Qiao Zhen brought Xiao Bao back to the Regent's Palace. She stood in front of the round wooden table, Jiao Lan sat on a stool, and Xiao Bao sat upright on a small stool. "The Prince is biased towards Cheng Yao'er, and actually allowed Cheng Yao'er to poison Xiao Bao. We can't sit idly by and wait to die. We must do something to protect our interests."
Guerlain was bought from the slave market by the original owner; she was utterly loyal and trustworthy. "Madam, what can we do to protect Xiaobao?"
Qiao Zhen's expression was solemn, and even Xiao Bao's little face turned serious. "This is a very serious matter. First of all, it's not that the Prince doesn't like Xiao Bao, it's just that he doesn't like Xiao Bao the way he likes Cheng Yao'er. Starting tomorrow, Jiao Lan, you will take Xiao Bao to see the Prince. Xiao Bao, if that Cheng Yao'er comes to see Daddy again, you must hug Daddy, understand?"
“Cheng Yao’er was stopped by Xiao Bao, and she definitely won’t let it go. So Xiao Bao threatened her. Jiao Lan, your duty is to protect Xiao Bao at all costs!”
Guerlain clenched her fist and nodded heavily, "Don't worry, Madam, I will definitely take good care of Xiaobao."
Qiao Zhen nodded in satisfaction. She took out ten taels of gold and gave them to Jiao Lan. "Here, take these with you. If you need anything, just have your maid go out and buy it."
Jiao Lan quickly refused, "Madam, you mustn't. How could I possibly accept it?"
Qiao Zhen looked at Jiao Lan with exasperation, "These are all money I embezzled from the treasury. The Prince turns a blind eye. If he asks you where the money came from, just say it's for buying clothes for Xiao Bao. Winter is coming soon, and clothes in the capital are very expensive. Ten years' worth of gold is nothing in the Prince's eyes. He might even think we're stingy. Then the Prince will have to allocate some silver from the treasury for us, won't he?"
Guerlain readily accepted it, "Yes, Madam, I will certainly not fail in my mission!"
Qiao Zhen waved her hand, telling Jiao Lan to take Xiao Bao to the study to find Shen Zhao right now.
Three days had passed since she took Xiaobao to look at the shop. She tidied herself up and went out again, disguised as a boy, intending to take over the shop. Her plan was quite ambitious, but someone had already bought the shop—a refined young man, probably even younger than the original owner of this body.
Xiao Ling: [The system has detected that the boy is the young emperor, Zhenzhen, hurry up and get him!]
Qiao Zhen looked at the boy's delicate face, her heart pounding wildly. [Oh no...oh no, this is the feeling of being smitten, I'm about to fall for someone else.]
Xiao Ling: [Face-obsessed! Disgusting.JPG]
Chu Chu: [Face-obsessed! Disgusting.JPG]
Qiao Zhen scoffed inwardly. How could these systems and pets, who didn't know how to appreciate beauty, understand her passion for it? They couldn't understand her, and she felt a sudden sense of loneliness.
Xiao Ling/Chu Chu: Which mental hospital did she escape from?! Can't we put her back in?!
Just as the young man was about to pass by Qiao Zhen, Qiao Zhen immediately stopped him with a smile, "Young master, have you taken over the shop up ahead?"
The young man, adorned in gold and silver since childhood and subjected to utmost respect, suddenly noticed Qiao Zhen blocking his path. His delicate brows furrowed slightly, but he knew to restrain himself and did not immediately become angry. "Young master, what brings you here?"
Qiao Zhen waved her fan; it must have been tough for her to carry a fan in this cold weather. "Young master, I also have my eye on that shop, but a gentleman doesn't take what others cherish, and I have no intention of asking you to give it to me. I wonder what you intend to do with this shop, and if you could take it with you to the next shop?"
"No." The boy said succinctly, then walked past Qiao Zhen and left.
Qiao Zhen chased after him, calling out, "Young Master! We'll meet again."
The boy did not turn around.
Qiao Zhen looked at the shop with some regret. As she passed by the shopkeeper, she casually remarked, "Sigh, what a waste of a hundred taels of gold."
The sound reached the former shop owner's ears, causing him to lose his footing and nearly fall to the ground. A pang of regret followed; he had sold the shop for a few hundred taels of silver, which was insignificant compared to a hundred taels of gold.
Qiao Zhen hadn't actually planned to use 100 taels of gold to take over the shop, but since she was unhappy, she decided to make the former shop owner unhappy too!
When she returned to the Regent's Palace, she had just changed her clothes when Jiao Lan rushed in, "Madam, the Regent is coming to our courtyard."
Guerlain's voice suddenly stopped.
Qiao Zhen went out wearing her newly changed dress, asking, "What wind blew the prince in?"
Shen Zhao stood with his hands behind his back. "Did you teach your maid and Xiao Bao how to extort money?"
Qiao Zhen nodded, "Yes, what's wrong?" She sat down at the table indifferently and poured herself a glass of cold tea. "Your Highness, since you are willing to give up Xiao Bao for Cheng Yao'er, then I can't count on you anymore. At this time, money is more reliable than men, and besides, Xiao Bao has your blood in his veins."
That's too blunt.
This made Shen Zhao somewhat uncomfortable. "It's good that you know your place. I'll have my steward send over a few hundred taels of gold. Is that enough?"
Qiao Zhen slammed the teacup down on the table, the bottom of the cup hitting the table with a "thud." "Since you've made it clear, I won't hide anything from you. You can bring Cheng Yao'er into the family, and I'll take care of the arrangements, but you can't neglect Xiao Bao because of Cheng Yao'er. I haven't been hanging around in front of you all these years, so this condition isn't too much to ask, is it?"
Shen Zhao nodded, "As you wish."
Qiao Zhen gave Jiao Lan a look, signaling her to take Xiao Bao out. Once only she and Shen Zhao were left in the room, her words became increasingly explicit. "We haven't slept together all these years, except for the time I was pregnant with Xiao Bao. Even when we did, it was just sleeping under the covers. I can do without you, but not with Xiao Bao. He's only two years old. Those servants are all opportunists. They were so respectful to Xiao Bao before because he was your eldest son and your only son."
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