The clingy concubine ran away, and the sickly prince lost control.

"Old Zhang, let's go." Luo Qingyan glanced into the depths of the alley. Luo Haitang wanted to compete with her in business. She wondered what he wanted to sell.

Half an hour later, Luo Haitang straightened her clothes and came out of the alley. She had to rush to Aunt Liu's place to learn skills. Touching her burning face, she thought to herself: Ye Hui is quite skilled. I can barely ignore his appearance. If I learn from Aunt Liu, I can practice on him.

Luo Haitang hurriedly went to Aunt Liu's place, the blush on her face had faded.

But Aunt Liu immediately knew what Luo Haitang had just done. She had really underestimated her.

"Girl, let's begin!"

Those in their line of work don't ask for names; they just need to be paid enough.

Aunt Liu had long since left the world, yet someone still came knocking on her door. When the people the young master had left for her inquired, they found out it was Luo Haitang, who had bullied Aunt Luo.

Despite her aching body, Luo Haitang obeyed Aunt Liu's instructions.

"Lower your waist a little more." Aunt Liu smacked Luo Haitang on the waist with a ruler.

Aunt Liu pretended not to know and deliberately made things difficult for her.

Luo Haitang gritted her teeth, silently chanting in her heart that it was all worth it, already fantasizing about trampling Luo Qingyan under her feet and making her beg for mercy.

Luo Qingyan returned to the Duke's mansion. Before even entering Linfeng Residence, she felt a chill in the air, so she slowed her pace.

"Are you doing something wrong?"

Pei Shiyuan's voice came from behind her, and Luo Qingyan immediately turned around with a smile: "Your Highness, I was afraid of disturbing you."

No wonder it felt chilly all around; it turns out the person was right next to me.

"Your Highness, you've already walked around the garden five times." Yuan Qing looked up at the sky, raised his voice, and deliberately said it for Luo Qingyan to hear.

"Your Highness, without you, I'm completely lost at Kangning Pavilion. Please come with me!"

"Okay." Yuan Qing replied immediately before Luo Qingyan finished speaking.

"Oh!" Pei Shiyuan unleashed a burst of internal energy, striking Yuan Qing.

Yuan Qing clutched his chest and screamed in pain.

Luo Qingyan pursed her lips; Pei Shiyuan was indeed angry.

"No time." Pei Shiyuan said coldly as he wheeled himself into Linfeng Residence.

Luo Qingyan quickly followed and went to the small kitchen to make tea and snacks for Pei Shiyuan.

"They thought of coming back to call him so quickly; at least they have some conscience." Pei Shiyuan chewed on his snack, the gloom in his eyes vanishing.

Yuan Qing, who was guarding outside the door, breathed a deep sigh of relief. The young master was like a chicken with its feathers standing on end. If Aunt Luo didn't come back soon, he would be scared to death.

How wonderful this would be! The two of them would be so affectionate, and the air wouldn't feel stuffy anymore.

"Young Master, the Old Madam requests your presence," announced Granny Zheng.

Luo Qingyan followed as usual, but then heard Zheng Mama say, "Madam Luo doesn't need to go."

Pei Shiyuan raised an eyebrow, sensing something amiss, and said coldly, "Let's go together."

Granny Zheng's expression shifted slightly, but she dared not refute.

Luo Qingyan sensed something was wrong, and it was related to her. She nervously accompanied Pei Shiyuan to Chaoyi Residence. Could it be that the old lady had changed her mind and didn't want her to run Kangning Pavilion, so she deliberately avoided her and spoke to Pei Shiyuan instead?

If that's the case, she'll accept it; at worst, she'll go back to working odd jobs at the clinic.

As soon as I entered the courtyard of Yi'anju, I heard laughter and cheerful voices coming from inside.

"Hui'er, I'm so glad you could come."

Who is Hui'er?

Luo Qingyan was unaware, but a cold voice rang out: "Cui Hui, the eldest daughter of the Cui family, Cui Rou's older sister."

Pei Shiyuan said, word by word.

Luo Qingyan immediately became serious. Could Pei Shiyuan read minds? How did he know what she was thinking?

"Oh." For a moment, he didn't know what to say, so he just made an "Oh" sound.

"Sister, I've missed you so much."

