After flirting with the aloof prince, the concubine ran away pregnant.

Afu suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with undisguised astonishment.

Seeing her like this, Xie Xun's anger inexplicably subsided a little, and his tone softened: "Especially the small kitchen, I don't want something like today to happen again."

A maidservant managing the entire inner quarters of the prince's residence—this is an absurd and unheard-of thing in any high-ranking family.

"Young Master, this is against the rules," Afu replied immediately. "This servant is of lowly status and I'm afraid it will be difficult to gain the respect of the people."

"I'm giving you authority, that's the rule." Xie Xun finally looked up at her, his gaze deep. "Or are you saying you can't manage it?"

That was a very pressuring question.

Afu pondered for a moment.

The benefits of taking on this task were obvious. She could rightfully take control of the small kitchen, managing her own food, clothing, and daily necessities perfectly. More importantly, with this management authority, she would have access to the household's purchasing accounts, which would be of great benefit when she later left the mansion to live independently and understand the price trends in the capital.

The downsides are equally obvious. As a mere maid, she has climbed to the position of manager, attracting the envy of countless people. Those below her are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, while the proper masters above dislike her; she is caught in the middle, pleasing no one.

Weighing the pros and cons takes only a moment.

"This servant will obey Your Highness's orders." Afu lowered her eyes and obediently agreed.

Xie Xun seemed satisfied with her answer, and his expression softened.

"Never mind." Xie Xun glanced at the food box, his brows furrowing again, clearly having lost his appetite. "We won't be able to eat at the manor."

He changed the subject abruptly: "Let's eat out."

Afu was stunned.

Xie Xun had already started walking out. As he passed by her, he said, "Didn't you say you liked going out? Let's go."

Afu was still kneeling on the ground, not reacting for a moment.

Is he... taking her out again?

Changsong had already prepared a carriage outside. It wasn't the kind with insignia that the Marquis's mansion had, but a very ordinary-looking blue cloth carriage, very low-key.

Afu followed behind Xie Xun, feeling somewhat flattered, but mostly strangely calm.

The carriage started and smoothly drove out of the back gate of the Marquis's residence, merging into the bustling traffic of the capital city at dusk.

Through the crack in the car window, Afu watched the street scene rushing past outside, the fireworks and noise making her relax from her earlier tension.

The carriage stopped in front of Yueyun Tower.

This is one of the most famous restaurants in the capital. It has three stories high with flying eaves and brackets, and the lanterns hanging at the entrance are larger than those of other restaurants, making the area in front of the door as bright as day.

The waiters at the entrance, dressed in matching light blue short shirts, were all energetic and had sharp eyes.

As soon as Xie Xun's carriage came to a stop, a man who looked like a steward came up to greet them personally, all smiles, and led them upstairs through a side door.

"Thank you, Your Highness. The usual seat is reserved for you at 'Yunshui Jian'."

The name of the private room is quite elegant.

Once inside, Afu realized the advantages of the private room.

It is located in the innermost corner of the third floor, with a wall with a full-length carved wooden window facing the busiest intersection below, offering an excellent view. However, due to the tricky angle, it is difficult for people downstairs to see what is happening inside the private room.

Xie Xun was clearly a regular here. He sat down in the main seat as if he knew the place well and casually ordered a few dishes.

"Bring another pot of pre-Qingming Longjing tea."

"Alright, please wait a moment." The manager bowed and left.

Soon, the dishes were served in a continuous stream.

Squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, crab meat lion's head meatballs, Dongpo pork knuckle, and several exquisite vegetarian stir-fries filled the table.

The taste was indeed excellent, even more refined than the banquet dishes in the Hou Mansion's main kitchen.

Afu ate a few bites, but her mind wasn't on the food.

Her gaze was more focused on observation.

This restaurant is really popular; the lobby downstairs is almost always full.

There were seven or eight waiters, but they still seemed a bit overwhelmed. Two tables in the southeast corner had already finished eating, but no one had cleared them, leaving the customers waiting to come in standing idly at the door.

