Wei Qiang left Prince Pingnan’s manor and went to Qingxing Street, where a wine shop had not yet opened for the day. A handsome young man was sweeping the empty space in front of the shop.

Wei Qiang frowned.

He hadn’t paid attention last time, but this was Prince Kaiyang’s personal guard?

Prince Kaiyang’s personal guard working odd jobs at a wine shop, and the shop’s owner was Miss Luo… This was truly interesting.

Wei Qiang stood still, and the trusted eunuch behind him, Dou Ren, coughed loudly.

Shi Yan looked over while holding the broom and called out in surprise: “Your Highness?”

Wei Qiang walked over, glanced at the half-open wine shop door, and asked: “Is Miss Luo here?”

“Miss Luo just arrived.” Shi Yan was somewhat uncertain of Wei Qiang’s intentions.

Why had the Crown Prince come again?

But Wei Qiang clearly had no interest in explaining. He pushed open the wine shop door and walked in.

Shi Yan held the broom and quietly pursed his lips.

Being the Crown Prince sure was nice—he just walked in without even greeting anyone.

Wait!

The young guard suddenly became alert.

The Crown Prince lived in the Eastern Palace, yet in such a short time he’d already come twice. Wasn’t that too frequent?

His intentions were definitely not what they appeared!

No good. Tonight when his master came, he’d have to give him a reminder.

These past days he’d been quietly observing—his master’s treatment had greatly improved; he even got complimentary dishes now.

If this continued, how far could it be before Miss Luo became his wife?

They couldn’t let some interloper suddenly appear and ruin his master’s chances.

Inside the main hall, the female manager was flipping through account books by the counter. Hearing movement at the entrance, she looked up.

Seeing Wei Qiang’s face, the female manager froze, then immediately went forward to pay her respects: “This commoner woman greets the Crown Prince.”

Heavens, the Crown Prince had come to their wine shop again!

“Where is Miss Luo?” Wei Qiang had no interest in dealing with a wine shop manager and asked directly.

“Our proprietor is in the back kitchen. Please wait a moment.” The female manager hurried to the back to call for her.

It was the tenth day of the month, and according to custom, the wine shop would have braised pork knuckle for sale. At this time, Sheng Sanlang and the others were without exception gathered around a large iron pot, smelling the fragrance.

“Proprietor, the Crown Prince is here,” the female manager called out.

Luo Sheng walked out from the kitchen, her expression calm as she went to the main hall.

The main hall was still empty, except for someone sitting at a table by the window.

That was the seat Prince Kaiyang usually occupied, but now another person sat there.

Luo Sheng concealed the coldness in her eyes and walked over.

“Has Your Highness come to drink wine?”

Wei Qiang turned his head and assessed the young lady walking gracefully toward him.

Plain clothing, calm eyes and brows.

Thinking of that time when the young lady before him had explained the orange wine, Wei Qiang felt a strange sensation in his heart.

He always felt that Miss Luo was a very contradictory person.

She seemed wild and reckless, yet at certain times was exceptionally calm.

Wei Qiang’s gaze fell on her wrist.

The bracelet with seven-colored gems against skin as white as snow made the jewelry seem like an accessory instead.

His gaze lingered on the bracelet for a moment, then Wei Qiang smiled: “I’ve come to find Miss Luo.”

He extended his hand and pointed to the opposite seat, unconsciously revealing a condescending air: “Miss Luo, please sit.”

Luo Sheng was silent for a moment, then smiled: “Thank you for bestowing a seat, Your Highness.”

Once, this man had carefully coaxed her to be happy, after all, she was the princess of Prince Zhennan’s manor.

Now he probably no longer needed to be careful with any woman.

Climbing upward by trampling on the fresh blood of her family—what a fine repayment.

Luo Sheng only felt a surge of fury rushing upward. It took all her strength to suppress this overwhelming hatred.

The character for “endure” had a knife above the heart—it turned out the ancients had seen everything clearly long ago.

