The cannon fodder heiress trembled with fear after being recognized as a member of her family.

Luo Jingqian was taken aback, then raised his glass in response.

"Cousin Luo, what are you doing? Why are you drinking alone?" The Fourth Prince was so focused on distributing the food that he didn't notice what the two of them were doing.

They were cousins ​​of the same age, except that Luo Jingqian was born a few days earlier.

Normally, he would address him by his first name.

It was this imperial decree that made him realize the difference.

Luo Jingqian was different from the other cousins ​​in the family.

After the fourth prince returned from Chang Le County, he always addressed him as his cousin.

This time, he witnessed his cousin's true abilities.

Everyone in the royal family has heard that Luo Jingqian will be the royal family's supporter from now on.

They had been skeptical about this before.

Everyone knows that the heir of the Duke of Dingguo is frail and sickly and never goes out for walks.

Little did people know that Luo Jingqian was skilled in both literature and martial arts from a young age, and that the incident occurred about eight years ago.

That was the time that created a world of difference between them.

Everyone thought that the once-proud prince had fallen from grace and was now devastated, but when Luo Jingqian reappeared, a mask and a bamboo umbrella saved the man from the brink of death.

In the capital, who would dare keep the emperor waiting? Probably only the one before us.

“Cousin,” the Fourth Prince said, no longer thinking about it, and nudged Luo Jingqian, “What are you looking at? Could it be that dark-skinned girl?”

Luo Jingqian stared blankly at the street until someone pushed him, at which point he looked away.

"And what do you want now?"

He raised his eyes, his cool and aloof gaze fixed on the Fourth Prince.

The fourth prince felt a chill and quickly mentioned a shield.

"I heard you were late entering the palace yesterday because of that abandoned woman's daughter. You wouldn't have taken a fancy to her, would you? Your taste is really something else! Her face is so dark, would Aunt Changyun have agreed to let her in? Back then, Aunt Changyun went against her family background and her great-aunt's wishes just for that face—"

"So noisy!" Luo Jingqian put his index and middle fingers together and tapped the Fourth Prince's mouth, and it became much quieter.

The "Aunt Changyun" mentioned by the Fourth Prince was his mother, Princess Changyun, Geng Sirou.

Princess Changyun was the eldest daughter of Princess Jinghe. They were engaged years ago, but she saw the Duke of Dingguo returning to the capital in triumph and broke off the engagement that very day.

From that day on, she followed behind the Duke of Dingguo and they met by chance on several occasions.

When he was young, the Duke of Dingguo was handsome and dashing, and naturally, all the young ladies in the capital wanted to marry him.

However, his killings were too numerous, and there was still that one family, so the women hesitated greatly.

At this time, Princess Changyun did not care about those things and made herself known to the Duke of Dingguo.

Many people know about this.

Princess Changyun is someone who judges by appearance.

This young lady, Ms. Yang, is so strikingly beautiful.

I'm afraid it won't be easy for him to find a wife!

The fourth prince looked at him with sympathy and said, "Cousin, if you don't choose someone good-looking, Aunt Changyun might not agree."

Unfortunately, there were only mouth movements, but no sound.

"..."

Luo Jingqian looked at him, his lips twitching.

The fourth prince pointed to his mouth, terrified, and shouted with his mouth agape, "Untie me now!"

Once he realized the restraints had disappeared, he hurriedly said:

"Your great-aunt Jinghe and Aunt Changyun are indeed worried about your marriage, and you can't just find someone like this to appease them. As far as I know, there are still some young ladies in the capital willing to marry you, so please don't make a mistake by choosing a dark-skinned girl..."

"Noisy!"

Luo Jingqian then silenced him.

Han Cuiyin didn't want to attract attention; if the Fourth Prince spread these words, she would become the focus of attention instead.

"It was my oversight. Miss Yang is my savior. There is nothing between us. Fourth Prince, please do not mention this in public again."

In Beijing, a young woman's reputation is of utmost importance.

