The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 85 Only a sudden outburst could lead to such unrestrained behavior.

Lu Zhanjun's face froze for a moment, then he said coldly, "Chen Jiu, you're getting more and more capable."

Chen Jiu immediately shrugged and dared not speak.

Before getting into the carriage, Lu Zhan suddenly asked, "What other brothels are there?"

Chen Jiu slipped and almost fell.

This is terrible! It seems the young master has tasted the sweetness of visiting brothels and is now completely addicted.

I wonder if the Duke and his wife would break his legs if they found out he brought his son to a brothel.
Chen Jiu stiffened and shook his head, "This subordinate does not know."

Lu Zhan frowned. "What use are you?"

Chen Jiu said with a bitter face, "I am a respectable person and never go to brothels. I have only heard of Chunfeng Tower and Ruyi Tower."

"Go investigate!" Lu Zhan said, then got into the carriage.

Chen Jiu: "..."

……

Because she was going back to Yangzhou in a few days, Zhiwan spent all her time painting these past two days, except when packing her luggage.

She had to deliver one more drawing to the bookstore before returning to Yangzhou.

That day, she put away the finished painting and prepared to send it to the bookstore. When she walked to the front yard, she happened to meet Lu Zhan and Chen Jiu, who were returning from outside.

"Cousin." Zhiwan stepped forward and bowed.

"Going out?" Lu Zhan asked casually.

"Hmm." Zhiwan nodded, noticing the dark circles under his eyes, and asked with concern, "Cousin, you don't look well. Did you not sleep well last night? Are you feeling unwell?"

Chen Jiu, who was following behind Lu Zhan, thought to himself upon hearing this: "The young master has not only not slept well last night, but he has not slept well for several nights in a row, okay?"

I don't know if the young master is possessed, but these past few days, whenever he finishes his shift at the government office, he goes straight to brothels.

I went to several places in one night.

The prince has visited almost all the brothels in the capital.

What a terrible thing to do.

The Crown Prince must have been suppressing his emotions for too long, and this outburst is why he acted so unrestrainedly.

"It's nothing," Lu Zhan said, and then left.

Zhiwan was also about to leave the manor, but when she turned her head and saw that Chen Jiu also had dark circles under his eyes, she couldn't help but ask, "Ajiu, why do you and your cousin both look so exhausted? What have you been doing these past few days?"

Chen Jiu hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

He's been feeling really stifled these past few days and really wants to vent to someone.

However, the fact that the crown prince frequented brothels was not something to be proud of.

He had to protect the crown prince's reputation, so he had to keep quiet.

Faced with the girl's concerned inquiry, he almost couldn't hold back and blurted out the whole story.

"N-nothing," Chen Jiu finally said, his voice tinged with unspoken suffering.

Seeing this, Zhiwan didn't ask any more questions, and only said, "Then you and your cousin should take care of yourselves and not overwork yourselves like that, or you'll ruin your health."

Chen Jiu scratched his head, feeling that something was off about what he was saying, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He just nodded blankly and said, "I understand."

"When I come back, I'll bring you and your cousin some steamed buns with three kinds of meat and salted goose," Zhiwan said after thinking for a moment.

Last time, she noticed that her cousin really liked the three-ingredient buns and salted goose made by Ms. Yu.

"That would be great, Miss, please bring more." Hearing that there was something delicious to eat, Chen Jiu's dejected mood vanished and his spirits lifted.

"Okay." Zhiwan replied good-naturedly and went out with Shuang'er.

After handing in her painting at the bookstore, Zhiwan received an extra sum of money, bringing her total to two thousand taels.

Just thinking about it made Zhiwan very excited.

Right after returning from Yangzhou, her aunt began to select a husband for her.

With money in her hands, she was no longer afraid of not being able to support a live-in husband.

However, Manager Jin was not very satisfied with the number of drawings she submitted and hoped that she could draw more.

Zhi Wan frowned. "These are already my limit. Besides, I'll be going on a long trip for a while, so I'm afraid I won't be able to submit any more drawings to you."

