Candied hawthorn and mung bean cake

Xu Zhixun suddenly felt some pain in her limbs:

"I'm afraid Zhang Fuyao will cut off my limbs. I don't want to die like Mingyue, without a complete corpse!"

"No! I won't let Zhang Fuyao hurt you!" Long Qian suddenly became emotional and hugged Xu Zhixun tightly.

He was also worried that Zhang Fuyao would assassinate Xu Zhixun and cut off her limbs.

Although Xu Zhixun has a defensive barrier and a flying vehicle, the cost of using the defensive barrier and the flying vehicle is simply too expensive!

Furthermore, if the defensive barrier and the aircraft malfunction, Xu Zhixun will be killed by Zhang Fuyao!

Thinking of this, a chilling murderous aura appeared in Long Qian's dark eyes.

Zhang Fuyao killed Mingyue, and he must kill Zhang Fuyao to avenge Mingyue!

Furthermore, only if Zhang Fuyao dies will Xu Zhixun be spared from being assassinated by Zhang Fuyao!

Thinking of this, Long Qian solemnly said to Long Yege and Jing Zhan:

"Fifth Imperial Brother, Jing Zhan, I have some things I'd like to discuss with you."

Long Yege replied thoughtfully, "I also have something I'd like to discuss with you. Let's go to your study!"

So, everyone went to Long Qian's study together.

Long Qian dismissed many servants, leaving only Xu Zhixun, Long Yege, and Jing Zhan.

Immediately afterwards, Long Qian walked to the bookshelf by the wall.

There are three large bookshelves along the wall.

The large bookcase in the middle is mostly filled with display shelves for antique items.

On the display shelves, all sorts of antiques and handicrafts are on display.

Long Qian turned one of the vases.

In an instant, the large bookcase on the right, like a large door, gradually opened!

Behind the large bookcase, a secret passage appeared!

Seeing this, Xu Zhixun was dumbfounded and found it very exciting.

"Let's go into the secret room to talk!" Long Qian took Xu Zhixun's hand and walked into the secret passage.

Immediately afterwards, Long Yege and Jing Zhan also entered the secret passage.

At this moment, Long Qian pressed a mechanism in the secret passage, and the door of the secret passage slowly closed!

"Wow, this secret passage is so interesting!" Xu Zhixun exclaimed in amazement.

"The secret passage is a bit narrow, and the secret room is underground." Long Qian pulled Xu Zhixun and walked to the left, heading towards the secret passage ahead.

The secret passage was indeed very narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass through at a time.

After walking for a while, the group began to descend the steps and entered the underground secret chamber.

The secret room turned out to be a study.

Inside the study, there are several doors leading to different places.

"Long Qian, where does that door lead?" Xu Zhixun asked Long Qian curiously, pointing to a door on the left.

Long Qian smiled and replied, "That door leads to the bedroom in the secret room."

"The secret room contains a bedroom, kitchen, storage room, bathroom, etc., and there is only one door leading to the dock by the river."

"If we encounter danger, we can escape from the secret room to the riverbank and leave by boat."

At this point, Long Qian pointed to a door on the right:

"That door leads to the river."

"Oh, I understand!" Xu Zhixun said with a smile.

Long Qian sat down at the octagonal table and said to everyone, "Let's sit down and talk!"

So everyone took their seats.

Long Qian glanced around at everyone, his eyes sharp:

"I want to avenge Mingyue, I want to kill Zhang Fuyao, what do you think?"

Long Yege nodded: "That's what I think too. Zhang Fuyao is too vicious. If we don't kill her, she will definitely assassinate Zhixun!"

Jing Zhan pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "I agree with your opinion. We can discuss this matter with the Emperor first."

"If the Emperor is unwilling to execute Zhang Fuyao, then we will assassinate Zhang Fuyao."

As soon as she finished speaking, the three men all looked at Xu Zhixun.

Xu Zhixun was startled: "But... if we kill Zhang Fuyao, Zhang Fuyao's family will become our enemies!"

“Zhang Fuyao killed Mingyue; she’s already my enemy,” Long Qian said coldly.

"I must get rid of Zhang Fuyao, otherwise she will assassinate you!"

"Because Zhang Fuyao will assassinate any woman who gets close to me!"

Xu Zhixun's mind was in turmoil: "Then, then let's discuss it with the Emperor!"

And so, the group discussed the matter in the secret room for an hour.

Immediately afterwards, Long Qian and the other two men decided to investigate Zhang Fuyao's various crimes and then have the emperor execute her.

Next, everyone left the secret room and went to the dining hall for lunch.

——————————————

At 2 PM, Xu Zhixun suggested that she wanted to go to the capital city to play and buy candied hawthorns and mung bean cakes for Long Qian.

Because Long Qian especially loved these two snacks when he was a child.

Now that Mingyue is dead, Xu Zhixun decides to buy snacks to cheer Long Qian up.

And so, Xu Zhixun, Long Qian, Yu Zan, and the others boarded a carriage and headed to the capital.

The capital city includes the imperial palace, the imperial city, the inner city, and the outer city.

In the inner city lived high-ranking officials and nobles.

In the outer city, many ordinary people lived.

Now, Xu Zhixun and her group are strolling through the inner city.

The inner city was more prosperous than the outer city, bustling with people.

There are many shops on both sides of the road.

Steamed bun shops, restaurants, teahouses, casinos, cosmetics shops, clothing stores, rice shops, money exchanges, inns, silk shops, pharmacies...

Xu Zhixun found it very interesting, looking around here and there.

Suddenly, she saw a stall selling candied hawthorns ahead.

