Qi Yichen was painting in the pavilion in the yard when his secret guards came to report.

"Your Highness, I have already led the Emperor's people to investigate Liu Yan. Now the princess already knows Liu Yan's true identity."

"Um."

In the previous life, because Qi Yichen did not take action, the emperor actually agreed to let the princess marry him.

But this life is different. Qi Yichen doesn't want Liu Yan to have the chance to get promoted.

No reason, just to help the little girl vent her anger.

I picked up the brush I had just put down and was wondering why Xu Jinyi hadn't come over today when I heard her footsteps.

"Your Majesty, are you painting again today?"

Xu Jinyi came over every day these days, and Qi Yichen was used to her skilled tone.

Xu Jinyi stood beside him and looked at the lotus he painted.

"What's so good about your paintings of lotus and osmanthus flowers every day? They're not as pretty as me. Why don't you paint me? I'm so beautiful, right?"

"Can't you have a little more girlish reserve? And aren't you afraid of getting your head chopped off for saying my paintings are ugly?"

Xu Jinyi was wearing a goose yellow dress today, which made her look young and energetic, and her smile was very contagious.

Since Qi Yichen was injured, he rarely sees outsiders. These days, with Xu Jinyi's company, this boring life seems to have added some color.

At least he no longer lives just for the sake of living.

"How could our handsome, kind-hearted prince be willing to chop off my head, right?"

"Besides, my head is so beautiful, would Your Majesty be willing to part with it?"

Xu Jinyi bent down and held her face with her hands, making the shape of a flower, and even winked at Qi Yichen.

She just didn't believe that there would be a day when this bastard would no longer be able to seduce her.

Although the progress is slow, Xu Jinyi knows that he is making progress every day.

At least the dog man is now willing to let her get close to him and no longer drives her away.

Xu Jinyi's unexpected approach made Qi Yichen's heart beat faster.

He extended his index finger and tapped her forehead: "She is very pretty, but her eyesight is a little bad."

Xu Jinyi pouted, knowing what the man was talking about: "I was blind before, but my eyes are fine now, don't you think?"

Qi Yichen raised his eyebrows: "Although this prince is disabled, why do you think this prince will marry a married woman?"

As soon as he said that, Qi Yichen regretted it.

In fact, he didn't know why he said that, it was obviously not what he really meant.

He didn't mean to dislike her, nor did he mean to look down on her.

He didn't know why, but he couldn't help feeling irritated when he thought about other men having her.

He felt indescribably unhappy when he thought about how nice she had been to other men in the past.

And the dishes she cooked, he felt inexplicably unhappy when he thought that she cooked them for that man.

As he watched the woman's face turn pale, his apology choked in his throat and he stroked his legs.

Xu Jinyi stood up and spoke in a cold voice, bowing politely to Qi Yichen.

"I am shameless and have climbed above my station. I failed to recognize the current situation. I have disturbed you a lot recently. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

This was the first time Xu Jinyi used such a cold tone when facing Qi Yichen.

Rules everywhere reveal a sense of alienation.

This change made Qi Yichen frown slightly, as if he was not used to Xu Jinyi's well-behaved appearance.

"That's not what I meant. I didn't mean to belittle you or look down on you. I..."

"I know I've been married before and am not worthy of Your Highness. I'm sorry for disturbing you recently. Thank you for not blaming me. I'll take my leave."

Without giving Qi Yichen any time to react, Xu Jinyi left quickly.

After returning to the village, Xu Jinyi started pulling weeds on the wall in anger.

"How dare you, you bastard, despise me?"

"You're so heartless. You ate so much of my food and still despise me."

"What's wrong with being married? Can't I marry again? Can't I pursue true love if I'm married?"

"Huh, if you don't like me, I'll ignore you."

"It's a waste to have such a pretty face, your heart is made of stone."

"I am so beautiful, but you really don't know how to appreciate it."

…

The next morning.

Qi Yichen looked at the ordinary breakfast on the table and knew that Xu Jinyi didn't bring any food today.

In the past, there would always be a dish on the table that was brought by her for each of the three meals a day.

Thinking of Xu Jinyi leaving yesterday, Qi Yichen suddenly lost his appetite.

"Retreat."

After saying this, he didn't need Eunuch Deng to push his wheelchair, and he slid his wheelchair to the yard by himself.

After that, not only did Xu Jinyi not show up for breakfast, but she also didn’t show up for several days in a row.

Qi Yichen's face became longer and longer, and his whole body exuded a coldness that made people shudder.

The one who suffers the most is the chef in the village. He wants to cry every day when he sees the food being returned to them for redoing.

"You've all been imperial chefs for years, cooking for over a decade, yet you're not even as good as a lady from a wealthy family. How can you be so shameless as to tell others about this?"

"They say they've been researching recipes for over a decade and have amazing cooking skills, but I think that's just bragging."

Qi Yichen looked at the table full of dishes and his face turned dark.

The four chefs knelt in front of him, their heads about to be buried in the ground due to the scolding.

They were also fortunate enough to taste the dishes cooked by Xu Jinyi once.

That was something Xu Jinyi made extra of, and everyone in the village got a share.

To be honest, after eating, they all praised Xu Jinyi's cooking skills.

But they can't do it.

Eunuch Deng shook his head behind Qi Yichen and observed a moment of silence for the four imperial chefs.

While Qi Yichen wasn't paying attention, he slipped out quietly.

Qi Yichen glanced at Eunuch Deng who was leaving without saying anything.

As soon as Eunuch Deng went out, he met Bai Zhi who was about to enter the farm over there, and quickly called out to her, "Miss Bai Zhi, Miss Bai Zhi."

Bai Zhi turned around and looked at Eunuch Deng in confusion: "Eunuch Deng, is there something wrong?"

"Ms. Baizhi, where is your young lady? Is she okay? Why haven't you seen your young lady come over these few days?"

Bai Zhi: "Very good. Eat well and sleep well. Go to the mountain every day and say that you want to catch pheasants and roast them."

Eunuch Deng chuckled awkwardly.

Her young lady slept and drank well, and then ran away after flirting with his prince, leaving the prince unable to eat or sleep well.

"The lotus seeds in our lotus pond are ready for picking. I wonder if your young lady needs any and will come over today?"

Eunuch Deng's face was full of worry. If Miss Xu didn't come today, he would be frozen to death by the coldness from the prince.

Bai Zhi shook her head: "My young lady never eats lotus seeds. They are bitter and not tasty."

Eunuch Deng's face twitched. "Did your young lady make any new dishes today? Did she make more?"

Finally, there was something that Bai Zhi nodded in agreement to. "Ms. made braised loach today. She bought the loach from the kids in the village downstairs. It was super delicious, but we've already finished it."