Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 262 I Will Eventually Skin Her

Chapter 262: Chapter 262 I Will Eventually Skin Her

Li Mingjue felt as if his entire body was set aflame by her actions, his ink-colored eyes firmly fixed on the person atop him, his voice slightly hoarse as he asked, "Princess, how would you like to deal with this prince?"

Qi Yu curved her lips in a light laugh, one hand continuing to roam downwards, stirring further chaos on his body.

Furthermore, she deliberately leaned into his ear, her breath hot, her tone laden with innuendo, "Prince, you are so hard."

Although he knew she didn’t mean it in that sense, Li Mingjue couldn’t help but think crooked thoughts.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, his breath gradually becoming heavier, almost unable to restrain himself, and was about to flip over the person on top of him who was deliberately teasing him.

Just then, Qi Yu suddenly withdrew her hand, lay back in her place holding the quilt, yawned, and said in a whiny voice, "I’m so sleepy, I’m going to sleep."

Li Mingjue: "..."

His body burning, he itched to grab the ungrateful little wretch and give her a good thrashing.

Yet, hearing the increasingly steady breaths beside his ear, a hint of helplessness and indulgence flickered in his eyes.

Well, who else but him had spoiled her?

The next day, when Qi Yu woke up, the person beside her had long vanished, probably off to the early court session.

She yawned leisurely and shook her head, "It’s better to be an idle fish."

Hearing her voice outside, the maid gently pushed the door open, coming in to dress and wash her.

Qi Yu felt she was getting more and more used to this kind of servitude; she had to admit, it was quite comfortable.

After breakfast, she took Qi Mu and Qi Xuan, along with Shi Zhou and Song Ling, to Yongchun Hall.

It had been several months since her last visit, and the sights within Yongchun Hall felt somewhat foreign to her.

Manager Qian, upon seeing her, cheerfully performed a greeting, "Master has finally come back."

Qi Yu nodded, "Manager Qian, is everything well?"

Manager Qian brought out the recent account books and reported to her in detail.

Yongchun Hall wasn’t established to make a profit and had always been sustained by the Prince Residence’s silver.

Although the number of people coming for medical treatment had significantly decreased compared to winter.

The cost of genuine medicinal herbs still meant a lot of silver had been spent.

Qi Yu frowned at the account book; she wanted to run a charitable Medical Hall, but losing money like this, even the actual gold and silver of the Prince Residence would not be enough for her to squander.

Moreover, she had once boastfully told Li Mingjue that she would make this Medical Hall her dowry.

But to this day, Yongchun Hall hadn’t made a profit, let alone serve as a dowry; she was about to lose herself in the endeavor.

Seeing her worried expression, Manager Qian hurriedly suggested, "Master, why not start charging consultation and medicine fees?"

However, Qi Yu shook her head, "If we suddenly start charging, all the reputation we’ve built up will be lost."

Song Ling also said, "The Princess is right. The people of the capital have gotten used to Yongchun Hall’s free consultations. If there’s a sudden change, those who can’t afford treatment will be in a desperate situation. We can’t anticipate what they might say. Moreover, Yongchun Hall has already affected the business of many other medical establishments in the capital. Those people won’t miss a chance to suppress us."

Manager Qian nodded in agreement, "That’s also true."

The three of them fell silent, unable to think of any good solution for the time being.

Although Qi Mu and Qi Xuan could not understand these matters, seeing their sister Qi Yu with an unhappy expression, they stopped smiling and their hearts also grew heavy.

Two chubby little faces scrunched up like buns, looking offended.

Shi Zhou found it amusing to watch this from the side.

Who could have imagined that the noble Princess would worry about silver?

Nevertheless, she had heard about the existence of Yongchun Hall from Qi Yu and knew it was a place that provided medical treatment for the poor without charging a penny. She had always deeply admired such practice.

But if it kept running at a loss, the business couldn’t last long.

She also began to think of ideas, but even until the opening, she hadn’t come up with any good solutions.

During Qi Yu’s absence, it was Song Ling who had been treating patients, and these people had become very familiar with him.

The two young medicine boys, Qi Mu and Qi Xuan, were helping with dispensing medicines on the side, while the account manager took charge of the bookkeeping, meticulously recording the herbs used each day that needed to be restocked.

Having watched them carefully for a while and seeing that they were working in an orderly and skilled manner, Qi Yu called for Shi Zhou and went upstairs.

She made a pot of tea and poured a cup for Shi Zhou.

After taking a sip, Shi Zhou looked at her and asked, "Why not open another Medical Hall that could make money?"

Qi Yu shook her head, "Robbing Peter to pay Paul is unreliable; moreover, there are plenty of Medical Halls in the capital city. Even if I opened another one, there’s no guarantee it would make much money."

Even Tongfu Hall didn’t dare to open several branches, so there was no need for her to engage in a thankless task.

Listening to her, Shi Zhou also felt there was some logic to her words.

But she was just a rough person skilled only in martial arts. Business was something she absolutely couldn’t handle.

After silently finishing a pot of tea, Qi Yu finally spoke leisurely, "I actually have an idea."

"What idea?" Shi Zhou looked at her curiously.

In just the time it took to drink a cup of tea, had she really come up with a profitable idea?

Qi Yu smiled, "There’s no rush, let’s wait for them to finish their work, and then I’ll talk about it."

Two hours later, Yongchun Hall closed its doors.

Qi Yu took them to a restaurant for a grand meal.

It was a newly opened restaurant in the capital city called First-class Fragrance.

Due to its delicious dishes and reasonable prices, the business was booming.

Early on, Qi Yu had Chunlan reserve the largest private room on the second floor and order the dishes in advance. The restaurant owner came in personally, a beaming smile on his face as he said to them, "Welcome, dear guests. Should there be any inadequacy in our service, I hope you can be forgiving."

After speaking, he turned to a servant and ordered, "Quick, warm a pot of wine!"

Qi Yu interrupted him quickly with her fan, "There’s no need to rush, owner; we don’t drink."

The owner paused, readily changing his offer, "Then, may I suggest our guests try our First-class Fragrance’s newly introduced peach blossom brew? It’s a non-alcoholic drink that won’t get you drunk."

That’s when Qi Yu nodded in agreement.

Once the dishes were served, she glanced around and saw the presentation and color were appealing, stirring up one’s appetite.

She picked up a piece of sweet and sour fish with her chopsticks, tasted it, and noted, "The presentation isn’t bad, but the taste falls just a little short."

Song Ling also nodded in agreement, "It’s indeed not as good as those in the Prince Residence, but for a normal restaurant to achieve this flavor is already quite commendable."

The accountant and Shi Zhou didn’t notice any difference; the former had never dined in Prince Qiu Residence and the latter, who cared little for food indulgence, simply couldn’t discern these subtle differences.

As for Qi Mu and Qi Xuan, there was nothing to say.

Previously struggling to have enough to eat, they were very content with their current meals filled with plenty of meat and fish, not to mention meat buns for breakfast. They dared not be picky.

While they were eating, a shrill voice suddenly came from the private room next door, "That damn wretch, sooner or later I’ll flay her skin off!"