Chapter 138 The longer you live, the more new and interesting things you'll see.
As soon as Eunuch Ning returned to the manor, he heard from his servants that the Prince had gone to the garden. He hurried to the garden and, sure enough, saw Prince Ming by the pond.
He strode forward and bowed respectfully: "Your Highness."
King Ming was standing with his hands behind his back, staring at the pond, looking rather unhappy. He asked, "Where are my fish?"
Eunuch Ning was taken aback: "The fish are all in the pond."
"I am referring to the one that was chosen earlier."
“This…” Eunuch Ning looked hesitant and suggested, “Why don’t you choose another one? Look at these, they’re all very plump. The young master said you can choose whichever you like.”
Who would have thought that the young master had just given away the fish, and the prince would come looking for him right afterward.
"I want that one, where did he put it?"
The Prince frowned, and Eunuch Ning, not daring to lie, immediately told the truth: "The young master gave it away."
"Given away?"
King Ming never dreamed that the fish he had caught could grow wings and fly away!
"You unfilial son!" King Ming took two steps, then turned back to Eunuch Ning and said, "I raised him with great care and hardship, and he actually stole my fish."
Eunuch Ning lowered his head deeply, not daring to interrupt, thinking to himself that you hadn't really gone through any hardship, and besides, the young master raised these fish.
Unfortunately, he dared not say it.
As the year draws to a close, all government offices in the capital are busier than usual, and the Mingjing Division is no exception.
To ensure stability in the capital during the Spring Festival, the various commanders on duty before the holiday dared not slack off in the slightest, and almost all of them went out to patrol the streets with their subordinates.
When the King of Ming arrived at the Mingjing Bureau, the guards naturally dared not stop the Bureau Chief.
Once the person entered the door, the two guards whispered among themselves, wondering if the prince had something important to say to the garrison commander, otherwise why did he look so serious?
When the door was kicked open, Bai Xiuming was reviewing case files submitted by various Mingjing Division offices. He seemed to have discovered some problems and stared at one of the case files for a long time.
Hearing the voice, he looked up: "Father?"
The King of Ming strode aggressively to the table: "You unfilial son, you tricked me into setting up the Dragon Gate in your mansion, and I did as you said. Where are the fish?"
Bai Xiuming put down the case file in his hand: "Father, you must have remembered it backwards. If you hadn't coaxed me to make a trip to the Dragon Clan for you, would you have agreed to help me secure the Dragon Gate?"
King Ming clicked his tongue: "How old are you? Still arguing with your father over such trivial matters."
He then asked seriously, "Have you found out what happened on the Dragon Clan's side that caused the Dragon Gate to postpone its arrival?"
The Dragon Gate that Achan saw last night was not the real Dragon Gate, but the so-called Small Dragon Gate, which was created by the Dragon Clan themselves.
Although leaping over this Dragon Gate does not transform one into a dragon, it can strengthen one's bloodline, allowing aquatic creatures to advance further and selecting promising individuals for the dragon race.
However, the Dragon Gate should not appear in the twelfth lunar month, but rather around the tenth lunar month.
Bai Xiuming nodded: "The Azure Dragon Pearl that controls the Dragon Gate was stolen. They summoned several Dragon Kings back and discussed it for more than a month before finally deciding to use other Dragon Pearls instead."
The King of Light's expression was somewhat complicated, but considering that it was a dragon race, it seemed normal for it to take a month to resolve the issue.
He pondered for a moment before saying, "If I remember correctly, the Azure Dragon Pearl was once taken by the Demon Emperor and was inlaid in his crown. Later, after the Demon Emperor died, the Dragon Pearl was taken back by the Dragon Clan."
"So, it's possible that the demons were behind this attack? What do they want the Azure Dragon Pearl for?" Bai Xiuming asked.
King Ming stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Stealing the Dragon Pearl from the Dragon Clan is far more dangerous than stealing the Demon Seal. I originally thought they stole the Demon Seal last time to establish a kingdom, but now it seems that was only one of the reasons."
"Besides the Demon Seal and the Azure Dragon Pearl being items used by the Demon Emperor, is there anything else special about them?" Bai Xiuming had handled the Demon Seal before and hadn't noticed anything unusual.
"You are human, so naturally you can't detect it. These two items have been by the Demon Emperor's side for many years and have been imbued with his aura. Ordinary demons can't use them, but if a demon wants to follow the Demon Emperor's path and reach the fifth realm, then it will be useful."
"Following the Demon Emperor's path?" Bai Xiuming guessed. "The Demon Emperor only has one descendant left, the so-called Princess Xueyao. Could it be that she's about to break through?"
“It’s unlikely to be his offspring.” Ming Wang directly denied the guess. “I heard that the Demon Emperor cast a curse before he died, with his bloodline descendants paying the price for the curse. He had already cut off the future of his bloodline in advance, and no one among his descendants can ever reach the fifth realm.”
"Who told you that? Is it reliable?"