Pain came from her palm, allowing her to maintain her composure as she quietly looked at the man before her.

“I’ve come to find Miss Luo because I want to ask Miss Luo for a favor,” Wei Qiang spoke.

Luo Sheng pulled at the corners of her lips, her tone revealing casual indifference: “A favor? A few days ago, the heir of Prince Pingnan came asking me for help. I never expected Your Highness would also come asking me for help today. I had no idea when I became so capable.”

Wei Qiang instinctively frowned.

With that tone, he didn’t detect much respect.

It had been a long time since he’d heard anyone speak to him this way.

He was the Crown Prince. Though not the Emperor’s biological son, he had been properly adopted into the Emperor’s name according to the jade register. According to ritual law, he was the legitimate heir of Great Zhou.

Who would dare not give him face?

“What favor does the Crown Prince want me to help with?” Luo Sheng poured herself a cup of tea and asked in an unhurried manner.

Wei Qiang suppressed his displeasure and said gently: “The favor I want to ask Miss Luo is the same as what the heir of Prince Pingnan wanted.”

“Eh, does Your Highness also want me to help invite the divine physician?” Luo Sheng took a sip of tea, set down the teacup, and raised her hand to wave it.

The gold-set seven-treasure bracelet slid down from the most delicate part of her wrist.

She rotated the bracelet, the corners of her mouth holding a smile: “When the heir of Prince Pingnan asked me for help, he gave this bracelet as a thank-you gift. I heard this bracelet was originally one of a pair, and the other one is in Your Highness’s hands. Why doesn’t Your Highness give me the other bracelet?”

If she could obtain the other gold-set seven-treasure bracelet because of this, she certainly wouldn’t mind helping this man with a small favor.

In any case, after Divine Physician Li made a few more visits, Prince Pingnan would only wish for death rather than life.

Wei Qiang’s mouth twitched as he listened.

What did she mean the other bracelet was in his hands? That bracelet was with Yu Niang.

“This… I’m afraid that won’t work.” Wei Qiang carefully declined.

“Then I’m afraid I can’t help.” Luo Sheng’s refusal was crisp and decisive.

Wei Qiang was therefore stunned.

She just refused like that?

Had she considered his status?

The young lady across from him blinked: “Your Highness wouldn’t punish me just because I can’t help, would you?”

“Of course not—”

Luo Sheng seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said cheerfully: “That’s good then. Your Highness, you see, I can’t help you, so I won’t delay your time.”

She picked up the teacup.

This was a gesture of seeing him out.

Wei Qiang felt anger rising.

Directly refusing to help and then sending him away—he had never seen such an arrogant and ignorant woman.

Luo Sheng lowered her eyes to drink tea, her eyes filled with coldness.

She wasn’t afraid of offending the Crown Prince.

The Emperor wasn’t old enough yet, and the Crown Prince was already approaching thirty.

Even between biological father and son in these positions, besides familial affection there would be inevitable suspicion.

Much less when there was no father-son bond to maintain.

Wei Qiang as Crown Prince was destined to serve more frustratingly and walk on thinner ice than other crown princes.

Those who thought about him being the future sovereign and fawned on him—that was human nature.

But between her and Wei Qiang, it was destined to be a fight to the death.

She would not sit by and watch him achieve his wish and don the dragon robe, so she need not worry about him being the future sovereign and wrong herself.

If Wei Qiang ascended to that position, there was only one outcome: her death.

Pull the opponent down from the heir’s position and she wouldn’t need to fear the future; if she couldn’t do it, she had no future and wouldn’t need to fear.

So simple.

“Miss Luo, if you have other things you like—”

“No, I want that bracelet.”

Wei Qiang forcefully suppressed his anger and tried to persuade again: “Actually, there are many things more precious than that bracelet—”

Luo Sheng blandly interrupted him: “But I only like that bracelet. No matter how good other things are, I don’t like them.”

Wei Qiang felt a tightness in his chest, experiencing what it meant to have angina from anger.