Chapter 10
I will never understand how some people manage to have skin that thick.
In any case, Qi Sanyuan and Lan’er shamelessly followed me all the way to my gate.
They insisted on staying with me, claiming they needed to “care for his parents.”
Xiaomei angrily tried to drive them away, but I stopped her.
“They can stay.”
The two could scarcely believe their ears. They probably never imagined I would agree so readily.
Then I added,
“As for rent, I doubt you can afford it, so I won’t charge you.
“But you can’t stay here for nothing, can you?
“Do the laundry and chop firewood in exchange for a woodshed. Stay if you agree. If not, get out.”
They exchanged a glance, probably calculating that not many people lived in my house.
How much laundry could there be? How much firewood could they possibly need to chop?
So they promptly agreed.
I laughed inwardly.
They had clearly never been smacked around by real life.
The next day, Lan’er stared in shock at a mountain of clothes.
Qi Sanyuan was no better off. An entire courtyard full of logs waited for his ax.
The two protested vehemently.
I remained perfectly calm.
“Employment is a two-way choice between the hiring department and its employees.
“You are both free to leave at any time.”
In the end, they began working while cursing under their breath.
I nodded in satisfaction.
“These new employee benefits for the food street are excellent.
“An unlimited daily supply of firewood.
“And free laundry service.”
Lan’er could not bear it for more than a few days.
In fairness, who could blame her?
Whenever she washed clothes, I slept nearby, swung on my swing, ate barbecue, or listened to music.
No one could have endured that.
She soon set her sights on Shen Shuo.
Every time Shen Shuo left his residence, she appeared with perfect timing, swaying gracefully into his path.
Unfortunately, Shen Shuo had no appreciation for feminine charms.
“Miss, if you didn’t wash your face this morning, could you please stay indoors?
“That lump of sleep in the corner of your eye is enormous.
“You disgust this prince.”
Eavesdropping from my courtyard, I nearly laughed myself to death.
But come to think of it, could Shen Shuo have been the powerful patron Lan’er found in the novel?
Tsk! I smacked that toilet too soon! I transmigrated before I could read the rest!
The curiosity was killing me.
Soon, however, Lan’er could no longer catch so much as a glimpse of Shen Shuo.
He often disappeared for long stretches at a time.
The atmosphere in the capital also grew tense.
My instincts told me the struggle for the throne was nearing its end.
On the tenth day after I repeatedly ordered everyone to keep a low profile,
the political winds in the capital changed.
The First Prince, whose fortunes had been soaring, somehow angered the emperor.
He was banished to a remote fief in the middle of nowhere and forbidden to return to the capital without an imperial summons.
All military power was stripped from him and transferred to Third Prince Shen Shuo.
The Crown Prince, meanwhile, began governing as regent.
I smiled.
The emperor was the emperor. He would never allow any one prince to become too powerful.
Yet the supposed conflict between the Crown Prince and Shen Shuo had deceived even him.
Using Shen Shuo to check the Crown Prince and thus secure his own throne—one could only sigh at the coldness of the imperial family.