"Of course it's reliable. When the Demon Emperor died, he had more than one surviving descendant, and some were only one step away from the Fifth Realm. Other Fifth Realm demons also protected his descendants, but they all died in various accidents. Now there's only one left. What else could it be but the price of a curse?"
The King's words were quite convincing. Bai Xiuming pondered and said, "If he is not his descendant, he must be someone close to his descendants."
He looked up at the King of Light: "Should we stop it?"
The King of Light did not answer directly, but asked, "Has the Dragon Clan found any trace of the Azure Dragon Pearl?"
Bai Xiuming shook his head: "I hadn't found it before I left."
"It seems that the demon race of the Fifth Realm is covering this up. It seems that the demon race is still not giving up on the descendants of the Demon Queen." After thinking it over, Ming Wang said, "Well, the other party is in the territory of the demon race, so it will probably be difficult for them to make a move. Let's wait and see for now."
Bai Xiuming nodded in agreement.
Then Ming Wang asked, "Did you take that Nine Yuan Pill? How do you feel? When will you be able to break through?"
The two Nine Yuan Pills that the King of Xiling obtained from the demon race were eventually brought back to the capital, and one of them was eaten by Bai Xiuming.
Bai Xiuming said helplessly, "Father, I've only been taking the pills for less than a month. Do you need to be in such a hurry?"
King Ming glared at him: "How can you not be anxious? Do you know how many of your descendants are vying for my throne? If you don't hurry, be careful that others don't overtake you."
"for example?"
King Ming pondered for a moment, but couldn't remember a single name. Apart from Bai Xiuming, the highest-ranking member of the royal family was only at the third realm, which seemed quite far off, so it didn't have any motivating effect.
He then changed his tune: "Even if you have no competitors, you shouldn't slack off; you should work even harder."
"And then take your throne and let you go out and live a carefree life, is that it?" Bai Xiuming sneered, "Dream on."
The Ming King's little scheme was exposed, and his face immediately darkened: "You unfilial son!"
The conversation between the two began with the rebellious son and ended with the rebellious son.
Because Ming Wang walked right into the trap, Bai Xiu ordered him to handle several official matters at the Mingjing Division before he secretly slipped away.
Ah Chan had no idea that the dragon carp she had so painstakingly chosen had been snatched from the hands of the Ming King.
This year's New Year's Eve dinner is the fish she's been looking forward to the most.
Little did the Ming King know that his son had not only taken his fish, but also made a trip to the palace a few days later. Shortly after leaving the palace, the emperor bestowed upon the Bai residence a pile of women's jewelry.
That same day, Achan received a unique New Year's gift from Eunuch Ning: a box of hairpins.
Before she could respond, Eunuch Ning quickly took his leave, seemingly afraid that she would refuse the gift.
Achan thought the hairpins were all exquisitely crafted and liked them all. Chen Hui, however, could tell that these hairpins were probably made by imperial craftsmen.
Even the ruthless and cold-blooded Lord Bai, whom we first met, is now giving Ah Chan a hairpin as a gift. It seems that living a long life allows one to see all sorts of new things.
Time flies, and before we knew it, it was the 30th of the twelfth lunar month.
After noon, almost all the few shops that were still open in the area closed down.
The once bustling street suddenly became deserted. At this hour, the people in the market had all gone home to prepare for the New Year's Eve dinner.
In the past, when Achan watched others celebrate the New Year, every family was lively and joyous, but she had no family around and could not integrate into the human world, so she could not experience this joy. This year is different.
At noon, Chen Hui boiled water. After taking a bath, Achan changed into a dress with a hundred blessings that she had ordered at the end of the year. It was red with gold patterns and the skirt was decorated with various sizes of the character "福" (blessing).
She had wanted to wear this beautiful dress for a long time, but Hui Niang said she would wear it on New Year's Eve. She finally understood why wearing new clothes during the New Year made people so happy, and she was very happy too.
Afterwards, she styled her hair, picked out a peach blossom hairpin from the box of gold hairpins Bai Xiuming had given her, and then chose a red velvet flower hairpin to admiring herself in the mirror for a while, feeling very satisfied.
"Have you changed your clothes?" Chen Hui asked, knocking on the door from the outside.
Achan opened the door, and Huiniang outside had also changed into new clothes, with a red velvet flower in her hair that resembled Achan's.
"Alright, what's next?" Achan asked.
"It's time to put up the couplets."
Chen Hui carried the cooked paste, and A Chan held the couplets. The two of them pasted them from the door of the house in the courtyard to the door of the kitchen, and then to the door of the shop.
One person was applying paste, while the other was pasting couplets. Finally, they stood back to check if the couplets were aligned. Instead of door gods, they pasted a pair of "福" (good fortune) characters upside down on the door outside their shop, signifying that good fortune had arrived.
After the couplets were pasted up, Hui Niang took a pair of red lanterns and hung them at the shop entrance. They were to be lit at night and kept lit until after the Lantern Festival.
