"Only after I left did I learn that Lord Zhang Yuqing had been imprisoned..."

"I wonder if there have been any changes to our audience with the Emperor..."

"Your Excellencies need not worry. If the audience with the Emperor is cancelled, there will surely be news from the Palace or the Ministry of Personnel. At this critical juncture, there should be no further changes."

"Hehehe, Lord Zhang, you're too kind. My territory is not as good as Jianzhou. If you become the prefect of Suizhou, I hope you will give me a good promotion..."

"Lord Guo is too modest..."

After several rounds of drinks, the three hit it off immediately.

As expected, the prefect of Suizhou will choose one of the three. Regardless of who becomes the new prefect of Suizhou, establishing good relations today will surely benefit them in the future.

Yan Jiuzhi, whom they had forgotten, hung her luggage in the stable and went for a stroll on the street.

He wanted to experience the prosperity of the capital city so that he could tell his family about it when he returned to Dazhou.

Having heard that the frostbite ointment from the medical clinic in the capital was remarkably effective, he planned to buy some and bring it to his mother.

In addition, he wanted to use the money he saved on travel expenses to buy fabrics from the capital for his wife, so that she could also enjoy a glamorous life.

Finally, we'll select some books that aren't available in Northwest China and bring them back for the children.

He had just inquired and found out that the most bustling and prosperous street in the capital was Chang Le Street.

It just so happens that it's market day today. Looking at the crowds of people jostling shoulder to shoulder, making the wide street completely congested, Yan Jiu was so surprised that she couldn't speak for a long time.

I never knew streets could be so wide! They seem to stretch on forever.

The business here is truly astonishing; the merchants offer a wide variety of goods, leaving him dazzled by the sheer number of options.

He was filled with a sense of novelty about everything.

My resolve has only grown stronger; now that I'm back home, I will work even harder to develop that land of Dazhou.

Yes, he never dared to hope that he could win the election. Perhaps the Minister of Personnel dozed off during the selection process and carelessly scribbled a name on his name.

When he finally managed to squeeze out of the crowd, his coat had been grabbed by someone's greasy hand and smelled of fried dough.

Standing in front of a money exchange, I straightened my clothes a little.

Ouch—

A delicate, startled cry suddenly came from behind, the voice clear and crisp, yet tinged with a hint of pain.

Yan Jiu turned around and saw a petite girl who, somehow, bumped into her back.

The little girl was suddenly bounced back to her original position and then fell heavily to the ground.

Yan Jiu was tall and strong, with a back as thick as a city wall.

This collision might have been a trivial matter for him, but for Cherry, the delicate girl from the south, it was... a matter of life and death.

Cherry felt as if her nose was about to break, the pain was unbearable, and she couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

She could only stare wide-eyed, condemning the rude man with her gaze.

The attendant beside her hurriedly stepped forward to help Cherry up.

Cherry saw stars before her eyes, tightly covered her injured nose, and hurriedly left.

Watching Cherry's departing figure, Yan Jiu could only shake her head helplessly and spread her hands, "This isn't my fault..."

Turning my head, I saw a lotus-colored purse lying on the ground. The purse had a soft luster that only silk could have, and it lay softly on the ground.

Yan Jiu carefully picked it up, afraid that she might accidentally crush the delicate purse if she used too much force.

This purse must have been dropped by that girl just now.

You must understand that there are many rules in the capital. If a young girl loses her purse, it will be a very serious matter for her reputation.

Yan Jiu slapped her forehead and hurriedly strode after him.

"Hey, wait a minute, girl."

Hearing the shout, Cherry turned around and saw a wall rushing towards her. She was so frightened that she hid behind her attendant.

"You, don't come any closer!"

Hmm—

Yan Jiu stopped abruptly, scratched his head, and said in a muffled voice, "I picked this up and have come to return it to you, Miss."

He opened his palm, and in his large hand lay his small purse.

Cherry's face turned pale instantly, and she hurriedly touched her sleeve, only to find it empty.

Sure enough, his purse was gone.

Inside are the two silver notes that Her Highness the Princess requested.

If so much silver were lost, even cutting her into a thousand pieces and selling her flesh wouldn't be enough to pay it back.

Cherry immediately became anxious, her tone even more urgent, "Give it back to me!"

Yan Jiu was also furious. "Young lady, I'm here to return the favor. Otherwise, why would I have come here?"

"The purse is right here. I don't know what's inside. You should check it yourself to avoid wrongly accusing Yan later."

He simply placed the purse on the ground.

Cherry, disregarding her fear, ran over, picked up the purse, and opened it with trembling hands. Seeing the two neatly folded silver notes inside intact, a huge weight was lifted from her heart.

She regained her elegance.

"Excuse me, sir, the things inside are extremely important to me."

"I acted out of impatience..."

"I'm glad nothing was stolen. Goodbye!"

Yan Jiu didn't want to waste her breath on such a delicate woman.

There's no one better than your own wife.

I would never wrong anyone without a reason.

snort!

Yan Jiu's tall figure disappeared into the crowd.

Cherry blushed and tightened her grip on the purse. "Back to the palace."

After receiving the silver notes, Xiao Yuanshuang changed into a gauze skirt made of a southern fabric, the kind of fabric described in a poem.

Smoke shrouds the cold water, moonlight veils the sand.

Therefore, some people took this as inspiration and developed this hazy, watery, soft and ethereal material.

When worn by a woman, it exudes a gentle and charming beauty, a subtle and alluring allure that is irresistible.

Unfortunately, Murong Gan wasn't here, otherwise he would have exclaimed in surprise, "Holy crap, organza!"

Xiao Yuanshuang tidied up her makeup again, applying her eyebrows, face powder, and lip rouge—nothing was missing.

Then he took out a set of jadeite headdress that he had brought from afar and looked at himself in the mirror.

Looking in the mirror, her thoughts drifted away again.

Upon arriving in the capital of Qing Kingdom, the two things she most wanted to take with her were the infuriating lantern and this mirror.

Unlike the bronze mirrors they use, the mirrors here are truly... mirrors.

The image is incredibly clear.

Looking at her flawless skin, beautiful face, and subtly revealed body in the mirror, Xiao Yuanshuang was very satisfied.

"Bring me the silver fox fur cloak."

"Yes, Princess."

She wore a silver fox fur cloak over her smoky gauze skirt.

She couldn't even imagine what Li Xuanji's expression would be when she took off her cloak in front of him.

With the silver notes in her pocket, Xiao Yuanshuang arrived at the Xuanji Hall.

The princess of Yue has arrived, and even if Li Xuanji doesn't want to see her, she has no choice but to.

The young page understood his concerns. "Sir, leave it to me. Don't worry."

The young pageboy chose the pavilion below the Moon Gazing Tower as the meeting place.

Then arrange for everyone from Xuanji Hall to move to the pavilion.

With no walls on any side of the pavilion and so many people watching, he didn't believe that the Third Princess could do anything outrageous.