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

Shen Yu raised her hand and touched the bag of broken silver wrapped in layers of rags in her bosom. Her fingertips touched the hard silver ingots, and she silently began to do the math in her mind.

I earned ten taels of silver from selling mushrooms, exchanged them for five mace of silver at the money exchange, and got five hundred coins in return…

After careful consideration, Shen Yu decided to go back to the market to buy the chicken first, and then make other plans.

When she led Ya'er back to the market, the chaos had already subsided, but some overturned goods were still scattered on the ground, giving the scene a somewhat messy appearance.

Shen Yu quickly found a chicken vendor and saw that the elderly woman selling chickens was facing away from everyone, secretly wiping away tears with her sleeve. She tiptoed over and asked in a low voice, "Auntie, what's wrong? Have you encountered some difficulties?"

Because she deliberately lowered her voice, making it sound like a young man's, the old woman looked up at her, sighed, and complained with aggrieved tone, "Young man, you didn't see what happened just now! Several of my chicks died! Those people had a good fight, but it's terrible for us ordinary folks who run small businesses. Who will stand up for us?"

Shen Yu looked around and found that not only the old lady selling chickens, but also the vegetable and fruit vendors around her all looked worried, clearly suffering from the conflict.

She felt a pang of unease and muttered to herself: Although the Li family came after her, she didn't start the fight. I hope the Bodhisattva won't hold her responsible.

She pretended to be watching the commotion, then whispered, "What happened? Why is it so big?"

The old woman seemed to have finally found someone to confide in. She grabbed her arm and cursed while wiping away her tears: "It's all because of that heartless Li family! Their servants got into a fight with someone here, thinking that as usual, they could rely on the Li family's power to bully people without anyone daring to say a word."

"Who knew they'd run into a brick wall this time, a tough nut to crack! That man immediately started fighting them, beating the Li family's servants to a pulp!"

"But that hero is gone, and the Li family's servants have run away. In the end, it's us ordinary folks who suffer!"

Hearing this, the woman at the next stall quickly advised, "Auntie, you've only lost a few chicks, you're lucky. Listen to Aunt Zhao over there, she lost a rooster and two hens, and she's crying and cursing right now. Don't dwell on it."

Shen Yu remained silent for a moment, and sure enough, she heard a sharp cursing voice coming from not far away. Aunt Zhao was cursing with spittle flying everywhere, and she was very agitated.

She was about to step over to take a look when her aunt, afraid she would run away, grabbed her sleeve and said anxiously, "Young man, do you want to buy chickens? I'll give you a discount. Look at my chickens, they're all plump and healthy!"

Shen Yu immediately saw through the old woman's thoughts, deliberately feigning hesitation, and slowly said, "But I think that Aunt Zhao is more pitiful. Why don't I go and check on her first?"

Upon hearing this, her aunt rushed forward and grabbed her leg with such force that Shen Yu's brow twitched violently, and she gasped in pain.

"Young man, I'm pitiful too! How about I cry like Aunt Zhao, and you take a look at my chickens first?" the aunt pleaded, her voice trembling with tears. "You can pick any chicken you like. I guarantee in front of everyone that they'll be cheaper than usual, at least ten percent cheaper!"

Shen Yu immediately held up two fingers, her tone firm: "Twenty percent! If you dare to lie to me, I'll go ask Aunt Zhao for her price right away, and don't blame me for not buying your chicken then."

Aunt Du felt a sharp pang of heartache, but seeing Shen Yu's resolute expression, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and agree.

Finally, Shen Yu spent 100 coins to buy two hens that were laying eggs, and another 60 coins to pick out a plump rooster.

She asked the old woman to tie the three chickens with rope and throw them into the basket on her back. Then, carrying the basket, she and Ya'er continued strolling through the market.

She first picked out some bruised and inexpensive fruits and vegetables, and then bought some leafy greens that could be stored for several days, thinking that she could eat them when she got back.

