When Ming Lingyi heard this, she didn’t have a strong reaction, merely casting a sympathetic glance at Jiang Yuchuan.

To be so calculatedly manipulated by his own uncle must have been deeply disheartening for him.

His uncle was simply banking on the fact that Jiang Yuchuan would be too concerned for Miss Cai’s dignity and reputation to draw a clear line with her the moment they met. By not causing a public scene, Jiang Yuchuan had allowed his uncle to gain the upper hand.

It was a classic contest between a scoundrel and a gentleman.

And in this conspiracy, the scoundrel had simply outmaneuvered him.

At this point, even if Jiang Yuchuan came forward to explain, he would inevitably be the subject of gossip.

Xie Jupu had left Jiang Yuchuan with no choice at all.

Ming Lingyi had a rather strong impression of the name Qin Shiqi.

Of the famous Great Generals in the Dayan Dynasty today, there was one Confucian General guarding Shuo Bei. Like her father, he had been demoted by the previous dynasty and sent to the Lingnan region to quarry stone. The others were almost all Great Generals who had guarded the border with the Li Family Army for many years.

She had some impression of this Qin Shiqi as well.

In terms of seniority, he was an elder to Li Yun and had practically watched him grow up.

The man was a valiant and formidable warrior. Back then, he had followed the previous Emperor, fighting all the way from the Northern Desert to the Capital City. He often served as the vanguard and was one of the fiercest lances under the previous Emperor’s command.

Ming Lingyi’s impression of him was particularly strong because this General Huaihua had done something during the previous Emperor’s reign that nearly cost him his head.

Qin Shiqi was a Han Chinese, born and raised on the border. He wasn’t well-read, but he was born with immense natural strength.

Later, in the army camps, he earned a reputation as a formidable brute.

When the world descended into chaos, Qin Shiqi followed the previous Emperor, relying on his martial skill and dauntless, death-defying spirit to rack up one military honor after another.

He was part of the previous Emperor’s personal retinue.

Qin Shiqi’s eldest son was about the same age as Li Yun.

Compared to Qin Shiqi, who was "all brawn and no brains," his son, Qin Wenwu, was far more intelligent. From a young age, his father had hoped he would be "skilled in both literary and martial arts."

Qin Wenwu had fought alongside Li Yun many times. If Qin Shiqi was like a brother to the previous Emperor, then in terms of camaraderie, Qin Wenwu was much the same as a sworn brother to Li Yun.

When the Dayan Dynasty was first established, the previous Emperor granted Qin Shiqi the title of "General Huaihua" based on his merits. Qin Wenwu, who was in his prime, was appointed to guard the border and is now defending the Northwest Fortress.

On the battlefield, Qin Shiqi had once taken an arrow for the previous Emperor, injuring his right hand. Though many famous physicians had treated him over the years, it never fully healed. He couldn’t even lift the hundred-pound-plus Wolf Fang Club he once wielded.

The previous Emperor deeply valued this brother-in-arms. Furthermore, because Qin Shiqi had a history of "ably protecting the sovereign"—a great merit in itself—he was not severely punished even when he harassed a low-ranking concubine during a Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet for all the court officials.

The reason her impression of him was so strong was precisely because of that Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet.

Whether he was the Crown Prince or the Emperor, Li Yun never shied away from discussing court affairs and its people with her.

"Qin Shiqi is not a man who can be relied upon," Li Yun had said.

A subject who doesn’t truly see the Emperor as his sovereign and holds no reverence for imperial authority could never remain the Emperor’s trusted confidant.

How could someone in that position tolerate a subordinate who repeatedly fails to recognize his place and offends the throne?

An Emperor’s role is not one of endurance.

And Qin Shiqi had already committed a major taboo. Ming Lingyi knew that during the Heavenly Palace Banquet, Qin Shiqi had even blustered, "The Emperor and I are brothers! Not by blood, but closer than blood. What’s a woman? Women are like clothes! So what if I try on my brother’s clothes?"

Ming Lingyi couldn’t even imagine the look on her father-in-law’s face if those words had reached his ears in private.

Qin Shiqi was the Emperor’s "good brother," but before being a good brother, he was first and foremost the Emperor’s subject. He was supposed to obey the Monarch’s commands and regard his sovereign as heaven itself.

To say such a thing so openly clearly meant he had no regard for imperial authority whatsoever.

It was a direct challenge to the Royal Family’s authority.

Moreover, Ming Lingyi felt that this "women are like clothes" sentiment had no place in the Li family.

The Li family did not come from humble origins. It was one thing for them not to look down on Qin Shiqi for his coarseness, but how could they possibly condone such a shameless philosophy?

Unsurprisingly, the Qin Family had failed to advance their station in all these years.

Still, the Qin Family’s standing was by no means low.

"Then what do you plan to do, Lord Jiang? Are you going to go through with meeting this Miss Qin?" Ming Lingyi asked.

’It’s probably not a matter of him going to meet her, but of her wanting to meet him. After all, he has no desire to initiate this meeting himself.’

Jiang Yuchuan sighed.

He was so vexed by this matter that he had wandered here, finding himself at the entrance of Ming’s Restaurant without even realizing it.

He still hadn’t figured out what to do.

Before, he had broken off the engagement with the Cai family because he wanted to find a woman he truly loved to spend his life with. But now, the woman he loved could never be with him. It seemed it no longer made a difference whom he married.

"I’ve never met Miss Qin..." Jiang Yuchuan said. He figured most of the well-bred ladies in Shangjing City were cut from the same cloth; Miss Qin was likely perfectly conventional, with no discernible flaws.

Despite this thought, a part of him still felt unwilling to accept it.

"I don’t like being coerced," he continued. "Besides, this is unfair to Miss Qin."

To marry a woman he didn’t like... it was no different from his previous engagement to Miss Cai. Jiang Yuchuan felt it was irresponsible to the woman involved.

But now the situation had become one where if he didn’t agree to the marriage alliance with the Qin Family, he would be ruining Miss Cai’s future.

Jiang Yuchuan had sent men to his old hometown to investigate. The Cai family’s eldest son had developed a gambling addiction. Not only had he squandered the family fortune, but he had also gotten involved in a death at a gambling den.

If not for the Xie family’s intervention, the Cai’s eldest son would certainly be in prison.

Now, to save their eldest son, the Cai family had no choice but to use their daughter as a pawn.

Because of the broken engagement all those years ago, Miss Cai was almost twenty before another match was arranged for her.

But because of her family’s troubles, she was coerced by both the Xie family and her own kin into coming to Shangjing City, forcing her to call off that subsequent engagement.

Even if Jiang Yuchuan gave his uncle what he wanted, it would be difficult for Miss Cai to find a good family to marry into in the future. Besides, after two broken engagements, she was now completely disheartened.

Ming Lingyi could tell that Lord Jiang, a man known for his god-like insight in solving cases, was now a complete mess, with no idea what to do.

What Jiang Yuchuan didn’t know, however, was that a man like Qin Shiqi was used to getting his way. His daughter was not someone you could simply refuse to meet.

Xie Jupu had given Jiang Yuchuan no choice in the matter at all.