Everyone else in the shop praised Qiuqiu for her actions.

"Whose child is this? How come they are so well-behaved?"

"I wish I had such a sensible daughter."

"Everyone says that daughters are like warm cotton-padded jackets, and I really felt that today."

"This little girl is so cute and thoughtful!"

[It's just buying a gift for Mom, why are these people making such a fuss!]

Someone deliberately teased Qiuqiu, saying, "Little girl, where did you get so much money? Did you secretly take it from your dad? Be careful he doesn't find out and beat you up!"

Chiu Chiu: "No way! I earned my own money!"

"What a big mouth you have! Where are you going to earn money, you little girl? It's hilarious! Hahaha!"

Chiu Chiu: "I earned it myself! It was a personal gift from the Emperor. Look, this gold even has the special royal mark on it."

Everyone was surprised.

"A gift from the Emperor? Then this young lady is truly extraordinary!"

"Let's go, stop teasing her. She's not someone we can afford to mess with."

"Yes, let's go, let's go!"

The shopkeeper said respectfully to Qiuqiu, "I never expected that our little patron would be such a distinguished guest favored by His Majesty! My shop has just received a new batch of glassware, of excellent quality and at a great price. Would the little patron like to take a look?"

[Glass? I remember that my elder brother and the Crown Prince had designated glass sellers. There were only two in the capital, and this one wasn't one of them.]

Xu Ruyun looked at the shop owner warily. She also wanted to find out what was going on, so she said, "Boss, please let us take a look. We were just thinking of buying some glass to take home."

Yes, we should still find out what's going on.

Boss: "Okay, okay, I'll have someone bring it right away!"

The boss nodded to the employee next to him.

The waiter went to get the glass.

A short while later, the waiter came out carrying a box.

When the box was opened, it contained various colorful and crystal-clear glass items.

Chiu Chiu picked out a small piece of glass and examined it closely.

[This glass is actually real! Besides my brothers, who else could make real glass?]

Xu Ruyun deliberately asked the shop owner, "Boss, I heard that glass art in the capital is sold in limited quantities. And it seems that only two merchants designated by the Crown Prince can sell it. Is your glass art fake?"

The shop owner smiled and said, "Don't worry, madam, it's all genuine! My glass is absolutely real glass. And the price is half of theirs, with no limit on quantity. How about it? Madam, would you like to buy it all?"

Is it real glass? And the price is still half that of the big brother's? Is someone deliberately sabotaging this?

Xu Ruyun: "But where did you get this glass? It's so cheap, I'm a little worried about it."

The shop owner whispered to Xu Ruyun, "Madam, I heard that this batch of glass uses the same formula as the glass sold by the official authorities. So, there can't be any mistake."

So, there's a mole within the organization?

Xu Ruyun picked out a few pieces of glass and said, "I'll take these pieces of glass. Please wrap them up for me!"

The shop owner smiled and said, "Yes, madam!"

After buying her things, Xu Ruyun hurriedly left the store, holding Qiuqiu's hand.

They ran into Qi Junlin, who was buying snacks for Qiuqiu, not far from the street.

Qi Junlin wasn't holding any snacks; instead, he was carrying a bunch of perfumes, soaps, and the like, and his expression was quite unpleasant.

Xu Ruyun: "Lin'er, let's go home. I have something to tell you."

Qi Junlin: "Yes, Mother, I also have something to do."

On the carriage, Xu Ruyun opened the package and showed Qi Junlin the glass they had purchased.

Xu Ruyun: "Lin'er, do you think these glass pieces are real?"

Qi Junlin looked at it carefully and said, "It's true."

Xu Ruyun: "But the shop we bought the glass from wasn't the one you specified!"

Qi Junlin looked at the soap in his hand and said, "I encountered the same situation. When I went to buy pastries just now, I found this soap being sold everywhere, and the price was very cheap. But this is not our soap."

[This is terrible! There must be a mole within the company. Boss, you must find the mole!]

Qi Junlin said to his mother, "Mother, you go back first. I need to go see His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Xu Ruyun: "Okay, go quickly!"

Qi Junlin dismounted from the carriage and rode swiftly to the East Palace.

But the servants said that the Crown Prince had just been summoned to the palace by the Emperor.

In the imperial study of the palace, the crown prince was being reprimanded by the emperor.

The Emperor: "Someone has accused you of abusing your power for personal gain and enriching yourself. Is this true?"

Crown Prince: "Father, I am innocent! I do not know what I have done wrong! I am terrified!"

The emperor glanced at the eunuch beside him.

The eunuch took out a glass and handed it to the crown prince.

Crown Prince: "Father, this glass..."

The Emperor said, “This is the glass you sold for an exorbitant price. Now you can buy it for half the price on the market! Someone accused you of abusing your power to inflate the market price, pocketing half of the profits yourself.”

The crown prince was so frightened that he knelt down and said, "Father, I am innocent! The money I earned went into the national treasury, as you have seen."

The Emperor said, "I know you wouldn't do such a thing, but there are many memorials impeaching you now. You'd better think about how to explain this to those old fogies!"

Crown Prince: "Father, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly when I return! Once the truth comes out, I will give everyone an explanation."

The Emperor said, "I will give you three days. If you still cannot find any results after three days, you will bear all the consequences!"

Crown Prince: "Yes, Father!"

The Emperor didn't even look up, just waved to the Crown Prince.

The crown prince bowed and said, "Father, I shall take my leave now."

After saying this, the crown prince strode away.

Qi Junlin was anxiously waiting for the Crown Prince outside the palace gates.

As soon as the Crown Prince came out, Qi Junlin went to greet him.

Qi Junlin: "Your Highness—"

The Crown Prince raised his hand to interrupt Qi Junlin.

Crown Prince: "We'll talk about it when we get back."

Qi Junlin: "Yes!"

Back at the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince sat in his seat with a livid face.

Crown Prince: "Qi Shaofu, the Emperor has summoned me for questioning. There is a batch of glassware on the market that is exactly the same as ours, and the price is even cheaper than ours."

Qi Junlin: "Your Highness, that's not all. Look, these are the same products on the market now."

Qi Junlin took out the soap and perfume he had bought at the market.

The Crown Prince frowned deeply: "It seems that things are more serious than I thought! Many senior officials in the court are now impeaching me."

Qi Junlin: "Your Highness, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly!"

Crown Prince: "Three days! We only have three days!"