Chapter 27

Lan Ling said, "Why is such a large earl's mansion down to just this much money?"

Suo Ningbing replied bitterly, "I had to bribe Duke Zhiting, and I have already handed over my last assets."

Lan Ling said, "Is it still in time to go back to our territory and ask my brother Suo Han Yi for money? Or, we could ask my future father-in-law for a loan; he owes our Suo family a great debt."

Suo Ningbing said, "It's too late. Suo Big Brother doesn't have that much money; he has to support an army of ten thousand. Your father-in-law, the City Lord of Guixing, certainly has that much money, but it's over three thousand miles from here to Linhai City. Even at the fastest speed, it would take at least five days to get there. And we only have two days left until the deadline for repayment."

Once the two days are up, these two creditors will sue Duke Zhiting in the royal city's court. The Suo family will have completely and utterly offended Duke Zhiting.

Of course, you might ask how a casino owner and a gold shop owner could be so bold as to dare to sue a duke.

The reason is simple: they have the support of the future crown prince, Prince Zhili.

Immediately, Lan Ling thought of a terrifying fact. That is, all the events—Suo Lun saving his ex-girlfriend, Suo Lun paying a sky-high price for the Dragon Emperor's calligraphy—were all part of Princess Zhining's plan. She had dug a pit for him.

Even though these traps might not be effective, she still dug them. Moreover, she had already taken precautions against the possibility of Suo Lun not dying and the Suo family seeking help by bribing Duke Zhiting.

If this were true, then this woman is almost as cunning as a demon.

A woman so beautiful, so intelligent, and so ruthless is far more terrifying than a venomous snake.

This second move by Princess Zhining is like cutting off the fuel supply, directly leading the Suo family to their doom.

In short, it's a dead end. There's no way the Suo family can gather 3,900 gold coins in two days.

Moreover, at this critical moment, no one in the royal city would dare lend even a single gold coin to the Suo family. Whoever lends money will offend Prince Zhili. In the entire royal city, who dares to oppose Prince Zhili except Duke Zhiting?

He is the de facto crown prince and the future king. Who dares to offend him? The whole family will be wiped out.

...

Lan Ling came to the living room and saw the two creditors, one thin and one fat, and said with a cold smile, "Why didn't you come to collect the debt earlier?"

The owner of the gold shop quickly stood up and said, "I don't have the nerve to come to the earl's mansion to collect the debt early. Even today, I'm just here to remind you, so that the young earl doesn't forget the past."

Lan Ling said, "If I don't pay within two days, you will sue Duke Zhiting in the royal city's court, right?"

"Hehe..." The owner of the gold shop laughed, neither confirming nor denying.

Lan Ling said, "Alright, I understand. You can go now."

The two creditors stood up, bowed again, and said, "Please take care, young earl. Pay the money within two days to avoid putting us in a difficult position."

With that, they backed out of the earl's mansion, their attitude extremely respectful, but their hearts full of malice and contempt.

We are just setting a trap for the Suo family, and we are going to put you to death.

After the two creditors left, the earl's mansion fell into a deathly silence.

"Suling, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have involved you. You have such high talent and should have a bright future, but now you are trapped in this dead end of the Suo family," Suo Ningbing said softly. "Listen to your sister's advice, go to the Nine Spirits Shaman and get your face changed back. Go back to being yourself."

After Suo Ningbing finished speaking, Ye Jingyu did not say anything but hung her head.

At the time, she brought Lan Ling to the royal city to impersonate Suo Lun, thinking it was a simple matter of directly inheriting the title. She never expected it to be so treacherous and complicated.

Prince Zhili, to achieve his strategic goals, must take control of Tianshui City. The Suo family is just an innocent pawn.

What about Suo Lun pursuing Princess Zhining and offending the royal family? It's all nonsense. Suo Lun's pursuit of Princess Zhining was likely due to her secret provocations and enticements.

This is truly a dead end, and it will cost lives. At least Lan Ling might die.

After hearing Suo Ningbing's words, Lan Ling was not agitated or angry but said calmly, "Sister, I've been an orphan since childhood and don't even know who my parents are. My sister is called Lan Kou, so I'm called Lan Ling, and I follow my sister's surname."

Taking a deep breath, Lan Ling said, "Now, my sister is called Suo Ningbing, so I have to change my surname to Suo."

