Chapter 9

I enjoyed some peace and quiet for a while.

With my dowry money, I bought a restaurant.

I planned to experiment with food in my spare time.

On opening day, two separate groups of men somehow came pouring in.

Their eyes glowed with hunger. They ordered every dish on the menu.

When we finally ran out of prepared ingredients, they charged into the kitchen and devoured every last scallion, piece of ginger, and clove of garlic.

I gave them a beating, then spent that evening delivering them back to Cui Shiyu and Qin Yanwei, one group at a time.

Cui Shiyu had just returned from work. His face lit up as he came to greet me.

“Naturally I should support my sister’s business. There’s no need to thank me.”

“I haven’t come to thank you.”

Cui Shiyu glanced at his bruised and battered subordinates, then quietly took a step back.

“I have something to attend to. I can’t stay and talk, little sister.”

By the time I left the Cui residence, the palace gates were locked.

I had no choice but to take the other men home and deliver them to Qin Yanwei the next day.

Instead, that very night, Qin Yanwei came over the wall.

He started taking off his clothes the moment he entered. His eyes were red. “You thanked Cui Shiyu. Why didn’t you come to thank me?”

I was seething and had nowhere to vent it, but I couldn’t very well beat up the crown prince outright. So I waved my little silk fan

and said pleasantly,

“Come here.”

Qin Yanwei trotted over happily.

I pushed him down onto the couch.

“I really ought to thank Your Highness.”

Caught off guard, Qin Yanwei found my hand wrapped around his most vulnerable point.

He gave a muffled groan. “Zhaozhao, have you ever…”

“Ever what?”

He stammered. “D-done this for Cui Shiyu?”

Cui Shiyu was far more straitlaced than he was.

I smiled. “Your Highness still has time to be jealous? You’d better worry about yourself.”

Holding him, I watched his expression.

His eyes grew hazy. Like a drowning man, he could only struggle faintly in the direction I guided him.

Just as he was about to spill, I stopped.

Panic jolted him back to clarity.

“Zhaozhao, sweet Zhaozhao, don’t do this to me. I’m almost there… please…”

I picked up a handkerchief and slowly wiped my hand clean.

“I’m sleepy. Your Highness can take care of himself.”

In his desperation, Qin Yanwei lunged forward and pinned me to the bed.

He pressed my hand against his chest.

“Zhaozhao, when I couldn’t see you, all I could do was train from dawn till dusk to build my strength. Feel. Haven’t I grown bigger?”

He opened his outer robe. There was nothing underneath.

The shameless little slut!

I couldn’t resist giving him a twist, and Qin Yanwei surrendered completely.

“My fault. I’ve got you dirty. Take it off, Zhaozhao. I’ll wash it for you.”

Ah…

He really was better at sweet-talking me than Cui Shiyu.