Having finished the most important task of the day, Achan peeked out and looked at the shops on the left and right. Boss Xu had closed his shop the day before yesterday, but Boss Lü's shop was still unlocked.
Ah Chan quietly asked Chen Hui, "Isn't Boss Lü going back to spend the New Year with her parents?"
Chen Hui sighed softly, her tone slightly hesitant: "She probably doesn't plan to go back, I was thinking..."
Before she could finish speaking, Achan said, "Then let's invite her to celebrate the New Year with us. It will be more lively with more people, and we can also play cards."
Chen Hui smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go talk to her?"
"I'll go instead." After saying that, Achan lifted her skirt and went into the shop next door without waiting for Chen Hui's reply.
Hearing the sound, Lü Ruhui came down from the second floor. When she saw it was Achan, she smiled and said, "Miss Ji, your clothes are really beautiful."
"Mr. Lü's dress is beautiful too," Ah Chan complimented with a smile, then asked, "Mr. Lü, are you free later?"
"Nothing's wrong."
"Would Mr. Lü be available to spend the New Year with us?"
“This…” Lü Ruhui was stunned. She had never thought of spending the New Year at someone else’s home.
In the past, we would either spend the Lu or Liu family's New Year celebrations.
Before she got married, the New Year was a very happy time. Her mother would buy her new clothes and headdresses, and her father would teach her and Lü Ruxin to write couplets. Although they couldn't be posted outside, they could be posted outside their own courtyard.
Occasionally, my older brothers would comment on which character I wrote poorly.
After getting married, she would be much busier, dealing with New Year's gifts from relatives and Liu Xiangze's colleagues, and arranging the house. She couldn't make a single mistake, lest she be laughed at.
Although it was tiring at that time, I was also happy, and I always felt that their lives were getting better year by year.
Realizing she had been thinking too far ahead, Lü Ruhui snapped out of her reverie and asked Achan, "Is it convenient?"
“Of course it’s convenient.” Achan’s gaze was calm, showing no sign of difficulty.
"Then I'll trouble you," Lü Ruhui replied with a smile.
Actually, her second sister-in-law came by the day before yesterday, probably because she was worried that she would quarrel with her parents again when she went home for the New Year, and she gave her a few words of advice.
Second Sister-in-law probably thought she would go back to the Lü family for the New Year. Lü Ruhui also knew that Second Sister-in-law's visit was her parents' wish.
But she didn't really want to go back.
She knew her parents' temperaments well. The last argument had been ugly, and they would inevitably say a few more words to her when she went back. If she talked back, she wouldn't be able to celebrate the New Year. Why bother?
Let her spend her last year however she wants.
Lü Ruhui turned around and took a small jar of wine from the shelf, saying to Achan, "This is Qingzhou sweet wine that I specially asked someone to buy a few days ago. I'll take it over in a bit."
“Okay.” Achan looked at the wine jar with great interest. She hadn’t been able to drink it before because she was unwell, but now that she was much better and it was New Year’s Day, she wouldn’t stop her anymore.
Seeing Lü Ruhui pick up the wine jar, Achan suddenly asked, "Ms. Lü, I'd like to give someone a gift. Do you have any recommendations?"
Hui Niang said that humans like to give and receive; if someone gives a gift, you should always return the favor. The dragon carp was something she had worked hard to catch, so it didn't really count as a gift. However, she really liked the box of gold hairpins and didn't want to return it, so she needed to prepare some return gifts.
Achan felt that Boss Lü should have more experience in this area.
Lu Ruhui paused on the wine jar, then looked at Achan with interest: "Miss Ji, is your gift intended for a woman or a man?"
"man."
"I see..." Lü Ruhui pondered for a moment, "I recently acquired a pair of jade pendants. They are not antique jade, but the jade quality is excellent. Would Miss Ji like to take a look?"
Achan nodded: "Then I'll have to trouble Boss Lü."
So Lü Ruhui went up to the second floor again, took down a brocade box, and handed it to Achan.
Achan opened the box, and inside were a pair of lustrous and translucent jade fish pendants. Just as Boss Lü had said, one could tell with the naked eye that the jade was of excellent quality and the carving was superb.
Ah Chan was somewhat tempted, but then she heard Boss Lü say, "No one has handled these jade pendants before, but if Miss Ji is just giving them to an ordinary friend, these jade pendants might not be so suitable."
Jade pendants in pairs are often used as tokens of love between men and women. Since Lü Ruhui didn't know Achan well and had never heard Chen Hui mention whether Achan had someone she liked, she gave her a reminder.
"I'll take these jade pendants," Achan said without hesitation.
Mr. Lü smiled and quoted a somewhat low price.
Noticing Achan's surprised expression, she said in a light tone, "This is the price for the New Year, so it will naturally be cheaper."
"Then thank you very much, Boss Lü." Achan didn't stand on ceremony with her and told her that she would get the silver notes for her when she got home later.
Afterwards, Lü Ruhui locked the door, took the sweet wine, and went next door with Achan.
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