Help! The innocent prince always tries to seduce me clumsily

The waiter finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Si Jingli felt bored and said, "Young Master is really tolerant and generous."

Chu Shifan was also feeling bad. Having just eaten something so disgusting, he probably wouldn't dare to touch pastries for half a year.

"I am a man of eight feet tall, why should I bother with a woman?"

The waiter hurried down the stairs, kicked the woman, and said, "Why don't you thank the gentlemen quickly?"

The woman clutched her sleeves tightly, refusing to say a word.

The waiter was afraid that the woman's stubborn attitude would cause more trouble, so he kicked her a few more times and said, "Are you dumb? Do you really want us to teach you a lesson?"

The waiter was very ruthless, and every kick made the woman's body sway.

She was extremely thin, and when she was kicked her body was shaking, as if she was about to fall down at any moment.

The waiter kicked her several more times, his forehead covered with sweat, but the woman didn't say a word.

Seeing that he was about to explode with anxiety, Chu Shitong said, "Okay, get out now, and stop annoying me."

The waiter then stopped, nodded and bowed like a grandson, saying: "Okay, gentlemen, eat and drink well. If you have any instructions, just call me directly."

After the waiter left, the house was so quiet that one could hear the chirping of cicadas in the trees outside.

It's late at night.

Chu Shitong gave Bishui a look, and Bishui immediately understood what he meant and stepped forward to help the woman up.

The woman had bitten her lips just now, and the blood that flowed out remained on her lips like red pearls, making her face even paler.

"What's your name?" Chu Shitong asked.

Si Jingli was a little puzzled and asked: "Chu Shitong, why did you keep her here and ask her name?"

"I'll tell His Royal Highness the Crown Prince later."

The woman was silent for a while before she said, "Thank you."

Chu Shifan and Si Jingli had no idea what she was talking about. Only Chu Shitong knew that she was thanking Chu Shifan for not blaming her for the pastry incident.

Chu Shitong thought for a moment, then stood up and said, "Come out with me for a moment."

The woman actually followed her, and the two of them went to the empty private room next door, leaving Chu Shifan and Si Jingli staring at each other in the room.

There was only one candle lit in the empty and elegant room, making the view a little dim.

The window was wide open, and the cool silver moonlight fell on the floor, as if covered with a layer of frost.

Chu Shitong walked to the window, felt the fresh air, and the slight drunkenness he felt completely disappeared at this moment.

The woman stayed not far away and did not follow.

Chu Shitong looked at the scenery outside the window and said, "Your name is Xie Chuchu, right?"

Chu Shitong vaguely remembered the name, but he was not sure if he remembered it completely clearly. He only remembered that the surname was Xie, followed by two repeated characters.

In the darkness, Xie Chuchu looked at her in slight surprise, "Why does Your Highness know my name?"

Chu Shitong said casually, "This prince went to Yuzhou City with his friends a few years ago and saw you in a restaurant there. The food you cooked was more delicious than the imperial meals in the palace, so I made a special note of it."

Xie Chuchu hesitated in disbelief and said, "But I...I don't seem to remember His Royal Highness the Prince."

"That's because I have hidden my identity. There are so many diners in the restaurant in Yuzhou City. How can you remember them all?"

Xie Chuchu lowered her head and said nothing more. It was unclear whether she believed it or not. After a moment, she suddenly raised her head and said, "So Your Highness actually knows that the plate of peach blossom cakes was not made by me?"

"Yes." Chu Shitong admitted frankly, "But what if I know? You yourself have never refuted this matter. Why should I excuse you?"

"Then why did Your Highness call me here?"

Chu Shitong finally turned around, and the moonlight fell on her body, but because she was facing away, the expression on her face could not be seen clearly.

"Xie Chuchu, you were once one of the best chefs in Yuzhou City. Now you are reduced to being an assistant in Xibaolou, taking the blame for others, and even the waiter dares to bully you at will. Are you willing to accept this?"

Xie Chuchu clenched her sleeves, trying to hide the embarrassment of having her scars exposed.

"What can I do if I'm unwilling?" She tried her best to keep her tone steady, but her voice was still trembling. "Compared with the capital, Yuzhou is just a poor and remote place."

Even Chu Shitong had to admit this statement.

Basically, all the princes and nobles are in the capital, and the big merchants are in Jiangdu. Compared with the capital, Yuzhou City is considered a remote and poor place.

