"You are usually sensible in handling all matters, but you don't seem to be supportive of the idea of Ming Yue marrying Long Tianhao."

As the successor to the throne of the western vassal state, Hu Tianbei had been frequently entrusted to independently carry out tasks by King Ming since he came of age.

Therefore, naturally, he was confident of his independent judgment.

"Why did Father insist on marrying Ming Yue to Long Tianhao? Not only is he not the perfect choice, given Ming Yue's character, she would surely misbehave once she marries into Prince Yu's Mansion. Moreover, you've seen for yourself how tough the daughter of the Lin family is. Not to mention Ming Yue having to deal with her, even I might not be able to handle her if we clash with each other."

Having come into close contact with Prince Yu and his wife, he had learned the real meaning of a perfect match.

Prince Yu may have appeared self-effacing as he concealed his talents, but in reality, he was very competent in handling both civil and military matters. He was definitely more able than his brother, the Crown Prince.

On the other hand, Princess Yu looked gentle and meek, but in reality, she was sharp and quick-witted. She was not one to be trifled with.

If Ming Yue were to marry into the household, she would unlikely suffer in silence given her character. By then, an intensive battle would ensue in Prince Yu's Mansion.

"I am aware of the outcome, but Ming Yue has to marry Long Tianhao. Do you know why?"

Shaking his head, Hu Tianbei did not understand why his father had such thoughts given that he always doted on Ming Yue.

"Long Tianhao is so much more outstanding than that muddle-headed Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince becomes the Emperor of Dajin, it would be even more difficult for us to achieve our goal."

A capable and ambitious man like King Ming would not be contented with being a subordinate of another nation.

The formidable western vassal state; a hundred years ago it inspired the longing of the kings of the western vassal state. It was a dream their people had wished would come true, one that had sprouted in every man's heart.

The fact that the Emperor of Dajin was seriously ill and the Crown Prince was incompetent, the time was ripe for King Ming to act.

"Father, you mean..."

"If Ming Yue were to marry Long Tianhao, she would fight with Lin Mengya. Regardless of who wins in their fights, Prince Yu's relationship with the Princess would inevitably be shaken. Lin Muzhi would not allow his daughter to be bullied based on his character. Once Prince Yu loses the military support from the Lins, coupled with the tense situation in his courtyard, do you think Prince Yu would have the mood to fight for the throne?"

King Ming's analysis was sharp and accurate.

However, he was unaware that Long Tianhao did not marry Lin Mengya for the purpose of amassing military support from the Lins.

Moreover, the Lins and Long Tianhao had not really come into contact in reality.

Despite knowing that Lin Mengya had already turned from an imbecile to a perfectly normal person, Lin Muzhi and Lin Nansheng had not seen her since she was married to Long Tianhao, because they were carrying out their responsibility of defending the northern borders all that time.

"Now I get it, but aren't you worried that Ming Yue would lose out?"

A worried expression appeared on Hu Tianbei's face.

Both of them were well aware that Lin Mengya was somehow linked to Hu Lunan's death.

That young lady was indeed sly and calculating. She was also shrewd in her ways, knowing how to win the hearts of men. She was definitely a tough character to deal with.

"That is Ming Yue's choice. I've warned her about Lin Mengya, that she should change her mind about Long Tianhao if she can't deal with her. She wouldn't listen but insisted on fighting with her. Sigh, she's becoming more like her mother."

King Ming responded, sounding rather helpless.

Ming Yue's mother was one of the favored concubines, who was second to the queen of the western vassal state.

Despite coming from a noble background, she was a sassy lady. Apart from the queen who was able to restrain her, she was not afraid of anyone else.

Fortunately, that cheeky concubine had only given birth to a daughter. If she had birthed a son, there would have been a war in the palace of the western vassal state.

"Of course Ming Yue would put her foot down if this was what you said to her. That lass has collaborated with the Crown Prince, thinking she could replace Princess Yu. Too bad she still doesn't have that capability."

Ming Yue's every move was still within Hu Tianbei's control.

In order to win Long Tianhao, she had resorted to secretly collaborating with the Crown Prince.

The fear was that they were mistaken.

Stealing a glance at his father, the king, Hu Tianbei decided to hold his tongue.

He had the feeling that Lin Mengya would not allow this plan to be carried out so easily.

At this moment, Lin Mengya, completely unaware of Ming Yue's plan, was on a shopping spree that no one could stop.

"Master, this fabric is so pretty. Do you think this color suits me?"

Baiji placed a roll of green fabric on herself as she asked for Lin Mengya for opinion.

"Just buy it!"

Lin Mengya took out a piece of silver from her purse, acting very generous.

Without batting an eyelid, she purchased that top quality fabric.

"Master, what do you think of this jade hairpin? Do you think it suits me?"

Baishao had picked up a hairpin excitedly, setting it against her hair.

"Get it!"

Lin Mengya took out more silver without any hesitation.

It appeared that spending money like water had lightened her mood.

It was no wonder why those shady gantries loved spending their silver carelessly when they were in a bad mood.

It seemed like an effective way of lifting one's spirits.

