The Dark Moonlight returns to the capital, and the mad prince is accused of forcing love.

Beijing is a hub for elites and wealthy individuals, making land incredibly valuable; for non-Beijing residents, purchasing a home is even more difficult.

Xu Qianhui and Qingyi sat in the broker's room, listening attentively as the broker gave a detailed introduction.

"The residents of the south of the city are all high-ranking officials and nobles. Only officials of the third rank and above are qualified to buy houses. Even if there are empty houses, I dare not sell them to customers. After all, in the capital, money can only buy convenience, not prestige. But if you want to purchase property, I do have some shops to choose from."

Xu Qianhui wanted to laugh when she heard this.

That's true.

If dignity could truly be bought with silver, those people in the Duke's mansion should have long ago replaced their family plaques with gold ones and worn them on their foreheads every day.

She glanced down at the booklet on the table.

Several shops along the Huai River were fenced off.

It is located at the junction of the south and west sides of the city, and is bustling with people.

Xu Qianhui pointed to a spot overlooking the river: "What's the price of this one?"

"Young lady, you have a good eye!" Fang Ya replied with a smile. "This shop has three floors and was originally a tailor shop. It has a small courtyard in the back and is located in the southern part of the city. The asking price is eight thousand taels."

The woman in green couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

Eight thousand taels of silver is more than enough to buy a five-courtyard mansion in Jiangnan.

Xu Qianhui's expression remained unchanged: "Are there any lawsuits or overdue taxes?"

"Rest assured, sir, this is a legitimate official dealer. We will never release any that hasn't been properly cleaned."

Why did the previous manager resell it?

"The old master of the family has passed away, and the children and grandchildren are dividing the family property, so they are in a hurry to pay off the debts."

Xu Qianhui pushed the drawing back: "That'll do."

Regardless of price, as long as the shop is free from lawsuits, it's a good location.

In addition to the 8,400 taels for the shop and deed tax, Xu Qianhui gave an extra 20 taels of silver as a running fee.

The speed of the anterior teeth is extremely fast.

Two hours later, the woman in green returned with the house deed, land deed, and red deed, her face beaming with smiles.

After carefully putting away the contract, Xu Qianhui and Qingyi immediately got into the brokerage's carriage and headed to the shop.

The midday sun shone down, the wind was a bit dry, but Xu Qianhui was in a very good mood.

"After you've finished looking at the shop, go ask Uncle Wang to pass on a message for me, and also ask him to find someone to clean out our house and arrange some honest and dutiful servants." Xu Qianhui looked at Qingyi: "By the way, the cook must be someone who knows how to cook Jiangnan cuisine. I've been craving lotus root and pork ribs for a long time."

The woman in green nodded, her smile wide and her eyes almost disappearing: "Miss is so clever. Not only did she get a shop for free, but it's also close to our residence, so we can help her anytime if needed."

Xu Qianhui playfully scolded her, "Now you know how good the God of Wealth is?"

"Yes, yes, yes." The woman in green hugged the contract box even tighter: "From now on, I'll only be responsible for collecting the money, and nothing else."

......

The carriage slowly came to a stop on the banks of the Huai River.

The shop was located on the street and by the river, with a spacious storefront. The signboard had been removed, leaving only two copper hooks hanging on the door.

Xu Qianhui went upstairs after entering the house, and then went down to the backyard, looking around from front to back.

The shop was decorated very elegantly, with carved railings and a clean counter. There were private rooms on the second floor and storage space on the third floor.

Turning it into a perfume shop would be a perfect fit.

Simply change the color, replace a few curtains, and put up some nice frames, and you can open for business.

She was very satisfied.

After finalizing the plan, Qingyi happily went to the next street.

Xu Qianhui strolled slowly along the banks of the Huai River.

The river surface shimmered, several flower boats were moored on the bank, and shouts could be heard from time to time.

A faint fragrance wafted by in the breeze. Just as she was about to turn back, she was suddenly bumped hard on the shoulder.

Her feet slipped, and river water rushed into her mouth and nose, the familiar feeling of being submerged instantly washing over her.

