Nanny Jin nodded gratefully again and again. "The old lady also said that if it was really the prince who helped with this matter, it would surely be a great kindness to the Cheng Mansion. Moreover, this move would also be beneficial to the relationship between Prime Minister Cheng and the prince."
Come to think of it, Prime Minister Cheng hadn't shown any strange behavior recently. Had his cooperation with the empress dowager broken off again?
Or perhaps it had just been his own trial from the very beginning?
Cheng Xiran was too lazy to guess about such things. She immediately told Yun'er to send Nanny Jin back properly. After pacing back and forth in the courtyard and thinking for a long time, she called Zhuque over and instructed, "Zhuque, go to the market and buy some ingredients. Don't choose anything too expensive. Just get some home - cooked dishes. Then buy some top - quality tonics. Make sure the tonics are of the best quality. Otherwise, I'm afraid the prince won't take a fancy to them."
"What is the young lady planning to do?" Zhuque asked, confused.
Cheng Xiran answered straightforwardly, "Cook for him. This should show enough sincerity, right? Then we can talk about this matter during the meal. That should work, right?"
Hearing this, Zhuque immediately retorted, "But I've never seen the young lady cook before."
Cheng Xiran deliberately avoided Zhuque's curious gaze. Her eyes flitted, and then she tilted her head and smiled at her. "I can't cook, but I've read some recipe books recently, so I have an idea. Besides, when asking someone for help, the most important thing is the sincerity. As long as the sincerity is there, it won't go wrong."
After hearing her explanation, Zhuque no longer had any doubts. She took the money bag that Cheng Xiran handed her and went out to handle the matter.
Actually, Cheng Xiran also wanted to go out, but thinking that if she did, she would surely be gossiped about behind her back. She didn't want to hear those nonsense rumors again, even though she was still the protagonist of those stories.
Since she was going to cook, she didn't have time to take a nap. Thinking that the manuscript for tomorrow hadn't been written yet, she went to the study and started writing the story of Su Yu'e and Luo Mu.
But not long after, there came a rush of footsteps from outside, followed by Yun'er's shouting.
"Second young lady, please stop. If you want to see the eldest young lady, I'll go in and announce it for you!"
Immediately after, there was a loud slap.
"Who do you think you are? How dare you stop me?"
Cheng Xiran put down the purple - haired writing brush in her hand, got up, and walked outside. She saw Cheng Zhiyue glaring at Yun'er viciously. Her face was extremely ugly.
"Whether I'm qualified or not is not for you to decide..." Cheng Xiran's mouth twitched. She slowly stepped forward and stood in front of Yun'er to protect her. Then she continued, "Oh, isn't this my younger sister? Shouldn't you be in your room taking care of your mother now? Why did you come out? Aren't you afraid of spreading your bad luck to others?"
As she said this, she even pretended to wave her hand in front of her nose.
Cheng Zhiyue glared at her angrily and shouted, "Cheng Xiran, if it weren't for you, would my mother and I be in this situation?"
"Shut up. Are you allowed to harm me but I'm not allowed to fight back?"
Cheng Xiran gave her a sidelong glance. Seeing that she was so angry that she seemed about to strike, she remained calm. "If you want to hit me, that's okay. But if you do it today, I'll ask the Qian family to come and propose marriage tomorrow. I won't ask the prince to solve this matter. I'll let you marry Qian Youliang, and you'll live a life worse than death for the rest of your life."
Cheng Xiran's words stunned Cheng Zhiyue for a moment.
Just then, Cheng Xiran suddenly raised her hand and slapped her. Under Cheng Zhiyue's furious gaze, she looked at Yun'er sideways and said leisurely, "I've always been kind to others. Since I'm helping you this time, I don't expect any reward. But I'll return the slap you gave Yun'er. Otherwise, I won't be in a good mood to plead for you later."
After saying that, she didn't want to argue with Cheng Zhiyue anymore. She immediately pulled Yun'er back into the room.
Yun'er was still in a state of fear. Apparently, she had even forgotten the pain on her face because of the fear.
Cheng Xiran patiently applied medicine to her and comforted her, "In the future, if anyone from the east wing bullies you, no matter who it is, you must tell me."
Yun'er nodded while holding back her tears. "Yes, I remember."
When Zhuque came back, she brought some pear - paste candies for the two of them. After Cheng Xiran ate the candies, she set off for the prince's mansion with Mu Li.
The guards at the gate saw them carrying a lot of things in big and small bags. They stepped forward to help. After Cheng Xiran thanked them repeatedly, she asked them to send the ingredients to the kitchen and the tonics to Helian Duo's study.
"What is the young lady planning to do?"
Zuo Yan, who seemed to be everywhere, suddenly appeared behind them. Cheng Xiran wasn't surprised by this.
She just let out a couple of "heh heh" laughs and said, "The prince was injured twice for me. I always have to show my gratitude. But I'm not good at needlework, so I thought I'd come and cook lunch for the prince to express my thanks."