With that, Lan Ling knelt down and said, "From now on, my name is Suo Lun. There is no longer a Lan Ling in this world, only Suo Lun. If anyone calls me Lan Ling, I will stab myself."

His words were very calm but resolute.

Suo Ningbing and Ye Jingyu were deeply moved.

"Suling, you..." Suo Ningbing said.

"Lan Ling, you..." Ye Jingyu said.

Both were at a loss for words.

Before Ye Jingyu could finish speaking, Lan Ling quickly pulled out a small knife and stabbed it into his leg.

Instantly, blood gushed out, and Lan Ling's face twitched, but he did not change his expression.

Suo Ningbing cried out in pain, tears streaming down her face, and quickly rushed over to embrace Lan Ling. With one hand, she tore off his pants and carefully but decisively pulled out the knife.

At the same time, Ye Jingyu rushed into the room and brought out medicine and thread.

Suo Ningbing gently and meticulously applied the medicine to Lan Ling's leg wound and then carefully stitched it up.

After finishing, Suo Ningbing's hands were covered in blood, and she stared at Lan Ling, saying softly, "You're so foolish."

"You used to say that to me a lot," Lan Ling said with a smile, referring to his sister Lan Kou on Earth, but in his heart, they were the same person.

Suo Ningbing stroked Lan Ling's face and said softly, "Alright, I won't say such things anymore. For this lifetime, we will still depend on each other. If someone wants to kill us, we will die together."

"Alright," Lan Ling said softly.

...

"Sister, we won't give in. Even though our enemies are unprecedentedly powerful, I will not compromise or surrender," Suo Lun said firmly. "No matter what, the bandits cannot take Tianshui City from me; it is the foundation of our Suo family."

Suo Ningbing said softly, "Alright, I'll follow your lead."

Ye Jingyu said, "But we can't get through this current crisis. When those two creditors sue Duke Zhiting in court, it will be our end."

Gathering 3,900 gold coins in two days is an impossible task.

Lan Ling closed his eyes and thought of countless methods.

Although he is a liberal arts student, he still has a basic understanding of science. Using Earth's golden finger to earn 3,900 gold coins is not impossible, but it requires time.

Earning that much money in two days is a dream.

It's like a penniless person on Earth trying to earn a hundred million in two days; even robbing a bank wouldn't work.

It's easy to imagine that every powerful family and every rich person in the royal city has already received a warning from Prince Zhili's forces. Suo Lun cannot get a single gold coin from them.

What method can be used to gather 3,900 gold coins in two days? Or nearly 200,000 silver coins, or 70 to 80 million copper coins?

After thinking for nearly an hour, he still had no solution.

Suddenly, Suo Lun's eyes lit up, and he said, "Who was the closest prostitute to the previous Suo Lun?"

"Yiman from Yuhua Pavilion," Ye Jingyu said.

Lan Ling said, "Was she a lover?"

Ye Jingyu said, "At first, she was a lover, but later she became a close friend. Their relationship was very good. Do you want to borrow money from her? It's impossible. Although she is very popular, her entire fortune wouldn't exceed 300 gold coins."

Lan Ling stood up and said, "Sister, I'm going out. I will gather 3,900 gold coins by tomorrow."

Earning 3,900 gold coins in one day? How is that possible? Is Lan Ling delirious?

Ye Jingyu, being straightforward, was filled with doubt.

Although she couldn't imagine how Lan Ling would do it, Suo Ningbing did not show any doubt and nodded gently, "Alright, I'll wait for you at home."

...

Suo Lun took Ye Jingyu to one of the largest brothels in the royal city, Yuhua Pavilion!

Not long after he left, an unexpected visitor arrived at the Tianshui Earl's mansion. The visitor was completely covered in a black cloak and entered through the back door, followed by a bodyguard, who was an absolute expert.

Soon, Suo Ningbing met the unexpected visitor.

She lifted the black cloak, revealing a face so beautiful it took one's breath away. It was none other than Princess Zhining, the mastermind behind the Suo family's downfall.

Standing together, the two beautiful faces were equally stunning, making everything else in the room pale in comparison.

Suo Ningbing was slightly startled. She never imagined that Princess Zhining would visit, and in such a mysterious manner.

...

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