Chapter Eleven: Your Highness, You’re Being Naughty!

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Originally, Li Yuanwang planned to offer the millennium-old pearl as a gift to Governor Chen, but upon hearing this, he had to change his mind.

“Your Highness is right. I’ll give you the pearl to settle the debt!”

Xue Yuan immediately looked foolishly at Jian Qi and asked, “Jian Qi, is this okay?”

At this question, not only Jian Qi but also the gathered townsfolk grew anxious!

My foolish prince, that pearl was originally yours! Hurry up and come to your senses!

Jian Qi naturally said, “Your Highness, that pearl has always been yours. How can you use it to pay a debt?”

Xue Yuan smiled inwardly. This was exactly the effect he wanted—reinforcing his fool’s image while ensuring he lost nothing!

Then he kicked Li Yuanwang harshly and shouted logically, “You’re being disobedient! This pearl is mine. Do you take me for a fool?”

Li Yuanwang gasped in pain, then quickly changed his tone. “Stop hitting me, Your Highness. I’ll return the pearl and definitely compensate you with the money. Is that alright?”

Xue Yuan pointed at the townsfolk present and said, “Then… will you still arrest them? I forbid you from arresting them. They’re all good people!”

The townsfolk all felt grateful in their hearts.

Such a good prince! Though foolish, he was truly kind!

Some even sighed, wishing the prince weren’t a fool—if he were in charge of Ningzhou, would officials like Li Yuanwang dare to be so arrogant?

At this moment, Li Yuanwang didn’t dare utter a single objection and nodded quickly. “Alright, alright, I promise not to arrest them!”

Satisfied with the beating and having earned enough goodwill from the people, Xue Yuan withdrew his foot and helped Li Yuanwang up with a smile.

“Old sir, you’re a good man after all! Let’s go now to your house to get it!”

…

Xue Yuan never let debts linger overnight!

After leaving the county magistrate’s office, he already held a stack of silver notes—exactly 280,000 taels, neither more nor less!

He carefully tucked the notes into the inner pocket of his garment, knowing that even for a prince, this was a huge sum!

With this money, he had his seed capital!

Of course, he still held a delicate box containing the millennium-old pearl!

With this pearl, Jian Qi’s eyes could be healed!

Everything was moving in a positive direction. Xue Yuan, having taken over a mess, finally saw a glimmer of hope!

At this moment, Jian Qi behind him suddenly said, “Someone’s following us!”

Xue Yuan frowned slightly but was not surprised. He knew those following him were probably the ones who had tried to poison the original owner!

“They see I’m still alive, so they’ll probably strike again soon?”

But Xue Yuan was not anxious—patience is key in great plans!

Without looking back or acknowledging, he simply said to Jian Qi, “An old immortal gave me a recipe said to turn one into an immortal if taken. Let’s buy some herbs now, and if it works, I’ll give you some too!”

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Jian Qi didn’t believe it but said nothing, silently accompanying Xue Yuan to the herbal shop. They purchased a large assortment of herbs—Wu Lin grass, kudzu root, and others—and had the shop grind everything, including the pearl, into powder.

Seeing the priceless millennium pearl reduced to dust, Jian Qi frowned slightly.

He wanted to call the prince a fool, but after following him all day, the word “fool” felt hard to say.

The prince won money and reclaimed what was rightfully his.

Yet he believed some “old immortal’s” nonsense and wasted that treasure by grinding it to powder.

He wavered between fool and not fool...

Jian Qi, who had wandered the martial world for half a lifetime and met all kinds of people, was curious about no one as he was about this man.

Returning to the prince’s mansion, night had fallen.

Inside, following the recipe’s precise proportions, Xue Yuan weighed and mixed the herbal powders, then divided them into several packets.

He then called Jian Qi inside.

With a smile, he said, “Jian Qi, do you think this miracle medicine might be poisonous? Why don’t you try some first?”

Jian Qi thought the herbs were naturally harmless since they were just mixed powders, so how could there be poison?

