Gu Yaoniang held a hand warmer and wandered around the main hall, visiting each table and taking care of the guests before finally making her way upstairs.
Standing in front of a private room, she took a deep breath before putting on a smile and knocking on the door.
A cold, clear voice came from inside the door: "Come in."
Gu Yaoniang pushed open the door. The person who came in put down what they were holding and smiled at her when they saw that it was Gu Yaoniang: "You've come?"
"Your Highness Prince Qing."
Gu Yaoniang smiled and bowed, her gaze falling on the table.
On the table was a cylindrical object, decorated with tiny gemstones that glittered and seemed to be enveloped in a layer of golden light.
Placed on the table in the restaurant, even in such an extravagant establishment as Jin Yu Lou, it still seemed somewhat out of place.
Seeing Gu Yaoniang looking over, Prince Qing smiled mysteriously: "Gu Yaoniang, guess what this is?"
Gu Yaoniang had a suspicion in her heart, but she pretended not to know. She smiled and looked at the cylinder on the table, pretending to be completely unaware: "I've never seen one before. It looks very exquisite and beautiful."
Prince Qing was even more pleased to hear that she didn't know.
He beckoned Yao Niang to his side and handed the cylinder in his hand to her.
Gu Yaoniang then realized that the cylinder was composed of two slightly different sized parts, one above the other, connected in the middle. It was decorated with jade ornaments, which shimmered in the sunlight.
Gu Yaoniang basically already knew what was in front of her.
She had heard her second uncle mention before that many years ago, when he was a merchant, he had seen a kind of cylinder in a small coastal town. Both ends were sealed with transparent glass, one end containing brightly colored glass fragments, and a prism was placed in the middle of the cylinder. The other end was sealed with a perforated glass, through which one could observe symmetrical and beautiful images. The symmetrical patterns looked like blooming flowers.
Locals call this cylinder a "kaleidoscope" because of its incredibly beautiful interior scenes, and it is often used to amuse children or as a gift for loved ones.
Because of its ever-changing appearance, it seems as if a deity is casting spells within it, hence some people call it the "Fairy Tube".
In my second uncle's description, this cylinder was "simple on the outside, but full of hidden wonders on the inside."
The one that His Highness Prince Qing brought was decorated with particularly luxurious ornamentation. If she hadn't looked at it up close, she wouldn't have been able to tell for sure.
Prince Qing, as expected of a member of the imperial family, is quite discerning. He is very sincere and willing to spend money to please women.
Prince Qing gestured for Yao Niang to reach out and take it, then looked inside the cylinder.
Gu Yaoniang was very interested. She had only heard her second uncle mention this magical kaleidoscope before. Such an ordinary cylinder, yet it could create countless changes in the scene before her eyes simply by rotating it. She was quite curious about this. Could it be that there really were gods in this world who could silently change the scene before their eyes, subtly transforming the image inside the cylinder into a thousand different forms?
However, because she wanted to keep her distance from Prince Qing, Gu Yaoniang hesitated.
Prince Qing mistakenly thought that Gu Yaoniang had never seen her before and did not know how to appreciate her.
He brought one end of the kaleidoscope close to Yao Niang's eyes, while trying to walk behind her, as if to teach her how to get a closer look.
But if he were to actually get behind Yao Niang, the only thing he could do when he reached out would be to pull her into his arms.
Gu Yaoniang was naturally unwilling, and quickly reached out to take the cylinder from Prince Qing's hand, examining and playing with it.
Prince Qing didn't say anything, but watched with great interest as Yao Niang tentatively brought her eyes close to the tube and looked inside.
Gu Yaoniang was astonished to see that, just as she had heard, it displayed different symmetrical patterns as it was rotated, and her amazement was evident on her face. She was even more certain that this was the kaleidoscope her second uncle had mentioned.
Prince Qing noticed Gu Yaoniang's emotional change and couldn't help but feel very proud: "This is someone I searched for thousands of miles away. There probably aren't many like her in this capital city."
"Does Madam Gu know what this is?"
Gu Yaoniang pretended not to know, and Prince Qing said smugly, "This thing is called a kaleidoscope. As it is turned, it changes in countless ways, and patterns are constantly appearing, hence the name kaleidoscope."
"This name is quite fitting."
Gu Yaoniang appropriately expressed her joy at having her thirst for knowledge satisfied.
Gu Yaoniang's performance was as he expected, and Prince Qing was very satisfied with it.
"This kaleidoscope is a gift for Madam Gu."
Gu Yaoniang looked surprised, but inwardly she smiled bitterly—why again? Prince Qing has been sending her far too many things lately; what have she done to deserve this?
"No! Your Highness, this is too precious, I cannot accept it!"
A look of satisfaction crossed Prince Qing's eyes, and his smile became even more genuine: "It's just a small trinket to play with casually, so take it if you want."
Gu Yaoniang pretended not to know what Prince Qing was thinking, and she looked very embarrassed: "I cannot accept a reward without merit. Your Highness has already given me many small gifts in the past."
If I were to accept such a precious kaleidoscope, I'd be too embarrassed to let the manager charge you for your meals at Jin Yu Lou in the future!
She feigned playfulness, clasping her hands in front of her: "Our family runs a small business, and we hope Your Highness will give us a chance to earn this money."
A glint flashed in Prince Qing's eyes, and he smiled with unusual tenderness: "You know, I often think of you and send you things. Yao Niang, don't you know my feelings?"
Gu Yaoniang hadn't expected him to be so direct. She wondered whether she should pretend not to know or just make it clear from the start.
Before she could speak, Prince Qing leaned forward and stood very close to her.
Gu Yaoniang panicked for no reason and tried to retreat, only to find herself sandwiched between the wall and the table. With Prince Qing standing nearby, she had no way to retreat at all.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