No sooner had she stood in front of the pork stall than she heard a loud shout. Looking up, she saw that it was the Li family's servants rushing over menacingly again.

This time, a group of new faces arrived, led by the same person who had led the way before. They all had fierce and menacing expressions.

"Get out of the way! Get out of my way!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, spittle flying everywhere.

Shen Yu's heart jumped into her throat. She quickly pulled Ya'er behind the pork stall, pressed her down to squat, and deliberately lowered her head so that no one could see her.

She imitated the people around her, shrinking her neck and feigning fear on her face, not daring to even glance around, for fear of being recognized by the servants.

The servants' gazes swept across the crowd, but when they passed over her face, they didn't linger at all.

Shen Yu heard the servants angrily shouting, "She's just a girl, what makes her think she can fly or dive into the earth?"

"Let's go! Go to the main street and ask every house! That woman was with two children who looked like beggars; someone must have seen them! The master said that even if we have to turn Shanqing Town upside down, we have to bring them back today!"

"yes!"

"Men, split into two teams! One team goes to find the three siblings, and the other team goes to capture the guy in black with the sword!"

"They dare to act wildly in our Shanqing Town! They're practically defying the heavens! Today, we'll teach them a lesson they won't forget!"

"yes!"

As the group of servants spoke, they rudely overturned several roadside stalls before leaving amidst curses and swears.

Seeing this, the people began to whisper among themselves: "Judging from what they're saying, could it be that woman who sold mushrooms before?"

"I knew it was her fault! This is terrible!"

"If we're really caught by the Li family, it's no joke; we'll likely face certain death!"

"Get away from here quickly, lest you get yourself into trouble!"

Hearing these words, Shen Yu felt a chill run through her body, and she finally realized that the root of the trouble at the market was indeed herself.

She silently repeated "sin" to herself a few times, not daring to linger. She quickly spent fifty coins to buy a large piece of pork fat, and pulled Ya'er away from the market.

Meanwhile, inside the Mingyue Tower, Prince Yu was waiting for Bai Yi to report the situation.

Bai Yi knelt on one knee, head bowed, pleading for forgiveness: "Master, I have failed in my duties; please punish me!"

But Prince Yu showed no sign of anger; all he could think about was the girl who sold mushrooms.

Although they stayed in Shanqing Town to investigate the assassin, they have made no progress so far, but Prince Yu's mind is no longer on this matter.

"You're saying she was selling mushrooms at the market with her two younger siblings? The Li family is most averse to mushrooms, yet she sold them all to the manager of Mingyue Tower?" Prince Yu couldn't help but laugh, his tone full of amusement. "Haha, interesting, what an interesting woman!"

Bai Yi secretly glanced at Bai Er beside him. Both of them looked bewildered, unable to understand why the prince would care so much about a country girl.

Prince Yu suddenly stood up and strode outside, saying, "Let's go try the mushrooms the siblings picked!"

"You didn't want me to eat them? I'm going to try them anyway, I want to eat the mushrooms you picked yourself!" He muttered to himself as he walked, his steps hurried, which made the two guards even more confused—when did their prince start liking mushrooms?

Just as we sat down, the cured meat and mushroom soup pot was brought to the table, but suddenly a commotion came from downstairs outside the window.

Bai Yi quickly peeked out and reported back, "Your Highness, the Li family has found the woman's trail and is causing trouble downstairs."

Prince Yu glanced at the mushrooms in the pot and casually waved his hand: "Clean it up, don't let them disturb my meal."

"Yes!" Bai Yi bowed and accepted the order, then pushed open the window and jumped down.

He landed downstairs, sword in hand, his eyes coldly fixed on the Li family's servants: "What do you want? Bring it on!"

As he spoke, he suddenly drew the sword from his waist. The blade flashed coldly, intimidating everyone who dared not step forward.

Shen Yu, who happened to be passing by, witnessed this scene and was terrified. She grabbed Ya'er and ran away, with only one thought in her mind: This is too dangerous! This Shanqing Town is too dangerous! I can never bring the child out again!