After leaving the main courtyard, Lu Chen was planning to visit the courtyard of the Zhou sisters when he spotted Mu Zixuan leading Wang Qingci towards the back courtyard of the Prince's Mansion.
Lu Chen was curious, why had Mu Zixuan brought this woman here?
He furrowed his brow, fearing that Wang Qingci, wanting to get close to him, had concocted some excuse to deceive Mu Zixuan.
This wouldn't do!
If this woman was here for himself, there would be no problem at all.
But if Wang Qingci hurt Mu Zixuan in the process, that would be troublesome, for Mu Zixuan was pregnant again.
With this thought, Lu Chen hurriedly followed them.
As Lu Chen entered the back courtyard, the maid Xiao Rou was about to prepare tea. Lu Chen immediately stopped her and said, "Xiao Rou, when you make the tea later, use these leaves."
With that, Lu Chen handed the leaves he was holding to Xiao Rou.
Xiao Rou didn't think much of it, after all, she was just a maid.
"Yes, Prince."
After handing the Dragon Phoenix Tree leaves to Xiao Rou, Lu Chen also entered the back courtyard.
Upon seeing Lu Chen, Wang Qingci's heart immediately filled with joy, finally having found a chance to get close to the North Prince.
Of course, she had no intention of taking action against the North Prince just yet.
This time, she got close to the North Prince mainly to make herself known, to leave an impression on him and deepen his memory of her.
She wasn't certain whether the Grandmaster mentioned in the rumors had left the North Prince's side; at this time, acting rashly could mean she might not be able to leave the North Prince Mansion herself.
At that moment, Wang Qingci promptly rose from her stone seat and, with a bow, said, "This common girl pays respects to the Prince!"
Mu Zixuan, seeing Lu Chen come here, asked curiously, "Prince, why didn't you go to see your sisters?"
Although Lu Chen had already had his way with Xiaoxiao and Youyou, today was still the day of the wedding banquet, and he was supposed to go through the formalities. Yet, here he was.
Lu Chen said with a smile, "No hurry, we'll talk about it tonight."
Saying this, Lu Chen sized up Wang Qingci before him, emanating an alluring fragrance from head to toe—she truly was a seductress.
Lu Chen then asked, "Who are you?"
Wang Qingci immediately introduced herself, "Replying to the Prince, this one is the Oiran from the Hundred Flowers Tower."
At this time, Mu Zixuan added, "Prince, after seeing the effects of the soap, Miss Wang intends to place an order for a batch of soap from us."
Lu Chen said, "Oh, I see."
"You two continue, don't mind me."
Saying this, Lu Chen walked over and sat down at the edge of the pavilion,
At this moment, Xiao Rou came into the courtyard with the brewed Dragon and Phoenix Tea.
Xiao Rou poured a cup of Dragon and Phoenix Tea for each of them.
Wang Qingci then continued speaking to Mu Zixuan, "Your Highness, our Hundred Flowers Tower intends to order a large quantity of soap, may I know how long it will take for the Prince's Mansion to make it?"
Wang Qingci wasn't really paying attention to Mu Zixuan right now, but as it wasn't the time to be too presumptuous, she pretended to discuss business.
Mu Zixuan asked, "How many do you need?"
Wang Qingci replied, "One thousand pieces."
Mu Zixuan was somewhat surprised; this was the first time the Prince's Mansion had received such a large order.
"That many?"
Wang Qingci grinned and then explained, "The ladies of the Hundred Flowers Tower have many clothes that require washing every day, and to clean these clothes, the tower must purchase a large quantity of soap beans outside the city every day."
Mu Zixuan thought about it and felt there was some sense to it.
After all, in a place of pleasure, the dresses worn by those women of the evening had to be clean, so it was normal to consume a lot of soap.
Could it be that in the future, the Hundred Flowers Tower might also become a major client of the Prince's Mansion?
It was when Mu Zixuan was happy about the first big order for the Prince's Mansion that she noticed Lu Chen's eyes sweeping over Wang Qingci not far from the pavilion.
Mu Zixuan immediately understood why Lu Chen was here; he had come for Wang Qingci.
But Mu Zixuan didn't think much of it; Lu Chen's fondness for beauty was well known.
Wang Qingci was the oiran of the Hundred Flowers Tower, enchantingly beautiful, so it was normal for Lu Chen to be interested.
At that moment, Wang Qingci lifted the teacup on the table and took a sip.
With that sip, Wang Qingci suddenly felt a refreshing sensation surge in her heart and was momentarily stunned.
She then asked, "Your Highness, where does the Prince's Mansion get its tea from?"
Hearing this unexpected question, Mu Zixuan was a bit confused; she had not anticipated Wang Qingci would suddenly steer the conversation toward tea.
Curious, Mu Zixuan also picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, and she immediately understood why Wang Qingci had asked about the tea.
Mu Zixuan turned to look at the maid beside her, "Xiao Rou, what kind of tea did you brew? Why have I never tasted this kind of tea before?"
Before Xiao Rou could reply, Lu Chen, who was not far away, took the initiative to say, "My beloved concubine, do you remember that tree in my court?"
Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, Mu Zixuan immediately remembered the tree Lu Chen had been tending to with care recently.
She had always been curious as to why Lu Chen was so attentive to that tree; it turned out to be a special tea tree.
At this time, Mu Zixuan asked, "Prince, could it be that the teapot holds leaves plucked from that tree?"
Lu Chen nodded and said, "Yes."
Having said this, Lu Chen's gaze fell upon Wang Qingci and, smiling, he inquired, "Miss Wang, how do you like the tea?"
Wang Qingci replied, "It's fragrant and sweet, refreshing and invigorating; I've never tasted such miraculous tea before."
Lu Chen said, "Since Miss Wang likes it, I will have someone pick some fresh tea leaves to take back with you."
Wang Qingci thought to herself that it seemed the North Prince was planning to use this tea to ingratiate himself with her, and judging by this pace, it wouldn't be long before the North Prince became a visitor to her bedchamber, and her mission would soon be accomplished.
Thinking this, Wang Qingci revealed a seductive smile and said, "I'm profoundly grateful for the Prince's gracious gift."
Then, Lu Chen said to Xiao Rou, "Xiao Rou, go and pick two liangs of fresh tea leaves from the tree I often water for Miss Wang to take back."
"Yes, Prince."
Afterwards, Xiao Rou left the rear courtyard to go pick tea leaves from the formal garden.
After that, Wang Qingci and Mu Zixuan continued discussing the soap business.
Once the delivery date was confirmed, Wang Qingci left the Prince's Mansion with the freshly picked leaves of the Dragon Phoenix Tree that Xiao Rou had plucked.
Seeing Lu Chen's eyes still fixed on Wang Qingci's departing figure, Mu Zixuan sat beside him and said, "Prince, if you fancy Miss Wang, I could have someone purchase her from the Hundred Flowers Tower to serve you—it's likely that Miss Wang is still a maiden."
Mu Zixuan was quite open-minded about affairs concerning women and did not harbor thoughts of jealousy.
Hearing this, Lu Chen was brought back to his senses. He wrapped his large hand around Mu Zixuan's waist, pulled her up forcefully and sat her on his lap.
Then, speaking softly into Mu Zixuan's ear, Lu Chen said, "My beloved concubine, you can't possibly think she's just an ordinary oiran, can you?"
Lu Chen planned to reveal Wang Qingci's true identity to her; after all, Wang Qingci had ulterior motives regarding him.
If she had too much contact with Mu Zixuan, it might be harmful to Mu Zixuan, so it was better to inform her of Wang Qingci's real identity and have Mu Zixuan be more cautious around her.