Little did anyone know, the blame laid at Qi Shan's feet was truly undeserved.
Qi Shan protested his innocence. "How was I supposed to know she'd do something like this?"
Qin Li furrowed his brow. "You recommended her. Are you really saying you didn't instruct her to do this? Really? I don't believe you."
Qi Shan snapped, "Believe what you want!"
Even if he had no scruples, he would never have told one of his own people to abduct an enemy nation's soon-to-be Consort Captain and elope with him! When the news came back, he had been just as shocked as everyone else! It was utterly absurd: an envoy sent to collect a debt had fallen for the handsome young man hosting her, then, when she failed to collect, heartlessly abducted him and ran off.
Hearing Qi Shan say this, Qin Li nearly sneered and flung the memorial at his face. "If you didn't put her up to it, where did she get the nerve?"
Abducting the Prospective Imperial Son-in-Law Captain was only one of her minor offenses!
Yes, you read that right. It was only a minor offense!
During her mission, the envoy called Li Wan had been "acting like she owned the place" on foreign soil. She'd picked fights and provoked people, getting into seven or eight brawls—and that didn't even include embarrassing her hosts at the welcoming banquet. She could find fault with even a passing dog. Her way of collecting debts was straight out of the street toughs' playbook.
She might as well have plastered "If you're a real man, come try to kill me" across her face.
And—
Ning Yan looked over Li Wan's record, her temples throbbing.
"Isn't she called Li Wan?"
Ning Yan had kept an eye on the first three cohorts of