Marrying a royal playboy and becoming a glamorous matriarch

Upon hearing this, the eldest prince's eyes darkened even further.

With the Honglu Temple wielding immense power, it was rumored that any dish that was included in the imperial cuisine catalogue could make the family that provided it incredibly wealthy, and business people outside the temple naturally fawned over them.

However, the Court of State Ceremonial always maintained an image of integrity and incorruptibility towards its superiors, like a slippery eel, making it difficult to verify its true nature.

Therefore, this is a good opportunity to investigate the Court of State Ceremonial.

After this experience, the eldest prince and Qin Ping'an will be able to get a general idea of ​​what's going on.

Even his father, the Emperor, couldn't figure out the murky waters of the Court of State Ceremonial. If he could uncover the truth, it would be a great achievement.

The eldest prince was immediately filled with a sense of pride.

"Alright, then I'll go and find out what's going on."

"Cousin, please be careful in everything you do."

After Qin Ping'an returned to his residence, he told Wei Qingrou about the situation.

"It seems like nothing serious has happened."

Wei Qingrou smiled and said, "Actually, this is a good thing."

"What's so good about it?" Qin Ping'an said casually. "Look how relaxed he is, I wonder when he'll be able to return to the palace."

Wei Qingrou shook her head and reminded him: "It is true that the Emperor hopes for the Crown Prince to return to the palace, but he may not want a prince who is full of love but has nowhere else to turn."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ping'an's eyes lit up.

Wei Qingrou smiled faintly and said confidently, "I think the Emperor might prefer a Crown Prince who has seen through love, is strong-willed, and whose heart has truly turned back to you."

Qin Ping'an clapped his hands together and applauded Wei Qingrou: "Not bad, not bad, my wife, you are so insightful."

Wei Qingrou thought for a moment and then said, "If the eldest prince can truly see through love, even if he cannot return to the palace, we will still have something to report to the emperor."

Qin Ping'an nodded, a happy smile on his face: "That's very true."

"The Emperor's decision to send him back to the palace is a temporary solution, but the real solution is to help him see through love and gain a deeper understanding of his own mind."

After discussing it, the two decided they weren't in a hurry anymore.

First, they indulged in the leisurely pleasures between husband and wife, celebrating and reveling all night long.

However, while they were not in a hurry, Wei Lanxin was anxious and rushed to Prince Dun's Mansion early in the morning to look for someone.

"Where is Wei Qingrou? Tell her to come out and see me, I have something extremely urgent!"

The gatekeeper was startled. Although he did not know the name of the second mistress of the mansion, he did know her surname.

The mere mention of the Wei family immediately brought to mind the Second Madam, who was gradually gaining power in the mansion, and he hurriedly sent someone to the West Courtyard to inquire.

Hearing this ridiculous behavior, Wei Qingrou guessed that it was Wei Lanxin, so she invited her in.

Wei Lanxin burst into tears as soon as she saw Wei Qingrou.

"It's all your fault for not paying my monthly allowance. It caused me to argue with Xiao Yu, and he hasn't been home for three days now."

Wei Qingrou was speechless when she heard her complaints.

Why did the eldest prince refuse his monthly allowance? It's because she broke the rules and kept adding dishes to his meals every day!

However, Wei Qingrou knew about the argument between the two and comforted him gently, "Don't panic, the Crown Prince is fine, he's probably just busy."

"What are you so busy with? Even when Xiao Yu was busy, he would always come home on time."

"He works for you, he's not sold to you, so why are you treating him so badly, not even letting him go home?"

Wei Qingrou was speechless at this unreasonable person and said calmly, "Don't worry, I'll take you to him."

Wei Lanxin was satisfied upon hearing this and urged, "Then hurry up."

Wei Qingrou did not argue with her and quickly dressed up.

She wore a light blue brocade dress with exquisite auspicious cloud patterns embroidered on the hem, and a soft mink cloak over it.

