The brocade box contained three small gourds with figures and landscapes carved on them, lifelike in detail.

“Wow, amazing! This craftsmanship is incredible.” Qi Yue carefully picked one up to examine it, inwardly screaming about how valuable it was.

She had once seen a gourd in her mentor’s collection, said to be a Qing Dynasty carved gourd from Gansu, extremely valuable. The one she was holding now was much more ancient than anything from the Qing Dynasty.

Watching Qi Yue’s undisguised exaggerated surprise and delight, Chang Yuncheng couldn’t help feeling somewhat proud.

“Of course. These are Prince Qinghe’s treasures. It took me great effort to get them…” he said.

Qi Yue was stunned.

“You specifically went to ask for them?” she asked in confusion.

“What? No.” Chang Yuncheng immediately denied it with some discomfort. “I don’t have that kind of free time. He insisted on giving them to me. I don’t like this stuff – all flashy and gaudy. What’s good about it? I’ll just give them to the children to play with during New Year.”

“Don’t you dare! What do you know?” Qi Yue hurriedly placed the gourd back carefully. “These are very valuable.”

Of course I know – otherwise I wouldn’t have spent a whole day before Prince Qinghe would give me these three, Chang Yuncheng silently exhaled. At least you know quality when you see it.

“Oh, speaking of which, where are those few gourds Hu San gave me that day?” Qi Yue suddenly thought of something and turned to look around. “How can I not remember where I put them?”

Chang Yuncheng’s breath caught again.

“Haven’t seen them.” He said, lowering his head to ladle another bowl of soup.

He decided to take those gourds stuffed under the bathtub while bathing and throw them into the outdoor stove to burn them completely under cover of darkness.

“Hey, let me tell you, today was quite eventful.” Qi Yue put away the gourds and sat down with some excitement.

“What happened?” Chang Yuncheng asked, looking at this woman’s animated expression and feeling warmth throughout his body.

“…You know, your elder sister is living an inhuman life at her in-laws. When I came back from Qianjin Hall and saw it, I was absolutely furious…” Qi Yue sat cross-legged and gestured as she spoke.

“That’s too much!” Chang Yuncheng slammed the table after hearing the whole story. “Tomorrow we’ll go smash the Liu family! Why bother sending the steward to ask! Ask what!”

“That won’t do. We must have reason and evidence when we act. Even if we’re going to smash something, it has to be their fault.” Qi Yue laughed, watching Chang Yuncheng eat with such appetite that she couldn’t help reaching out. “Give me a bowl.”

Chang Yuncheng glared at this woman. She was so casual about ordering him around, yet wouldn’t even pour him a cup of tea! This woman had no sense of propriety!

He ladled a bowl and handed it to Qi Yue.

“It’s too sweet. Don’t eat too much.” He said.

Qi Yue smiled as she took it and said thank you.

“In the future, when it’s late, don’t come back…” she said while eating.

Chang Yuncheng’s face darkened.

“…Traveling at night isn’t good, and it’s cold at night. If you drink and get a headache from the wind, it’s not worth it.” Qi Yue continued.

Chang Yuncheng’s face immediately brightened into a smile.

“I’m not some delicate lady.” He snorted, while somewhat boastfully patting his chest. “Look, I’m very sturdy…”

Qi Yue looked up at him and laughed, making a “pah” sound.

Under the lamplight, this laugh and glance were particularly alluring. Chang Yuncheng, warm inside and out, couldn’t help but have other thoughts.

“Take a look.” He simply unbuttoned his clothes and said again.

Qi Yue looked up to see this man actually undressing and exposing his chest, and spat out the mouthful of soup she had been holding.

“You dirty woman!” Chang Yuncheng shook his opened clothes and shouted in exasperation.

Qi Yue put down her soup bowl, laughing and repeatedly apologizing while getting up to push him.

“Go wash up quickly, go wash up quickly.” She said.

Chang Yuncheng could only go bathe in frustration. After he finished bathing and retrieved Hu San’s gourds from that day, he opened the window. The little maid in the back courtyard who was tending the fire wrapped in a cotton jacket and dozing off was startled.