She recognized the voice; it was Cui Rou.

Pei Shiyuan frowned and went inside.

When the old lady saw that Luo Qingyan had also arrived, an embarrassed look appeared on her face.

Looking at the atmosphere in the room, Luo Qingyan knew without a second thought that after Cui Rou left, Cui Hui had arrived.

The old lady wanted a marriage alliance between Cui and Pei. Was the awkwardness because she felt apologetic towards her?

Actually, you don't need to.

She did indeed do a great service by saving Pei Shiyuan, but she never thought of using it to plot for the position of his legal wife.

The Luo family's social standing is no match for the Duke's mansion.

"Madam, I'll go get some tea."

If she leaves under some pretext, the old lady will think she's angry, so she can only stay to show her attitude and that she has no intention of competing.

Seeing that Luo Qingyan was poised and generous, without a trace of petty jealousy, the old lady smiled and nodded.

After pouring tea for the old lady, Luo Qingyan walked up to Cui Hui and said, "Miss Cui, please have some tea."

She was respectful, knowing full well that everything she did was simply to make a living for herself.

"You're too kind, Aunt Luo." Cui Hui took the tea and drank it all in one gulp.

Luo Qingyan overheard Cui Rou gossiping about Cui Hui behind her back, saying that she practiced martial arts all day long and was like a brute.

Meeting you today, I can see that Miss Cui is indeed a generous and forthright person.

Luo Qingyan returned to Pei Shiyuan's back.

"You think you can just pour tea?" Pei Shiyuan said coldly.

Luo Qingyan didn't care. She had to lower her posture to survive, unlike the Duke's son who was respected by everyone.

Across from her, Cui Rou picked up her teacup, her sinister gaze shooting towards Luo Qingyan.

One lash from her sister and Luo Qingyan would be crying for her parents.

When she was little, if she wasn't careful, Cui Hui would raise her whip to scare her, and sometimes she would actually hit her.

She's my own sister.

Who does Luo Qingyan think she is? She'd be beaten to death.

Pei Shiyuan greatly admired his sister's martial arts skills.

You, Luo Qingyan, can't replace me in this respect.

Luo Qingyan maintained a polite smile, ignoring Cui Rou's malice.

"Yuan'er, you and Rou'er are destined to be apart, but Hui'er shares your interests and both love martial arts. I had someone calculate that your birth charts are compatible, making you a perfect match," the old lady said with a smile.

Pei Shiyuan's illness was brought under control by the miracle doctor, and his health improved significantly. The old lady's complexion became increasingly rosy, and it was time to bring up the important matter of marriage.

The sooner the Duke's mansion has offspring, the more prosperous the family will be.

"no."

"no."

Cui Hui and Pei Shiyuan spoke at the same time.

"No, Aunt, I didn't come to the capital to get married. Didn't we agree..."

"Okay, I understand."

The old lady interrupted Cui Hui.

Cui Hui propped herself up on her lap, fuming as she pondered the situation.

Her parents and aunt conspired to deceive her, promising to come to the capital and give her freedom so she could find a job.

She is also preparing to participate in the martial arts tournament next month.

The old lady sipped her tea, not in a hurry. She first gave Cui Hui a heads-up, saying that it was impossible for a girl who spent all her time practicing martial arts to come to the capital to seek employment; there was no precedent for it.

"Hui'er, you can do whatever you want. Just stay in the Duke's mansion and relax."

That's more like it. Cui Hui looked at Pei Shiyuan, immediately frowned and glared at him. You're not happy? I won't. I was tricked into coming here.

Seeing that Luo Qingyan was sensible, the old lady said frankly, "Yuan'er, what's bothering you? Is Hui'er not good enough for you?"

No matter how great Luo Qingyan's kindness is, marriage still requires a good match in terms of social standing.

The Cui and Pei families continued their marriage alliance, supporting each other to ensure their continued prosperity.

"I'm still sick and might die any day now. I don't want to implicate anyone," Pei Shiyuan said coldly, staring straight ahead.

"Play the victim." Cui Hui suddenly stood up, holding the hilt of her sword against Luo Qingyan's chest. "You'd better hook up with this man."

Then he leaves gracefully; that deadbeat man even tries to play the victim.