Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

"Madam Shen said she doesn't lack money, and she'll be returning to Ping'an County soon, so the house in the capital is useless to her. Besides, the spicy strip business really can't continue in the short term..."

Zhou Laosan's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke, because the two masters looked extremely grim, as if they had suffered a tremendous blow.

Nangong Yao burst into tears: "Sister Shen is leaving! What are we going to do? If Sister Shen doesn't stay in Beijing anymore, not only will we not be able to eat spicy strips, but we might not even be able to eat hot pot anymore..."

They were crying so hard, tears and snot streaming down their faces; their sadness was palpable.

Prince Chun frowned. He never expected that Shen Qing would refuse the silver notes and house he had offered. He felt an indescribable sense of loss and sadness.

The more excited I was just now, the more disappointed I am now.

He felt even worse when his son cried.

"Don't cry, Madam Shen hasn't left yet. We'll find a way to keep her here," Prince Chun said, wiping away Nangong Yao's tears as he comforted him.

"Father, can you really keep Sister Shen here?"

"Of course, what promise has your father made to you that he hasn't kept? This time will be no different; he will definitely help you keep Lady Shen."

Hearing this, Nangong Yao finally stopped crying.

Throughout his life, his father had never lied to him.

In his eyes, his father was omnipotent.

Zhou Laosan, standing to the side, bowed his head and bent over, wishing he could minimize his presence. He simply couldn't understand how a cook could cause the young prince to cry and make such a fuss.

No matter how delicious the food is in the common people, can it ever compare to the imperial cuisine in the palace?

Just as I was wondering, suddenly, Prince Chun's voice rang out:

"Go and deliver the items to Madam Shen, along with an additional five thousand taels. Make sure they reach her hands."

Zhou Laosan shuddered. Ten thousand taels of silver, just given away like that?

Has the prince become possessed as well?

"Then... what if Madam Shen doesn't accept it..."

Prince Chun snorted coldly: "You're an old hand of the Prince's mansion. If you can't send it away, find a way to send it away. You must send it away!"

???

Why would you rush to give someone something?

Zhou Laosan was dumbfounded. Usually, it was others who delivered things to the Prince's Mansion, but now it was the other way around.

Could there be something poisonous in Madam Shen's food? Something addictive!

"Any more questions?"

"No, no, I'll go and deliver it right away, I'll go and deliver it right away."

Zhou Laosan didn't dare to delay and ran to the Yan residence with the silver notes.

......

Meanwhile, Shen Qing took Madam Yan out for a stroll.

The streets of Beijing are much more bustling than those of Ping'an County, with more shops, more vendors, and even more pedestrians.

Walking among the bustling crowds when I have nothing to do is actually quite enjoyable.

Shen Qing and Madam Yan browsed through cosmetics shops, clothing shops, and other shops, buying many things before finally going into a teahouse to rest.

"Hey, hey, have you heard? A new delicacy has become popular in the capital these days, called hot pot. It's incredibly delicious, and I heard it costs a thousand taels of silver for a single meal!"

"What's the big deal? It's all over the capital. Let me tell you something even more shocking: Young Master Lu and Young Marquis Song are having an affair. I heard it's the kind of relationship where they can share a blanket. Tsk tsk tsk~"

"A homosexual relationship?"

"The two of them are always hanging out together. I think there have been signs for a while, especially that young master Lu. He's always wearing makeup, maybe it's to please young master Song."

"You mean...Young Master Song is from above...?"

"..."

As Madam Yan listened, she couldn't help but chuckle, her eyes blazing with gossip: "Do you think what they're saying is true or false?"

"So what if it's true or false? That's a matter between Young Master Lu and Young Master Song."

Shen Qing sipped his tea with a calm expression.

As a modern person, she has long been able to view all kinds of love equally.

"It's a homosexual relationship!! A homosexual relationship!!!" Madam Yan grabbed Shen Qing's sleeve, her face full of gossip.

Just then, the sound of a teacup shattering rang out, accompanied by an angry roar:

"What nonsense are you talking about? What homosexuality?!"

Looking in the direction of the sound, the person turned out to be Song He, the one with the loudspeaker.

He was dressed in white, his face was flushed, and there were dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well.

The person sitting opposite him was Lu Yan, dressed in a purple robe.

Perhaps it was because Madam Lu's incense was too strong, Lu Yan didn't wake up until this morning.

I was inexplicably scolded as soon as I woke up.

He still remembered what his father had said:

"You ungrateful wretch! All you know is eating hot pot. And to make matters worse, you're wearing a face shield! And to make matters worse, you've brought trouble upon yourself! You're utterly disgraceful!!"

Lu Yan was completely bewildered; he couldn't remember what he had done last night at all.

But his mother also said that he ate hot pot, burned the veil, and was extremely embarrassed. After eating hot pot, he also drank alcohol and blacked out.

Looking at the two cauldrons engraved with his name, Lu Yan began to believe it.

But his memory was blank, so he thought of asking Song He.

After hearing this, Song He slapped him on the head without saying a word.

"Are you stupid? It was your dad who went last night. You must have been drugged, so you didn't know."

"I didn't make it to the hot pot feast last night either. My dad just tied me up with a rope and dressed up as me in a veil. Your dad dressed up as you too!"

Lu Yan accepted Song He's explanation in just one second. He was speechless; he had never seen anyone act like this as a father.

How unlucky he and Song He were to have such two fathers.

Speechless.

After finishing their conversation, Lu Yan didn't want to go back to the mansion, so he pulled Song He to play with the teacups.

Unexpectedly, while they were sitting there, a group of people started gossiping about the two of them.

Song He immediately lost his temper and stood up to curse.

"Where did you all hear these rumors? What nonsense are you spouting? If you say another word, I'm not done with you!" He was agitated, his ears still slightly red.

Gossiping in front of the parties involved, especially since these two parties are not of low status and their families are powerful and influential.

Those present were still frightened, and for a moment they all shut their mouths, and the scene became quiet.

Song He snorted coldly before sitting down again.

Lu Yan sat opposite him, his eyes lowered as he gazed at the teacup in front of him. He said softly, "Why get angry over a few idle words? These people are just envious of the friendship between us."

"Our genuine brotherhood has been turned into something unbelievable. It's all those two old men's fault..." Song He's tone was somewhat embarrassed.

"Do you really dislike homosexuality?"

The next second, Lu Yan blurted out.