Without much fuss, he took a packet, emptied it into his mouth, and tossed back a glass of water.

“No poison.”

“Good.”

Xue Yuan wondered how long it would take for the medicine to take effect.

Just then, the door suddenly burst open.

Princess Chu Qiuer entered, flanked by two burly bodyguards.

Her face was clouded with gloom, faint traces of tears still visible.

Xue Yuan guessed she had just come from the room of the “Gifted Talented Scholar” Qian Zhongxian. Judging by her tear stains, the twice-injured Qian Zhongxian’s condition was likely dire.

It was quite possible he wouldn’t survive the second birth.

If so, and if the baby Chu Qiuer carried was a girl, she wouldn’t become the heir, Qian Zhongxian wouldn’t become a prince of another clan, and their long-held dream of growing old together would be shattered.

No, even if the child was a boy, Qian Zhongxian probably wouldn’t be able to “fly” with her anymore... He wouldn’t be able to fly at all.

Xue Yuan chuckled inwardly, unable to hide his amusement, and said with a smile, “Princess, what brings you here?”

Chu Qiuer’s face darkened in anger as she coldly said, “Xue Yuan, how dare you hit the steward? Do you even respect me?”

Xue Yuan immediately replied, “Of course I respect you! You said a prince must be obedient, no obedience means no food and having fingers pricked with bamboo sticks—I remember all that!”

Hearing this, Chu Qiuer slightly relaxed.

Indeed, despite his madness, this fool remained loyal to her!

After all these years of marriage, she had disciplined him almost daily—her efforts had not been in vain.

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She then pointed at Jian Qi and said, “Good that you know! Now behave and immediately drive that blind man out! Never let him return!”

Chu Qiuer was no fool. She had heard about this afternoon’s events and knew clearly that as long as Jian Qi was here, no one in the mansion could harm this fool!

That was why she hadn’t caused trouble for Xue Yuan before.

Thinking, “Once that blind man is gone, tonight I’ll ruin you and make you suffer ten thousand times more than Xian Ge!”

Jian Qi said nothing but quietly looked at Xue Yuan.

Xue Yuan appreciated Chu Qiuer’s confidence but was displeased with her attitude.

Was this how one begged?

He said, “But if I drive him away, Steward Qian will surely beat me. What then?”

Chu Qiuer quickly restrained her anger, putting on a gentle expression.

“How could that be? I’m your most caring princess. With me here, who dares to hit you?”

“But before, you were here too, and they still beat me!”

“Before was before, now is now!”

“But, but…”

“No buts! If you keep this up, I’ll be angry!” Chu Qiuer’s face darkened instantly. She said coldly, “If you don’t behave, I’ll never want to speak to you again in my life!

Not just me—the loyal steward you hurt, and everyone in the mansion will ignore you forever. No one will ever play with you again!”

Chu Qiuer thought she had hit the weak spot, because this foolish prince feared being ignored and feared no one playing with him more than anything.

Unexpectedly, Xue Yuan pointed at Jian Qi and said, “If you won’t play with me, he can!”

Chu Qiuer had never had much patience for this fool. Seeing he persisted in his stubbornness, she instantly flew into a rage.

“Xue Yuan, I think you’re itching for a beating! I’ll count to three. If you don’t drive that blind man out immediately, I’ll have you sent to the firewood shed and have ten of your fingers pricked with bamboo sticks—none spared!”

Xue Yuan laughed heartily.

Here she came—the fierce side of her finally showing!

“Don’t say I’m not polite!”

He immediately said to Jian Qi, “Jian Qi, take these two gentlemen out first!”

Jian Qi, holding his sword, squinted at the two guards through the black cloth but said nothing, stepping out first.

The two guards exchanged glances and quickly left the room, thoughtfully closing the door behind them.

Hmm, they couldn’t win. They were just there to provide backup...

The moment the door shut, Chu Qiuer sensed something was off!

She saw Xue Yuan pout his lips and stomp his foot, saying, “Princess, you’re being disobedient—you want to hit me again!”