Overjoyed, she exclaimed, "Longqian, look! There are candied hawthorns over there!"

Long Qian chuckled, "Yes, let's go buy it!"

After saying that, Long Qian whispered to Long Yege and the others:

“When we’re out and about, let’s stop calling Zhi Xun ‘Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden’ and just call her ‘Zhi Xun’ or ‘Miss Xu’.”

The group agreed to Long Qian's request and headed together to the stall selling candied hawthorns.

The owner of the candied hawthorn stall was a middle-aged man.

He had handsome features and wore a dark blue coarse cloth long gown.

The long gown was old, but clean.

However, for some reason, the man looked worried.

Xu Zhixun was a little curious and casually asked the man, "Uncle, why do you look so worried?"

Upon seeing Xu Zhixun, the man immediately forced a smile: "Miss, are you looking to buy candied hawthorns?"

Xu Zhixun smiled and said, "Yes!"

The man explained to Xu Zhixun, "It's like this, my wife has recently fallen ill, but I don't have the money to take her to the clinic, and I'm very worried."

Xu Zhixun was taken aback: "Aren't you selling candied hawthorns? Isn't the money from selling candied hawthorns enough to see a doctor?"

The man looked heartbroken: "Recently, many people in the capital are selling candied hawthorns, so I'm not making much money, and business is getting worse and worse."

Xu Zhixun looked at the man's stall and saw two straw targets on it.

The target was covered with bright red candied hawthorn skewers.

Xu Zhixun thought for a moment, then smiled and said to the man, "Let me teach you a way to make money! Maybe it will help you earn more."

The man's face lit up with joy: "What's your way of making money? Please tell me in detail, young lady, I'd love to hear it!"

Xu Zhixun walked to the man's side, deliberately lowered her voice, and whispered something to him.

The man was first shocked, then overjoyed:

"Thank you so much for your guidance, young lady! Thank you so much for your help, young lady! I'll try your method tomorrow!"

After saying that, the man picked up a large, red candied hawthorn skewer and handed it to Xu Zhixun:

"Girl, thank you for helping me. Let me treat you to some candied hawthorns!"

Xu Zhixun smiled broadly: "No need, since you're so short of money, I'll give you the money!"

After saying that, she said to Yuzan, "Yuzan, ask everyone how many skewers of candied hawthorn they want in total, and then you can pay them!"

Yu Zan smiled and replied, "Okay."

As soon as she finished speaking, Yu Zan tallied the results—

Long Qian, Xu Zhixun, Long Yege, and Yuzan all wanted to eat a skewer of candied hawthorns.

Only Jing Zhan doesn't eat candied hawthorn.

So, Yu Zan took out a bunch of copper coins and bought four strings of candied hawthorns.

Xu Zhixun handed a string of candied hawthorns to Long Qian:

"Here, eat up! Let's go buy some mung bean cakes now!"

Long Qian smiled bitterly as he accepted the string of candied hawthorns: "Thank you."

Actually, candied hawthorn and mung bean cake were his favorite foods when he was eleven years old.

He's grown up now and doesn't like candied hawthorns and mung bean cakes anymore.

However, because Mingyue once secretly sneaked into the Cold Palace and delivered candied hawthorns and mung bean cakes to eleven-year-old Longqian in the middle of the night, Longqian had a nostalgic feeling for candied hawthorns and mung bean cakes.

Over the years, Longqian has eaten candied hawthorn and mung bean cake many times.

But he still felt that the candied hawthorns and mung bean cakes that Mingyue gave him were the most delicious things in the world...

Thinking of this, Long Qian became sad again.

He picked up the candied hawthorn, took a bite, and slowly savored its sweet and sour taste.

Next, Xu Zhixun and the others picked up a string of candied hawthorns and ate them with relish.

The middle-aged man selling candied hawthorns looked at Xu Zhixun and smiled awkwardly:

"Miss, thank you for helping me. Could you please tell me where you live?"

"When I have money in the future, I will definitely bring gifts and come to your door to thank you!"

Xu Zhixun chuckled: "No need, it's fate that we met. I was just helping you out."

"Young lady, thank you so much! Since you don't want to say where you live, please accept my three bows!"

The man walked up to Xu Zhixun, his face full of gratitude, and made a move to kneel down before her.

Xu Zhixun was both amused and exasperated, so she went to help the man up, saying, "Hey, you don't need to be so polite, you don't need to kneel down for me!"

However, the man insisted on kneeling and kowtowing three times to Xu Zhixun:

"Thank you, young lady. You are such a kind person. May you always be happy and healthy!"

Long Qian and the others: "..."

Next, Xu Zhixun and the others left the stall selling candied hawthorns.

Long Qian found it very interesting: "Zhi Xun, what exactly did you say to that vendor just now?"

"Yes, I'm really curious!" Long Yege exclaimed in amazement.

"You clearly didn't reveal your identity as the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden, so why are people still kowtowing to you?"

Xu Zhixun said with a smile, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed!"

"Tomorrow afternoon, I'll send someone to buy candied hawthorns. Then you'll know what I said to that vendor!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other.

"Zhi Xun, tell me now, I can't contain my curiosity any longer!" Long Qian put his arm around Xu Zhi Xun's slender waist and whispered in her ear.

"I promise I won't tell anyone!"

“Yes, yes, I won’t tell anyone else either, tell me!” Long Yege was also very curious.

So, Xu Zhixun had no choice but to tiptoe and whisper in Long Qian's ear what she had just said to the vendor—

Hsu Chih-hsun believes that the variety of candied hawthorn skewers at the hawker stalls is too limited, with only hawthorn skewers available.

In modern times, there are many types of candied hawthorn.