The abstinent prince, practicing Buddhism, is seduced by a voluptuous beauty into breaking his vows.

She is Su Yun'er, a half-sister.

A hint of disgust flashed in Su Yaoyao's eyes.

She quickly pulled another outer garment from the closet and put it on—although she was no longer binding her chest, now was not the time to completely reveal her true colors.

Su Yun'er walked in with a smile, carrying a small bowl.

But that smile froze instantly when his gaze fell on Su Yaoyao.

The Su Yaoyao before me was only casually wearing an outer garment, her long hair unkempt, but her figure...

Without the layers of binding her breasts, even through her clothes, one could see the breathtaking curves.

Her waist, in particular, was so thin it looked as if it would break at the slightest touch.

It was the simplest of outfits, even casual, yet... it had an indescribable air of languid charm.

Su Yun'er tightened her grip on the tray, and that uncomfortable sour feeling in her heart rose again.

This idiot... how come overnight, it seems like he's peeled away that dusty shell, revealing a scorching light inside?

And that figure... Didn't she bind her breasts and starve herself every day?

But she quickly composed herself, adopting her usual gentle demeanor: "It's good that you're awake, sister. I was worried all night. This is a ginseng soup that the kitchen specially prepared; it's the best for replenishing energy."

She placed the small bowl on the table, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the wad of breast wrap on the floor, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes, but her tone became even more "concerned":

"Why did you... tear that off, sister? Are you feeling unwell again? Or...?"

She covered her mouth, lowering her voice, "Is it because of what the Second Prince said yesterday that you're upset?"

She waited to see Su Yaoyao, as usual, lower her head and twist her fingers, or have red eyes.

But Su Yaoyao simply raised her eyes, looked at her, and smiled.

The smile was faint, with a hint of... something Su Yun'er couldn't understand.

"Little sister, this ginseng soup must have been simmering for quite a while, right?" Su Yaoyao didn't respond to her question, but instead pointed to the bowl of soup. "The soup looks so clear, did you use good ginseng rootlets?"

Su Yun'er was taken aback, then nodded subconsciously: "Yes, it's top-quality old ginseng root..."

"What a pity." Su Yaoyao sighed and shook her head.

"Although the soup is clear, it was made from the lowest grade of ginseng root scraps. My sister brought it out and thought it was top-quality old ginseng... Sigh! I can't blame my sister... I guess she's never seen anything good before."

Su Yun'er's face turned deathly pale: "You!"

Suddenly remembering something, she quickly composed herself and said, "Sister! I... I meant well..."

"Yes, that's kind of you~" Su Yaoyao nodded, her tone remaining calm.

Just then, a young maidservant came in carrying lunch.

A simple meal was laid out on the table: a bowl of clear soup with a few vegetable leaves floating in it, and two hard, grayish-brown steamed buns.

Chun Tao's face darkened as soon as she saw the food.

This is even worse than what the young lady usually eats!

Su Yaoyao laughed in exasperation.

"Auntie, you've really gone to a lot of trouble." She looked up at Su Yun'er, whose complexion hadn't yet recovered.

"I'm still recovering from my illness, and you're feeding me this? Even the lowest-ranking maid in the manor would find this steamed bun too hard to chew!"

Su Yun'er forced a smile: "Sister, you misunderstand. Auntie was thinking that you... suffered a blow yesterday and might not have an appetite. Besides, haven't you always wanted to lose weight to please the Second Prince...?"

"Win his favor?" Su Yaoyao interrupted her, slamming her chopsticks down on the table.

Su Yun'er's heart skipped a beat.

"I had no idea that the rations for the eldest daughter of the Marquis's family had become so meager that she couldn't even afford a decent meal."

Su Yaoyao stood up. She was taller than Su Yun'er, and when she looked down at her, there was an invisible sense of pressure. "Chuntao."

"Yes, sir!"

"Go tell the kitchen," Su Yaoyao said clearly, word by word, "Go to my mother's shop and get me some medicinal cuisine. Don't worry about the cost; use whatever is good, like abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw! From today onwards, my three meals a day will be prepared according to medicinal cuisine!"

