She led the whole village to prosperity by raising koi fish.

Chapter 16: Jealousy

When Su Yuning arrived in the city, hot and tired, carrying a basket of lotus fish, she happened to meet Ye Beichen. He offered to take the basket and help her carry it. Su Yuning told him that she was going to deliver goods, and Ye Beichen smiled and replied, "It's on my way, I'll take you there!"

When Young Master Zhao saw Su Yuning delivering goods with another man, he was so angry that he couldn't speak.

The kitchen staff helped weigh the fish, calculate the price, and settle the wages with Su Yuning.

"Su Yuning, who is this gentleman next to you?" Young Master Zhao asked unhappily.

Su Yuning took the initiative to introduce her friend, "His name is Ye Beichen. He is the first friend I made in the capital. Everyone calls him His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Persimmons, I think sweet potatoes are more suitable," Young Master Zhao muttered to himself.

Next, Su Yuning introduced Ye Beichen to her friend, "This is Zhao Shouyi, the restaurant owner. He not only runs a successful business, but he can also freely enter and leave the palace because he is the emperor's son."

Ye Beichen didn't have a good impression of him either. He thought to himself, "This kid looks pretty thin, like a bean sprout. He must be very weak."

"Hello!" "Hello to you too!" The two shook hands and greeted each other, but secretly they were competing, determined to arm wrestle and see who had the stronger hand. Su Yuning was speechless at the sight.

"Young Master Zhao, I've brought some new friends for you to meet today. Would you like to treat us to a meal?" Su Yuning asked with a smile.

Young Master Zhao nodded in response, "Of course, this is a restaurant. Just tell me what you'd like to eat, and I'll instruct the kitchen to prepare it!"

Su Yuning looked at Ye Beichen, who also didn't know what dishes to choose, since it was his first time at this restaurant.

“Young Master Ye, please don’t be shy, just order!” Zhao Shouyi responded generously.

Ye Beichen said unhurriedly, "Bring out all the signature dishes from your restaurant, and a pot of good wine too."

"Alright, please take your seats, both of you!" Zhao Shouyi gestured for them to sit down.

Afterwards, Zhao Shouyi went to the kitchen to instruct the chefs to prepare the dishes. Then, he added a lot of salt and vinegar to the cold dishes and chili oil to the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. Today, he was determined to play a trick on this prince!

When the table was laden with dishes and the glasses were filled with wine, lunch began! Zhao Shouyi feigned modesty and said, "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is our restaurant's signature dish, specially prepared for distinguished guests. Please, Your Highness, try it!"

"You dropped something." Ye Beichen deliberately pointed to the ground, and Zhao Shouyi hurriedly bent down to look for it. At this moment, Ye Beichen quickly switched the position of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

"There's nothing there, Your Highness, are you seeing things? Hahaha~" Young Master Zhao couldn't resist mocking him, then picked up the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and took a big bite, immediately turning red from the spiciness. "Water! Give me some water!"

Su Yuning didn't understand what was going on, but she still poured him a glass of water. Zhao Shouyi gulped down the whole glass of water, and the spiciness in his mouth was relieved.

When one plan failed, another was devised. Young Master Zhao switched the cold and hot dishes, then smiled and introduced them to Ye Beichen, "This is our restaurant's specialty, Jade Pig Ears. Please enjoy it, Your Highness!"

Knowing he had ill intentions, Ye Beichen said to him, "Since it's a specialty dish, please have the owner try it first. We're not in a hurry."

"The guest is the most important, you should try it!" Young Master Zhao quickly declined.

At this moment, Su Yuning realized something was wrong. She picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of pig's ear to taste. The next second, Su Yuning frowned, spat the food on the ground, and angrily questioned...

"Young Master Zhao, did you spill the vinegar jar? What kind of specialty dish is this? It's sour and salty, it's awful!"

Young Master Zhao explained awkwardly, "Well... I guess the chef put in the wrong seasoning. I'm really sorry, I'll have the kitchen make a new cold dish!"

Then, Young Master Zhao left with a plate of unpalatable cold dishes.

"This is a classic case of shooting oneself in the foot! This young master Zhao seems quite shrewd, but he's actually foolish and naive!" Ye Beichen couldn't help but mock.

"Alright, alright, stop talking. We're here to support you, not to cause trouble," Su Yuning reminded them.

Ye Beichen was unhappy. "I think you only know how to side with outsiders."

Su Yuning was completely bewildered. What did Ye Beichen mean by this? If Young Master Zhao was an outsider, then what was he? Family?

"Don't be stunned. You are the Crown Princess I've chosen. You can't escape me in this lifetime." Ye Beichen confessed to her domineeringly, and Su Yuning blushed with embarrassment.

Soon, Young Master Zhao brought over new dishes. "This time it's cold beef salad. I've tasted it for you; it's not too salty or sour, the flavor is just right."

"Alright, alright, don't bother, just sit down and eat!" Su Yuning kindly reminded her.

At the dinner table, the two boys started a new round of competition, a contest of drinking capacity!

"I can drink half a jin of baijiu. I wonder how much you can drink, young master?" Young Master Zhao raised his eyebrows smugly, challenging him.

Ye Beichen's face was full of disdain, "As for me, the young master, I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, and ten thousand cups without getting intoxicated. You're not qualified to compete with me in drinking."

“Bragging isn’t real skill, come on! Let’s have a contest!” Young Master Zhao continued to provoke them, and then the two of them started drinking, one cup after another. Su Yuning tried to persuade them not to show off, but neither of them listened. In the end, one of them got drunk and lay on the table, while the other crawled under the table and fell asleep.

Helpless, Su Yuning went to the kitchen and brought back some hangover soup, feeding each of them a bowl. Only after they sobered up did they realize their rudeness to Miss Su and quickly apologized.

Su Yuning said angrily, "If I had known you guys were this boring, I wouldn't have eaten here." Then she packed her things to go home. At this moment, the two boys started competing again. Young Master Zhao suggested, "Miss Su, I'll drive you home." Ye Beichen suggested, "I'll take you home on horseback. That way we can go for a ride."

Su Yuning refused outright, "No need, I can go back by myself. You guys don't need to follow me, it's so annoying."

Finally, Young Master Zhao offered a suggestion: "How about I give you a carriage as a means of transportation for delivering goods?"

Su Yuning wanted to refuse, but Ye Beichen gestured for her to accept it. So, the three of them went to the market together and, after some haggling, finally bought Su Yuning a fine carriage.

Su Yuning complained helplessly to Young Master Zhao, "Why waste this money? I don't know how to drive."

Young Master Zhao smiled smugly, "I'll teach you!"

Seeing Su Yuning and Young Master Zhao getting closer and closer, Ye Beichen got angry. "Give the carriage back to him, and I'll give you my fine horse instead."

Finally, Su Yuning rode back on horseback, and Ye Beichen gave Young Master Zhao a bag of silver, successfully buying the carriage. Young Master Zhao didn't understand what Ye Beichen meant by this.