Qing'er thought this jade bracelet was excellent and would be a good gift for An'an. Then she looked at the one on her own wrist. It was a beautiful purple Dushan jade bracelet, with a vibrant color and fine texture.
"I never expected the two jade bracelets you chose to be so beautiful," Qing'er said with a beaming smile, carefully examining the two bracelets on her wrist. Then she put the purple one on her wrist.
"It is an honor for these two jade bracelets that the princess likes them." Looking at Qing'er's delighted expression, Ji Chu felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey.
Hearing Ji Chu's words, Qing'er blushed with embarrassment. "Wrap these two up for me."
Nanzi felt that Beizi was right; this really was a big customer. She happily accepted the package and then went to the back to carefully pack it.
In no time, the busy servants left, and Qing'er felt a little awkward being alone with Ji Chu in the same space, not knowing what to say.
Fortunately, Nanzi didn't spend too long packing it and returned quickly. Qing'er hurriedly took the jade bracelet from his hand, and then rushed off to find Anke.
Ji Chu followed behind Qing'er with a smile on his lips, looking at the woman in front of him with tenderness.
Just then, a haughty woman in red burst in, nearly knocking Qing'er over. Ji Chu sensed the danger, swiftly grabbed Qing'er's waist, and caught the jade bracelet that was about to fall to the ground with her other hand.
"How are you? Are you alright?" Ji Chu asked Qing'er anxiously, her voice quickening unconsciously due to her nervousness.
"I'm fine!" Qing'er breathed a deep sigh of relief and gently patted her chest. She was indeed startled; she almost thought she was going to fall headfirst.
The woman in red, realizing she had bumped into someone, became somewhat flustered. "Are you... are you alright? I'm so sorry, I was in a rush and rushed in, I didn't see you before I bumped into you." The woman in red was indeed right; she had indeed forgotten that today was Miss Li's grandmother's birthday, and she had forgotten to pick up the jade bracelet she had ordered long ago.
He rushed over in a panic, wanting to take the jade bracelet away, but he didn't see the woman when he opened the door, which is why he bumped into her.
Qing'er also felt that the girl probably didn't do it on purpose, and the guilt in her eyes was genuine. So she waved her hand and said, "It's alright, don't be so hasty next time." Qing'er was afraid that the girl would be so careless next time, and it would be bad if she bumped into an elderly person or a child.
"I understand, little sister." The woman in red smiled with relief, finding the older sister before her not only beautiful but also remarkably easy to talk to. Much better than the cold, aloof man beside her.
I don't know what the relationship is between this man and this woman. He'd been glaring at me fiercely the whole time, which made me feel a little uneasy. And since I was in the wrong first, I couldn't argue with him.
The two gestured to leave. Qing'er tugged at Ji Chu's sleeve and carefully thanked him. Then she took the jade bracelet from his hand and slowly walked towards where An'an had just been.
Ji Chu still followed closely behind Qing'er, and if Qing'er was in danger, he would definitely be the first to rush forward to protect her.
Qing'er could feel her heart still pounding, and her cheeks were slightly flushed. She took small breaths and patted her heart, trying to calm it down.
Is it because she was startled by the collision that her heart was racing, or is it simply because Ji Chu wrapped his arms around her waist?
An Ke was getting impatient waiting outside. Just as she was about to go look for Qing'er, she saw Qing'er slowly walking towards her.
An Ke greeted her with a smile, "Qing'er, what have you been looking at? It took you so long, I almost went to look for you." An Ke had indeed been waiting for quite a while.
Although it had been a long time since she had seen Ertai, and it would be fun to sit and chat with him, Anke was still a little worried because Qing'er hadn't come out yet. After all, she wasn't the kind of person who would forget her friends for the sake of a pretty face.
"It was a bit dazzling to look at all the jade bracelets there. All the jade bracelets here are of good quality, so naturally we have to choose carefully," Qing'er said, pointing to the place where she had just been picking out jade bracelets.
"Really? What kind of jade bracelets did you choose? Are you wearing them? Let me see." An Ke naturally knew that Qing'er loved purple very much; even one of her gold hairpins had a purple gemstone inlaid on it.
