Male superiority and female superiority: forced love

The night is quiet and deep, and the moonlight is as bright as a silver thread.

After a busy day, Qin Guanzhi stepped into the bathtub, immersed his body in the hot water, gently spread his arms, closed his eyes, and enjoyed this moment of tranquility.

"Young Master, is Prince Linhuai interested in Sister Ruan?" Yu Yu picked up the towel, wet it slightly with hot water, and began to rub Qin Guanzhi's back carefully.

The room was so quiet that only the sound of the two people breathing could be heard.

"Young Master, Prince Linhuai actually asked Sister Ruan to be his chef in order to meet her. This is not something that ordinary people can do." Yu Yu rubbed the young master's arm seriously and continued.

"Ayu, Hatsune cooks in the restaurant every day. Aren't we more capable than Prince Linhuai?" Qin Guanzhi opened his eyes speechlessly and sighed deeply.

Yu Yu grinned innocently and got straight to the point: "Sir, did you see those silver bills in Sister Ruan's arms? She gave me five hundred taels for a meal. In this small place, a good meal costs only two or three hundred taels at most. Is Prince Linhuai trying to curry favor with Sister Ruan? We work hard and save money, but we can only afford three hundred taels for Sister Ruan. What if Prince Linhuai keeps giving gifts every now and then? What if Sister Ruan falls for his sugar-coated tactics?"

"Ayu, what exactly do you want to say?" The more Qin Guanzhi listened, the worse his mood became, so bad that he wanted to kick him back to Liangcheng.

Yu Yu paused, hesitating, "Sir, you only brought so little money with you this time. If you compete with King Linhuai for wealth, you'll definitely be beaten to a pulp. But if you don't compete, Sister Ruan will definitely be snatched away by him!"

"Why? Hatsune Miku is not the kind of person who is greedy for fame and fortune." Qin Guanzhi straightened his back instantly, and crystal clear water droplets flowed down his forehead and across his well-defined eight-pack abs, making Yu Yu jealous.

I wish my small body could become as strong as yours.

"What are you thinking about?" Qin Guanzhi saw him staring at his naked chest in a daze, and couldn't help but reward him with a chestnut.

Yu Yu rubbed his head and replied, "Sir, if it were anyone else, I would definitely have confidence in Sister Ruan, but he is the Prince of Linhuai, a man as beautiful as jade, talented in both civil and military affairs, with abundant financial resources and a transcendent status! How could Sister Ruan not like such a man? You know how fascinated the noble ladies of Liangcheng are by him. Last year, the noble lady of the Minister of War's family had a fight in the street with the noble lady of the Anyuan Marquis family over him, and you were there at the time."

Qin Guanzhi fell silent, his thoughts drifting back to six months ago, following Yu Yu's words. He had been there that day, witnessing the two noble ladies brawling until bloodied and broken, before being carried one by one to the Dali Temple for a final verdict. The two women, however, showed no regard for Lord Kong and fought two more times. In the end, it was only when the Minister of War and the Marquis of Anyuan personally escorted the daughters home that the situation finally settled.

A Yu was right, Jiang Xuanzhou's charm should not be underestimated.

"Write a letter to the mansion tomorrow, saying that I met someone I like in Wushui Town, and ask them to bring the jade key."

Yu Yu was so happy that the young master finally lowered his proud head and spoke to his family.

At the same time, at the other end of the courtyard, Ruan Chuyin was lying on the bed with her arms and legs spread out, staring blankly at the roof.

I can’t sleep! I can’t sleep!

On the first day of the new year, he gave her a full five hundred taels! Just the two of them, did the King of Linhuai want to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh? Or did he have other motives, such as including hard-earned money for her?

The next day, Linfeng Garden

The faint scent of agarwood filled the air, and mottled golden light shone through the hollow carved window frames, shining on Jiang Xuanzhou, coating his entire body with a light golden glow.