Because it was originally the fief of the eldest princess, but the eldest princess was left in the capital, so now Yuzhou City has been under the jurisdiction of the Yuzhou Governor.

There are many high-ranking officials in the capital, and the things they have the most at the feet of the emperor are money and power.

Even if Xie Chuchu used to be one of the best chefs in Yuzhou City, the silver he had saved over the years was probably only a hundred taels. You know, the silver that Chu Shifan and Si Jingli bet as a joke just now was one thousand taels.

The reason why she could endure in Xibaolou must be related to money.

"Why do you have to belittle yourself?"

Chu Shitong said: "This prince intends to open a restaurant in the west of the city. The most important thing for a restaurant is the chef."

She stopped at that point because Xie Chuchu was a smart person, and a stubborn one at that.

Xie Chuchu asked: "Your Highness, you are a prince, of noble status, and I, Xie Chuchu, am just a widow with a child, and I dare not have anything to do with you."

Xie Chuchu was afraid that if she worked for Chu Shitong, she would be considered as a member of Chu Shitong's party.

She brought her children to the capital in order to find a respected teacher for them so that they could study hard and take the imperial examinations in the future.

The emperor is in good health now, and the time for a succession struggle has not yet come. If he agrees to Chu Shitong, his children will take part in the imperial examinations in the future, and even if they don't want to, they will be forced to become Chu Shitong's subordinates.

If you come into contact with the prince, you will be involved in the fight for the throne, and being involved means being implicated.

"You worry too much. What's the matter with involvement? I am the youngest and have no great ambitions. Last time, my aunt told my father that she would give me Yuzhou as a fiefdom. I opened a restaurant only because Dongwusuo was burned down and I was forced to move out of the palace and take charge of the affairs of the palace. The money required is a bit too much for me to afford."

Even though Chu Shitong had said this, Xie Chuchu still hadn't expressed her opinion.

Chu Shitong had no choice but to say, "This prince just thinks that your cooking skills will only be wasted in Xibaolou. I just happen to be in need of a cook, so I want to give you a chance. If you insist that this prince has other ideas, then just pretend that this prince has never mentioned it and you have never heard of it."

Chu Shitong retreated to advance, and Xie Chuchu was indeed shaken.

"But...I am a woman."

Chu Shitong paused, "What's wrong with the woman?"

"It's fine in Yuzhou City... In the capital, they look down on women being chefs. Even though I have already demonstrated my cooking skills, they still don't allow me to be the head chef because I am a woman. I am afraid that if I become the head chef of His Highness's restaurant, it will affect the restaurant's business."

"What's wrong with that?" Chu Shitong laughed, "Does it mean that we can't eat dishes cooked by women?"

Xie Chuchu said with a sad face: "Your Highness is a man, so naturally he cannot understand how big the difference between men and women is."

Chu Shitong had a smile on his face, but his light brown eyes were becoming colder and colder.

I guess she is the only one in the world who understands the difference best.

"You don't need to worry too much, just do your job well, and I, the prince, will be able to handle the rest."

Chu Shitong said, "This prince has limited patience. Just tell me whether you agree or not. If you agree, the treatment I give you will definitely be much better than here. It is basic for you and your children to have enough food and clothing in the capital. And you should know that you have been in the capital for so long that money is far less effective than power in the capital."

In a place where money is everything, naturally those with more money have the final say.

But in the capital city, where the emperor lives, power is naturally above all else.

Xie Chuchu suddenly knelt down and said, "Your Highness, I don't ask for money, I just want one thing."

Chu Shitong already knew what she wanted most. She went around in circles for a long time without mentioning this matter at all, and only mentioned it indirectly at the very end, just to let Xie Chuchu make up her mind.

"You said."

Xie Chuchu said, "I want to find a respected teacher for my three children. I hope Your Highness can help me make the connection. If you can do that, I will be willing to work for Your Highness for nothing."

Xie Chuchu came to Beijing to give her children a better education, but what kind of cannibalistic place is Beijing?

Those who can enter ordinary institutions of higher learning are not ordinary people. They have to spend at least several hundred taels of silver every year.

If you want to find a better school or a better teacher, it is not just a matter of money, but also a matter of relationships and power.

As an ordinary woman, she had no chance to come into contact with powerful people in the capital.

"This prince can agree to this matter. The money issue will be settled as it should be. However, you have to get out of this situation as soon as possible. This prince does not intend to show up at the restaurant, so I need you to participate."

