Grand Commander Luo casually swept his gaze over the two men, then withdrew it, only thinking to himself: The people at Sheng’er’s tavern are quite a mixed bunch.

Luo Sheng, however, couldn’t help but look deeply at Xiao Qi.

Xiu Yue had said that Xiao Qi was her younger brother Bao’er—

She wanted to take a good look at her lost and now recovered brother, wanted to ask how he had lived all these years.

There was so much she wanted to know.

However, now was not the right time.

Fortunately, Xiao Qi was at the tavern—tomorrow wouldn’t be too late.

Luo Sheng suppressed that eager impulse and said calmly, “Go inside and eat.”

Luosai Huzi acknowledged and stood to one side with Xiao Qi, waiting for her to pass first.

Luo Sheng walked past the two, glancing at Xiao Qi once more.

Xiao Qi flashed a brilliant smile at Luo Sheng.

Whether from the darkness of night or the darkness of his complexion, his teeth appeared snow white.

Luo Sheng’s steps paused as a thought arose: Perhaps she should ask whether Xiao Qi had gotten too much sun as a child—wasn’t he a bit too dark?

To be fair, Xiao Qi was only slightly dark, which wouldn’t stand out among common people and certainly couldn’t be called a flaw.

But she remembered that Bao’er had been quite fair.

However, people change dramatically from infancy to adolescence.

Luo Sheng looked at Xiao Qi again and sighed.

He really was rather dark, which made her feel somewhat uncertain about this tremendously good news that Xiao Qi was Bao’er.

Luo Sheng suddenly remembered something: she recalled that Bao’er had a crescent-shaped birthmark on his left buttock…

Seeing Luo Sheng staring at him without moving, Xiao Qi grinned, “Proprietor, do you need something?”

Originally he had been a bit afraid of this female devil who had counter-kidnapped him, but unexpectedly the devil turned out to be such a good proprietor.

There was school to attend and food to eat.

Actually, not going to school didn’t matter—after all, he was going to return to Youjian Tavern to be a server in the future anyway.

“Nothing.” Luo Sheng pondered that she needed to find an opportunity to verify this, and her gaze involuntarily dropped lower.

The youth, who had thought he was no longer afraid of the proprietor, suddenly tensed up.

Where was the proprietor looking?

Recalling a certain rumor he’d inadvertently heard, Xiao Qi hastily took a step back.

He wasn’t going to be a male concubine!

But Luo Sheng had already walked forward.

After Luo Sheng had gone some distance, Luosai Huzi gave Xiao Qi a smack, “What were you panicking about just now? Making the proprietor laugh at you!”

“Big Brother, I felt the proprietor was looking at me strangely…”

“Strangely? How so?”

Xiao Qi’s face reddened slightly as he said woodenly, “I feel like the proprietor is quite interested in me…”

Luosai Huzi froze, then burst out laughing. After laughing enough, he clapped Xiao Qi heavily on the shoulder, “Silly boy, I keep telling you to read more but you never listen. What are you dreaming about? Hurry up and go eat.”

Walking along the road, Grand Commander Luo casually asked Luo Sheng, “Those two just now are also from your tavern?”

“Yes, the older one helps in the kitchen. The younger one attends private school during the day and comes back to help with odd jobs at night.”

“They’re father and son, right?”

Luo Sheng’s mouth twitched slightly as she clarified for Luosai Huzi, “They’re brothers. The older one is in his early twenties.”

Grand Commander Luo stroked the short beard on his chin.

That man was in his twenties?

He certainly matured early—Grand Commander Luo had thought he couldn’t be more than two years younger than himself.

On the night of the first day of the lunar month, there was no moon, only stars scattered across the sky.

Father and daughter walked unhurriedly toward the Grand Commander’s Manor, chatting casually.

“The tavern must do very good business normally? I heard that Minister Zhao and those others come frequently.”

“The prices are somewhat high, so the customers who come are either wealthy or noble.”

“My daughter is truly capable.”

Luo Sheng lifted her chin slightly, smiling somewhat proudly like many children showing off to their parents, “Even the Crown Prince came today.”

Grand Commander Luo’s steps halted, “The Crown Prince came?”