Lin Mengya and her maids were barely out for two hours, but they had already squandered their money on merchandise.

The guard accompanying them had even arranged for a small cart to transport the goods these ladies had bought.

Lin Mengya was not a stingy person. She had bestowed some silver to each of the guards who had accompanied them on that trip, and she had instantly become their wealth.

"Take a taste of this, Master. These freshly baked butter pastries from this shop smell fantastic."

Baizhi was the happiest among them. Having been cooped up in the mansion for so long, she was finally able to taste the freshly made delicacies outside.

They wondered if her stomach was made of stretchable rubber. She had downed seven to eight kinds of snacks so quickly and still kept going.

She continued to be excited about the food she saw.

"Shall we go to the Furong Restaurant to have some delicious pork shoulder? Master, we've been walking around the place and I'm famished."

How could Baizhi have the guts for such a request? She was already caressing her bulgy stomach at the moment.

Dazed, Lin Mengya gave Baizhi a look, then reached out to pinch her cheek.

"Baizhi, are you a reincarnated hungry ghost?"

Lin Mengya felt full even from watching Baizhi eat. In fact, she had lost her appetite just by watching her.

How could she still want to eat pork shoulder?

"Indeed, don't you stuff your stomach. Haven't I been feeding you?"

Baiji tapped Baizhi on her forehead as if to tell her to stop. In fact, she had not stopped eating in the past two hours.

"Oh, just indulge me for this time, Master. Moreover, I haven't eaten much."

Baizhi pouted, fearing that Lin Mengya would not agree to her proposal.

The other three blurted out in unison, saying, "You haven't eaten much? If we pepper the floor with some salt, we bet you would eat it whole."

At their teasing, Baizhi was finally feeling embarrassed about her acting pathetic.

She stuck out her tongue, tugged on Lin Mengya's arm and began gently swinging it.

"Alright, let's go to the Furong Restaurant then. Will the two guards take our shopping back to the mansion? We'll wait for you at the Furong Restaurant."

Although Lin Mengya wanted to send the guards back there and then, they insisted on escorting them to the Furong Restaurant, before rushing back to the prince's mansion.

As the ladies approached the establishment, they eyed its name in large golden characters, engraved on the plate overhead.

From the look of it, the characters on the plate had obviously been engraved by someone with extraordinary talent.

The moment they had stepped into the restaurant, they could see that it was very spacious, with a dozen squarish tables scattered all around. They had apparently been cleaned to speckles by the waiters.

Below their feet, they were actually stepping on granite flooring, which was also spotless and free of any oil stains.

Upon their arrival, the waiter in grey immediately walked over to welcome them.

"Please come in. You must be from a noble family, being so elegantly dressed. Please come up to the second floor, where it's much quieter and befitting your status."

The waiter treated them with such courtesy, as if the five ladies were some deities.

From the waiter's perspective, the head of the group was the young woman dressed in light purple.

Although he had seen much in life, he was still astonished to see such an exceptional and rare beauty.

All the beautiful things in the world paled in comparison with her pair of dark charming eyes.

He wondered what kind of family that elegantly dressed lady had come from, but he knew to provide the best service to her and her companions.

Each of the private rooms on the second floor were opened.

What took Lin Mengya by surprise were the varying paintings of flora and human characters on each of their doors.

Hanging on every door was a plaque which bore the name of the room.

It was interesting to note that the plaque hanging outside the room named "Bamboo Room" was in fact made of bamboo.

The plaque for the room called "Stone Room" was made of a slab of stone.

The waiter eventually led them to a room bearing the name "Wind Room".

The creativity of the restaurant owner could be seen in the hanging windchime, which when at rest, would spell out the words, "Listen to the Wind."

"This way please, our honored guests. The Wind Room is overlooking the streets and other beautiful sceneries, and it is very spacious. Are you satisfied with our arrangement?"

The waiter opened the door to the room and led Lin Mengya and her four maids inside.

Facing them was a low heated bed with a low redwood table sitting on it.

The windows, with a touch of antiquity, were wide open and engraved with the pictures of pine, bamboo, and plum, depicting three friends who stuck with each other through thick and thin in life.

"This is such a wonderful place. Your boss must be good at running this business."

After Lin Mengya sat down at the head seat, the maidservants also helped themselves to their seats.

When they left the house earlier, Lin Mengya had told them to behave as if they were sisters who were crazy about baking cakes instead of a master and her servants.

Up until now, the four maidservants did not really understand why Lin Mengya used the analogy of baking cakes.

"Hehe, thank you for your compliments, madam. My boss was the one who designed every picture, down to their every detail. This was precisely the reason why the Furong Restaurant is the most popular restaurant around. What would you like to eat? Would you like me to make some recommendations?"

The waiter was accustomed to the customers' compliments, but he did not expect Baizhi to start ordering the dishes as soon as he finished speaking.

"Mr. Waiter, isn't 'boiled crispy meat' and 'seven connections elbows' the most famous dishes in the restaurant? We would like both of them. Also, please serve my master some honey fragrant tea, hurry!"