Chapter Fifteen: Taking the List to the Marquis for Reimbursement

“Ah? But… that’s the lady’s most cherished treasure.”
The plump cook looked troubled.

“I told you to do it, so just do it—no more nonsense.”
Xie Ning’s eyes flashed sharply.

“If you fail to catch it, tonight, I’ll stew you instead.”

Startled, the plump cook shivered and dared not utter another word, scrambling hurriedly toward the backyard.

Soon after, he returned, carrying a clucking, flapping old hen struggling in his grasp.

“Qing Feng, this is for you.”
Xie Ning pointed at the chicken.

“Yes, Young Master.”
Eagerly, Qing Feng took the hen and stepped aside, his knife flashing as he swiftly dispatched it.

His movements were clean and precise. Ming Yue watched with flickering eyes and shook his head helplessly.

Qing Feng was not permitted hobbies, unlike him, yet Qing Feng had a deep passion for cooking.

Fortunately, the Princess Royal also delighted in fine cuisine, and so the nurse let him be.

Still, the sight of the chicken’s execution sent chills through the other cooks nearby.

“A chicken alone won’t suffice.”
Xie Ning gave another order.

“Go to the storeroom and bring me the finest ginseng root.”

He remembered that Jia Yibo’s storeroom housed many treasures.

Among them was a wild ginseng root over a hundred years old, once left by his maternal grandfather, later taken by Jia Yibo and jealously guarded.

“Ginseng?”
The servant in charge of the storeroom paled.

“Young Master, that is Lord Hou’s treasure. Without his order, no one dares to touch it.”

“Don’t dare to touch?”
Xie Ning sneered coldly.

“Ming Yue.”

“Yes.”

“You go.”

“Tell him it’s for me. If he refuses, tear down the storeroom door.”

“Yes, Young Master.”
Ming Yue took the order and left immediately.

The storeroom servant, terrified, didn’t even think to ask Lord Hou and hurried after Ming Yue, jogging all the way.

---

Jokingly, even the eldest prince’s bed could be torn down on a whim—how much of a problem was a storeroom door?

If this young master took action, it would be far more than just a matter of a ginseng root.

Soon, Ming Yue returned with a delicate wooden box.

Opening it revealed a beautifully preserved old ginseng root.

Xie Ning nodded in satisfaction.

He handed the ginseng to Qing Feng and, in a tone that brooked no argument, gave instructions.

“This chicken soup must be simmered with this ginseng root, on low heat, for a full three hours. Not a minute less, not a second less. This young master demands the richest broth and the most exquisite meat. Understand?”

“Yes, Young Master.”
Qing Feng nodded and began processing the ingredients methodically.

His movements were elegant and skillful—nothing like an assassin, but rather a top-tier royal chef.

Watching this, Xie Ning felt utterly content.

This was just right, exactly how he wanted it. He intended to use Jia Yibo’s most treasured possession to reward himself.

He wanted Jia Yibo to know, from today onward, who truly held power in the Dingyuan Marquis’s residence.

Leaning casually against the kitchen doorframe, his mood was so good he might have hummed a tune.

“Oh, right.”
Xie Ning turned and beckoned to the still trembling plump cook hiding in the corner.

“You, come here.”

The cook approached timidly.

“Young Master, do you… have any more orders?”

Xie Ning pulled a pen and a sheet of paper from his pocket and quickly scribbled something.

When finished, he handed the paper to the cook.

“Here’s a list of the things I broke earlier, plus this bed. You find a skilled carpenter and have a new set made exactly like the original. Use even better materials and finer craftsmanship. As for the money…”

Xie Ning grinned, showing a set of white teeth.

“Take this list and ask Lord Hou for reimbursement. Say it was my idea.”

The plump cook’s legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.

What was this? He was just a cook!

His head spun, eyes darkened, and he fainted on the spot.

…

The Jing Prince’s Mansion.

Inside the study, the atmosphere was suffocating.

Prince Jing, Li Qian, furrowed his brows as he looked at his precious daughter.

“Such nonsense, utter nonsense.”

Li Qian slammed his teacup heavily on the table with a dull thud.

“Rushi, do you even know what you’re doing? For Xie Ning, a disgraced and useless heir, you intend to storm the Dingyuan Marquis’s residence? What about the royal family’s dignity?”

Li Rushi stood in the center of the study, still with her defiant, fearless expression.

She curled her lips disdainfully and said, “I’m not afraid; what do you have to be afraid of?”

“Xie Ning is already my man. The Dingyuan Marquis’s residence agreed to it. Now that he’s involved with another woman, it’s only right I confront him.”

“Your man? Another woman?”

Li Qian’s eyes darkened; he was so angry he could scarcely contain laughter.

“That marriage hasn’t even been formalized, and besides, that ‘other woman’ is the Princess Royal, Li Qingning—your own imperial elder sister, a person even I must respect. You want to compete with her for a man? Where do you get such audacity?”

Li Qian grew more furious.

His daughter had been spoiled rotten since childhood by the Empress Dowager—arrogant, willful, and lawless.

Previously, when she bullied boys and girls in the capital, he turned a blind eye.

But this time, she had crossed Li Qingning.

The Princess Royal was no meek soul.

Though frail and reclusive for years, her cruelty and overwhelming power were known throughout Great Qi.

To secure her emperor brother’s throne, she had eliminated more than one royal prince.

Opposing her was like inviting death—she was a living embodiment of a long life no one wanted.

“So what if she’s the Princess Royal?”

Li Rushi lifted her chin defiantly, unwilling to concede.

“Does being the Princess Royal give her the right to steal someone else’s fiancé? Is there no law in this land? I don’t care. I’ve set my sights on Xie Ning. He’s mine, and no one will take him from me.”

Li Qian’s temples throbbed with rage.

“You… you…”

He pointed at Li Rushi but could not find words.

He truly regretted agreeing to this absurd marriage.

Initially, it was the sly Jia Yibo who approached him.

He claimed his son, Xie Ning, though somewhat timid, was handsome and virtuous, worthy of a princess.

Most importantly, Jia Yibo was willing to have Xie Ning marry in and have their children bear the Li name, thus continuing the Jing Prince’s lineage.

Li Qian had only one daughter and was troubled over the heir issue.

Jia Yibo’s proposal hit just the right spot.