I won't be a prince's concubine; I'll cook delicious food and raise two villainous cu

Prince Yu stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning, his heart filled with turmoil: he was the fifth son of the late Emperor of the Great Li Dynasty, the dignified Prince Yu, yet he was disliked and despised by a country girl.

He considered himself gentle and refined, handsome, and possessing a refined and elegant appearance, comparable to the dashing Pan An who threw fruit at someone.

Throughout the entire Joseon Dynasty, who did not know the name of King Yu? From noble ladies of high birth to ordinary young women in the capital, who did not wish to catch a glimpse of his charm and win his favor? If one were fortunate enough to become a concubine in his household, it would be a joyous occasion that would bring celebration to the entire clan!

Even now, in his impoverished state, living in a rural village home and dressed in coarse linen clothes, his refined and noble demeanor is still undeniable.

But why did this village girl treat him like this? Was she truly foolish, or was she deliberately playing hard to get to win his attention? If it was the latter, then she had undoubtedly succeeded; but if it was the former, how could she utter such insightful words as "following her heart"?

After a brief moment of anger, Prince Yu gradually calmed down and found the family increasingly strange.

Something was off from Li Xiaoyun onwards. Despite clearly seeing that he was of extraordinary status, she refused his request for help. Didn't she know that by seizing the opportunity with a powerful person, she could rise to wealth and status in one step?

As for the young Li Erlang, in this desolate mountain village, he was able to study diligently. Without a school or teacher, where did he get the books and who taught him knowledge?

Prince Yu overheard a few words of what he was reading and was shocked—there were very few young noblemen in the capital who possessed such a level of knowledge!

If he truly became a self-taught genius without any guidance, wouldn't Li Erlang be a genius?

Knowing that one should study and be polite, and aspiring to a career in government, why would one turn away the opportunity to meet influential people?

Prince Yu was certain that this seemingly ordinary mountain family actually harbored deep scheming. Either they wanted to find a way to gain his attention, or the young woman wanted to play hard to get so he would look at her differently.

Prince Yu snorted coldly, wanting to see what other tricks this family could pull.

He returned to the courtyard with a gloomy face, only to hear Li Erlang's clear reading voice. The woman went into the kitchen again, and from inside came her and Li Shuoya's cheerful, cheerful laughter.

Just as Prince Yu was about to step towards the kitchen, intending to test the young woman's intentions, Li Xiaoyun's loud voice suddenly rang out from behind him: "Young Master, please stop!"

He turned around and saw Li Xiaoyun walking briskly towards him, scrutinizing him sharply, as if she could see right through his desire to go to the kitchen.

Prince Yu felt a sudden pang of guilt, and his face flushed with unease. Yet, he thought to himself, "How absurd! Even if I, Prince Yu, am a womanizer, I would never tarnish my reputation for this country girl!"

He immediately tried to distance himself, saying, "I... had no other intentions."

Li Xiaoyun remained indifferent, completely ignoring his explanation. He simply said, "Young Master, the village chief of Chenjia Village at the foot of the mountain has come with his servants to fetch you. Whatever trouble you may have, you can ask him for help."

Upon hearing this, Prince Yu was greatly shocked and blurted out, "You!"

He instantly realized that Li Xiaoyun was in a hurry to get rid of him and had entrusted him to someone else before his subordinates even came looking for him.

Prince Yu was extremely annoyed, realizing he had completely misjudged the situation. This family wasn't hiding any ulterior motives at all; they were clearly a bunch of complete fools and idiots!

He was so angry that veins bulged on his forehead, and his usual composure vanished. He raised his voice and demanded sharply, "Do you know who I am? How dare you act like this!"

Under heaven, all land belongs to the Zhang family. How dare this villager be so audacious and ignorant of etiquette, committing such a rebellious act that he should be driven away! Having been neglected and belittled several times, coupled with the woman's undisguised disgust, Prince Yu was thoroughly enraged.

Facing the enraged Prince Yu, Li Xiaoyun remained neither servile nor arrogant, simply cupping his hands and asking, "May I ask what your identity is, sir?"

Li Xiaoyun's dark eyes were sharp as he met Prince Duan's gaze without backing down, his eyes filled with speculation, doubt and scrutiny.

Prince Yu gradually calmed down under his complex gaze, naturally not revealing his identity here, and simply sneered: "What a rustic Li Xiaoyun!"

With that, he turned and strode away.

Just then, the village chief and Da Niu came up the mountain.

The village chief had previously heard from Li Xiaoyun and Li Dalang that a benefactor in distress had come to their home, but Li Dalang claimed that he was just Li Xiaoyun and could not help.

Upon hearing this, the village chief felt it was a great opportunity. He believed that if he could help the benefactor, he would surely benefit in the future, so he immediately led his men to the scene.

As soon as they reached the top of the mountain, they encountered Prince Yu, who was angrily preparing to leave. Although he was dressed in coarse cloth, Prince Yu's noble bearing and appearance revealed his extraordinary status.

The most distinguished person the village chief had ever met in his life was a wealthy man from the village, but compared to Prince Yu, that man was not even worth half a finger.

The village chief was thrilled and quickly stepped forward with a beaming smile: "Young master, I am the village chief of Chenjia Village at the foot of the mountain. Please do me the honor of staying at my humble abode so that I may extend my hospitality."

"Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any needs, young master."

Looking at the village chief's humble and obsequious manner, Prince Yu finally felt relieved—this was the proper attitude of ordinary people when they met a nobleman. On the contrary, the Li Xiaoyun family treated him like a monster, avoiding him like the plague. What an extremely ignorant bunch of fools! They deserve to be trapped in these deep mountains for the rest of their lives, and it would be best if they never appeared in front of him again!

"This is a reward for you!" Prince Duan threw down the thumb ring in his hand as compensation to settle accounts with this family.

The village chief looked at the ring, feeling a pang of heartache, but the thought of the greater benefits it would bring deepened his smile.

Yu Wang was invited down the mountain by the village chief, and Da Niu quickly put down his basket and followed him.

Shen Yu listened in the kitchen for a long time, and only after confirming that the scoundrel had really left did she lead Li Shuoya out of the kitchen.

Just then, Li Erlang also went out to investigate. The two exchanged a glance and both noticed that Prince Duan was no longer in the courtyard.

In the quiet courtyard, Li Xiaoyun was already busy at work, with living creatures moving around in the bamboo basket next to her.

Li Erlang curiously leaned closer to take a look, and was instantly startled, jumping back a step and shouting in terror, "A chicken!? Brother! How come we have a chicken in our house?"

His face was filled with terror, he was almost scared out of his wits, and even his voice changed.

Upon seeing this, Shen Yu couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Erlang, so you're afraid of chickens? Hahaha, you're actually afraid of chickens!"

No wonder Shen Yu found it funny. Li Erlang was always sharp-tongued and confrontational with her, and he pretended to be mature beyond his years. Now that she had finally found out what he was afraid of, how could she not tease him?