Marrying a royal playboy and becoming a glamorous matriarch

Now, the eldest prince looked at the thick stack of bills in his hand and felt extremely helpless.

"This matter cannot be delayed any longer; we must make things clear with her."

The eldest prince looked at the cold stove and the empty pot, and sighed.

He first lit a fire, boiled water, then brewed a pot of tea, and invited Wei Lanxin to come and eat crab roe pastries.

Wei Lanxin sat down, comfortably extending her hand, waiting for the Crown Prince to hand her the teacup.

The eldest prince poured tea and set out her plates.

Seeing that Wei Lanxin was in a good mood, he tentatively asked, "Did you go to Qianyu Tower for dinner today?"

Wei Lanxin nodded casually as she ate the crab roe pastry.

"Qianyu Tower is doing incredibly well now, it's no exaggeration to say they're making a fortune every day. All the hard work I put into building it up has been stolen by them."

She complained indignantly.

The eldest prince frowned helplessly. A murder had occurred at Qianyu Tower under their care, and according to the law, it should be shut down by the authorities.

Now that Qin Ping'an and Wei Qingrou have gone through so much trouble to revive their business, she's starting to get envious again.

The eldest prince didn't argue with her about these things and said directly, "From now on, when you go to Qianyu Tower for meals, you are not allowed to order food separately anymore."

Wei Lanxin's eyes widened: "Why? The food they brought is terrible, I can't stand it."

The cook's meals are not as refined as the guests' meals, but they are not bad either. They are usually a big stew with white rice, with both meat and vegetables, so there is no problem in eating and drinking to one's fill. A restaurant can never let its cook go hungry.

Compared to ordinary people who can't even afford to eat rice every day and often have to eat some mixed grain porridge to fill their stomachs, having meat and rice at every meal is already quite a luxury.

The eldest prince looked at Wei Lanxin and said calmly, "I ate the same thing."

Wei Lanxin was slightly surprised, but then calmed down.

“You men can just eat whatever you want, it’s fine. We girls are all pampered, it wouldn’t be good if we got an upset stomach.”

"Moreover, I've been feeling extremely hungry these past few days and just want to eat delicious food. The food those cooks serve is just too awful to eat."

The eldest prince's face was tense.

"No, if you can't eat the same food as everyone else, you won't be allowed to go anymore starting tomorrow."

Wei Lanxin was truly furious now.

"Why can't I go? My sister even said I could go."

Upon hearing this, the eldest prince felt extremely embarrassed.

"what happened?"

Wei Lanxin, however, became smug.

"My sister went to Qianyu Tower today and told me to eat and drink whatever I wanted and not to be shy."

The eldest prince felt utterly humiliated: "They were just being polite, how could you take it seriously?"

"Don't be so polite, she's my own sister, you're overthinking it."

Seeing that he was being unreasonable, the eldest prince said in a deep voice, "From now on, you are not allowed to eat at Qianyu Tower. There is flour and oil at home, so you can cook at home yourself."

Wei Lanxin was furious: "A woman marries a man for food and clothing. I married you, and it's bad enough that I'm poorly dressed, but I can't even get enough to eat every day. You might as well let me starve to death."

Wei Lanxin threw down her chopsticks and angrily lay down on the bed.

Seeing her like this, the eldest prince was at a loss for what to do.

However, Wei Lanxin's words did resonate with him.

Seeing that Wei Lanxin's clothes had been washed several times and were no longer brand new, he felt a sense of dejection.

The eldest prince sighed and finally conceded.

"How about just adding one more meal from now on?"

His gaze was serious, his brows furrowed slightly, and he looked at the bed with a questioning expression.

"If you can make it to the New Year, I will buy you the long gold-threaded brocade dress you want."

Wei Lanxin's interest was instantly piqued, her eyes lighting up as she exclaimed excitedly, "Really?"

The eldest prince breathed a sigh of relief and smiled faintly: "Of course it's true."

Wei Lan had wanted that gold-threaded brocade dress for a long time, but it cost a full thirty taels of silver, and her family didn't have any extra money.

