"Who are you people, and why do you have the land deed for this house?" The official looked Tao Wanniang up and down suspiciously, and also glanced at the people behind her.

“Naturally, I am the master of this place. What, does having a land deed mean nothing?” Tao Wanniang said sarcastically, her eyes sweeping over the man.

“This house is under my name, surely the authorities can find out? If you find it troublesome, just go to Prince Rui’s residence and ask His Highness the Heir.” By bringing up the name of Prince Rui’s Heir, Tao Wanniang was convinced that the officials would ignore the matter.

As expected, the official's expression became somewhat complicated upon hearing that the prince was the heir apparent.

The official first looked at Tao Wanniang, then shook his head, looked behind her, and finally his gaze fell on Bai Yumei, who was wearing a gauze hat. He nodded thoughtfully.

"I see, it seems there was a misunderstanding." The officer said with a smile, "Wang Fugui, did you hear that? Your worries were unnecessary. This family is no ordinary family."

Wang Fugui, who looked down on Tao Wanniang's family and even reported them to the authorities, had a complicated expression on his face upon hearing that it was Prince Rui's heir. "Prince Rui's heir, fine, I guess I was just meddling."

Tao Wanniang scoffed, "You're leaving already? Who are you? Where do you live? Anyone who didn't know better would think this house was yours. You're really meddling!"

"What's wrong with me being more attentive to my neighbors?" Wang Fugui retorted stubbornly. "If you had said so earlier, there wouldn't have been any problem. You deliberately didn't say anything, weren't you just trying to play a trick on me? Really, bad people come from poor and remote places, and even a sparrow flying to a branch won't become a phoenix!"

"Say less!" the officer scolded. "Alright, everyone disperse if there's nothing else. You're from the Tao family, right? From now on, you'll be staying here for a long time, and you'll be neighbors with Wang Fugui. Neighbors should live in harmony and avoid causing trouble."

Tao Wanniang readily agreed, saying she wouldn't argue with the officials, but she feared that the meddlesome neighbor, Old Wang, would inevitably cause friction in the future.

After the officials left, Tao Wanniang also urged her family to leave first.

"Mother, we have everything we need, why are we still staying at an inn? Let the innkeeper refund our money and we'll move here!" Ling Dahu said urgently, this house was much better than the inn.

Tao Wan's mother rolled her eyes at her simple-minded son and said bluntly, "If you were the innkeeper, would you give me a refund?"

“We’ve already slept on the bed in the room, and it seems… we can’t return it.” Ling Dahu thought for a moment and said regretfully, “Mother, I’m just worried about the money.”

"Come over tomorrow," Tao Wanniang said.

We still have some rice on hand, so we should definitely plant some vegetables. It would be such a waste not to grow vegetables in such a big house.

"Alright, Mother!" the Ling family members said excitedly in unison.

After seeing the officials off, Wang Fugui saw Tao Wanniang and her family lock the door and leave, seemingly not planning to stay.

"Don't you stay here?" Wang Fugui asked curiously, his face showing inquiry.

Tao Wanniang found it amusing; this person was being far too nosy!

"We're new to the capital and are staying at an inn, but don't worry, we'll move in tomorrow. From now on... well, we'll probably see each other all the time."

"Who expected this? ... Never mind, I hope you'll treat this house well!" Wang Fugui opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he sighed and left.

Today's events piqued Tao Wanniang's curiosity. Firstly, what exactly did the Prince Rui's heir possess that everyone knew about but they didn't? This caused the officials and even the neighbor, Old Wang, to show expressions that were hard to describe when they heard the name of the Prince Rui's heir.

Secondly, what is the relationship between Old Wang next door and this house? It doesn't seem like they're just friendly neighbors!

The group returned to the inn, and Tao Wanniang inquired about the Prince Rui's heir from the innkeeper.

"Sir, the matter of the Prince Rui's heir is no secret in the capital. You must have heard some gossip!" The shopkeeper's expression remained unchanged, which surprised Tao Wanniang even more. Even royalty could be discussed freely by ordinary people!

"The Prince Rui's son is handsome and refined, and his family background and appearance are both top-notch. It's just that his marriage is a problem... sigh!" The shopkeeper sighed as he spoke, his face full of regret.

Tao Wanniang was delighted. What on earth could have made the marriage of Prince Rui's heir a topic of conversation among the common people?

"When the Prince Rui's heir was just over twenty, he was betrothed to the daughter of the Duke of Xu, but before the marriage, the Xu family's daughter contracted a terrible illness and died. Two years later, the heir married the daughter of Grand Secretary Li Wang, but his wife was pregnant for ten months and suffered a difficult childbirth, resulting in the death of both mother and child. Two years later, the Emperor bestowed a marriage upon the heir, choosing a woman from the imperial clan, but she died of a cold only three months after the marriage. Therefore, it is rumored that the Prince Rui's heir is a jinx to his wives!"

Tao Wanniang was stunned. Really? "Only three? It can't be true, can it? Could it be a coincidence?"

"At first, Prince Rui naturally didn't believe it, and then he specifically chose a woman with a strong fate. But just after the engagement, that woman was hit by an out-of-control carriage while walking in the street. So, sir, it's true that Prince Rui's heir is a jinx to his wives. It's a pity that this Prince Rui's heir is so handsome and deeply favored by the Emperor..."

Listening to the shopkeeper's regretful sigh, Tao Wanniang still couldn't believe it. If it wasn't a coincidence, what if it was man-made?

"This is truly unbelievable. It seems that the Prince Rui's heir is destined to be alone for the rest of his life."

"That's not necessarily true. Hehe, with the young master's face and status, there are still women flocking to him. Even if they can't be husband and wife, a night of passion would be fine too!" the shopkeeper chuckled to himself.

Uh... the atmosphere in Beijing is quite open!

Tao Wanniang was speechless for a moment when she thought of Xiao Yi's flawless face.

"Sir, what's the matter? Are you so interested in Prince Rui's son?" The innkeeper, keenly aware of Tao Wanniang's unusual attitude, asked tentatively.

"Shopkeeper, we're leaving tomorrow. Hmm, the Prince Rui's son bought us a house," Tao Wanniang said, leaving much to the imagination, before walking away.

The shopkeeper's expression instantly became complicated. This middle-aged woman, and the Prince Rui's son who is not yet thirty... No way!

The next day, Tao Wanniang and her party left the inn. The innkeeper remained polite until they were far away, at which point he exclaimed, "Truly, a true master doesn't reveal his abilities!"

When they arrived at the mansion, they could see a person standing at the gate from afar. As Tao Wanniang and the others got closer, they realized that it was Wang Fugui.

"Wang Fugui, what's this? Did you wait specifically for our family?" Tao Wanniang teased, thinking that this man was quite interesting.

"I'll just take a look. Since you're here, I won't bother you any longer!" Wang Fugui peeked out a few more times, then said sullenly and walked away.

When Tao Wanniang saw Wang Fugui enter the next room, she was taken aback. It really was Old Wang from next door!