“Burn this.” Chang Yuncheng said in a low voice.

The little maid didn’t dare ask questions and quickly took it to stuff into the stove. After a crackling sound, Chang Yuncheng satisfactorily closed the window.

When Chang Yuncheng came out, he saw that the lights had already been extinguished on Qi Yue’s side, and couldn’t help feeling anxious. Looking at his own side, though the stove was burning, everything felt cold. He stood in the room for a while, then gritted his teeth and strode toward her side.

Qi Yue had already closed her eyes preparing to sleep when she heard footsteps and opened them again.

“What’s wrong?” She had just started to ask when the man lifted the quilt and climbed in…

“What are you trying to do again!” Qi Yue was startled into a daze. Being so close to a man in the middle of the night frightened her into hastily pulling the quilt and hiding inside while raising her foot to kick. “Get down, get down…”

Chang Yuncheng caught the wildly kicking little foot. Qi Yue didn’t like wearing socks to sleep, and her soft, smooth little foot was grasped in one hand.

The slightly rough hand against this tender foot that never saw daylight – when these two different textures touched, both couldn’t help but shiver.

Chang Yuncheng’s breathing immediately became burning hot, and his hand unconsciously applied force, almost wanting to crush this little foot in his grasp.

“Yueniang, do you… want to… now…” he said in a hoarse, low voice.

This voice was too stimulating in the darkness. Qi Yue’s feet were too sensitive, and this sudden kneading made her want to scream, yet she couldn’t control her body going soft.

The man pulled her hand, and the woman’s legs were immediately wrapped around his waist as he pressed down.

The heavy, solid body pressed down, and the thin undergarment transmitted the burning heat of skin.

Qi Yue let out a muffled groan from this sudden pressure, nearly suffocating, and also came to her senses.

“Chang Yuncheng, I don’t want to. Get out quickly.” She shouted shrilly, reaching out to desperately grab the man’s sides at his ribs.

This was one of the most vulnerable spots on the human body. Chang Yuncheng couldn’t withstand it and had to retreat to avoid her grip. Qi Yue also took the opportunity to roll out from under him.

“You stinking woman, can’t you stop making trouble?” Chang Yuncheng said angrily.

“Are you even a man? Do you eat your own words?” Qi Yue pulled the quilt to hold in front of her and shouted in a low voice.

Chang Yuncheng felt suffocated with anger.

“Don’t you want to?” He also shouted in a low voice.

“Which eye of yours saw that I wanted to!” Qi Yue was somewhat frantic.

“You were waiting for me and smiling…” Chang Yuncheng said angrily.

“Are you so unused to people being nice to you?” Qi Yue wrapped herself in the quilt and kicked him again, saying urgently, “Do you want to sleep with any woman who smiles at you?”

“You’re being unreasonable!” Chang Yuncheng glared and shouted.

Unfortunately, this woman wasn’t frightened by his fierce appearance. What responded to him was a pillow thrown at him.

“When you want to someday, don’t regret it!” Chang Yuncheng held back for a long time before dropping this harsh line and turning to leave.

“Oh my, I’m so scared.” Qi Yue said indignantly after him, reaching to touch her foot. She couldn’t help thinking of the earlier kneading, and immediately her whole body became burning hot and her body went soft.

She quickly reached out and pinched herself hard. She definitely didn’t want to!

Outside the room, A’Ru waved at Qiu Xiang behind her, and the two tiptoed away.

“The Young Madam being like this all the time isn’t good.” Qiu Xiang couldn’t help saying in a low voice with a red face.

For an unmarried girl to discuss marital matters was always embarrassing.

A’Ru sighed.

“This is already pretty good.” She said. “The Young Madam has already started caring about the Prince, just that she doesn’t dare admit it to herself yet.”

Qiu Xiang was very confused. Wasn’t it normal for the Young Madam to care about the Prince? What was good about this?

