthermore, the Su Family's second young miss, Su Qingyao, was pure and beautiful—a peerless belle whose fame was known for thousands of miles around.
All this made it inevitable that people would suspect he was the one who sent men to abduct her.
Jiang Lan set down his teacup, rose from his seat in the pavilion, and walked over. A faint, self-mocking smile touched his handsome, albeit slightly pale, face.
"The prejudice of others... once it takes root, does even breathing become a crime?"
"Well, it's your own fault for doing so many evil things..."
Hearing this, however, Zhao Dieyi's voice faltered, and she trailed off, unsure of what to say.
Perhaps realizing that she was sounding uncharacteristically timid.
She abruptly tilted her slender, fair neck, her tone becoming firm and cold once more. "Don't even try to whitewash yourself. In my eyes, you're nothing but a shameless, great villain, rotten to the very core."
Just moments ago, right in front of her grandfather, Jiang Lan had demanded she "accompany" him for a few days. And yet, she now found herself inexplicably softening toward him.
Zhao Dieyi wanted to pinch herself hard to snap out of it.
Jiang Lan just smiled, completely unconcerned. "Whitewash myself? I am as pure as ice and jade, with ambitions that soar beyond the heavens. Why would I ever need to be whitewashed?"
Undisguised contempt filled Zhao Dieyi's bright, clear eyes.
'Does he even believe his own words?'
'Lying to himself is one thing, but does he really think he can fool everyone else?'
'Just go and ask around in the Imperial Capital Jingyang City. Is there any young lady who doesn't scramble home in fear at the mere mention of his name, terrified she'll be his next target?'
Jiang Lan continued in that same leisurely tone, "As for the matter of my supposed advances on Miss Qianhan, that is also a complete fabrication."
"Our interactions have been completely innocent and proper. We were merely here discussing art and enjoying tea. I fail to see which law of the Great Xia we have broken that would cause this Lin to try and kill me on sight."
"I suspect his anger is merely a pretense for his true intention: to assassinate me. For years, my father has served the Great Xia dynasty with utmost diligence and loyalty, yet he has faced numerous assassination attempts from vile conspirators. While my own talents pale in comparison to my father's, I, too, have faced more than a few assassins over the years..."
"Furthermore, I've learned from Miss Qianhan that this Lin has been lying low in Yu Yi City for many years, posing as a worthless live-in son-in-law. He endured endless humiliation, insults, and ridicule, all while gladly hiding his true cultivation. What, I ask, could be his motive for doing so?"
"If Ying hadn't been protecting me from the shadows, I'm afraid this Lin would have actually succeeded in taking my head today."
As he spoke, Jiang Lan's tone became laced with insinuation.
"If all of this is truly a coincidence, then I would very much like to know: why was the second young miss of the Su Mansion abducted the very moment I arrived in Yu Yi City? And why was it so perfectly arranged to make everyone believe *I* was the one who did it? Was it simply to give you the perfect excuse to attack me?"
"If I were to die by your hand today, would the second young miss of the Su Mansion then vanish from the face of the earth? How convenient. Dead men tell no tales, after all."
At these words, even Ying, who stood before Jiang Lan with his blade drawn in constant protection, was stunned for a moment.
When he recovered, a thick killing intent flooded his face, and he glared fixedly at Lin Fan.
If Jiang Lan hadn't suddenly laid it all out, he might never have realized all the suspicious details and coincidences surrounding the day's events.
So many convenient "coincidences" piling up at once was more than enough to arouse suspicion.
The expressions of everyone present also changed dramatically, a mixture of shock and uncertainty on their faces.