Xiao Yi was startled again, but then chuckled. He felt a little embarrassed, as talking about bedroom matters was even more inappropriate after what happened with Xinrui.

"I... I'm going back to my room first. You should finish up early too." After saying that, Hongzhu felt a weight lifted from her heart, but she was still in a bad mood, feeling a little bitter. After saying that, Hongzhu turned around briskly and went straight back to her room.

Xiao Yi watched Hongzhu leave, his smile fading. He felt sentimental about Hongzhu, but matters of the heart are often unsatisfactory. He longed for the kind of charm that Tao Wanniang possessed.

It was just a maid trying to climb into the prince's bedchamber; it didn't cause any ripples in the manor, and Tao Wanniang and her entourage in the detached courtyard didn't hear any rumors either.

The following day, Tao Wanniang discussed the matter of opening a branch of Zhaixinglou with the King and Queen of Youzhou. She was confident in herself, and what she said was reasonable. She persuaded them with the promise of huge profits, and finally succeeded in convincing the King and Queen.

"Manager Tao, I don't understand these intricacies. Your Highness, why don't you and Steward Fei discuss this? Let Yi'er participate as well. Where in Youzhou is this restaurant suitable? You should weigh the options carefully," the King of Youzhou finally said.

The princess nodded and said eagerly to Tao Wanniang, "Manager Tao, the weather is getting colder and colder. How about we have some antique hot pot again today, the kind you make?"

Tao Wanniang chuckled. So, the princess has always been thinking about it!

"Of course, I will tell the cook in the Prince's mansion how to make it. Even when I return to the capital, the Princess will still be able to enjoy the antique hot pot."

"That would be perfect," the princess said with a smile.

Youzhou is very large, and the location of this restaurant still needs to be decided by the people of the Prince's Mansion. Tao Wanniang asked Ling Feng, Chen Yan, and An Feng to protect Chen Lianyun, Pingting, and Xiao Qiao'er to play in the city, while she herself, along with Xiao Yi, Hongzhu, and the steward of the Prince's Mansion, wandered around Youzhou City with a purpose.

Hongzhu also noticed that Xiao Yi was very restrained in public, and she couldn't help but glance at Tao Wanniang a few more times.

The more Hongzhu looked at Tao, the more bitter she felt. If she were a man, she would also like Tao! Look at Tao's calm and composed demeanor, and the way she analyzed the pros and cons. The confidence and arrogance in her eyes were completely different from hers.

Sister Tao is clearly that age, clearly not young anymore, but she is still so charming! Her movements are so natural and effortless, and even though she is just a woman, her temperament... Hongzhu can't even describe it.

"Hongzhu, is there something on my face?" Tao Wanniang was not unaware that Hongzhu had been staring at her so many times.

"No, it's nothing," Hongzhu said guiltily, noticing that Xiao Yi was also looking at her. "Sister Tao, you're amazing! How do you know about things like customer flow and lighting?" Hongzhu asked, making up a reason.

"When you reach my age, you'll see more of the world and understand!" Tao Wanniang said evasively.

"Looking at it this way, this area is more suitable." Xiao Yi looked around. There was a crossroads here, and there was a lot of traffic.

Tao Wanniang nodded, but the area was densely packed with houses and there were none suitable for building a restaurant. Demolishing and rebuilding would be a waste of money and resources.

“However, we can also think about it from the opposite perspective. These are already established shops, and they all have owners. It would be quite troublesome to buy them and rebuild them,” Tao Wanniang said. “Perhaps, instead of looking for an existing place with high foot traffic, we can create a new place that attracts a huge flow of customers!”

All eyes were on Tao Wanniang, did this mean they weren't going to consider this side anymore?

"Let's walk around some more!" Tao Wanniang suggested.

Youzhou is not peaceful. As Tao Wanniang walked on the street, she saw people fighting, people riding horses along the street, and people dressed as foreigners causing trouble.

"Watch out!" Tao Wanniang was looking around when Xiao Yi suddenly pulled her aside. There was a stray arrow.

"Cheng Feng, protect the Crown Princess!" Xiao Yi immediately said, while he himself protected Tao Wanniang, telling Steward Fei to dodge on his own.

"Cheng Feng, I'll trouble you to protect the young master. How can you rely on others to protect the young master's wife?" Tao Wanniang teased, while she quickly looked for a place to protect herself.

Xiao Yi paused, and it was Hongzhu herself who pulled him up; she felt quite upset.

"Ha, I'm not some weak woman, I can protect myself!" Hongzhu joked to herself.

The arrows quickly stopped; it turned out that the two groups in front were fighting. But with the intervention of the authorities, a large number of people dispersed or were arrested, and the brawl came to an end.

Tao Wanniang patted her chest and couldn't help but sigh, "This world is not peaceful!"

"Sister Tao, haven't you seen it all? The journey to Youzhou must have been extremely dangerous!" Hongzhu said. Although what she said was true, she herself didn't realize that there was a hint of bitterness in her words.

"Hongzhu." Xiao Yi called Hongzhu softly, his voice carrying a profound meaning.

Tao Wanniang was very perceptive. She looked at Hongzhu and then at Xiao Yi. Was there something she didn't know?

"I didn't mean anything by it, Sister Tao, it's just... you must have seen something even more dangerous than this, right?" Hongzhu tried her best not to let her emotions show, and only asked out of curiosity.

"Hmm, but I'd feel a bit aggrieved if I got hurt because of this unnecessary entanglement," Tao Wanniang said without giving it much thought. "It seems this place isn't suitable either, let's go take another look."

Fearing that Hongzhu might say something else, Xiao Yi suggested that they go back first.

The matter of choosing a location wasn't urgent and could be rushed. After returning to the Prince's Mansion, Tao Wanniang was worried about Xiao Qiao'er and the others, so she went straight back to the villa.

Xiao Yi stayed in the room with Hongzhu and dismissed everyone else.

"Are you going to blame me?" Hongzhu stared at Xiao Yi with wide eyes, biting her lip slightly. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous just from seeing that scene.

Seeing Hongzhu's appearance, Xiao Yi couldn't say anything and sighed.

"Why don't you go and tell them?" Hongzhu, by nature, couldn't stand such secrecy; it made her uncomfortable.

Xiao Yi was taken aback, then shook his head.

"Hongzhu, if you were her, what would you do?"

Hongzhu paused for a moment, then said, "If I were her, I would leave immediately. First, there's the difference in status—you're a prince, she's a merchant's wife; second, there's the age difference too. So, if I were her, I would leave immediately!"

Xiao Yi looked at Hongzhu and said with a hint of helplessness, "Yes, she will leave. Even if she was going to leave anyway, I just wanted to see her a few more times. Hongzhu, I'm sorry to trouble you!"

Hongzhu was deeply hurt by Xiao Yi's words. She playfully punched Xiao Yi's chest, saying aggrievedly, "But your uncontrollable emotions are making me really uncomfortable!"

Xiao Yi was also helpless. He was deeply in love and couldn't control himself. He let Hongzhu vent her dissatisfaction, but he was bitter inside.