Xie Chuchu was overjoyed and said, "Of course no problem!"

This was the first time Chu Shitong saw Xie Chuchu smile since then.

Although Xie Chuchu has three children, it seems that none of them are her biological children. Judging from her appearance, they seem to be only about twenty years old.

It is indeed not easy to raise other people's children as if they were your own.

After the matter was discussed, Chu Shitong returned to his original private room.

I don’t know how much Chu Shifan and Si Jingli drank during the time I was away.

As soon as she entered the room, she saw Chu Shifan drunk and sleeping on the table.

Si Jingli rested his chin on the table, he was so sleepy that he could hardly open his eyes. He nodded his head, trying hard to resist sleepiness.

Chu Shitong asked Bishui: "How much did they drink?"

Bishui said, "The Young Master and His Royal Highness drank up all the rest."

Chu Shitong: “…”

There were still eleven jars left before I left. What exactly did these two people want to do?

Chu Shitong rubbed his brows. Fortunately, he had finished his main task in coming to Xibaolou today, otherwise he would have been pissed off to death by these two drunkards.

"Your Highness, do you want to ask someone to come in and send the Young Master and His Royal Highness back?"

"Wait a minute, go and settle the bill first."

"Yes."

Bishui went out to pay the bill. Chu Shitong sat back in his original seat and drank the remaining half glass of wine.

Si Jingli seemed to have noticed it. He opened his eyes and looked at Chu Shitong. The moment their eyes met, Si Jingli suddenly curled up the corners of his mouth, and then with a "pop", he slapped something on the table.

Chu Shitong took a look and saw that it was a silver note worth one thousand taels.

A guess suddenly popped up in my mind, like a bolt of thunder exploding in the darkness, illuminating the entire gloomy sky, and then it was forcibly suppressed by my own reason. The light of the thunder dissipated, and the endless darkness continued.

"What are you doing, Your Highness? It was agreed that I would treat you to a meal and Bishui has already gone to pay the bill."

Si Jingli was obviously drunk, with a layer of pink blush on his cheeks like a beautiful sunset. His words were unclear, but it could be seen that he was seeking credit.

"This is what I won for you!"

He always looks a bit silly when he's drunk, but coupled with the arrogance that has already penetrated into his bones and soul, he doesn't make people feel disgusted, and he even looks a bit cute in a different way than usual.

Chu Shitong felt that he was really proud when he said this, a kind of foolish pride that made his tail reach the sky.

Chu Shitong glanced at the wine glass in his hand in confusion.

"..."

It couldn't be what she thought.

"You don't know how this prince got the money! This Chu Shifan is really treacherous!"

Si Jingli had some difficulty speaking, but he kept talking without listening, and he secretly kicked Chu Shifan while he was sleeping.

"He insisted that I had eaten it before, so he deliberately lied to him, but I had already said that the pastries were bad, but he didn't believe it. What does it have to do with me? Later, he said he wanted to compete with me in drinking. If I won, he would give me money, and then, hehe."

He laughed foolishly, patted the crumpled banknotes, and said, "I will give you one thousand taels!"

Chu Shitong smiled helplessly, "Thank you very much, Your Highness."

"Hey, Chu Shitong, what did you do when you went out just now? Didn't you say you would tell me when you came back? Why didn't you tell me?"

Chu Shitong thought about it and decided to tell Si Jingli about the restaurant.

Si Jingli was a little bit unconvinced after hearing this, "Does that woman really cook so deliciously?"

"It's natural."

Chu Shitong said: "Otherwise I wouldn't have specially invited her to be the chef."

Si Jingli didn't know what he was thinking, and suddenly asked, "How big a restaurant do you want to open? Like Xibaolou?"

Chu Shitong originally wanted to open a small restaurant first, because he did not have much available liquid funds on hand, and it was not possible for him to use all of it at once to open a restaurant.

All the things that could be burned in the East Fifth Storehouse had been burned. Even some gold, jade, and jewelry that were not burned could not be taken out smoothly now. The profits of the shop last month have not been calculated yet. Thinking about it carefully, it seems that not much can be taken out.

Si Jingli couldn't help but yawning, and Chu Shitong was dazzled by the pure gold bracelet inlaid with gemstones on his hand.

She spoke almost subconsciously.

"His Royal Highness."

"Ok?"