The most dissolute couple in the capital

After returning to the Prince's Mansion with the high-ranking official, Guan, whom she had obtained for free, Cui Qingyi immediately felt relaxed, and even her steps became lighter.

But this good mood only lasted until evening, when it was interrupted by the low pressure coming from the front yard.

Li Chengjing sat behind his desk, an account book spread out in front of him, one hand supporting his chin, his brows furrowed.

Hearing the door open, he looked up and saw Cui Qingyi. His eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again.

"You're back," he said sullenly.

Cui Qingyi sat down opposite him, glanced at the account books spread out on the table, and understood.

"Your Highness, are you not having dinner?" She didn't rush to ask, but first had Su Xin bring over a food box.

Li Chengjing shook his head, then nodded, and finally mumbled, "Not hungry... but a little hungry."

Cui Qingyi ignored him and waited for the food box to arrive. She then personally ladled out a bowl of chicken soup wontons for him and pushed it in front of him.

Li Chengjing looked at the wontons, picked up a spoon, scooped one up, took a bite, chewed it twice, and then put it down.

"Your Highness," he suddenly said.

"Um?"

"Tell me...am I really useless?"

"I always thought that as long as I didn't let them lack food and clothing, and the household was happy, that would be fine. I never expected... that I was too incompetent and misjudged people. It was my messy rules that allowed the servants' desires to grow so big, leading to this terrible result. If it weren't for you, I would still be kept in the dark."

Cui Qingyi placed the peeled oranges on the small plate in front of him, her tone indifferent: "Your Highness, Steward Sun's embezzlement is his own greed; what does it have to do with you?"

"But I—"

"What are you saying?" Cui Qingyi interrupted him. "Mencius said, 'There is nothing greater for a gentleman than to do good to others.' Your Highness treats people with sincerity, which shows your magnanimity; their greed and deception show their wickedness. How can you blame the owner for not locking the door when a thief steals something? Don't try to pin other people's mistakes on yourself."

Li Chengjing was silent for a while, then said in a low voice, "But I really feel like I can't do anything right."

He put down his spoon, his tone unusually low: "I've never been good at studying since I was little. My mother is old and doesn't have the energy to take care of me. When I started my formal education, my elder brother and sister-in-law spent most of their time with me. At that time, I studied in the study with my nephews and nieces. My elder brother and sister-in-law both have photographic memories; they can remember the gist of something after seeing it a few times. Even Zhao'er, although two years younger than me, understands things very quickly."

"After the Grand Tutor explains something once, Zhao'er can repeat it and even offer her own insights. The Grand Tutor says she is exceptionally intelligent and will surely achieve great things in the future."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "So I stopped going. Anyway, I don't need to take the imperial examinations or govern the country, so what's the point of reading those books?"

After listening, Cui Qingyi did not rush to speak.

In her past life, she knew very little about the Prince of Liang, as their social circles were completely different. In her memory, the Prince of Liang was a notorious playboy in Chang'an, who spent his days eating, drinking, and having fun, and was utterly useless; even the emperor couldn't do anything about him.

She never imagined that behind this man's playboy lifestyle lay such a shadow from his childhood.

"Does Your Highness think that reading books and not being able to remember articles means they are useless?"

Li Chengjing was stunned.

Cui Qingyi reached out and picked up a small porcelain bottle from the corner of the table. It was a perfume balm he had recently mixed. He unscrewed the cap, and a faint orchid scent wafted out.

"How many times did Your Highness adjust this perfume before you were satisfied?"

Li Chengjing answered instinctively, "Three times. The first time was too strong; the ratio of orchid and agarwood was wrong. The second time was better, but the scent didn't last long enough. The third time, I changed the base oil and used lanolin as the base, which stabilized it."

"Your Highness." Cui Qingyi placed the porcelain bottle back on the table. "There are plenty of people in the world who can remember everything they read, but I'm the one who can discern the difference in the ratio of orchid to agarwood, and who knows that changing the base oil can alter the longevity of the fragrance—"

She almost blurted out "two lifetimes," but swallowed it back in time.

"In all my life, I've only ever seen one prince."

Li Chengjing raised his head.

Cui Qingyi's gaze was frank and earnest: "Last time, Your Highness prepared a peach blossom face cream for the Empress Dowager, using pearl powder from the Western Regions as a base, making the color more natural after application. The Empress Dowager was overjoyed, Your Highness still remembers?"

"What's so difficult about that? Different grades of pearl powder refract light differently. Pearl powder from the Western Regions is ground much finer, so naturally—"

He stopped talking as he was speaking.

"Look," Cui Qingyi smiled, "Your Highness's eyes lit up when you talked about these things. Things that you struggle to remember when studying, Your Highness grasps immediately when it comes to perfumes and cosmetics, and can apply what you've learned to other situations. That's Your Highness's talent."

Li Chengjing's lips moved slightly: "But this is just... a side path."

"Talent has never been divided into high and low, noble and lowly." Cui Qingyi's voice was unhurried. "Being able to memorize the classics is a skill, and being able to distinguish the fragrance of thousands of flowers and plants by intuition and create a unique flavor is also a skill."

"There are 360 ​​professions, and every profession can produce an expert. There are many hypocrites in this world who are well-read but engage in immoral acts, but few like Your Highness who possess the skill to turn the rotten into the miraculous."

She paused, a sincere smile appearing in her eyes: "In my eyes, Your Highness's talent is by no means unorthodox. When Your Highness is focused on perfumery, you still shine brightly."

Li Chengjing felt as if warm water had been poured over his chest, a burning, aching sensation shooting straight to the top of his head. Looking at Cui Qingyi's gentle gaze, his heart raced uncontrollably.

Feeling his heart pounding, Li Chengjing lowered his head and quickly started eating his wontons.

Cui Qingyi looked at Li Chengjing's bright red ears and found it amusing. Then she heard a soft call from the other side.

"Qingyi".

"Um?"

Did you read quickly when you were a child?

Cui Qingyi almost dropped the orange in her hand.

Of course it's fast.

Cui Qingyi, at the age of four, knew a thousand characters; at six, she was fluent in the Book of Poetry; and at twelve, she could write policy essays that her father circulated among his colleagues. Her talent, which amazed everyone at the flower-viewing banquet, was all genuine skill.

But can she say that?

If she tells him, wouldn't Li Chengjing feel even worse?

"It's alright," Cui Qingyi lied without changing her expression. "Our family is a collateral branch, unlike the main branch, we don't have famous teachers to teach us, so we just study by ourselves."

She quickly changed the subject: "By the way, Your Highness, you mentioned last time that you wanted to try using jasmine essential oil as a base note instead of agarwood. Did you try it?"

Lee Seung-kyung's attention was successfully diverted.

"I tried it!" He slammed his hand on the table, his eyes immediately lighting up. "Let me tell you, jasmine essential oil on its own is too sweet, but I added a tiny bit of petitgrain, and the whole scent changed. It became crisp and refreshing with a hint of sweetness, perfect for autumn. Let me let you smell it—"

He got up and ran into the inner room with light steps.

Cui Qingyi sat there, watching his hurried figure disappear into the distance, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved upwards.