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

Zhou Laosan waited at the Yan residence for an entire day, from sunrise to sunset.

He drank pot after pot of tea and urinated repeatedly.

The servants from the Yan family subtly tried to shoo him away, and he understood, but he shamelessly refused to leave.

There was no other way; he wouldn't dare return to the Prince's mansion if he didn't deliver the gifts to Madam Shen today.

"They're back! They're back! Madam and Lady Shen are back!" came a shout from outside.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Laosan quickly got up and hurriedly ran out.

Fortunately, he finally saw Shen Qing again.

"Madam Shen, Madam Shen!" He couldn't help but call out in a drawn-out voice even before he got close.

Shen Qing immediately recognized Zhou Laosan and asked, "What are you doing here...?"

"Oh, Madam Shen, I've been waiting for you like the stars and the moon, and now it's finally here!"

"This is the property deed, and this is ten thousand taels of silver. The prince said that I must hand it over to you." Without saying another word, Zhou Laosan stuffed the property deed and silver notes into Shen Qing's hand.

Shen Qing frowned.

Didn't she refuse? Why did she add another five thousand taels?

"I made it very clear during the day that I will not accept rewards without merit..."

"Please take these, I beg you. The young master and the prince are happy with your food, that's the greatest achievement. If you don't take these, I won't be able to explain myself. Besides, next time it might be 20,000 taels."

Zhou Laosan looked bitter; this was a hot potato he just wanted to get rid of as soon as possible.

Tao Wanrong, standing beside her, raised an eyebrow: "Twenty thousand taels? Aqing, why don't you refuse again?"

Shen Qing: "..."

Zhou Laosan: "Madam, please stop joking. If you refuse again, I'll be in trouble. If it really doesn't work, I'll just pay extra myself. Please tell Madam Shen to accept it quickly."

"I was just joking. Whether or not you accept it is up to Ah Qing."

Tao Wanrong was intelligent and naturally wouldn't fall for a trap for no reason.

How could she possibly persuade Shen Qing to accept the silver notes and house offered by Prince Chun?

Regardless of whether it was a trap or not, she couldn't be more eager for Shen Qing to stay at the Yan residence.

"Madam Shen, please accept this. I beg you. The Prince said that you don't need to repay him in any way. You just need to focus on making delicious food. This is all from the young master's heart."

Zhou Laosan was almost in tears.

Having said all that, Shen Qing understood that Zhou Laosan really had no choice; he was just a gofer, and there was no need to make things difficult for him.

So he simply accepted the deed and banknotes: "I'll take them. Go back and report."

Zhou Laosan was stunned for a moment.

It actually worked! He thought it would take a long time to resolve.

The next moment, he said with tears of gratitude, "Thank you, thank you so much, Madam Shen, thank you so much."

"When do you want to move? I'll have the servants help you. The house has already been cleaned and is fully furnished with all the necessities. You can move in anytime."

Shen Qing smiled and said, "I'm not moving for now."

"By the way, you're giving me this house so I can do whatever I want with it, right?"

"Of course, of course, it's yours to have."

Shen Qing turned to Tao Wanrong and asked, "Sister Wanrong, how much do you think this house can sell for?"

"...Otherwise, I'll ask the broker tomorrow."

"it is good."

The fate of the house was decided in no time.

Zhou Laosan, standing nearby, stared wide-eyed. That was a house opposite the Prince's Mansion; ordinary people couldn't buy it even if they had money.

This Lady Shen actually wants to sell herself!

Sold!!!

What will he say when he goes back?

"Steward Zhou, you can tell Prince Chun directly that I will sell the house to raise money. If he doesn't want to, he can take the house back."

Zhou Laosan nodded silently.

This gave him another way out.

Madam Shen is really a very kind person.

......

The hot pot feast in the evening was the same as usual.

Even more people went, but thankfully everything was in good order.

The atmosphere was the same as always, and the diners praised the hot pot.

Nangong Yao and Prince Chun also went, but they were somewhat disappointed not to see Shen Qing.

Nangong Yao, in particular, looked utterly disappointed.

"I wonder when Sister Shen will move..."

Prince Chun's lips twitched. He had already heard Zhou Laosan's report, but he hadn't told his son yet.

He sighed softly and said, "Madam Shen isn't moving; her home is in Ping'an County."

"But Father, didn't you give Sister Shen a house? Sister Shen can have a home in the capital too."

"That depends on whether Madam Shen is willing or not. If Madam Shen is not willing, we will be forcing her, and then even the best food will taste different."

Nangong Yao frowned: "But Father, didn't you promise me you'd let Sister Shen stay? Father, you're so capable, you always keep your promises, why this time..."

"Since Madam Shen is not greedy for money, does not pursue profit, and does not love power, I have no other choice."

He had initially thought that Shen Qing refused to accept the money because he didn't have enough, but Zhou Laosan's reply today made him fully understand Shen Qing's attitude.

They don't care about these material possessions at all.

That house was located opposite the Prince's Mansion, and it was something that ordinary people couldn't buy even if they had money. It was not just a house, but also represented the protection of the Prince's Mansion.

But Shen Qing directly said that he wanted to sell the house.

This shows that they genuinely refused.

He's not a narrow-minded person, so forcing him wouldn't be right.

"But Father, you are a prince, and many people listen to you. Why can't you keep Sister Shen?"

Nangong Yao's words made Prince Chun frown.

"I am a prince, but many things are not up to me to decide. Especially as members of the royal family, we should be kind and compassionate, act with a clear conscience, and not use our power to bully others."

"Father, I was wrong."

Nangong Yao looked pitiful; he just really wanted to eat delicious food.

He had heard his father say these words before.

Those who bully others with their power will also be bullied by those who are powerful.

Only when everyone is kind, benevolent, fair, and just can the world be peaceful and prosperous.

"Alright, it doesn't matter if Madam Shen goes back to Ping'an County. Father will just take you there to eat, won't he? Don't look so miserable, hurry up and eat hot pot. I'm getting so hungry after talking to you for so long."

Upon hearing this, Nangong Yao's eyes lit up.

Yeah, how come he didn't think of that?

Sister Shen may not move, but he can!

He's brilliant, he's incredibly brilliant!

The hot pot dinner went very smoothly that evening.

Especially for Duke Lu and Lord Song, they could finally eat hot pot openly and legitimately.

They felt no remorse towards their son, focusing solely on hot pot.

Meanwhile, Young Master Lu and Young Master Song sat together, whispering to each other.

However, tonight, Young Master Song's ears were blushing from time to time.

Shen Qing knew none of this.

She was lying on her bed at the moment, opening the system to prepare to purchase ingredients for tomorrow's snail rice noodles.