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

Cui Hui? I just had a fight with Pei Shiyuan this morning. What a small world! We ran into each other again tonight.

Luo Qingyan turned to leave, but saw Pei Shiyuan looking in one direction, about to walk over.

Shen Nanxun?

Luo Qingyan followed the gaze and realized she was no longer nervous because Shen Nanxun and Pei Shiyuan had become friends.

Now there's no way to pull Pei Shiyuan away.

She could only glance at Cui Hui out of the corner of her eye, using her body to shield them as much as possible from seeing each other.

"Brother Shen." Pei Shiyuan called out when he saw that Shen Nanxun hadn't seen him.

Perhaps due to the noise of the crowd, Shen Nanxun still couldn't hear it.

Luo Qingyan and Pei Shiyuan looked at Shen Nanxun with suspicion, only to see him head straight for Cui Hui's table.

Cui Hui stood up and politely cupped her hands in greeting.

Luo Qingyan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Young Master, did you book a private room?"

It's best not to eat in the lobby; it's rather awkward.

If there are no private rooms available, it's a good excuse not to eat there.

"Should I book a private room?" Pei Shiyuan's long eyelashes fluttered as he headed upstairs.

The Duke's Mansion always has private rooms at Wanfulou Restaurant.

"Your Highness, please." The servant led the way.

Once inside the private room, I opened the window and could see Cui Hui and Shen Nanxun's table.

Seeing Pei Shiyuan staring at her with a frown, Luo Qingyan thought to herself, "Only when you lose something do you realize how unwilling you are to accept it."

I was just asking her if she was reliable, and she couldn't hold on any longer.

Men, ha, they're all the same.

No one can rely on the old lady.

Pei Shiyuan renovated her shop and even gave her a garden. He also hired a doctor from the Jiang family for her. She was momentarily confused and infatuated, but the breeze helped her stay sober.

A man's love is fan-shaped, spreading widely.

Poor men can't afford to be philanthropic, but someone like Pei Shiyuan, who wants to be more loving, can.

"Will Cui Hui speak ill of me to Shen Nanxun?" Pei Shiyuan glanced outside, suddenly pulling Luo Qingyan back to reality.

What?

Pei Shiyuan was worried that Cui Hui would try to sow discord between him and Shen Nanxun.

"Miss Cui is upright and honest, not that kind of person." Luo Qingyan smiled, but felt a sudden surge of joy. She then realized that Pei Shiyuan's gaze was on Shen Nanxun, not Cui Hui.

"Do you know her?" Pei Shiyuan stared at Luo Qingyan. Shen Nanxun was a probationary official in the Hanlin Academy. After several conversations, he found that this person was knowledgeable and had real talent. Compared with this year's top scholar, Shen Nanxun's perspective and ideas on policy were more unique. He was a person worth befriending.

Cui Hui, being petty and speaking ill of him, ruined Shen Nanxun's impression of him.

I only got slapped by him this morning, it's nothing serious.

On the other hand, Cui Hui should thank him for not marrying her.

If he insists on marrying her, how long can Cui Hui remain arrogant?

"I understand. Look." Luo Qingyan pulled the dagger hairpin that Cui Hui had given her from her hair, straightened it, and pointed the blade at Pei Shiyuan. "Young master, please don't be rude."

Haha!

Luo Qingyan smiled and sheathed her sword.

"Your Highness, in the time I've known Miss Cui, I don't think she's the kind of person who would badmouth someone behind their back."

Cui Huizhen doesn't want to marry Pei Shiyuan, so she doesn't need to worry about their relationship and can speak freely.

She was previously hesitant and timid because she didn't understand Cui Hui's feelings for Pei Shiyuan. Women are often trapped by love and lose their reason. Now, Cui Hui would rather die than submit. She doesn't talk about love but only about the matter at hand. Cui Hui is truly a free and easy woman.

Pei Shiyuan's furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

"Young Master, do you know? Miss Cui has a wall of improved weapons, and she introduced them to me one by one. I find them amazing. Take a close look at this dagger."