Upon hearing this, Manager Jin hurriedly asked, "Where are you going, and how long will you be gone?"

Zhiwan didn't say where she was going, only saying, "It will probably take more than a month to go back and forth." Upon hearing this, Manager Jin became somewhat anxious, "It's okay if you don't submit any paintings during this month, but you must submit more to me when you return."

The nobleman greatly admired this painter's style, but the paintings this painter submitted fell far short of his expectations.

Moreover, his paintings, when compiled into art books, sell extremely well in the market.

He could see the gold beckoning to him, but he couldn't catch it.

Thinking of this, Manager Jin became somewhat anxious and agitated.

Zhiwan hesitated, "I can't paint when I'm on the road."

"Thirty taels, thirty taels for each painting. As long as you're willing to paint, payment is not a problem," Manager Jin quickly added.

Zhiwan glanced at him in surprise.

Do her paintings sell that well?
To encourage her to paint more, Manager Jin even offered to increase the price to thirty taels per painting.

She tentatively said, "Fifty taels for each piece, I'll consider it. After all, traveling is so tiring, and to have to paint on top of that is really too much for me."

Manager Jin gritted his teeth and said, "Fine!"

Zhiwan: "..."

It seems that her paintings are making more money than she expected.

"Then I'll give it a try," Zhiwan said, considering the money.

Shopkeeper Jin beamed with joy, "Then you must draw more!"

After leaving the bookstore, Zhiwan went to Zhiweizhai.

It was the busiest time of day for the shop. Mrs. Yu was in charge of making pastries, while Zhao Dong was in charge of selling and collecting money. Their youngest son, although only seven years old, was surprisingly efficient at his work.

The shop offers both takeout and dine-in pastries.

Zhao Xiaoxi then helped serve the guests snacks and wipe the table, doing so with great skill.

Upon seeing Zhiwan arrive, Zhao Xiaoxi quickly greeted her, "Master."

Zhiwan patted his round head, grabbed a handful of candy from her purse, and stuffed it into his hand.

"Thank you, boss." Zhao Xiaoxi smiled sheepishly.

Seeing that the shop was busy, Zhiwan and Shuang'er lent a hand.

When the afternoon came and there were no more guests, Zhiwan went into the kitchen. There was a salted goose and some three-ingredient buns left in the kitchen, so she asked Yu to divide them into two portions and pack them up to take back to the mansion.

At first, the shop only sold some snacks. Later, they tried selling salted goose a few times and found that it was quite popular with customers. So the shop started making a few extra salted geese every day to sell together.

The business in the shop is currently quite stable, and after deducting all costs and expenses, we can make a net profit of twenty taels.

After explaining some things to the couple, Zhiwan and Shuang'er returned home.

Upon arriving at the manor, she instructed Shuang'er to deliver one portion of the food to Lu Zhan, while she personally delivered the other portion to Wei Shi at Lan Courtyard.

Qingyun Residence, Study.

Chen Jiu held a goose leg in one hand and a steamed bun in the other, eating with his mouth full of oil.

After finishing his meal, he looked at his master and said obsequiously, "Young Master, which brothel would you like to visit tonight? I will arrange it."

Lu Zhan put down his chopsticks and said calmly, "No need."

Chen Jiu was surprised.

I don't have to go tonight?

That's true. Even if the master has great energy, he will eventually be exhausted from walking around like this every night.

He had originally thought that, in consideration of the goose leg his master had given him, he would risk it and accompany his master for another stroll. Alas!

Yaoguang Pavilion.

These past few days, Zhiwan hadn't had a proper rest because of painting, so after taking a bath in the evening, she went to bed to rest.

But after sleeping for a short while, she suddenly felt an itch on her face, as if someone was touching her face.

She opened her eyes groggily and saw the man sitting by the bed.

"Why are you here?" Zhiwan asked, sounding a little sleepy.

The man withdrew his hand, looking at her with a complicated expression. "Just who are you, young lady?"

Zhiwan: I heard that my cousin went to every brothel in the capital to find me?
Lu Zhan: ...

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(End of this chapter)