Chun Tao responded loudly, "Yes! This servant will go in a moment!"

"You...!" Su Yun'er was both shocked and furious.

"Sister, how can you be so extravagant! It's not easy for your aunt to manage the household, you..."

"Managing a household is not easy, so you treat your eldest daughter like a beggar?" Su Yaoyao raised an eyebrow. "Or are you saying that I'm not worthy to use the dowry left by my mother?"

Su Yun'er felt like she'd been stepped on. Her older sister had never dared to speak to her like this before. "What nonsense are you spouting, sister! Aunt is always fair and just in managing the household..."

"Fairness?" Su Yaoyao smiled, a chilling smile.

"That jade bracelet on your wrist has a good translucency. And that gold hairpin in your hair, is it newly made? And whose silver was it made of?"

Su Yun'er instinctively covered the bracelet on her wrist, her expression completely changing.

This bracelet and hairpin were indeed just given to her by her aunt a few days ago, and they all came from... Su Yaoyao's mother's generous dowry shop!

"I...I..."

"No need for explanations, little sister." Su Yaoyao waved her hand, sat down again, her posture languid.

"After all, she's your own mother. I'm just curious, what would Father think if he knew that not only my mother's dowry, but even his official salary was being 'favored' at your uncle's gambling table?"

Su Yun'er was struck dumb, and she looked up abruptly, staring at Su Yaoyao in horror.

How...how did she know about her uncle's gambling?! Her aunt kept it a secret!

Su Yaoyao looked at her face, which turned deathly pale, and sneered inwardly.

The original owner didn't have these memories, but Su Yaoyao was used to the world of fame and fortune in her previous life, and she was very good at reading people and analyzing their words.

Aunt Liu, a concubine, lived a life of luxury and even supported her family. Where did the money come from? It's not hard to guess.

"Sister... Sister, what nonsense are you talking about? My uncle..." Su Yun'er still wanted to argue.

"Whether I'm lying or not, my sister knows perfectly well." Su Yaoyao stopped looking at her, turned around and sat back down at her dressing table, picking up the plain silver hairpin and playing with it.

"Oh, by the way, sister, please tell Aunt that I've come of age. Please have her deliver the dowry list and the storeroom key that Mother left behind to us in the next couple of days. If Aunt finds this troublesome..."

She paused, looking at Su Yun'er's instantly pale face, and slowly said:

"I wouldn't mind having my maternal grandmother help me with the arrangements. Oh, right, I remember, my aunt... wasn't she a maid sent as part of my dowry from my grandmother's side?"

Su Yun'er's mind went blank for a moment. "You!"

"What's wrong with me? Is there a problem with my mother's dowry?"

Su Yun'er bit her lip and forced a smile, "No, no, that's not true... Then, then I won't bother you any longer, sister."

She turned to leave, but stopped and turned back, saying, "Sister, there's a palace banquet in three days... His Highness the Crown Prince will be there too. With your health, it's best if you... keep a low profile, lest you offend someone of such high status."

After saying that, he quickly left.

Su Yaoyao watched her retreating figure, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Offending an important person?

What she feared was that the impact wouldn't be forceful enough.

Chun Tao watched the Second Miss's retreating figure, which could almost be described as fleeing in panic, and burst out laughing. She felt that the anger she had been holding in for many years was finally being released a little bit.

"Miss, you're amazing!" Her eyes sparkled.

Su Yaoyao showed no sign of smugness, and simply said:

"This is nothing. This mother and daughter... who knows what else they might have in store for me..."

She glanced at the ginseng soup that Su Yun'er had brought.

"The ginseng is of poor quality, but the 'other' ingredients inside are very potent. Throw it away."

No wonder the original owner was always listless; besides not being able to eat enough, she was also being fed these filthy things...

The original owner's mother...

What a coincidence, the heiress of a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners was someone Su Yaoyao had pursued in her past life...

The exchange... was quite in-depth...