Luo Qingyan handed over the dagger, which Pei Shiyuan examined closely before drawing the blade and hurling it at the bronze lampstand. The lampstand broke in two and fell to the ground.

"Your Highness, am I right? Would you like to take a look at that wall of weapons?" Luo Qingyan raised her chin, as proudly as when Cui Hui showed them to her.

"You like it?" Pei Shiyuan asked, returning the dagger that Yuan Qing had picked up.

Luo Qingyan accepted it like a precious treasure, "Of course I like it."

"Then let Cui Hui bring me a wall full of weapons to take a look. The daggers are alright, but any craftsman with a decent skill can make them, so they're nothing special."

Pei Shiyuan's gaze was indifferent.

Luo Qingyan choked. How was she supposed to take all those weapons from that wall? It was a real problem.

Cui Hui is a strong-willed person and would never do something so humiliating.

She suggested that Pei Shiyuan go see her so that he could see Cui Hui's abilities and give her a helping hand.

Recently, Cui Hui has been running around, and her face looks tired and she has gotten a bit darker. Although she and Pei Shiyuan are not husband and wife, they are still relatives, so she will help him if she can, since she is not without the means.

"Young Master, if you don't want to see them, that's fine. There are too many weapons to handle. I often deliver meals to Miss Cui, so you can see them anytime you want. You can even eat with her and chat about the amazing features of the weapons she makes."

Luo Qingyan responded with a faint look in her eyes.

Pei Shiyuan glanced coldly at Luo Qingyan. Ever since Luo Qingyan came to the Duke's mansion, she had been the one to accompany him to every meal.

He felt uneasy whenever Luo Qingyan wasn't at a meal, and he also felt annoyed at himself for being so spineless.

Luo Qingyan was quite shrewd; she used the issue of dinner to threaten him.

In any case, he didn't care about Cui Hui's affairs.

A table was soon filled with dishes.

"Young Master, you've ordered so much, we can't possibly finish it all," Luo Qingyan said.

"Eat slowly." Pei Shiyuan chewed slowly, glancing out the window every now and then.

Luo Qingyan lowered her eyes and started eating by herself, too lazy to care about Pei Shiyuan's petty grievances.

These are all her favorite dishes, so she can enjoy a delicious meal today.

Pei Shiyuan looked outside, and Luo Qingyan occasionally glanced at him as well: "Hmm? Who's that?"

Luo Qingyan saw a woman looking up. She didn't notice at first, but when she turned around, she felt something was off and turned her head back.

The woman had already turned around and was heading upstairs.

Pei Shiyuan seemed not to notice that anyone was looking at him.

After a while.

"Your Highness." The woman walked through the corridor by the window and greeted Pei Shiyuan.

"Yan Ning?" Pei Shiyuan finally noticed the person in front of him. "Didn't you go to Jiangnan?"

"I couldn't get used to staying in Jiangnan, so I came back." Yan Ning spoke gently, wearing a gold-embroidered jacket and her hair tied up in a high bun, exuding elegance and poise.

Luo Qingyan saw that this was the noble lady she had imagined.

"Summer in Jiangnan is characterized by heavy plum rains and high humidity, making it less comfortable than the long spring and autumn seasons in Beijing."

Luo Qingyan stared at Pei Shiyuan's face. She saw that his tone was serious and calm, a side of him she had never seen before, which once again woke her from her infatuation.

A woman as noble and elegant as Yan Ning is truly worthy of being Pei Shiyuan's wife.

In that instant, Luo Qingyan felt incredibly small.

Pei Shiyuan is outstanding, and she hopes he will have an outstanding wife.

I'm not good enough for her.

"Your Highness, I'll be leaving now." Yan Ning curtsied and departed.

Pei Shiyuan nodded seriously, then turned around and saw Luo Qingyan eating quietly. The air seemed to freeze.

Sensing something was amiss, Pei Shiyuan quickly explained, "Yan Ning is the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Jianning."

"Cui Hui and the others have finished eating," Luo Qingyan said warily, quickly interrupting Pei Shiyuan.

"Let's go." Pei Shiyuan hurriedly rolled his wheelchair outside.