"I picked out three, and one for the Empress Dowager as well. And since your birthday is in a few days, I picked one out for you too," Qing'er said with a smile, while extending her hand adorned with the purple jade pendant so that An Ke could see it clearly.
"Not bad, this jade is very clear, and the purple color suits Qing'er very well." An Ke carefully examined the jade bracelet on Qing'er's wrist before commenting, "This jade is nice; it complements Qing'er's fair, delicate, and slender hands." An Ke whispered the last sentence into Qing'er's ear, knowing that Qing'er was easily embarrassed in front of so many people.
As expected, Qing'er's ears gradually turned a light pink, and she gently patted An Ke, "An'an is getting more and more..."
Anke just smiled and didn't refute.
"Qing'er, why haven't Xinrong and Fifth Brother come out yet?" An Ke stood on tiptoe and peered out.
Qing'er felt the temperature on her face drop a bit before she had time to answer An Ke's question, "Did you take too long to choose? Earrings aren't so easy to pick." Indeed, there are rules about what kind of earrings one can wear depending on their rank.
They naturally had to choose carefully, avoiding those things that were taboo in the palace.
"Qing'er, why don't you try their flower tea? It has a unique flavor! Although it's not as exquisite as the one made in the palace, it's fragrant with flowers, but that doesn't overpower the delicate aroma of the tea." An Ke felt that they should wait a little longer, so he pulled Qing'er to sit down and enjoy the flower tea that the servant had just brought.
Qing'er reached out and took the teacup, gently sniffing it. She felt as if the tip of her nose was filled with the fragrance of flowers. She took a small sip and felt a lingering sweetness in her mouth. "It's really good. You certainly know how to enjoy life."
"It's not that I know how to enjoy myself. They brought this up especially because they saw we spent so much money." An Ke was practically complaining to herself. She didn't have the habit of drinking tea and eating in a jewelry store. If she wanted to eat, she would go to a pastry shop or teahouse outside.
Qing'er smiled faintly and nodded An Ke's head without saying a word. Fu Ertai and Ji Chu watched with smiles as the two girls laughed and joked.
Xinrong and Yongqi were carefully selecting earrings while looking at the ones in front of them.
Yongqi had never seen so many earrings before, and he felt that his mother's jewelry box was too plain. He thought it would be good to pick out a few more pairs of earrings for his mother so that she could match her clothes for important occasions.
However, Yongqi was too naive. He thought all the earrings in front of him were beautiful. He had just taken a liking to a red agate earring when the servant told him that it had already been reserved by a young lady and that he should go and look at other ones.
Yongqi couldn't take what someone else loved, so he had to give up. He looked around and finally settled on a jade earring. He thought the jade used in the earring was of fine quality, and just as he was about to have the servant wrap it up for him, he heard Xinrong chuckle softly behind him.
"What, don't you like these earrings?" Yongqi was a man, so he naturally didn't understand what kind of earrings looked good in a woman's eyes. Fortunately, there was a woman with him, so he could only ask for her opinion.
“These earrings are nice, but jade is more suitable for the young master’s grandmother than for the young master to be his mother,” Xinrong said with a soft smile, covering her mouth with a handkerchief.
Yongqi felt a little embarrassed, silently put the earrings back where they were, scratched his head and said, "I didn't expect there to be so much to learn about choosing earrings. Thank you for your guidance, Miss Xinrong."
How could Xinrong accept the Fifth Prince's words? She quickly waved her hand and offered to help the Fifth Prince pick out a pair of earrings that would suit Consort Yu. Yongqi expressed his deepest gratitude.
Yongqi watched patiently from the side, thinking that if he were to give his mother a gift in the future, he would know something about it. This way, he wouldn't make a fool of himself or get thrown out by his mother.
“Young master, look at these pearl earrings. His mother probably can’t wear them,” after all, there are rules in the palace, but it’s good that they know them and there’s no need to make a fuss about it here. “But these pearl earrings are fine, and these teardrop-shaped pearls look very nice on the ears.”