She instinctively tried to breathe and paddle, but then she saw the person who had just bumped into her jump down.

A dark robe broke through the water's surface.

Xu Qianhui stopped moving, sighed inwardly, and then pretended to struggle.

Perhaps fearing she would make a fuss, the man covered her mouth with one hand and paddled towards the bottom of the flower boat with the other.

Disorganized footsteps echoed from the shore.

Suddenly, the other person pressed their large hand against the back of her head and submerged her in the water.

The next second, warm air was passed into her mouth through the water, and Xu Qianhui was lifted out of the water only after the footsteps faded away.

She wrapped her legs around Lin Zuoqing's waist to keep herself from sinking into the water, and coughed several times while leaning on his shoulder.

"Lord Lin has many ways to kill me, why resort to such methods?"

Lin Zuoqing's face darkened: "If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it three years ago. Why wait until today?"

Xu Qianhui pursed her lips.

River water dripped down her temples, her clothes clung uncomfortably to her body, and even her breath smelled of water.

After a moment of silence, she whispered, "Can we go upstairs to talk? I'm afraid of water."

"It's strange that people who are afraid of water are going to the river."

Even so, he still carried her and swam towards the shore.

Upon reaching the stone steps, Lin Zuoqing first went ashore and then pulled her up.

After Xu Qianhui regained her footing, water trickled down the floor from the hem of her skirt.

Before he could even speak, Lin Zuoqing had already turned and walked towards a flower boat.

Xu Qianhui lifted her skirt and followed.

You can't exactly walk out into the street completely soaked, can you?

The flower boat cabin was filled with warm fragrance.

The maidservant brought in two sets of clothes, one for a man and one for a woman, and then bowed her head and left.

Behind the screen, Xu Qianhui quickly changed her clothes and wrung out her wet hair with a handkerchief.

Just as he was about to leave, Lin Zuoqing pulled him back.

The white shirt on him looked as if snow had brushed across the clouds, breathtakingly clean.

When I first met him, he was also this color.

The young man, with a defiant expression, stood up for himself.

At that time, she thought that the snow in the capital would also protect people.

It turns out that the water is coldest after the snow melts.

"It looks good?" Lin Zuoqing lowered his eyes.

Xu Qianhui snapped out of her daze, smiled, and raised her wrist, which was being held, closer to him.

"Lord Lin is reluctant to let me go?"

Lin Zuoqing tightened his grip and pulled her in front of him: "What's the point of leaving here? You should leave the capital."

Xu Qianhui sighed softly and put her arm around his shoulder.

The fabric was soaked with moisture, and through the thin layer, you could feel the tension in his clothes.

"I thought we had made things clear last night, but I didn't expect Lord Lin to still be so nosy."

"Xu Qianhui, I've told you, you don't deserve to stay in the capital."

"Then where do I deserve to be?" She looked up at him. "In Jiangnan? Or some small courtyard that someone gives you when they're in a good mood?"

"Isn't it because you willingly debase yourself to become a mistress!" Lin Zuoqing's eyes blazed with anger. "He's already admitted to marrying Qin Miaoyun, and you still won't get out? Xu Qianhui, how come I never knew you were so shameless?"

Xu Qianhui's smile deepened, her fingertips brushing against his shoulder as she spoke softly.

"What's the difference between Lord Lin and Zuo An? Breaking into a woman's boudoir at night, and just now you even gave me breathing exercises. Judging by this, you're even more shameless than me."

Lin Zuoqing slapped her hand away: "Don't compare me to him."

"Then who are you comparing me to?" Xu Qianhui took a half-step closer, their steamy breath and warm fragrance mingling together. "Comparing me to your fiancée from the Marquis's mansion?"

"Xu Qianhui." His Adam's apple bobbed. "Don't provoke me."

She raised an eyebrow slightly and lowered her voice.

"But you pulled me first."

Lin Zuoqing lowered his head, so close that they could hear each other breathing.

Looking at his restrained expression, Xu Qianhui suddenly felt the pent-up frustration in her heart dissipate.

She tiptoed close to him, her lips almost brushing against his chin.

"Lord Lin, you also looked up like that last night."

"Now, I'm interested."