Luo Jingqian didn't want his good intentions to turn into trouble.

Yesterday, after returning from the palace, my maternal grandmother sent someone to our residence to inquire about my whereabouts.

Having finally managed to get away with it, he then rushed to the drought-stricken area at night and brought rain for most of the night.

He had only been asleep for two hours when this man went to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion and dragged him here.

"As I said yesterday, you can take the credit. I don't care about advancement; those things are useless to me."

The fourth prince could not speak; he could only open his mouth and stare wide-eyed as he listened to him finish speaking.

He then pointed to his mouth, looking pleading.

"Fourth Prince, please be quiet."

After the fourth prince regained his ability to speak, he dared not mention it again.

"These are yours! Don't rush to refuse. If it weren't for your father, he wouldn't have opened his private treasury to reward us. These are all good things; you can keep them to give to any girl you like in the future."

He pushed a small box of gifts in front of Luo Jingqian, "By the way, from now on call me Changshou. Calling me Fourth Prince is too formal."

Luo Jingqian was unwilling to listen to him anymore and had no choice but to accept it.

“When Cousin Yu Xiao returns, let’s get together again at my villa outside the palace. We’ll invite some other people to join us for a lively gathering.”

Luo Jingqian stuffed a piece of fish into the Fourth Prince's mouth, "Changshou, this grilled fish is good, you should try it!"

The surroundings instantly became quiet.

Qingshan returned from outside and whispered in Luo Jingqian's ear:

"Your Highness, that person was indeed Miss Yang. She went to Ping'an Lane and then disappeared without a trace. I was a step too late."

Luo Jingqian nodded, then wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. "Changshou, I'm not feeling well and need to go back to rest. I'll be in seclusion at home for the next few days, so I'm afraid I won't be able to have fun with you."

This time, the Fourth Prince did not stop him. "Are you tired today? Then you should go back quickly! This time, Grand Preceptor Mo has changed his opinion of me. Maybe after you come out of seclusion, I will become his disciple."

On his way back, he subtly inquired with National Preceptor Mo and learned that he would not be accepting any disciples in the near future, and that the black girl would not be joining his sect for the time being.

After learning the secret of the Treasure Bag, the Fourth Prince became even more determined to obtain Mo Changdao.

Instead of seeking that illusory master-disciple relationship, it's better to seize what's in front of you.

Mo Changdao was the most powerful and the most upright of the four imperial advisors.

Moreover, none of the younger generation of the Mo family have any ambitions, so the Emperor will not be concerned about it.

Being in the royal family, even if you don't want to fight, you have no way out.

His daring to joke around in front of Luo Jingqian today is a test.

Fortunately, we gained something.

Luo Jingqian knew exactly what he was thinking, but he didn't point it out and pretended not to know either.

Qingshan pushed a wooden wheelchair along the bluestone path, while Luo Jingqian held a bamboo umbrella to shield himself from the sun.

The moment this outfit appeared on the street, half the crowd vanished.

"The Rakshasa Prince has appeared! Hide!"

"These people... what nonsense are they spouting!" Qingshan stopped, about to lash out.

"Let's go, don't worry about it, I'm used to it."

Luo Jingqian lowered his eyes and tightened his grip on the bamboo umbrella.

The two arrived at Ping'an Lane, where, due to his reputation, the area was very secluded.

“It’s this alley,” Qingshan stopped in his tracks. “I don’t know which house I went to. It’s too much trouble for me to jump into people’s yards and check them one by one in broad daylight.”

"Forget it, let's go back to the manor. I'll prepare 150,000 taels of silver later and send it to Miss Yang. I need to return to my sect for seclusion."

Luo Jingqian stood up from his wheelchair and disappeared in a flash.

"A life-saving favor costs so much money. Has Junior Brother gone mad?"

Qingshan had no choice but to follow.

Han Cuiyin was unaware that she was being watched again. She shook off the people who had been following her and went to the agreed place.

She was somewhat surprised by the person who opened the door.

"Uncle, what are you doing here?"