"Chuyi, how's the matter I asked you to investigate going?" Jiang Xuanzhou fiddled with the colorful satin robes in the cupboard and spoke slowly.

"Your Highness, this Miss Ruan's identity is quite...special." Chuyi thought about it and changed his words.

"Oh? What's so special about it?" Jiang Xuanzhou stopped what he was doing and raised his head.

"Her household registration was completed two days ago by Prince Qin, who gave thirty taels of silver each to the head of Xiaohe Village and the village head. The household registration shows that Miss Ruan is eighteen years old this year and was born on the first day of February in the year 821 of Dayong. Apart from this, no other information, including her entire growth experience, can be found. Her parents' names are not on the village tree of Xiaohe Village." Chuyi answered truthfully.

"Your Highness, do you think Miss Ruan is a spy planted in Dayong by another country? Does she want to use Prince Qin to get close to the Duke of Zhenguo and do something else?" Chu Yi guessed with concern.

"Which country would place a beauty like Ruan Chuyin into its territory?" Jiang Xuanzhou frowned as he looked at his subordinates who were full of suspicion. No wonder he didn't get married until he was 28 years old.

Chuyi smiled awkwardly, touched the tip of his nose, and stepped aside. The prince was right. He hadn't considered it carefully enough. Asking Miss Ruan to gather information wasn't about planting a spy; it was about sending treasures to Dayong.

"Go to Xiaohe Village later and ask the village chief and the head of the village to add the names of Miss Ruan's parents to the village genealogy. Then ask Qu Shuiqin to temporarily put the record that needs to be reported to the Ministry of Household Registration on hold. If anyone comes to check Ruan Chuyin's household registration in the future, let him know." Jiang Xuanzhou said carefully.

"Your Highness, concealing a woman's household registration is a serious crime. What if County Magistrate Qu refuses to cooperate?" Chuyi asked.

Jiang Xuanzhou glanced at him, then lifted an official green robe from the cupboard and said, "Couldn't County Magistrate Qu have failed to report this? Even if he's demoted for this, I have the ability to reinstate him. I heard that Yuzhou Governor Wang has one year left before he retires, and many have offered themselves to me. Ask County Magistrate Qu's opinion later."

"I understand." Chuyi could tell that the prince was interested in Miss Ruan and was already paving the way for her to enter the royal family smoothly.

Jiang Xuanzhou took out the gold-plated hairpin from the drawer of the desk, placed it on his fingertips and gently stroked it, with an unconscious tenderness flashing in his eyes.

"Is everything arranged in the kitchen?"

"Don't worry, Your Highness. All the staff are in place, just waiting for Miss Ruan to arrive."

"Okay, then let's pick him up as soon as possible." Jiang Xuanzhou said, and pinned the hairpin on his collar.

Ruan Chuyin got up early today. After instructing Qin Guanzhi and Yu Yu on various details of making braised meat and hot dishes, she got on the palace's carriage and went to Linfeng Garden with Chuyi.

The kitchen in the mansion is very large, about two hundred square meters, which is three times larger than that of Mingyue Restaurant.

Two rows of men dressed as chefs stood tall in front of her, shouted "Miss Ruan, how are you?", and bowed in unison, which scared her so much that she almost backed out.

"Miss Ruan, these twenty people are all cooks. Just tell them as soon as possible what you need to buy or make." Chuyi introduced enthusiastically, then took out a five hundred taels silver note from his pocket and stuffed it into her hand: "This is today's reserve silver, please take it and use it."

"You gave me five hundred taels yesterday, that's enough. You can take these back." Ruan Chuyin was shocked. Another five hundred taels. Why would you need so much money to cook a meal? She didn't understand the world of the rich.

"Miss Ruan, the prince said that if there is any money left, it will be given to you as a reward." Chuyi explained, and without waiting for her to reply, he turned around and left the kitchen with a smile.

Ruan Chuyin felt a surge of heat as she clutched the large banknotes. She had come today to repay the prince for saving her life, but why did she feel as if she owed him more and more?