Prince Rui had assumed that the little girl would try to find a way to raise the money, or simply pack up the items and take them back with her.

And that's it? She actually accepted it, and so readily at that.

Oh my goodness, and then the return gift was an invitation, an invitation to her wedding banquet.

No matter how you look at it, Prince Rui felt he had been taken advantage of.

I spent over ten thousand taels of silver, which is barely enough to buy two wedding banquets. No matter how I calculate it, I feel like a complete fool.

Zhao Yonggeng felt at ease after his daughter was born.

My daughter is the most stubborn; no one can get the better of her.

Now he heard that his own daughter had actually accepted the gift sent by Prince Rui.

Having found such a high-sounding reason, Zhao Yonggeng was overjoyed.

"You had no good intentions, coveting my little girl. Shameless! You want to take advantage of a young girl? You pervert!"

"He's old enough to be my brother, and he wants to be my son-in-law? He's shameless..."

While Zhao Qinglin and Prince Rui were exchanging words, Zhao Yonggeng sat to the side, cursing Prince Rui in his heart.

Prince Rui realized that he had recently made a foolish mistake, and naturally he had to find a way to minimize the losses.

Asking the Zhao family for money is obviously out of the question. However, it's possible to have a meal at their house.

If you're shameless enough, you can always get a free meal.

On that day, Prince Rui indeed enjoyed a delicious meal at the Zhao family's residence.

Sweet and sour pork, braised chicken with mushrooms, braised pork belly, braised carp, cold wild vegetables, scrambled eggs with wood ear mushrooms, stir-fried pork intestines, and braised pig's head.

The table was laden with dishes that looked and smelled delicious, and the total cost was no more than 250 coins.

If Prince Rui knew the cost of this meal, I wonder what he would think.

The food at the Zhao family's house wasn't as exquisite as the imperial cuisine in the palace, nor as refined as the dishes in a prince's mansion, but it allowed Prince Rui to experience the warmth and comfort of everyday life.

Every single dish was so damn delicious.

The more joyful I felt when leaving the Zhao family, the angrier I became after hearing the report from the secret guards.

"You brat, you wretched girl, what evil intentions could I possibly have?"

This king is truly a pervert. If this king desires a woman, I can obtain any woman from the age of three to eighty.

Why bother with your little one?

Even if I wanted to take a wife, I wouldn't choose a child; a brat like you would be more suitable.

After saying this, Prince Rui suddenly froze and slapped his own mouth.

"I misspoke, I misspoke. I don't want to marry anyone for the time being. If I were to marry, I would definitely marry someone as beautiful as a fairy."

One must possess stunning beauty, extraordinary temperament, vast knowledge, exceptional talent, and a powerful family background…

Bah, that brat has led them all astray.

"Perfect people are only suitable for being enshrined in a shrine, not for everyday life..."

That night, Prince Rui suffered from insomnia; he was tormented by his own wild thoughts.

I don't know what I want, and I don't know why I've been acting strangely lately.

That evening, after the guards reported Zhao Qinglin's whereabouts again, he told them not to monitor her anymore.

The guard was terrified all night.

The next morning, he found that his tongue was still intact and he had not been sent back to the Dark Guard Camp for retraining, so he felt safe.

However, their master was acting even more strangely, actually ordering someone to buy a house in Mocheng. And the location had to be conveniently close to the government office.

Money makes the world go round, and on that very day, Prince Rui and his entourage moved from the inn into a house separated from the county government office by only one wall.

If Prince Rui wished, he could simply climb up to the viewing pavilion in his own courtyard and have a clear view of the back garden of the neighboring county government office.

Fortunately, he wasn't a voyeur.

Now that we've moved, we absolutely have to have a housewarming party.

That evening, Zhao Yonggeng and his entourage were invited to Prince Rui's new home.

Even though Zhao Yonggeng felt he was somewhat quick-witted, he still couldn't figure out what Prince Rui was up to.

"Congratulations, Your Highness Prince Rui, on moving to your new residence. This is just a small token of my appreciation."

As Zhao Yonggeng spoke, he took a glass mirror from the servant behind him and handed it to the attendant beside Prince Rui.

Regardless of whether this mirror is now being mass-produced by Zhao Qingyan's side, it is still a symbol of preciousness.

Prince Rui was indeed very satisfied with the gift.

Logically speaking, when a family visits, the male host has already presented a gift, which is sufficient to fulfill the proper etiquette. However, Prince Rui turned his attention to Zhao Qinglin.

The meaning is obvious: he wants a gift from Zhao Qinglin.

This is really annoying.

Zhao Qinglin touched herself, and it seemed that apart from the sachet containing mosquitoes at her waist, she couldn't bear to part with anything else.

Having no other choice, he took the purse from his waist and handed it over.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry, I didn't prepare a separate gift."

This is a sachet of insect repellent; I'm presenting it to Your Highness as a congratulatory gift. Please don't find it offensive, Your Highness.

Prince Rui smiled.

"No problem, no problem at all. Anything Miss Zhao carries with her must be of good quality."

He then planned to invite them inside for a meal.

Little Zhao Qinghe saw that her older sister had given her a gift, so she had to give one too.

He rummaged in his pocket for a while, and finally pulled out a small porcelain bottle, which he handed over.

"Here, this is my congratulatory gift. It's a farting pill. If anyone offends the prince in the future, the prince will give them this to eat, and he'll never forget it."

The effective time is 24 hours.

As for any side effects after the medication wears off, I don't know.

As for the aftereffects, I really couldn't have imagined the troubles until I tried it myself. After all, if a person farts for two consecutive days, the effects of the medicine would probably wear off, and their anus would be ruined.

When the prince held a banquet, Wang Liansheng used almost all his skills.

He cooked every ingredient he could find locally.

They ate so much that the Zhao Qinglin sisters didn't even lift their heads or open their eyes.

Zhao Qinglin commented on her food as she ate.

"Your Highness, your chef's skills are truly exceptional, the food is absolutely delicious."

With skills like that, if he opened a restaurant, he'd make all the money in the entire city of Mo.

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Prince Rui, adhering to the principle that even a small profit is a gain, would never let go of any opportunity to make money.

Especially since he doesn't plan to leave Mocheng anyway.

Wandering around is less appealing than staying here. I enjoy bickering with the girl next door all the time.

At the end of a housewarming party, Zhao Qinglin and Prince Rui signed a cooperation agreement.

Prince Rui provided the money and technology, while Zhao Qinglin provided the personnel to manage and operate the business. The profits were split equally between the two.

Whether they were guards or secret agents, they all felt that their prince had gone mad.

Why can't we do business ourselves? Why do we have to get a girl involved? Isn't that just giving money away to others?

Looking back at the way their own prince interacted with Miss Zhao, everyone felt that they had grasped the essence of the matter and were about to get a really big piece of gossip.