Yongqi took the pearl earring from Xinrong's hand and examined it closely. After a careful look, he commented, "It's really nice." Yongqi naturally knew that his mother couldn't wear pearl earrings, and although this pearl earring wasn't as precious as a pearl earring, it was still prettier than ordinary earrings.
"Then wrap this up for me," Yongqi said, handing it to the servant beside him. He then turned to Xinrong and said, "I must thank you for choosing these earrings for my mother. Otherwise, I would probably get scolded if I took them back with me." Yongqi cupped his hands in thanks.
“You’re too kind, young master. But you can also give the jade earrings to your grandmother.” Xinrong bowed in return and said softly.
Yongqi walked over, picked up the jade earring he had just received, and said to the servant who had just come over, "Please wrap this up for me as well." The servant took it, beaming with joy.
"What earrings did you pick out for Madam?" Yongqi was so focused on picking out earrings for his mother that he didn't even notice what kind of earrings Xinrong had chosen.
Now that we're discussing this topic, I naturally want to learn more so that I won't make a mistake when giving gifts in the future.
“My mother only likes things made of gemstones. I just picked out a rhombus-shaped sapphire for her,” Xinrong explained to Yongqi with a smile, and then told Yongqi about the ingenuity of these earrings.
Yongqi felt himself becoming somewhat dazed as he listened. He had always thought that these women from noble families must be just like the concubines in the Emperor's harem—scheming, pretentious, and outwardly refined and cultured, but inwardly rotten and cunning, capable of any kind of scheme or trickery with ease.
Little did I know that I had been blinded by my own limited perspective. I never imagined that this woman from a noble family could be so gentle, quiet, and knowledgeable.
"I see, I've learned a lot." After hearing this, Yongqi felt as if his Ren and Du meridians had been opened, and he felt as if he could pick out a few more things that suited his mother's taste.
Fortunately, Xinrong was there to persuade her, "We've been here long enough. An'an and Qing'er must be getting anxious." With just these words, she quickly pulled Yongqi back from choosing more items.
Yongqi awkwardly touched his head, not wanting to lose face in front of others, and coughed lightly, saying, "Then let's go find them." But watching that anxious and hurried figure, Xinrong secretly covered her handkerchief and laughed from behind.
Unexpectedly, this Fifth Prince is somewhat different from what his father described.
When the two arrived at the private room, they saw the four of them sitting around the table guessing riddles.
"You all seem to have plenty of free time." Yongqi strode over to the teacup beside him and drank it down like a cow gulping water. He hadn't noticed it before he saw the tea, but now he felt incredibly thirsty.
"Fifth Brother, this tea is meant for you to sip lightly. The way you're drinking it like a cow is such a waste," An Ke said, crossing her arms over her chest, while raising an eyebrow at Qing'er to indicate that she wasn't the only one drinking it like that.
Yes, they were talking animatedly over there just now. An Ke felt that trying to guess who the three of them were was far too simplistic. For a moment, she even felt her mouth go dry. She picked up the teacup she had just drunk and gulped it down, only to be told by Qing'er that it was a waste of precious resources.
Now that he's in the same boat, he can't be the only one being criticized.
“This tea is meant to be enjoyed when one is not thirsty. When one is thirsty, who has time to go there and sip tea?” Yongqi retorted, unconvinced.
“That’s true!” Anke completely agreed with Yongqi’s point of view.
Xinrong stepped forward and took the teacup from Qing'er's hand. As soon as she took it, she smelled the fragrance of flowers and tea. She said hurriedly, "This tea is really excellent. Although I haven't tasted it yet, I can already smell the fragrance of flowers and the aroma of tea."
"Yes, I think this flower tea is comparable to Ban Huashi's hot chocolate." Anke nodded, giving it the highest praise. In Anke's mind, the hot chocolate was the best. After all, she's a chocolate-loving person.
"Then I must savor it properly." Xinrong put down what she was holding, sat quietly to the side, picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and slowly savored the flower tea, letting it flow on her tongue.
Everyone bought what they wanted at Qiongzhen Pavilion and tasted the finest flower tea, leaving satisfied.
The servants at Qiongzhen Pavilion were all beaming with joy, welcoming them to visit again next time. After all, who wouldn't like such a generous customer?
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