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

Fifteen minutes later, outside a guest room in an inn.

"Young Master, Aunt Luo is really inside." Yuan Qing exclaimed excitedly through the crack in the door, but Pei Shiyuan pulled him away, giving him a look that signaled him not to make a sound.

The shadows of people reflected on the window paper moved about. So many people?

Pei Shiyuan peeked through the crack in the door.

The tea and food were steaming, and we even had hot pot.

It's autumn, and Luo Qingyan hasn't made him any hot pot yet. She came to eat hot pot with Cui Hui herself, and they're eating so late. She doesn't even know to go home.

Pei Shiyuan clenched his fist, the candlelight in the room reflecting in his eyes.

There were also four maids serving him.

Luo Qingyan was laughing like a fool, enjoying herself so much, which made him angry all day.

Weren't the six maids the Duke's mansion gave her good enough?

Pei Shiyuan felt that he had never seen Luo Qingyan smile so sincerely. She was truly happy. Was she not happy to be with him?

She's only known Cui Hui for a few days, how could she possibly surpass him?

"Have you finished eating? I'll be done soon."

Oh no, there's a man's voice too.

Pei Shiyuan's hair stood on end, and he kicked the door open with a bang.

Everyone inside looked over.

"The Crown Prince?"

Luo Qingyan stepped forward in surprise, her eyes flashing with joy. After a whole day, she had finally waited for this Buddha.

"It's so late, don't you know how to go home?" Pei Shiyuan asked coldly, but his gaze fell on Luo Qingyan's hands gripping his black sleeves embroidered with gold patterns. She tried to shake them off, but even a slight movement made her feel a pull on her heart, which was very uncomfortable. She could only vent her anger and ultimately couldn't shake them off.

Cui Hui crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at the sight, thinking to herself: This is the downside of getting married.

Men need to be coaxed all the time, it's so annoying.

The concubine in the family would coax the father around every day, and the father enjoyed it very much.

"Your Highness, I forgot the time for a moment." Luo Qingyan smiled coquettishly and pushed Pei Shiyuan inside.

Pei Shiyuan's eyes darted around. He had clearly heard a man's voice just now, but where was he?

Cui Hui's eyes were indifferent as she turned away.

Luo Qingyan really has the leisure to waste time arguing with such a childish brat. There must be something wrong with her not going back. Why didn't she come looking for me sooner? She only came in the middle of the night.

"I've finished writing." The man's voice rang out, and Pei Shiyuan's body stiffened instantly.

"Your Highness, you've arrived." Shen Nanxun came out from inside, holding a stack of written papers.

It's Shen Nanxun.

Pei Shiyuan's tense body relaxed, and he glanced at Luo Qingyan, thinking to himself, "What else can she do? She's only earned money a few days ago, and she's already getting cocky."

"Young Master, take a look. This is the instruction manual I wrote based on Miss Cui's weapon, and it even includes illustrations. The illustrations were drawn by Miss Cui."

He arrived early and worked tirelessly all day, finally managing to catch Pei Shiyuan's arrival.

Pei Shiyuan didn't want to look at it at all, but Shen Nanxun had placed the paper in front of him. He couldn't leave a bad impression on Shen Nanxun. He suddenly remembered that he had kicked the door open earlier, and his shoulders tensed up. He thought that Shen Nanxun was inside and shouldn't have made much noise, so that was the only idea he could think.

"Let me see the actual product."

Upon hearing that there was some progress, Luo Qingyan suddenly pushed Pei Shiyuan towards the wall of weapons.

Pei Shiyuan glared at him coldly, "I never knew you were so strong."

I almost bumped into him.

"Hehe," Luo Qingyan chuckled, pretending not to notice, while giving Cui Hui a meaningful look that signaled her to come over quickly.

She had asked Cui Hui that morning if Pei Shiyuan could help her if he was willing.

Cui Hui said she could, but she didn't want to use it. After much persuasion, she finally agreed to force Pei Shiyuan to come over.

Don't miss this opportunity; be proactive.

