The late spring sunlight, like gentle threads of silk, filtered through the exquisitely carved window lattices of Jinyun Bookstore, gently filtering down onto the bluestone floor. This shimmered, fragmented, mottled light, like a natural puzzle, imbued the place with warmth and tranquility. Princess Shou'an, who had been staying in the bookstore for three days, now crouched beside Su Jinli's desk. Her concentration resembled that of a curious little animal, her nose practically touching the rice paper. Su Jinli, wolf-hair brush in hand, meticulously added a string of copper coins to the edge of the flying fox's paw. Her delicate brushstrokes imbued the coins with a realistic texture. The ink shone glossily in the bright sunlight, like dewdrops rolling on lotus leaves in the early morning, glittering and shining.

"Sister Su," the princess suddenly stretched out her finger, pointing at the fox's round belly. The originally neat little servant's hat on its head had tilted to one side at some point, making it look playful and cute. "The fox you drew looks like Brother Jiang Yan when he was pretending to be sick, especially the claws that secretly hid the abacus." Her voice was crisp and pleasant, echoing in the bookstore like a silver bell.

A crisp "clatter" suddenly emanated from the accounting office next door. Jiang Yan, engrossed in checking the accounts of the Jiangnan branch, heard the princess' words. His hand trembled violently, and the entire string of beads tumbled to the ground like a startled bird. He quickly squatted down to pick them up, but heard Su Qingyao's slightly teasing voice drifting from the doorframe: "Did you hear that? Even the princess has seen through your tricks." Su Qingyao waved the freshly mixed rouge in her hand. The phoenix inlaid with mother-of-pearl on the lid of the box shone with brilliant colors in the interweaving of light and shadow, as if about to take flight. "Yesterday, I was teaching the princess how to mix rouge, and she said that when you pretended to be sick, your face was as red as 'Drunken Peach Blossom'."

Jiang Yan was startled for a moment, his cheeks flushing slightly, and an unspoken, shy blush tinged the tips of his ears. He had just gathered his scattered abacus beads when he keenly heard a familiar cough coming from the front yard—the distinctive, slightly hoarse voice of the old eunuch who served the Empress Dowager. The moment Su Jinli put down her pen, Jiang Yan had already quickly grabbed the account book and held it to his chest, then pretended to cough again, trying to appear sickly.

"I've come to see you," the empress dowager's gentle and kind voice drifted into the room like a spring breeze. She was dressed in a simple, yet elegant, plain blue dress. A single, soft jade hairpin accentuated her austere elegance. She held a food box in her hand. "What story could keep Shou'an, this troublemaker, locked up in a bookshop for three days without returning to the palace?" The empress dowager's tone was tinged with fondness and curiosity.

At the empress dowager's voice, Princess Shou'an leaped to her feet like a delighted fawn. In her haste, the cuffs of her servant's uniform revealed a hibiscus flower embroidered with gold thread, gleaming with a regal brilliance in the sunlight. "Grandmother! Sister Su's rendition of 'The Oil Seller' is a hundred times better than the palace's 'The Palace of Eternal Life'!" she exclaimed excitedly, tugging at the empress dowager's sleeve and dragging her towards the desk. The pearl pendant in her hair brushed against Su Jinli's inkstone, making a crisp sound. "Listen to her recount of the courtesan receiving guests; it's much more interesting than the Imperial Tutor's recitation of 'The Instructions for Women'!" The princess' eyes sparkled with excitement, as if she had discovered the world's most fascinating treasure.

Su Jinli had been engrossed in recounting to the princess the fascinating story of the oil seller saving money to meet the courtesan. Seeing the empress dowager leisurely take her seat, she quickly rose and bowed respectfully. The empress dowager smiled and waved, indicating no need for formalities. Then, she gently opened the food box, revealing the pea yellow inside. Each piece of pea yellow had been meticulously cut into the shape of a small, delicate abacus bead, exquisite as a work of art. "Sit down and tell me. I love to listen to the excitement." The empress dowager's gaze was gentle and kind, like the warm sun on a winter's day, deeply heartwarming.

Warm sunlight gently fell on the silver hair of the Empress Dowager, as if gilding it. Su Jinli took a deep breath, gathered herself, and continued, "The oil seller, Ah Qi, toiled tirelessly through the streets every day, carrying his oil basket on his shoulder. He carefully placed the copper coins he saved in a clay pot, which jingled and clanged..." Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Jiang Yan pretending to count in the accounting office, his fingers frantically fiddling with the abacus. Something struck her, and she couldn't help but emphasize her words slightly, "It's like the abacus some people hide under their quilts, thinking no one can see it."

Upon hearing this, Princess Shou'an immediately responded excitedly as if she had discovered a new world, "Yes! Just like the abacus that Brother Jiang Yan hid under the quilt!" She suddenly pointed excitedly at the accountant and said in a clear and loud voice, "Look, Queen Mother, he's not sick at all! He was even able to bend down to pick up the beads just now!"

Jiang Yan was leaning over to pick up the second abacus bead that had rolled to the door. When he heard the princess' words, his movements froze instantly, and his whole body seemed to be frozen. He almost fell against the door frame due to his unstable center of gravity. Su Jinli's heart skipped a beat and she secretly groaned. However, at this critical moment, she keenly noticed that the queen mother was staring at the account book in Jiang Yan's hand, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. In a flash, she had an idea and quickly walked to the account office. She reached out and picked up the account book in front of Jiang Yan, quickly unfolded it, and presented it to the queen mother: "Look, queen mother, brother Jiang Yan is not pretending to be sick. He is calculating the reading bonus for the princess."

A line of small, neatly written characters in cinnabar ink was written across the account book: "Princess Shou'an's Reading Reward: One string of sugar paintings daily, one box of rouge monthly, and 10% of the bookstore shares at the end of the year." Jiang Yan's handwriting was vigorous yet neat, and at the end, a crooked yet adorable fox head was drawn, adding a touch of playfulness and amusement to the otherwise solemn account book. The empress dowager leaned in slightly, carefully examining the handwriting and images in the account book, and suddenly burst into laughter. The hearty laughter shook the pea-yellow in the food box slightly, as if it were also infected by the joyful atmosphere. "Excellent! A wonderful reading bonus! Minister Jiang's calculation of this illness is excellent, brilliant!" The empress dowager's laughter was filled with admiration and satisfaction.

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