Upon hearing Zhao Xing's words, Yan Ning thought to herself, "No wonder I, someone who loves reading unofficial histories of the Kangxi Emperor, have never seen this interesting story. A demoness? Vanishing in broad daylight? Could it be that someone traveled back to the Kangxi era before me? How could such a thing be possible? I should think of a way to get back."

The thought of going back reminded Yan Ning of her family there. The moon was full, but people were not together. What beautiful scenery could there be?

"How do you know all this? Could it be that you've eaten such expensive pastries before?" Mei Xiang seized the opportunity to retaliate against Zhao Xing.

"Hehe..." Zhao Xing smiled, blushing. "How could I eat such expensive things? I went with the general to buy them before, and he told me that."

"Don't mention the general, it makes the young lady sad." Zhu Xiang secretly reminded Zhao Xing, looking at the silent Yan Ning.

"It was my moment of pride that made me forget. Please don't be sad, young lady. As soon as there is any news about the general, I will come to tell you immediately," Zhao Xing said cautiously.

"Alright, it's alright. None of you have ever tried Gao Fu Zhai's pastries before, right? Let's all try them and see how delicious they are," Yan Ning said with a smile.

"Look, the girl's smile is so beautiful!" Meixiang exclaimed.

The others stared blankly at Yan Ning. Although Zhao Xing was also stunned, he had spent more time with Yan Ning than the others, and said, "The young lady is beautiful even when she's not smiling."

"Yes, the young lady must be that stunning beauty from the story just now," Lanxiang couldn't help but say.

“No, that’s not true. The young lady and the general will definitely grow old together,” Meixiang retorted.

“But the young lady’s beauty is definitely a hundred times better than that stunning woman.” Juxiang had always been on good terms with Lanxiang.

"What do you know? The girl looks best when she's with the general." Zhao Xing felt he knew Yan Ning better than they did.

"Stop!" Seeing them arguing about their appearance, Yan Ning was both amused and exasperated. "Hurry up and eat your mooncakes."

While the four were arguing, Zhu Xiang had already cut and divided the mooncakes. Yan Ning saw this and couldn't help but pay more attention to Zhu Xiang. Although she was dressed in the same maid's clothes as the other three, her pretty oval face, long eyebrows, and pert nose made her a beauty in her own right.

"Girl, Gao Fuzhai's pastries are really delicious," several people said in unison.

Yan Ning tasted it; it was a mixed fruit filling, with the sweet aroma of various fruits blended together, delicate and delicious. The outer layer was a flaky pastry made of pollen, which melted in her mouth. The fragrance of fruit and flowers intertwined, making one feel as if they were in a garden of flowers and fruits under the moon.

"Miss, please sit down first. I'll go get you some water to wash your feet." After helping Yan Ning to the bed, Zhu Xiang left.

"Okay, sure." Yan Ning looked at Zhu Xiang, who was handling things in an orderly manner, and liked her even more.

"Zhuxiang, where are they?" Yan Ning asked Zhuxiang, who was washing her feet.

"Because they had the young lady's permission, they drank a bit too much and are now all drunk. I can manage to serve the young lady by myself, but I didn't want their drunken state to disturb her, so I let them go and rest," Zhu Xiang replied with a smile.

“Actually, I can do all these things myself.” Yan Ning really wasn’t used to being waited on.

"We servants are born to serve others. Even if we don't serve you, we'll serve others. Serving a mistress like you who cares about us is a blessing we earned in our past lives," Zhu Xiang replied optimistically.

"Zhuxiang, do you believe that hundreds of years from now, everyone will be equal? ​​There will be no masters and no servants." Yan Ning was also a little drunk and couldn't help but ask Zhuxiang.

"What are you saying, young lady? How could we not have a master? What would happen to us servants then?" Zhu Xiang looked at Yan Ning with suspicion.

"No, I was just saying it offhand." Yan Ning broke out in a cold sweat when she realized what was happening, but thankfully she didn't overthink it.

Heshen twirled his jade thumb ring. "Have you accepted the gifts?"

“Yes, as soon as I told her you wanted to punish me, she accepted it,” Zhao Xing said, standing up.

"Being Fukang'an's woman, being soft-hearted is not a good thing." In the darkness, Heshen's crescent-shaped smiling eyes shone even brighter.