Cui Hui began her introduction, and seeing that Pei Shiyuan and Shen Nanxun were listening attentively without any unwarranted emotions, Luo Qingyan went back to eat hot pot.

She couldn't understand, so she stopped coming closer.

It was late at night when Luo Qingyan fell asleep next to the hot pot, and somehow ended up in the carriage.

She woke up rubbing her eyes as the carriage swayed.

"Your Highness, have you finished your discussion?"

"You deliberately lured me here, didn't you?" Pei Shiyuan was about to get angry, but when he saw Luo Qingyan looking sleepy with her eyelids drooping, his anger vanished instantly.

"Hehe." Luo Qingyan grinned, this time a genuine silly grin. "Yeah! What else can we do?"

"If you have something to say in the future, don't try to be clever," Pei Shiyuan said irritably.

Didn't she say anything? Never mind, I won't argue with you.

"How are Cui Hui's weapons?" She was still concerned about the results; most importantly, she didn't want all her hard work to be in vain.

Pei Shiyuan's expression turned serious: "I will recommend her to the armory, but there is no precedent for hiring women, so she will only work and will not receive a monthly salary."

No way! Luo Qingyan was taken aback. There was no monthly salary for doing the work; it was because she didn't know how to do it.

Cui Hui should be able to do it; she's not short of money.

"Does Your Highness have no other choice?" Luo Qingyan pressed. Pei Shiyuan's prestige in the military camp was unmatched except by the deceased old Duke. Couldn't he find Cui Hui a formal position?

"no."

He only helped Cui Huizhen because he saw her persistence, and the improved weapons were indeed showing some promise; some of them could be tested in the military camp, which might be helpful in combat.

There was no precedent for a woman to serve as an official in the court, so since Cui Hui liked it, she was allowed to do so.

Luo Qingyan sighed softly.

The monthly allowance wasn't much, just a drop in the ocean for the Cui family, practically negligible, but for Cui Hui it was a form of affirmation. Without it, it wouldn't be easy to persevere based on enthusiasm alone.

Reality is unfair to women, and there's nothing that can be done about it.

Two days later, in the main hall of the Duke's mansion, the atmosphere was solemn.

The old lady sat at the head of the table.

Elders of the Pei family sat on either side.

Second Madam Qian, sitting at the very end, spoke first: "Madam Cui, I invited the clan elders here today to witness the adoption of Heng-ge'er into the heir's family."

"I disagree," the old lady replied as always.

"Sister, I knew you'd say that, but you have to be reasonable. The elders are here too; they can judge for us. The young master is unwell, and they've been saying the great calamity is imminent. You've also found Luo Qingyan as your widow to bear children, but she hasn't conceived yet. For the sake of the Duke's mansion's future, the young master's title can't be left uninherited!"

"So, sister, you should still agree to adopt Heng-ge'er!"

"Don't you think so? His great-uncle."

She had already made arrangements when she asked the clan elders.

The clan elders also agreed with her idea that Hengge should be adopted in case something happened to the heir.

"Madam Cui, how is the young master's health?" The eldest uncle asked the old lady, his voice rough and husky.

The old lady paused for a moment; she couldn't say that Yuan'er's illness had greatly improved.

Seeing that the old lady was stuck, Madam Qian curled her lips and revealed a smug and greedy look in her eyes.

"Your Highness, your health is not good, but thanks to the treatment of renowned doctors, you are temporarily out of danger. I am also making arrangements for your marriage. However, matters of marriage still depend on fate." The old lady lowered her eyes and said slowly, her face showing difficulty.

The eldest uncle nodded: "If the young master's health is temporarily not a problem..."

Seeing that her uncle was wavering, Madam Qian immediately said, "Adopting Heng'er is a safety net and won't affect the heir's marriage and having children. Once the heir has his own children, they will certainly be superior to Heng'er."

The other clan elders nodded in agreement, indicating that what Qian said made sense.

"Alas, if any of you have women of marriageable age, you might as well introduce them to the young master." As soon as the old lady said this, the elders all turned to face her, their auras reverent.