The Emperor, with more men than women, made me his mistress.

Putting everything about Yuan Xinyi out of her mind, Yue Li found the horse she had left beforehand, untied the reins, mounted it, squeezed the horse's flanks with her legs, pulled the reins with her right hand, and hummed an unknown tune in a very good mood, then slowly headed towards Qingyuan Mansion.

As soon as Yue Li entered the inn, Jin Chenyuan received news of her return.

"Was there anything unusual about her when she came back?" Jin Chenyuan asked.

"If you're asking what's unusual, there is indeed something amiss," Qingyun replied, pondering the meaning behind his master's words.

"Young Master Yue seems to be in a very good mood."

"Oh, I'm in a good mood."

"Yes," Qingyun continued respectfully.

"Okay, I understand." Jin Chenyuan waved his hand, indicating that Qingyun could leave.

After Qingyun left, Jin Chenyuan wondered what good thing Yue Li had encountered on her trip out of the city that made her so happy.

However, Jin Chenyuan was a calm and composed person. Even though he had feelings for Yue Li, he did not rashly appear in front of her after hearing that she had returned to the inn.

After returning to the inn, Yue Li handed the horse over to the innkeeper and went straight back to her room.

She had finished her business here and would inquire about Yuan Xinyi and her group's movements back in the prefectural city tonight.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, she should be able to leave Qingyuan Prefecture tomorrow morning.

She's only eaten one meal since she woke up today, and after being busy for so long, it's past Shen Shi (3-5 PM), time for dinner.

Touching her slightly deflated stomach, Yue Li realized she was indeed a little hungry.

After all, she had only eaten one meal since this morning because she got up late.

I used a cleaning spell on myself to remove all the dirt and grime that had gotten on my body while I was walking outside.

Yue Li then opened the door, thought for a moment, and turned to walk towards Jin Chenyuan's room.

Relationships need to be maintained, and she needs to deal with Jin Chenyuan and the others properly before they arrive in Kyoto.

That way, once she gets to Kyoto, she can ask them for help if she needs anything, right?

Arriving at the door of Jin Chenyuan's room, Yue Li knocked and said, "Brother Lian, are you there?"

However, before Jin Chenyuan's door could be opened, the door next to his door opened first, and Jin Chenyuan's servant, Qingyun, came out.

Upon seeing the person knocking on the door, Qingyun greeted him warmly, "It's Young Master Yue, are you looking for your master?"

Unexpectedly, Qingyun was so enthusiastic. Yue Li, caught off guard, could only stammer, "Yes, isn't it dinnertime? I was just asking Brother Lian if he wanted to join us for dinner?"

As soon as Yue Li finished speaking, Jin Chenyuan's door opened from the inside.

Jin Chenyuan had heard every word Yue Li said, and he said gently, "Of course, I was also planning to have dinner, but it's perfect to be with Brother Yue now."

Upon hearing this, Yue Li smiled even more brightly, "That's perfect, let's go together."

Perhaps the commotion they made alerted Shao Qi in the next room.

Shao Qi opened the door and came out of the room. Seeing them all standing outside Jin Chenyuan's door, he asked in surprise, "What are you all doing standing here?"

Following behind him was his servant, Tiandong.

Seeing that Shao Qi had come out on his own before she could call him, Yue Li smiled and said, "Isn't it dinnertime? I've come to call you all to eat together."

"Ah, isn't it a bit early to have dinner now?" Shao Qi asked in surprise.

It's just past Shen Shi (3-5 PM) now, and it's already early summer, so it gets dark quite late. They usually eat around You Shi (5-7 PM).

Hearing Shao Qi's words, Yue Li felt a little embarrassed. She was hungry now because she hadn't eaten lunch.

But before she could even feel embarrassed, Jin Chenyuan spoke up, "Eat if you're hungry, don't eat if you're not. If you're not hungry, you can eat later. What? Do we have to consider the time when we eat?"

Shao Qi: ...

Is this still the Prince Chen he knows, the model of etiquette and manners of a noble young master?

Upon hearing Jin Chenyuan's words, Yue Li instantly lost all her embarrassment.

She nodded repeatedly, completely agreeing with Jin Chenyuan's words, "Yes, eat when you're hungry, and don't eat when you're not. Shouldn't we eat whenever we want? Don't be so rigid with yourself, it's exhausting!"

As Yue Li spoke, she looked at Shao Qi with disapproval.

How can such a handsome young man with a cheerful and outgoing personality be so rigid about rules?

Shao Qi: ...

He's so rigid!

If his rules are considered rigid compared to the person in front of him, then what is the person in front of him? An old-fashioned conservative?

You must know that the person in front of you has studied the strictest rules of the palace, and during the seven years he held power before the current emperor ascended the throne, he had ingrained these rules into his very bones. Every move he made was flawless.

Seeing Yue Li looking at Shao Qi with disapproval, a smile flashed in Jin Chenyuan's gentle eyes.

Just as he guessed, this girl was indeed a simple-minded and carefree person.

Such people dislike being bound by tedious etiquette and rules.

But that's just fine, since he's currently a leisurely prince, and if he doesn't want to, no one can force him to follow any etiquette or rules.

Seeing Shao Qi roll his eyes and look like he was about to retort, Jin Chenyuan tapped Shao Qi's shoulder with his folding fan and said at the right moment, "Shao Qi, do you want to go to dinner or not? If you don't want to, I'll go with Brother Yue."

Seeing the two of them about to leave, Shao Qi completely forgot what he wanted to say. He hurriedly said, "Go, why not go? We'll have to go sooner or later anyway. If we go now, we'll save money later, right?"

Seeing that the two people she had invited were planning to come along for dinner, Yue Li tapped the folding fan in her right hand against her left palm, ignoring Shao Qi who had just rolled his eyes at her. She said happily, "Alright, let's go. I'll treat you later and order a lot of our signature dishes."

"How could we let you treat us? You gave us those delicious teas this morning, so we'll treat you to lunch this afternoon." Shao Qi had never been treated to a meal by a woman before, nor had he ever heard of such a thing, and he certainly didn't lack the money.

Jin Chenyuan, who had been listening to their conversation, smiled and said, "Yes, how can we let you pay? Shao Qi has plenty of money. We'll have him treat us later."

Seeing that both of them had said so, Yue Li did not refute them.

The amount of money spent on a meal is limited, so there's no need to argue about it.