Marrying a royal playboy and becoming a glamorous matriarch

The eldest prince wanted to save face and didn't want people to point fingers at him, saying that he was of bad character and that his family was bringing shame upon themselves.

But after he finished dealing with Wei Lanxin, he looked back at his gossiping colleagues and found their eyes full of amazement, ridicule, and disdain.

Upon seeing this, the eldest prince froze, almost unable to breathe.

He heard it clearly from outside the door; it was these people who said he was a weak husband and unworthy of being called a man.

Now that he has punished his unruly wife, he still can't get a kind look in return.

They still despise him, mock him, and ridicule him.

What the eldest prince didn't know was that if the worst person he had ever met was a hypocrite, then at least on the surface he was a gentleman.

But these people are truly the petty villains among the common people.

They hate those who have, laugh at those who don't, and all they do is spread rumors and sow discord.

No matter what they do, they just treat it as a joke.

The eldest prince closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

It's no wonder they laughed; the whole thing was laughable, utterly ridiculous.

How did that happen?

It wasn't like this at first.

At first, Wei Lanxin was a quirky and adorable girl.

She was passionate and fiery, making him unable to control his emotions, and he couldn't help but follow her to escape his cage and run towards freedom.

But now they've ended up like a pair of bitter enemies.

What went wrong?

The eldest prince left the house in a daze, and when he passed by the pawnshop, he was stopped by the shop assistant.

"Young master, these are the things you pawned before."

The eldest prince took the token, but the yellow jade inlaid on it was gone.

The shop assistant took out a money bag and placed it in the prince's hand.

"This is thirty taels of silver, which is a very fair price to exchange for the jade piece the size of a fingernail on your token."

The eldest prince seemed not to hear, and vaguely hummed in response.

The shopkeeper then added, "Young master, is this token yours? It's made of pure gold, much more valuable than jade, and worth a lot of money."

“Inappropriate.” The voice was icy, like an undercurrent of ice.

"It's fine if you don't want it, but if you get other nice things in the future, please think of our family."

The eldest prince did not respond. He gripped the token tightly in one hand and the thirty taels of silver in the other, and walked forward like a walking corpse.

His colleague behind him looked on with regret, watching helplessly as the big order slipped away.

"The topaz on the token is a fine item, but it's not as valuable as the whole gold medal. What a pity about this deal."

"But judging from his shabby appearance, he'll get what's coming to him sooner or later."

The waiter was very confident, and he took another deep look at the exquisite gold medal in the prince's hand.

The eldest prince stared at the empty yellow jade on the token, lost in memories.

That was the prince's token he had carried with him since he was a child.

The nanny who served him said that after his birth, the emperor was overjoyed and personally made a prince's token.

Made entirely of gold, with the character "元" (Yuan) engraved on it, and inlaid with clear yellow jade, it is quite valuable.

This is not just because it is expensive, but also because it is a symbol of his status as a prince.

Now that he's pawned even this, will he pawn the entire token next?

The eldest prince felt a sudden, inexplicable fear and shivered.

If that time really comes, he might even forget where he came from.

The eldest prince was walking aimlessly when he suddenly stopped in front of a clothing shop.

The old woman guarding the door saw the eldest prince and quickly waved with a smile.

"Young master, young master, you promised to buy clothes today, did you bring enough money this time?"

Her gaze swept over the money pouch in the prince's hand, and her smile widened.

She held up the gold-threaded brocade dress for the eldest prince to see: "This is the one your wife wore in the river. It's almost New Year's, if you buy it for her, she will be very happy."

The eldest prince handed over the heavy money bag in his hand.

In the end, I bought the dress.

However, he did not go home, but instead returned to Qianyu Tower.

He did not return to the fortifications where the accountants were located, but went back to a separate room.

This room is fully equipped, suitable for both official business and rest; it was a room Qin Ping'an prepared specifically for him.

But he had never been here before; instead, he ate and lived with the accountants.

Because he was unwilling to use his privileges and risk attracting criticism.

But now, mockery is still ringing in our ears, and privilege is right here.

Even if he doesn't do anything, he still can't escape being envied and talked about.

Why bother?

Prince Dun's Mansion.

While Qin Ping'an and Wei Qingrou were having dinner, someone outside came to report on the Crown Prince's whereabouts that day.

The more Qin Ping'an listened, the more his brows furrowed, his expression becoming increasingly complex and difficult to decipher.

Wei Qingrou sighed, "This is starting another commotion."

Qin Ping'an sighed and said, "Perhaps my cousin will change his mind because of this. In the long run, it might be a good thing."

Wei Qingrou also agreed.

The eldest prince cannot stay at Qianyu Tower for his entire life. If he wants to work steadily, the entire Dazhao Dynasty is waiting for him to manage it.

Wei Qingrou nodded: "Perhaps this is the opportunity to make the Crown Prince change his mind and return to the palace."

The next day, Qin Ping'an found the eldest prince.

However, the eldest prince was not as dejected and depressed as the servants said; on the contrary, he remained serious and conscientious in his work.

Instead, Qin Ping'an had prepared a whole host of comforting words, but they were rendered useless.

The eldest prince saw Qin Ping'an, a faint smile on his lips, and stepped forward: "Cousin, what brings you here?"

Now it was Qin Ping'an's turn to be speechless.

He quickly thought of a few business deals and said, "I have a few business opportunities that I'd like you to handle."

The eldest prince hesitated slightly, saying, "I'm already in charge of the accounts, so I'm afraid I can't manage so many things."

Qin Pingan waved his hand and said, "This business is indispensable to you; it's with the Court of State Ceremonial."

The Crown Prince knows about the Court of State Ceremonial.

Many items used in the palace were procured through the Court of State Ceremonial.

The Court of State Ceremonial Affairs was directly connected to the Imperial Household Department, and it served the imperial relatives and clansmen, so the rules and etiquette were very strict.

But the eldest prince knew the process and there was indeed no one more suitable than him.

The eldest prince's eyes were unreadable. He opened his mouth, then said, "I'm afraid it's not appropriate."

Clearly, the eldest prince was still worried about his identity being exposed and was unwilling to deal with anyone associated with the royal family.

Qin Ping'an quickly said, "Don't worry, not everyone working at the Court of State Ceremonial knows you, and those big shots won't bother with this small business."

Upon hearing this, the eldest prince felt relieved and stopped refusing.

"Okay, I'll take care of it."

Therefore, Qin Ping'an entrusted the management of the vegetarian tofu shop to the eldest prince.

The eldest princess had already asked Wei Qingrou to deliver it; this was just following the rules and going through the motions.

It's just right to entrust this to the eldest prince.

Qin Ping'an said cryptically, "The Court of State Ceremonial is quite lucrative. This time, you can get a feel for their business and we can have an advantage when we have other business opportunities in the future."