We're barely making ends meet, where would we get the money?

Hearing the Crown Prince say this, Wei Lanxin was overjoyed and immediately said, "Then I agree. Go and clean up the table, okay?"

The eldest prince glanced at the tea set and plates, then stood up with a smile: "Alright, no problem."

Wei Lanxin waved her hand: "Go quickly, you still need to warm my bed later."

The eldest prince blushed slightly, but did not refute.

Seeing the eldest prince being completely at her beck and call, Wei Lan was extremely pleased with herself.

"What prince or not, I, Wei Lanxin, deserve to be carefully protected."

When the eldest prince returned after finishing his work, she snuggled close to his warm body.

The eldest prince shuddered and quickly pulled her into his arms again, showing her great tenderness.

As the year draws to a close, those who have been busy all year are naturally very concerned about receiving their monthly allowance in the last month.

In addition to the monthly allowance, there is usually a New Year's bonus.

Wei Qingrou had no intention of changing the old ways of running the shop.

Qin Ping'an said with great interest that he would personally oversee these newly opened stores, and Wei Qingrou let him have his way.

Early that morning, Qin Ping'an took Wei Qingrou to Qianyu Tower with great interest to handle the distribution of monthly allowances and rewards.

The people from the money exchange were also prepared and arrived at Qianyu Tower early with their silver.

It wasn't mealtime, so there weren't many customers. Qianyulou decided to distribute monthly allowances and rewards in a private room on the second floor.

The room was filled with New Year's gifts that were about to be distributed, making it a particularly delightful sight.

This year, Qin Ping'an prepared four New Year's gifts: a pork belly, a bag of sweets and pastries, a peck of rice, and a peck of noodles.

This New Year's gift is extremely generous.

The people at the money exchange were full of praise, exclaiming, "As expected of Prince Dun's mansion, they are so generous!"

The accountant said smugly, "This year, not only are our New Year's gifts generous, but we also have bonuses."

Upon hearing this, the money shop clerk's eyes turned red.

Unexpectedly, the reward from Qianyu Tower was even more generous than theirs.

Immediately, someone asked, "Your Qianyu Tower has only been open for a few months, right? How come business is so good!"

The waiter at Qianyulou raised his head even higher: "Our boss has a lot of influence and connections, and countless relatives and friends. Just a little flattery can bring in a lot of money."

"Moreover, after Qianyu Tower reopened, it underwent a complete renovation inside and out, and it is now completely different from what it used to be, with a brand new look."

The money exchange manager said, "That's true. My family couldn't even book a New Year's Eve dinner at Qianyulou. But it's too expensive. Not booking one is a way to save money."

Upon hearing this, the waiter at Qianyulou laughed and said, "Manager, you're missing out if you didn't make an order. There are plenty of delicacies this year, and the kitchen staff said there are even some new dishes."

These words made the shopkeeper's heart itch, and he said to the waiter with a fawning face, "Young man, you have to help me out, you have to let me book a table for the New Year's Eve dinner too."

The waiter shrugged and said, "Manager, please come back next year. It's almost the end of the year now, and I don't have that kind of ability."

The group chatted and laughed when they heard a voice from ahead calling out, "The boss is here! The boss is here!" The shouts were filled with barely suppressed joy.

When the master arrived, it was time to distribute holiday gifts and bonuses, and everyone's spirits lifted.

After Qin Ping'an and Wei Qingrou were seated behind the eight Fragrant Bamboo screens, the accountant loudly announced their greetings and began distributing rewards and festival gifts.

Those who received their monthly allowance and bonus walked out with smiles on their faces, carrying four New Year's gifts. The others were envious and sighed, eagerly waiting for their share.

After working for most of the morning, I finally finished.

The eldest prince brought over the account books.

Qin Ping'an, who had been slumped in his chair without any regard for his image, immediately jumped up when he saw the First Prince bringing the account book, and respectfully accepted it.

"Cousin, why did you come in person to deliver it? You could have just sent a servant."