On the way back, Li Ji’s face was grim the entire time.

His entire being radiated an aura that all but screamed, "I’m in a foul mood."

Hua Manman kept sneaking glances at him, and his expression made her anxious.

She carefully scooted closer.

"My Prince, I can explain."

Li Ji snorted. "I’m not listening."

Hua Manman resentfully shut her mouth.

Li Ji waited for a moment, but she said nothing.

His cold gaze swept over to Hua Manman.

"Aren’t you going to explain?"

Hua Manman said dryly, "Didn’t you say you weren’t listening?"

"I said I’m not listening," Li Ji retorted irritably. "But I didn’t say you couldn’t talk."

At this moment, it was as if Prince Zhao had been possessed by a contrarian.

No matter what Hua Manman said, he had to contradict her to feel satisfied.

Furious but not daring to show it, Hua Manman carefully explained.

"When I was very young, I was abducted by child traffickers. During the ordeal, I happened to meet the Fourth Prince. After I was rescued and returned home, I fell ill. By the time I recovered, I’d forgotten the entire experience."

Li Ji let out another cold laugh, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"So you two were childhood sweethearts? A match made in heaven?"

Hua Manman frantically waved her hands. "Not at all! The Fourth Prince and I are innocent. Nothing happened."

Li Ji pressed, "Then what about that sachet? Was it a love token you gave him?"

With a pained expression, Hua Manman said, "I don’t know about that, either. I’ve long since forgotten that whole experience."

Since Li Ji could hear her thoughts, he knew she was telling the truth.

But he still felt deeply displeased.

’Manman was supposed to be *my* treasure, one that only I knew about.’

’But now someone else has discovered her and even covets her.’

Li Ji said, his face expressionless.

"Just leave me be. I need to cool down."

He knew he couldn’t blame Hua Manman. She had handled it as well as she could have. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

He just needed some time to sort out his feelings.

Hua Manman obediently kept her mouth shut.

Neither of them spoke again after that.

The carriage was dead silent for the rest of the journey.

Only when they were almost at the manor did Li Ji finally speak.

"Even though you’ve made things clear with the Fourth Prince, he might not give up so easily. Stay far away from him from now on."

Hua Manman nodded. "Mm."

Even if Prince Zhao hadn’t said anything, she would have stayed far away from the Fourth Prince regardless.

When the carriage stopped at the gate, Li Ji disembarked first.

He reached out a hand to Hua Manman.

Hua Manman looked at the large hand offered to her, knowing Prince Zhao’s anger had subsided.

She immediately broke into a sweet smile and placed her own small hand into Prince Zhao’s palm.

Li Ji helped her out of the carriage.

Steward Jia ordered someone to take the carriage to the stables. He followed behind Prince Zhao and the Princess Consort, asking with concern.

"How went the search for a shop? Did you find a suitable one?"

Hua Manman briefly described the situation with the Wanfeng Grain Store.

After listening, Steward Jia nodded repeatedly. "Your Highness has thought this through very well. Selling the peanut oil at the Wanfeng Grain Store is a perfect solution."

The Wanfeng Grain Store was one of Prince Zhao’s businesses. With a patron as powerful as the Prince, they could sell the peanut oil with confidence, unafraid of covetous rivals.

When Feihua Zhenren heard that the Prince and Princess Consort were back, he immediately came trotting over to find them.

"You’re finally back! The sun’s already set."

’The sun has set, so it’s time for dinner.’

Li Ji heard his thought and sneered, "Zhenren, don’t you feel your belt has gotten a bit shorter recently?"

Feihua Zhenren felt his belt and remarked with a sigh.

"Now that you mention it, My Prince, this humble Daoist almost forgot."

"It’s not just my belt that’s gotten shorter; even my robes have shrunk."

"The fabric must be poor quality. It must have shrunk in the wash."

"It seems I’ll have to go to the embroidery shop tomorrow and have a couple of new sets of robes made."

Hua Manman couldn’t help but laugh.

"Perhaps it’s not that the robes have shrunk, but that you’ve gotten fatter, Zhenren."

Feihua Zhenren was incredulous.

"Impossible! This humble Daoist has only eaten a tiny bit more recently. There’s no way I could have gotten fat."

Li Ji had someone bring a measuring tape and ordered them to measure Feihua Zhenren’s chest, waist, hips, and thighs on the spot.

The results proved that Feihua Zhenren hadn’t just gained a little weight, but a lot of it.

Faced with irrefutable evidence, Feihua Zhenren was speechless.

He touched his double chin in disbelief.

"This humble Daoist... I’ve actually gotten fat!"

Hua Manman offered a friendly suggestion, "Zhenren, perhaps you should eat a little less from now on."

’He’s a Daoist who is supposed to look ethereal and otherworldly. If he keeps gaining weight, that entire immortal air will vanish.’

The mere thought of dieting made Feihua Zhenren miserable.

He was even on the verge of giving up. "So what if I’m a little fat? It’s not a big deal."

Hua Manman reminded him, "Being overweight makes one susceptible to illness. Especially at your age, you should pay more attention to your health. It would be best to be more mindful of your diet."

Feihua Zhenren wanted to make a last-ditch struggle, but Li Ji directly issued an order: all of Feihua Zhenren’s three daily meals were to be cut in half, and all fried foods were to be confiscated.

Feihua Zhenren looked as though he’d been struck by lightning.

’Cutting my food rations? Prince Zhao is inhuman!’

And so, when dinner was served, the food placed before Feihua Zhenren was only half his usual portion.

What’s worse, the dishes were almost all vegetarian, with only a single meat dish among them.

Meanwhile, the table before Hua Manman and Li Ji was laden with delicacies—chicken, duck, fish, and every kind of meat imaginable.

Hua Manman commented as she ate the fragrant chili chicken.

"This is one of the manor’s free-range chickens. The meat is so firm. It was fried and then stir-fried with chilies, making it crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. And they even added peanuts... it’s just unbelievably fragrant!"

Feihua Zhenren: "..."

’Turns out the Princess Consort is inhuman, too!’

...

It was already night when Li Ying returned to the palace.

Liang Yong was shocked to see the Fourth Prince’s fingers covered in blisters. He quickly found some ointment and began to apply it carefully.

The blisters were red and shiny, painful even to look at, let alone to touch with ointment.

Even Liang Yong, who was only applying the medicine, felt the pain.

Yet Li Ying himself remained motionless, as if he had lost all sensation, showing no reaction at all.

After finishing with the ointment, Liang Yong went to the Imperial Kitchen to fetch dinner.

While it was a meal fit for a prince, it paled in comparison to the other princes’ fare. Theirs were dazzling displays, while the Fourth Prince’s was pitifully meager: just two simple, bland side dishes. Judging by the yellowed leaves, they were likely scraps that were about to be thrown away.

However, Liang Yong was long accustomed to this.

The Fourth Prince had always eaten such dishes.

For them, having something to eat was enough; flavor was a luxury they couldn’t afford to consider.

Liang Yong set out the bowl and chopsticks. Seeing that the Fourth Prince hadn’t moved, he couldn’t help but prompt him.

"Fourth Prince, it’s time to eat."

Li Ying still didn’t respond.

He sat there quietly, like a soulless wooden doll.

Helpless, Liang Yong could only go about his own tasks first.

By the time he had finished his chores and returned to the room, the food on the table was already cold. The bowl and chopsticks in front of the Fourth Prince remained exactly as they had been left, completely untouched.