“Yes, when the Crown Prince arrived the tavern hadn’t yet opened. He said he was coming from Prince Pingnan’s Manor.”

Grand Commander Luo frowned.

“Does the Crown Prince not like the Crown Princess?” After circling around the topic of the Crown Prince for a few exchanges, Luo Sheng asked casually.

Grand Commander Luo coughed, “Why ask about this?”

Luo Sheng raised her hand, shaking her wrist.

In the night, the gold bracelet gleamed brilliantly.

“Does Sheng’er like this kind of gold bracelet now?”

Luo Sheng smiled, “I saw the young county princess from Prince Pingnan’s Manor wearing one before and quite liked it.”

Grand Commander Luo suddenly had an ominous premonition, “So this bracelet—”

“Prince Pingnan’s heir asked me to help him engage a divine physician, so I asked for this bracelet.”

Grand Commander Luo breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as it wasn’t directly robbed.

Luo Sheng smiled with pursed lips, “I heard this bracelet is one of a pair, and the other one is in the hands of the Crown Prince’s concubine. I thought that with one bracelet in my younger sister’s hands and the other in a concubine’s hands, it shows that the Crown Princess doesn’t hold much favor with the Crown Prince.”

Grand Commander Luo’s expression became serious, “The Crown Prince’s private affairs should not be discussed lightly.”

Luo Sheng raised her hand to adjust the pearl flower in her hair, smiling cheerfully, “Your daughter isn’t curious about the Crown Prince’s private affairs. I was just thinking that if the Crown Princess doesn’t hold the Crown Prince’s favor, then that concubine must be very much favored, so it seems getting the other bracelet would be impossible.”

Grand Commander Luo’s temples throbbed, “Sheng’er, whatever you like, Father will buy for you. We absolutely cannot snatch the Crown Prince’s concubine’s bracelet.”

“Oh.” Luo Sheng responded faintly, looking rather displeased.

Grand Commander Luo had no choice but to reason with his daughter, “That concubine of the Crown Prince’s is no ordinary person. She was originally a dowry maid of the Crown Prince’s first wife…”

Luo Sheng abruptly stopped in her tracks, her tone somewhat strange, “The Crown Prince’s first wife?”

Was he talking about her?

Then who was that dowry maid?

Luo Sheng’s heart pounded wildly, nearly unable to maintain the calm on her face.

Could it be that one of Shufeng or Zhaohua was still alive?

Still alive, wearing her other gold bracelet inlaid with seven treasures… Was the Crown Prince’s concubine Zhaohua?

Luo Sheng touched the gold bracelet on her wrist, her fingertips trembling.

Grand Commander Luo took Luo Sheng’s reaction as shock and explained, “When the Crown Prince was still the heir of Prince Zhennan, he once married a county princess from the Southern territories as his wife… Alright, these are old matters—you’re a young lady, you needn’t inquire about such things. If you like this kind of bracelet, I’ll send someone to check the major silver shops later.”

He absolutely couldn’t have her snatching things from the Crown Prince’s concubine—after all, he had no treasonous intentions!

“Father needn’t trouble himself. Whatever I like only lasts a moment.”

The Grand Commander’s Manor was now before them, and father and daughter returned to their respective rooms.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince returned to the Eastern Palace and patiently shared the evening meal with the Crown Princess, though he should have retired directly in the Crown Princess’s quarters. But he was inexplicably reminded of the gold bracelet on Luo Sheng’s wrist, and found an excuse to go to Concubine Yu’s quarters instead.

The Crown Princess was so angry she smashed her teacup.

She had no desire to compete with a mere concubine for favor, but the Crown Prince was going too far—even on the first day of the month he still wanted to go to Concubine Yu’s place.

After her anger passed, the Crown Princess regained her composure and said coolly, “Clean up the broken porcelain.”

Concubine Yu was shocked by the Crown Prince’s arrival.

“Very surprised that I came?”

“Your Highness should be accompanying the Crown Princess today.”

Wei Qiang smiled, his tone gentle, “I’ll just sit here for a bit before returning.”

As he spoke, he grasped Concubine Yu’s hand—the gold bracelet on her wrist was indeed identical to the one Miss Luo had been wearing.