The guests on the second floor seemed to be more affluent than those on the first floor, and they ordered more expensive dishes. However, the route for serving the food had to bypass the cashier on the first floor, which wasted a lot of time.

She was so engrossed in watching that she didn't even notice when Xie Xun stopped eating.

"What are you looking at?"

Suddenly, Xie Xun's voice rang in my ears.

Afu snapped out of her daze and saw him looking at her with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

She put down her chopsticks, considered her words carefully, and then said, "This restaurant seems to be doing really well."

"That's all?" Xie Xun raised an eyebrow.

Afu knew that wasn't what he wanted to hear.

She thought about it and decided to tell the truth.

"There are too few staff and we can't keep up with the workload. The customer turnover is too slow. The layout between the lobby on the first floor and the private rooms on the second floor is not reasonable. There is a conflict between the routes for serving food and clearing away dishes, which is a waste of manpower."

She speaks slowly but clearly and incisively.

The inquiry in Xie Xun's eyes slowly turned into a hint of admiration.

"It seems I made the right decision to put you in charge of my yard."

Afu smiled but didn't say anything.

She didn't particularly appreciate this kind of altruistic praise.

She lowered her head and sipped her tea, concealing her thoughts behind the rising steam.

A commotion suddenly erupted in the lobby downstairs.

A group of people dressed in colorful robes, who looked like students, were sitting around a large table, talking loudly, their voices so loud that they could be heard on the third floor.

"...The Prime Minister is getting old, and recently, due to the grief of losing his son, he has been bedridden. Several major reforms in the court have stalled. If this continues, the country will cease to exist!" a student said with great sorrow.

Someone nearby immediately retorted, "Nonsense! Prime Minister Song's eldest son, Song Yan, is currently serving in the Hanlin Academy and is quite like his father. I think he's only a matter of time before he succeeds the Prime Minister!"

"Although Young Master Song is a good man, he is still young and inexperienced. How can he possibly keep those veteran officials in check?"

I'm not so sure...

As Xie Xun listened to the naive discussions downstairs, a faint, almost mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"Nonsense," he commented.

Afu's gaze followed the sound, sweeping across the crowd before suddenly stopping.

Among the group of enthusiastic students, one person was unusually quiet. He was dressed in a blue cloth shirt, slender, and had a scholarly air about him. He was listening to his companions' argument with a frown.

It was Jiang Chenghuai, her cousin who studied at Qingshan Academy.

It had been quite a while since she last saw him. He seemed to have lost some weight, but he hadn't changed at all. Afu felt nothing.

For her, after A-Zhen moved out, her aunt's family had long been irrelevant to her.

Afu withdrew her gaze and continued drinking her tea, as if she had just seen an insignificant stranger.

After finishing their meal, Xie Xun got up to leave, and the two walked down the stairs one after the other.

The stairs to Yueyun Tower were made of wood, and they made a slight sound when you stepped on them. Just as they reached the corner on the second floor, Afu felt a gaze fall directly on her.

She didn't turn around and followed Xie Xun straight down the stairs.

Jiang Chenghuai's chopsticks fell onto the table with a soft "thud".

His classmates followed his gaze and saw the back of a slender woman following a tall, noble-looking man down the stairs.

The woman wore a light purple dress, the fabric of which was lustrous and warm, and the cut was perfect, making her waist look slender and her gait light.

"Chenghuai, what are you looking at?" His friend nudged him with his elbow.

Jiang Chenghuai's gaze remained fixed on that figure until it disappeared around the corner of the stairs.

"I think I... saw my cousin," he murmured.

"Your dear cousin?" Her friend paused, then asked, "The cousin who sold herself into slavery to ease your family's burden?"

Jiang Chenghuai nodded.

In his memory, his cousin Afu always wore drab old clothes, and was both delicate and resilient.

The woman from before possessed a calm and composed demeanor, without a trace of pettiness. Especially the man beside her, dressed in black, exuded an imposing aura; he was clearly no ordinary person.

How could someone like that be walking with his cousin?