Upon hearing that the Crown Prince had arrived, the county magistrate was so frightened that he scrambled out to greet him. After understanding the purpose of the visit, he immediately summoned his clerk and ordered the yamen runners to seal off the Chunfeng Tower.

The Crown Prince alone was enough to make the county magistrate want to curry favor with him. Add to that the woman beside the Crown Prince, and just by looking at her demeanor, the county magistrate could tell that she was the Imperial Advisor.

After all, the Crown Prince deeply loves his Imperial Advisor, to the point of sacrificing his kingdom for her—who in the world doesn't know that? The woman standing beside the Crown Prince must be the Imperial Advisor.

"I am deeply sorry for not welcoming you properly, Your Excellency, the Imperial Preceptor..."

After much deliberation, the magistrate was about to go up and say a few flattering words when he was stopped by the crown prince.

"Alright, we've finished our business, let's go."

Gu Yanjin led Fang Ruotang out of the county government office, not staying to keep an eye on the aftermath, since it wasn't a big deal for them.

Forcing women into prostitution is not the first case, nor will it be the last; it can never be completely eradicated.

"Are you hungry? Shall we go get something to eat?"

Gu Yanjin lowered his head slightly, looking at Fang Ruotang who was looking around.

Fang Ruotang's gaze fell on a certain stall.

"Shall we go buy that and eat it?"

As Fang Ruotang spoke, she pulled Gu Yanjin forward.

The two stood in front of the stall, and the stall owner immediately greeted them warmly.

"Would you two like some top cakes?"

"Okay, give me some."

Fang Ruotang stared at it curiously; so this was called "Dinggao" (顶糕).

She had never eaten it in Beijing.

Making the top cake is very simple. There is a special mold, a drawer full of white things that Fang Ruotang couldn't tell what they were, as the base. Then, some brown sugar is sprinkled on top and placed on a steamer. It's done after steaming for a while.

Fang Ruotang bought ten at once, picked one up and took a bite, her eyes lighting up.

"It's delicious, Brother Yan, you should try one too."

Fang Ruotang held it up and fed it to Gu Yanjin's mouth.

Gu Yanjin lowered her head and took a bite, then echoed, "It's really good. Do you like it? If you do, I'll buy more so I can take it out and eat it whenever I want."

"I like it! It's delicious."

Fang Ruotang nodded as she bit into the top cake.

Gu Yanjin took out a silver ingot and placed it in front of the stall owner.

"Keep doing it, do as much as you can. This is a deposit; any overpayment will be refunded and any underpayment will be collected."

The vendor's eyes widened, filled with longing as he looked at the silver ingots. He asked cautiously, "Really? I'll take as many as you can make? Can my wife and children work with me? I have many molds at home; we can make a lot more."

"Sure! The more the better."

The vendor hesitated slightly before being offered the money.

"It tastes better when it's hot, and if you make too much, it won't keep well and will spoil in a couple of days."

"It's alright, we can preserve it, just do it."

After negotiating with the vendor, Gu Yanjin lowered his head and whispered a few words to Fang Ruotang.

Fang Ruotang immediately took out a paper talisman from her treasure bag, cast a spell, blew on it, and then hung a storage bag on the paper talisman.

"It followed you to collect the top cake."

The vendor's eyes widened in disbelief as he asked, "Are you immortals? Could you be the Imperial Advisor? Ah, yes, yes, such a beautiful girl, who else could it be but the Imperial Advisor?"

"It is my honor to make this cake for the Imperial Preceptor. I will not accept any money." The vendor carefully returned the money.

Fang Ruotang was very happy to be so popular with the people. She waved her hand and said, "Keep it! Make me more, I really like it."

"Okay, okay!"

The vendor happily agreed.

He felt he had hit the jackpot today.

From then on, this cake became a delicacy that even the Imperial Advisor praised highly.

He misjudged the Grand Preceptor's personality. After today, the number of snacks in the county that the Grand Preceptor praised highly increased significantly.

Fang Ruotang and Gu Yanjin followed suit and bought many things.

After eating and walking along the way, Fang Ruotang's belly swelled up. She patted her belly, which looked like a watermelon rind, and said with a regretful expression, "My mouth can still eat, but my stomach is so full. I have to use a spell."

Gu Yanjin pulled Fang Ruotang back and said helplessly, "No, let's eat again tomorrow. Let's go somewhere else. Jiangnan is such a big place, and the tastes are quite different from those in the capital. Let's visit more places then."

"Okay, okay!"

Fang Ruotang happily agreed.

As night falls, the nightlife in Jiangnan is also a major highlight.

Gu Yanjin accompanied Fang Ruotang onto the boat.

The two chartered a boat and enjoyed the lights along the riverbanks and the lively sounds of the crowds.

"Living in Jiangnan is so wonderful! The scenery is much better than in our capital." Fang Ruotang stood on the cabin, arms outstretched, enjoying the cool breeze from the river, and remarked with feeling.

Gu Yanjin hugged her from behind, sighed contentedly, and then asked, "Have you forgotten the previous floods? Each has its own advantages and disadvantages."

Fang Ruotang's back hunched over, and she stammered, "That's right! If only there weren't these natural disasters, but these kinds of things are beyond the control of ordinary people like us."

"Mmm!" Gu Yanjin had finally managed to spend a day with Fang Ruotang. Although it was an ordinary day and didn't seem special to others, he felt very happy today.

So he didn't want to talk about anything heavy, but instead pointed to a patch of scattered firelight and asked Fang Ruotang to look.

Fang Ruotang asked in surprise, "What is that?"

"That's sparklers. The troupe that performed here a while ago, I heard today is their last show, they won't be performing here anymore starting tomorrow night," a crew member couldn't help but chime in after hearing Fang Ruotang's words.

Fang Ruotang thought it was beautiful from afar, so she immediately had the crew stop at the shore and pulled Gu Yanjin to watch the iron flower performance.

Sparks filled the sky, resembling a flying dragon.

Fang Ruotang, like a nimble little snake on the ground, kept darting forward, with Gu Yanjin protecting her from behind. The two of them, relying on their physical advantages, squeezed to the very front.

Wow, that's amazing!

Another spark flew into the air.

Fang Ruotang laughed and jumped around.

Gu Yanjin looked down, her eyes filled with tenderness.

One of them admired the sparks in the sky, while the other admired the person in front of him.

The sparks shone on Fang Ruotang's face, making her small face seem to be sparkling, illuminating Gu Yanjin's heart and filling it to the brim.

Fang Ruotang had a great time that night, and when she returned to the inn, she still had a bright smile on her face until she stood at the door of her room.

Gu Yanjin's expression also changed slightly, and he seemed somewhat displeased.

The two had already agreed not to let the waiter enter and disturb them when they booked the private room. The sheets and blankets in the room had already been changed once, but there were people in the room at this moment.

The two pushed open the door to the room, but no one was in sight. Instead, they could hear the breath coming from under the bed.

Fang Ruotang and Gu Yanjin exchanged a glance. Gu Yanjin stepped forward and said impatiently, "Climb out yourself, or should I call the waiter to throw you out?"

The breathing sounds from under the bed stopped; perhaps still clinging to a sliver of hope, they held their breath and remained motionless.

"Come out!" Gu Yanjin picked up the teacup on the table and threw it under the bed. A gasp immediately came from inside, "Ah..."