So after the flower viewing party ended, a bodyguard was sent to follow Li Youran in case she encountered any mishap.

Unexpectedly, it came in handy this afternoon. The Second Prince's wife felt a bit of a headache. She had recognized her younger sister, but she had gotten caught up in a chaotic battle in the capital.

The Yun family secretly followed the Second Prince, and Li Youran worked with Yun Yingying, so the Second Prince's wife knew that Li Youran had also infiltrated this power struggle.

The next morning, Li Youran hurriedly left home again.

"Young lady, I can tell you're using the Yun family's name to do business and you're not short of money, so why have you been arguing with me about this five hundred taels of rent for two whole days?"

The old man shook his head helplessly and waved his hand.

"I give up. I admit I can't outlast you. Four hundred taels it is!"

It turned out that Li Youran had been looking for a shop for the past two days, and finally found one, but the rent was 500 taels.

Li Youran felt it was too expensive, so he bargained with the old man for two whole days.

In the end, the old man couldn't outlast Li Youran and chose to back down, giving up one hundred taels of rent.

"Thank you so much, I will definitely take good care of this shop."

Li Youran's eyes practically lit up with joy, after all, she had saved a hundred taels of rent.

After Li Youran paid the money and received the goods, the old man issued her a rental agreement.

Unlike the jewelry shops and cosmetic shops, this place is not a street frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles, nor is it a place of pleasure and entertainment. It is just a bustling alleyway full of everyday life, and most of the customers here are ordinary people with good financial means.

Li Youran discovered a strange phenomenon in the catering industry in the capital: the polarization was extremely severe. Either Zhiweizhai was in a large restaurant like this, or it was a street food stall with a shed. There was no small restaurant that Li Youran was looking for.

Li Youran took over this shop with the intention of combining a pancake shop with a small restaurant, opening a window to sell pancakes on one side and a cheap restaurant on the other.

Besides abalone and bear paw, you can find almost any dish you'd find in a fancy restaurant in a small eatery. However, the prices are much more reasonable, and the portions are available in both large and small sizes.

You don't necessarily need a large group of people to have a meal at a hotel. You can treat your family of three to a nice meal, or have a small dish and a pot of wine to enjoy by yourself.

As the saying goes, "A hero needs three helpers." Li Youran had already informed her family beforehand; otherwise, she would have been exhausted doing so much by herself.

After several busy days, Li Youran was finally able to relax and take a breather. She planned to go home and have a good bath and rest.

But while tidying her clothes, she found a letter. She then remembered that it was a letter Tang Lei had written to her before, but she hadn't replied to it because she was angry at the time.

"Look at my memory, how could I forget about that!"

Li Youran slapped her forehead and said with a look of self-reproach.

Upon reopening the letter, one finds Tang Lei awkwardly trying to share glimpses of his daily life, and at the end, he coyly writes that he hopes for a reply.

Just as Li Youran was about to write a reply, Tang Lei miraculously appeared at her house again, as if by divine intervention.

"Could you please give me a heads-up next time? You scared me half to death!"

Li Youran was so frightened she almost screamed, but after seeing that it was Tang Lei, she patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What have you been busy with these days? Why haven't you replied to my letter yet?"

Tang Lei said with a gloomy face.

If Li Youran hadn't had a lot of dealings with Tang Lei, she would have really been frightened by his face.

"I was going to reply to you then, but I got interrupted by other things, and then I got busy and forgot about it. Now, I just remembered it today and was just about to reply to you."

As Li Youran spoke, she nervously waved the letter in her hand, which softened Tang Lei's expression considerably.

That damn woman, she's been so slow to reply, making him worry.

"A storm is about to hit the capital, so you should prepare to protect yourself."

Upon hearing Tang Lei's words, Li Youran raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Didn't His Highness the Second Prince want to conserve his energy?"

"Although not fully prepared, the Third Prince is pressuring us."

Tang Lei whispered, and then began to analyze the current situation with Li Youran.

It was almost time for the old emperor to select his consorts, and the Third Prince planned to launch a coup on that day.

The Second Prince wanted to use a "mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind" tactic to trap the Third Prince like a turtle in a jar, catching him completely off guard.

"If the Third Prince succeeds, the Second Prince will directly mobilize troops to take him down in one fell swoop. If the Third Prince's coup fails, the Second Prince will mobilize a small number of soldiers to show his loyalty to the Emperor."

Li Youran nodded thoughtfully upon hearing Tang Lei's words. The Second Prince's move was indeed prudent, allowing for both offense and defense, and enabling him to advance or retreat as needed.

"Are you involved too?" Li Youran looked at Tang Lei with a worried expression and said, "You must be careful."

"Damn woman, why are you looking at me like that?" Tang Lei, who had been as steady as a mountain, suddenly felt flustered.

"Mind your own business, I don't need you to worry about me."

After Tang Lei finished speaking, he got up and left.

Li Youran watched Tang Lei's disappearing figure, pursed her lips, and thought to herself, "He's really biting the hand that feeds him; he doesn't appreciate a kind heart."

The two didn't mention the previous incident at all, nor did they apologize or say a word more, but they tacitly put the matter behind them, understanding each other's intentions.

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