With a thud of the gavel, the old woman's hand, which was holding a teacup, trembled slightly, as if she had been startled. The old man chuckled and poured her another cup of water, replacing the tea that had been slightly spilled.
"Today! We'll continue our story about the bloodthirsty courtesan of Spring Warm Pavilion. Last time, we talked about..."
"Why is this storyteller talking about courtesans?" the old woman grumbled, sipping her freshly brewed hot tea. "Shouldn't he be telling stories of martial arts, gods, and ghosts?"
"Grandma, you don't know this. I heard that decades ago, there was a courtesan in Chunnuan Pavilion whose beauty never faded. For more than ten years, from the age of twenty to thirty, she was never replaced."
The younger generation leaned on the old man and began to recount this strange event.
"Many people think she has a knack for maintaining her youthful appearance; even nobles in the palace have sent people to inquire about her!"
"Then what?"
The old woman asked with a smile, a knowing glint in her eyes. She then looked at the old man peeling sunflower seeds for her. Noticing her looking at him, he turned around, smiled, and pushed a small dish of peeled sunflower seeds to her.
A hint of envy flashed in the younger man's eyes, but he quickly replied without realizing it, "Later, a very powerful Taoist priest discovered the secret to the courtesan's enduring beauty: she was a fox demon who ate human hearts. Fortunately, the Taoist priest eventually subdued the fox demon."
Mingmei sighed as her grandchildren completely ruined the story she was about to tell, making her lose all desire to stay.
"Old man, let's go home."
Mu Chen coughed, muttered that it was getting cold in autumn, and then nodded and said, "Okay."
"When you get back, have the servant cook you a bowl of fritillaria and snow pear soup."
"Mmm, you should have some too. You ate too many sunflower seeds earlier, so you need to avoid getting a sore throat..."
"Wasn't it you who peeled so many?"
"It's my fault, it's my fault."
The two elderly people chatted and cared for each other as if they had no younger relatives around.
Just then, a lively commotion suddenly erupted in the street. Before Mingmei's reaction could be slowed by her age, her granddaughter was the first to react, cheering that Marshal Zhen had returned from his northern expedition.
The enthusiasm of the people lining the streets for Marshal Zhen was evident in the cheers they heard.
"Marshal Zhen is truly remarkable. Look at that young General Zhen beside him; he's definitely got a worthy successor, isn't he?"
"Yes, with Marshal Zhen around, our Hualiang can enjoy peace for many more years to come!"
"Grandma Zhen is truly remarkable. She raised her only son all by herself and was even willing to send him to the battlefield. Tell me, who wouldn't be willing to do that?"
"Ah, who can argue with that?"
The chatter of the common people around her did not stir much emotion in Mingmei's heart. After the northern expeditionary army left, with the help of the younger generation, Mingmei and Muchen got into the carriage and left.
The carriage swayed, and Mingmei turned her head to look at Mu Chen, whose eyes were half-closed. He seemed to be asleep. She chuckled softly and asked the younger generation riding horses outside the carriage, "How far are we from the ancestral home?"
"Grandma, it's still an hour's journey."
Okay~
[When you die peacefully in your old age and return, I, the Empress, will naturally come to collect my reward~]
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