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

In Jinghong Courtyard, Xie Yun was idly teasing the parrot in its cage when she saw Afu approaching, and her eyes lit up.

"Why are you here? I was just thinking of coming to see you later." Xie Yun had a maid serve tea and snacks, then pulled Afu to sit down. "That new Granny Fang, did she give you any trouble?"

"No, Granny Fang is a very nice person," Afu replied.

"That's good." Xie Yun breathed a sigh of relief, then complained again, "My brother is really something, he brought you a head maid out of nowhere, making it seem like something."

Afu didn't respond to that. Instead, she took out the folded prescription from her sleeve and handed it to Xie Yun.

"Young Miss, these are two new dessert recipes I came up with a few days ago. Would you like to try them?"

Xie Yun took it and glanced at it. It depicted two exquisite pastry designs, with their names labeled in small print: Plum Snow Cream and Amber Jelly.

"It looks delicious!" Xie Yun exclaimed, immediately intrigued. "Quick, tell the kitchen to make it like this and let us try it!"

Afu shook her head: "The ingredients and cooking time in the kitchen can't make this taste. If Miss would like to try it, I'll go back to the small kitchen in the courtyard and make it for you."

"That would be wonderful!" Xie Yun was even happier upon hearing this. But then, she felt a little embarrassed. "It makes it seem like I'm taking advantage of you if I always make you do things for me. You're from my brother's household, and it wouldn't look good if word got out that I'm always ordering you around."

Wealthy families have their own rules.

The maid's skills belong to the master's family; others cannot simply eat or take them. Either buy the entire recipe, or buy the maid who makes the pastries into your own household. Although Xie Yun is carefree, she still has this sense of propriety.

This is exactly what Afu was waiting for her to say.

"If Miss likes it, how about we open a shop together?" Afu said softly.

"Open a shop?" Xie Yun was stunned. She blinked, thinking she had misheard.

"Doesn't the young lady own several shops? I noticed there's a pastry shop next to the silk shop on Zhuque Street, but business doesn't seem to be doing very well," Afu analyzed unhurriedly. "If you could take it over, renovate it, and specialize in selling novel pastries that aren't available on the market, business should be quite good."

Xie Yun's mind immediately became active.

She loves to eat and enjoys lively atmospheres. Opening her own pastry shop, where she could have whatever she wanted to eat and make money at the same time, sounded incredibly tempting.

"I'll provide the recipe, the manpower, and teach the craftsmen inside. Miss will provide the shop, the capital, and manage the reception and farewells outside," Afu continued. "If we make money, I'll take one percent, and you'll take nine."

"No, no," Xie Yun waved her hands repeatedly, "You're contributing the technology, that's the lion's share, how can I let you only get 10%? I'll give you the net profit, we'll split it 50/50!"

Seeing her anxious expression, Afu felt much more at ease.

"Young Miss, please listen to me. I'm just a slave; I can't possibly take that much. This shop is nominally yours; I'm merely supporting it from behind the scenes. Taking 30% is already overstepping my bounds." Afu paused, then added, "Besides, there's another problem."

"you say!"

"I am not allowed to leave the manor on weekdays, and I have to trouble Miss with the affairs of the shop. If I have to go out, I need Miss to inform the young master."

Xie Yun didn't think much of it; she just felt the conditions were reasonable. Afu was the manager; she couldn't possibly not even know what the shop looked like.

"This is no trouble at all," Xie Yun readily agreed. "It's settled then. I'll handle the shop matters. I'll send someone to negotiate tomorrow! The shop name will be... it'll be called 'Afu Sweet Shop'!"

Afu was both amused and exasperated. She quickly dissuaded the young lady from her overly straightforward idea, and they finally agreed to name the shop "Banxianju" (Half-Leisure Residence) in an elegant style.

In the days that followed, Xie Yun seemed to have found a new goal in life, and she was full of energy.

She acted swiftly and decisively, taking over the pastry shop within days and finding the best craftsmen in the capital to redesign and renovate it.

Meanwhile, Afu was working tirelessly day and night at Shianyuan, writing down the business plan, detailing everything from menu design and ingredient procurement to staff training and marketing strategies after opening.

The two worked together seamlessly, one focusing on internal affairs and the other on external matters.

Xie Yun would run to Shi'an Academy every day, chattering away about the progress outside, and incidentally getting free food and drinks. Most of the new kinds of pastries that Afu made ended up in her stomach.

Sometimes, when her husband, Wei Changsheng, returned from his official duties, he couldn't find her. Upon asking, he learned that his wife had gone to discuss "opening a shop" with Miss Afu again, leaving even their son with the wet nurse.

Xie Xun remained busy, leaving early and returning late. He didn't mention the previous events again, but would occasionally bring Afu some popular stories from the capital, or some trinkets that young women liked.

Afu accepted everything, thanked them, and then turned around and put the things into the cabinet without looking at them.

On this day, Lady Hou held a rare banquet and invited Xie Xun and Xie Yun to dine together.

At the dinner table, Madam Hou looked at her two children, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

"Yun'er, what have you been busy with lately? I haven't seen you all day." The Lady Hou placed a piece of fish on her daughter's plate.

"Mother, Afu and I have opened a pastry shop together, and it will be open for business in a few days!" Xie Yun said excitedly.

The smile on Lady Hou's face faded slightly. She was unhappy that her daughter was showing her face in public all day and getting involved with business, but seeing how enthusiastic her daughter was, she didn't want to dampen her spirits in front of her son.

"Brother," Xie Yun turned to Xie Xun again, making his request without any hesitation, "my shop is still missing an ice cellar, as I need to sell ice products in the summer. You have connections in the Dali Temple, could you help me get some good ice to store? Also, could you find a reliable clerk to review the shop's contract again, just in case there's any fraud?"

Xie Xun glanced at her and gave a faint "hmm" in agreement.

Lady Hou looked at her son and sighed inwardly.

After the Princess of Qinghe County fell into the water, she was so frightened that she fell seriously ill upon returning home. After recovering, for some reason, she sent someone to tell Xie Xun that their horoscopes were incompatible and that the marriage should be called off.

The Princess's family's decision to annul the engagement caused quite a stir in the capital's social circles. The Lady of the Marquis lost face, but there was nothing she could do.

Now, she can only start worrying about her son's marriage again. However, in the capital, those whose family background and appearance can rival those of Princess Qinghe are extremely rare.

Each person ate the meal with their own thoughts on the matter.

After the meal, Xie Xun did not go directly back to Shi'an Academy, but went to the study to retrieve a few things before slowly strolling back.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Afu and Xie Yun huddled together, pointing at a blueprint, both of them with smiles on their faces.

The smile faded when she saw him.

Xie Xun felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

When Xie Yun saw her brother arrive, she quickly stood up, found an excuse, and pulled Granny Hua away to make a quick getaway.

Only Xie Xun and Afu remained in the courtyard.

"I've heard about what happened at the shop." Xie Xun walked to the stone table and sat down, pushing a small box he was holding in front of Afu.

Afu opened it and found several brand-new silver notes inside, with a bunch of keys and a token underneath.

"This is the land deed for a small courtyard next to the shop. It's a three-courtyard house with a back gate, making it convenient to enter and exit. The token is from the Dali Temple and belongs to the ice cellar in the capital. You can use it at will." Xie Xun's tone was very calm, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.