The two quickened their pace, with the people behind them closely following. They slipped into the restaurant, and Prince Zhen entered a private room with practiced ease. The restaurant, which had been doing so poorly before, was instantly packed with customers after Prince Zhen's arrival. The manager excitedly put down his abacus.

After greeting the guests, the innkeeper went to Zhen Shizi's private room and knocked on the door.

"Young Master?"

"Come in."

The familiar voice made Manager Yu pause slightly. He slowly pushed open the door, and before him stood a playful young girl and a handsome young man. He recognized the girl; she was the second young lady of the Wen family and also a good friend of the young master. But this man…

Before the shopkeeper could think it over, Prince Zhen spoke again: "What are you standing there for, Shopkeeper Yu? Serve me the best dishes, and be quick about it."

Shopkeeper Yu clicked his tongue in amazement. These were classic lines from Prince Zhen. Could this person in front of him be... Prince Zhen?

"Your Highness?"

"Manager Yu, you're not mistaken, it's me, the young master. Hurry up and serve the dishes, Xiaoting is starving."

Prince Zhen frowned.

"Alright, alright, I'll go prepare right away." After realizing what had happened, the shopkeeper quickly left. For a moment after leaving, it felt like a dream. This handsome man was indeed Prince Zhen. His voice and tone were unmistakable.

Soon, the table was filled with all sorts of dishes, all served by the innkeeper himself.

I never expected the young master to become so handsome. Those young ladies downstairs must have been attracted by him. If the young master comes every day, this restaurant will probably catch up with the famous Drunken Immortal Restaurant in the capital soon!

The shopkeeper was happily daydreaming, but while the imagination was beautiful, reality was far from the truth.

"Xiaoting, eat more."

"Then I won't be polite." Wen Longting ate with relish. This restaurant was owned by Prince Zhen, and she had eaten here many times, but this time it tasted especially delicious, perhaps because she was hungry.

A commotion erupted downstairs. Wen Longting glanced at the scene out of the corner of her eye and gave Zhen Shizi a teasing look. "Fatty... no, I can't call you Fatty anymore. It feels a little strange to suddenly change how I address you."

"Since you're not used to it, just call me that like before."

“Alright, Fatty, look how the restaurant is packed the moment you walk in. If you take a stroll around the streets every day and then come back to the restaurant, you’ll have countless spirit stones every day,” Wen Longting said with a smile.

Prince Zhen's lips twitched slightly. "No, I don't like being chased by those women."

"That's true, you are the heir apparent, these young ladies are naturally not good enough for you."

Wen Longting sighed softly and shook her head. "Marriage is a major life event, and for families like yours, which are officials and noble families, it is even more difficult to make decisions on one's own terms."

Prince Zhen shrugged dismissively, "My father and mother would never force me. What I'm afraid of is the Emperor himself."

The emperor decreed a marriage, and as the saying goes, fate is hard to defy!

Soon, news of Prince Zhen's weight loss spread throughout the capital.

As everyone knows, Prince Mingyang and Princess Mingyang went to great lengths to help Prince Zhen lose weight, but the results were still unsatisfactory. Now, however, he has lost weight in an instant and is rumored to have become a handsome man. This has aroused suspicion among many people in the capital, who are all inquiring about what kind of pills or elixirs Prince Zhen has taken and where they came from.

——

Inside the princess's residence, Qingling danced with her sword, while Yingyue directed her from the side.

"Raise your right hand a little higher, and put your foot forward," came Yingyue's indifferent voice.

Fine beads of sweat rolled down her face as Qingling gritted her teeth and persevered. She had been practicing swordsmanship all afternoon, but she just couldn't get it right. Was she really not suited to practice this sword technique?

Seeing her reluctant expression, Yingyue's eyes flickered slightly: "Alright, Qingling, that's enough for today."

"No, I can hold on a little longer."

As she spoke, the hand holding the sword trembled slightly. Yingyue frowned, and with a slight movement of her hand, the sword flew from her hand to his.

Let's practice again tomorrow.

"Fine... alright!" Qingling had no choice but to give up. Yingyue returned the sword in her hand to her and then turned and left.

That night, the moon was as white as snow.

With a creak, the door opened, and a petite figure appeared in the doorway.

A hint of helplessness flashed in Yingyue's eyes as she remained hidden. Had she forgotten that he was lurking in the shadows? Qingling carefully closed the door and went to the back mountain of the princess.

By the moonlight, he carefully studied the sword manual. Before long, he picked up his sword and began to practice step by step according to the instructions in the book.

He was exhausted in no time and collapsed onto the huge rock. "Ugh, how could it be so hard? How could it be so stupid!"

"Practicing swordsmanship by only using brute force is of course difficult."

Almost blending into the darkness, Shadowmoon emerged, and with a light and quick movement, stood up like a child who had done something wrong, calling out, "Shadow... Shadowmoon!"

"Let me teach you!"

As they spoke, Yingyue appeared behind Qingling like a ghost. Before Qingling could react, her hand holding the sword was enveloped by a large hand. The calluses on his palm rested on the back of her hand, indicating that this was not a dream.

"Be serious!"

Then Yingyue's voice pulled her back to reality, and she quickly replied, "Oh, okay."

"Swordsmanship cannot rely solely on brute force; it also requires skill, like this."

As Qingling listened to his explanation, her body seemed to no longer be her own. Her hand movements changed constantly in response to his explanation, each move seemingly casual yet perfectly executed.

As he practiced swordsmanship, his black hair brushed against her cheek, blurring her vision.

Although Qingling couldn't see him clearly, she could feel his body temperature behind her at all times.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!