A’Ru couldn’t explain and couldn’t explain, so she extinguished the lamp and went to sleep.

The next day, seeing Chang Yuncheng with a dark face not even eating breakfast before going out, Qi Yue pursed her lips.

“The Prince went to the study, not out of the house.” A’Ru served Qi Yue breakfast while saying in a low voice. “I’ve already had someone send food to the Prince.”

“Send what? Why send? Can’t spoil his bad habits.” Qi Yue snorted, taking a fierce bite of her scallion pancake.

A’Ru looked around at the maids standing in attendance or serving dishes, but ultimately said nothing.

Before she finished eating, a maid came to report that the eldest miss had arrived.

“Please let her in.” Qi Yue smiled.

Chang Chunlan entered holding Yan’er’s hand with her head lowered. Without saying anything, she knelt down before Qi Yue.

“I won’t say false words. I can see that Young Madam is a straightforward person. When I came home, I deliberately didn’t come to pay respects to Young Madam. That was wrong of me. I deliberately embarrassed you, Young Madam. I kowtow to apologize, not asking for your forgiveness, just to say I’m sorry.” She kowtowed while choking back tears.

As soon as she knelt down, Qi Yue quickly got up to help her while smiling and listening to her finish.

“Good, I understand, elder sister. Get up quickly.” She smiled, helping her sit down while asking if Yan’er had eaten.

Last night, afraid of disturbing the Prince and Young Madam’s rest, Chang Chunlan didn’t dare ask many questions and just said a few words before taking her leave. She went back and told Concubine Huang, and the mother and daughter were so excited they didn’t sleep all night. They could barely wait for dawn before hurrying over, not having time to think about eating.

“We’ve eaten.” Chang Chunlan looked at the bowls and chopsticks placed before Qi Yue, knowing she had interrupted her meal, and felt uneasy.

Yan’er looked at the food on the table without moving.

Qi Yue laughed.

“Eaten what? So early, has elder sister forgotten the household rules?” She smiled.

The household rule was that the Marquis and Marchioness, the Prince and Young Madam ate first before it was the concubines’ turn. Chang Chunlan lived in Concubine Huang’s courtyard, and they probably hadn’t even served food yet.

Chang Chunlan lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly.

A’Ru gestured, and two maids came to add bowls and chopsticks.

After Chang Chunlan declined briefly, she awkwardly accepted. Qi Yue had already called Yan’er to her side, asking what she liked while serving her food.

“Take this off. You don’t need to wear this at auntie’s place.” Qi Yue smiled, personally removing Yan’er’s face veil.

Yan’er looked at the maids in the room and lowered her head somewhat fearfully.

A’Ru waved her hand, and the maids withdrew.

Only then did Yan’er dare to take off her face veil and begin eating heartily.

Qi Yue stopped eating and carefully observed her.

Was she disgusted? Chang Chunlan lowered her head not daring to look, when she suddenly heard Qi Yue talking with the maid.

“…Eating is still affected… Speaking too…”

“Yes, Young Madam, the little miss has unclear pronunciation and inaccurate speech.”

“…If we do a good reconstructive surgery, speech correction will also be necessary.”

Yan’er, who was eating, heard them talking and suddenly put down her chopsticks to look at Qi Yue.

“Young Madam, can you really sew my mouth properly?” She asked with unclear articulation.

Qi Yue looked at her and smiled, reaching out to pat her face.

“Of course I can. But Yan’er, are you afraid of pain?” She smiled. “Because auntie will need to use a knife to cut open your mouth and then sew it back together.”

Yan’er shook her head.

“Not afraid. As long as Yan’er doesn’t have to be a rabbit anymore and can become a person, I’m not afraid of anything. As long as Yan’er gets better, others won’t bully mother anymore.” She said unclearly. “Mother won’t always be crying either.”

Chang Chunlan covered her face and began crying beside them.

“Good child, auntie will definitely cure you. Our Yan’er will definitely become beautiful and make others die of jealousy when they see her.” Qi Yue smiled, reaching out to wipe away the food particles and drool for her.