Her hair was styled in a high bun, secured with a gold hairpin inlaid with gemstones, and delicate gold and pearl earrings dangled from her ears.

She exuded composure, elegance, and wealth.

The winter sun shone through the snow-white silk cloth, making her look like a fairy princess.

Seeing her like this, Wei Lanxin's eyes flashed with a hint of gloom and bitterness, and she felt a surge of resentment, but she quickly felt relieved.

She thought to herself: What's the use? Marrying into this high-class family, I'm just going to be a caged bird dependent on a man.

Wei Lanxin is different; she relies on herself.

Ignoring her little schemes, Wei Qingrou called out directly, "Sister, let's go."

Wei Lanxin gave a curt "hmm" and boarded the carriage first.

It's not hard to find out where the eldest prince is.

When Wei Qingrou arrived at Qianyu Tower, she learned the truth as soon as she asked.

He didn't go anywhere else; he's been staying in the fortification room that Qianyu Tower prepared for him these past few days.

Wei Lanxin was immediately relieved when she saw the eldest prince.

The eldest prince was indeed very busy. Perhaps because he spent all his time holed up in this small workshop, he had grown a stubble beard and looked quite austere.

Seeing this, Wei Lanxin couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

Remembering their previous argument, she gritted her teeth and said, "I'm going to make some soup to nourish Xiao Yu."

Wei Qingrou didn't stop her and let her go.

Looking at the Crown Prince's busy state, Wei Qingrou was filled with doubts.

Is the eldest prince truly calm, or is he using official business to numb himself?

Wei Qingrou knew very well that with the New Year approaching, she wouldn't be so busy with work, so why couldn't she even go home?

In reality, the eldest prince was indeed using work to numb himself.

He was busy all day, but he felt that such days were fulfilling and peaceful.

Sometimes when I'm tired after a long day at work, I lie on the tatami mat and read a book, feeling relaxed and peaceful.

The irritability, anger, and resentment of the past few days have all subtly become self-consistent.

He no longer had any particular feelings towards the other accountants, treating them only as subordinates.

The eldest prince harbored a secret expectation.

That's it, it's good.

He is now focused solely on doing his job well and has no other thoughts.

However, his peaceful life was still disrupted.

When he heard the increasingly loud jeers and laughter, he realized something was wrong.

Upon opening the door, Wei Lanxin was seen being surrounded by many accountants from the construction workshop.

Wei Lanxin held a bowl of pigeon soup she had personally prepared, looking at the First Prince with a smile on her face.

"Xiao Yu, you've worked hard. Come and eat something to nourish yourself."

A smile played on her lips, a hint of smugness in her expression, and even a touch of deliberate manipulation of the eldest prince.

That's how it should be. She just needs to move her little finger, and he should obediently come over, not to mention she even washes her hands and cooks for him herself.

The next second, the eldest prince will surely be filled with gratitude and moved.

"How did you come?"

The eldest prince stood there stunned, completely ignoring Wei Lanxin's ulterior motives and showing no emotion whatsoever.

His first reaction was not to be moved, but to resist.

He was furious that his hard-won peaceful days had been disrupted.

Even the accountant who kindly led the way was angered by him, who felt that they were being nosy and perhaps deliberately trying to make a scene for him.

The eldest prince felt that sense of helplessness again.

He felt that everyone's gaze towards him was filled with ambiguous mockery.

Wei Lanxin was the root cause of this incident and the culprit who subjected him to so much criticism.

"I have something to do, you...you should go home."

The eldest prince gathered up the manuscripts, letters, and books in his hands, appearing particularly flustered.

Seeing that Wei Lanxin ignored him, he did not get angry or change his expression. Instead, he looked outside.

Since there's nowhere to hide here, he must leave, leave immediately.

The first thing the eldest prince did after realizing what was happening was to grab the manuscript and head outside.

"Where are you going?" Wei Lanxin frowned, about to lose her temper again.