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

"Why is he bothering you? How could a merchant's son be worthy of you?" Madam Sun said angrily.

"It's all because of Luo Qingyan. Ye Hui insisted that I marry him in place of my sister." Luo Haitang dared not mention what Ye Hui had done to her.

"Ignore him," said Mrs. Sun, raising her head.

"Yes, yes," Luo Haitang stammered, "Today was my first time on the pleasure boat and I ran into Ye Hui. He insisted on forcing me to marry him, and in order to get out of this situation, I agreed and asked him to send a matchmaker to the Luo residence to propose marriage."

"How could you agree to that? Just ignore him and walk away."

Mr. Sun was puzzled.

"Mother, he won't let go. I wanted to go back quickly, get the money to save you, and in my haste, I agreed." Luo Haitang lowered her head.

"It's alright, don't be afraid. I'll just disagree with the matchmaker if she comes." Madam Sun revealed a sinister look in her eyes. With her around, she was sure no one would dare to force her precious darling.

"Mother, is there no other way? Can we say I'm sick?" Luo Haitang thought of pretending to be sick to make Ye Hui back down.

"Why would a perfectly healthy young woman like you pretend to be sick? Your mother is hoping you'll marry into a good family, but Shen Nanxun isn't willing. There are other good men out there. Now that I'm back, you should go out more, get to know the young men from other households, and choose a good one."

Sun said that Luo Haitang marrying into a good family and Luo Chengyong passing the imperial examination were her biggest dreams in life.

"Don't even mention the matchmaker coming; even if Ye comes back, I'll send him packing."

"No." Luo Haitang seemed hesitant, but she decided to tell her anyway, hoping her mother could think of a way to handle the situation beforehand. She whispered in Sun's ear, "Ye Hui kissed me..."

Luo Haitang had no choice but to tell Madam Sun about how Ye Hui had dragged her into the room on the pleasure boat.

"What?" Sun's eyes widened instantly, like a chicken with its feathers standing on end. Her chest heaved, and she felt like she couldn't catch her breath. Ye Hui, that bastard, dared to touch her precious daughter.

"So, Mother, if you refuse the matchmaker, what if Ye Hui tells everyone what happened today?"

Luo Haitang worriedly asked, "If word gets out, her reputation will be ruined. Who can she marry then?"

"Mother, I think faking illness is the only way."

Sun lowered her sinister eyes and sighed, "That's all we can do."

Feeling frustrated, Madam Sun lifted the carriage curtain again, wanting to get some fresh air.

"Kangning Pavilion? Stop, stop the car."

The three words "look up" immediately came into view.

"Tang'er, could this be the Kangning Pavilion that the Duke's Mansion opened for Qingyan?"

"This is it." Luo Haitang also looked over, her eyes full of resentment. "Mother, there's been no news from the Duke's mansion that my sister is pregnant. Why are they going to such lengths to open a shop for her?"

"You vixen!" Madam Sun cursed. "You know she wasn't born of me. She's probably the daughter of some vixen who seduced Prince Pei."

"Can you help me see what's written on this?" Madam Sun didn't recognize many characters and couldn't understand what was written on the Kangning Pavilion signboard.

"What else could it be? Besides a few special medicinal dishes, the opening date is July 18th," Luo Haitang said, drawing out her words.

"Three more days." Mrs. Sun gritted her teeth. There were only three days left until the business opened. Luo Qingyan was really capable. She had been gone for two months and had already become the owner.

"No, Kangning Pavilion should belong to the Duke's Mansion. Qingyan is just helping out there. She's always been good at odd jobs. She was at the clinic before, and she's here now."

"Mother, Ye Hui told me that the name written in Kangning Pavilion is Luo Qingyan's. He went to the Chamber of Commerce to check it out."

Luo Haitang spoke in a low voice, wondering if she would ever have such a large business empire in her lifetime.

Like a bolt from the blue, Sun was shocked to learn that Luo Qingyan had suddenly become a wealthy woman.

But what about her? That dowry was accumulated and passed down through generations. The reason it was so much was because she once came across a collapsed tomb with a lot of gold and silver jewelry buried inside.

Luo Qingyan already has Kangning Pavilion, yet they still want to swindle her out of ten thousand taels of silver. How despicable!

"So what if it's hers? It hasn't even opened yet. The real skill is keeping it open. Luo Qingyan has never read a book, what does she know about business? If she loses money, the Duke's Mansion won't let her off the hook."

Sun said fiercely, "If Luo Qingyan knows how to do business, then it's a miracle."

"Mother, my sister is indeed incompetent, but she can't resist the help of Prince Pei. From the accountant to the steward, and even the waiter, they may all have been specially selected by Prince Pei." Luo Haitang also mentioned that day at the Luo residence, when Pei Shiyuan protected Luo Qingyan and warned Luo Daocheng that he would never be promoted again.

"What you said is possible. What a pity! Being so favored, yet unable to conceive, she's truly unlucky."

Mrs. Sun was so angry that her chest felt tight. She rubbed her chest to calm herself down. "Then let her have a hard time from the very first day of business. We came uninvited on July 18th."

"Mother, what are your plans?" Luo Haitang asked, a hint of joy flashing in her jealous, reddened eyes. Her mother was indeed formidable.

"I'll tell you when we get back to the manor. Let's go."

Sun angrily flung down the carriage curtain.

Luo Haitang raised her face triumphantly. From childhood to adulthood, what she didn't have, Luo Qingyan could never have either. Even if she now relied on Prince Pei to set up Kangning Pavilion, she still wouldn't let Luo Qingyan have an easy time if she couldn't get it.

The mother and daughter's carriage sped away.

Upstairs in Kangning Pavilion, Granny Liu closed the window and immediately ran to tell Luo Qingyan, "Miss, I saw Madam Sun. She was in a carriage with the eldest young lady. They stopped downstairs for a while, but left without getting out."

Luo Qingyan continued making pastries without stopping, and said calmly, "My dear mother is probably cursing me out downstairs."

"Miss, what should we do? She is still your mother." Granny Liu was anxious. How could Madam Sun treat the young lady like this and show such unconditional favoritism towards the eldest daughter?

"I sever all ties with the Luo family and will never have any contact with them again. I will pretend that this mother never existed."

Luo Qingyan's tone was indifferent, her heart no longer wavering, "If they dare to cause trouble, we will definitely retaliate in kind."

Granny Liu looked at Luo Qingyan with pity. The girl had a really tough life, growing up all alone. Other families had parents who protected them, holding them in their hands for fear of dropping them, and keeping them in their mouths for fear of melting them.

Kangning Pavilion opened on July 18th.

Firecrackers crackled and drums resounded.

"Sister Luo."

Rainbow was still a child, covering her ears and running around happily, having never seen so many firecrackers before.

Congratulations!

"Congratulations, Sister Luo."

Shen Nanxun and Xiao Xingzi arrived carrying gifts.

"Young Master Shen, you're too kind."

Today, Luo Qingyan wore a milky white long gown embroidered with gold thread, exuding a dignified and noble air.

"Young Master Shen, this way please." Yuan Qing ushered Shen Nanxun into the private room as if shoving him inside.

Shen Nanxun didn't mind and smiled. As long as Prince Pei treated Luo Qingyan well, he was happy to sit next to her, drink tea, and enjoy his leisure.

Luo Qingyan smiled awkwardly, glancing at Pei Shiyuan's expressionless face, feeling a strong sense of jealousy.

"Miss, who's here?" Granny Liu whispered in Luo Qingyan's ear.

Luo Qingyan looked into the distance and saw Sun Shi and Luo Haitang, who had come uninvited.