It's just a gift, isn't it? You act as if no one is prepared.
Chu Yuheng pulled out a red coral hairpin from his bosom and carefully handed it to Yun Yuan: "This is a hairpin I made using the coral I obtained while traveling in the coastal areas. I hope the princess will like it."
"Thank you, I like it very much." Yun Yuan used the same trick again and gave him a book on navigation in return.
The three of them grilled fish together. As it got darker, everyone started to go out one by one.
"Your Highness!" A young man's clear voice came from behind.
Yun Yuan looked back. Xiao Qingxuan's black robe was as black as the night, and Chi Mo's white robe was as white as snow, with the corners of their robes fluttering gently in the wind.
The two stood side by side and walked towards Yun Yuan.
"This is a gift I prepared for you." Xiao Qingxuan took Yun Yuan's hand and placed an ivory comb in her palm.
This ivory comb is as white as snow and is carved with exquisite patterns. It is obvious that it is worth a lot of money.
"And mine." Chi Mo blushed and took out a gold filigree bracelet with kingfisher feathers from his arms and handed it to Yun Yuan.
The bracelet is inlaid with several dazzling gems and surrounded by fine gold wires to form various beautiful patterns, which is truly a work of art.
Yun Yuan blinked, thanked them, and then took out a military book and a piano score and gave them back.
………………
The Mu family waited for a long time, but Mu Nan did not come back until dark. They were penniless and could not even pay for Mrs. Mu's medical expenses.
"What should I do? Why hasn't Anan come back yet?" Mu's mother paced back and forth anxiously, her eyes fixed on the street outside.
This is the place Mu Nan must pass through on his way home. As long as Mu Nan passes by here, she will definitely see it.
"Don't be anxious. There is a banquet in the palace today. It is normal for Anan to come back late." Although Mu's father said this, his furrowed brow and uneasy look betrayed his true worries.
At this time, the doctor from the clinic came out and urged them impatiently: "When will your family bring the money over? We are a small business, not a place dedicated to doing good deeds."
"How dare you! We are the family members of an imperial official..."
"Alright, alright." The doctor waved his hand at them. "Everyone knows Mu Nan. Isn't he the one who falsely claimed that the princess liked him?"
"What rumors?" Mu's father and mother were both shocked and asked in unison.
"Isn't that just a rumor?" the doctor said, "The princess is kind-hearted. Seeing your son's poverty, she kindly lent him money to supplement the family expenses. But you, ungrateful, are shameless enough to spread rumors everywhere, claiming that the princess is interested in him.
What's even more outrageous is that your son actually used the money given by the princess to support an courtesan. He's absolutely shameless!" The doctor grew increasingly angry as he spoke, his face filled with contempt.
Yes, but in just two days, with the joint efforts of various forces in the capital, the rumors about Yun Yuan and Mu Nan have completely changed.
They all agreed that the princess would never fall in love with Mu Nan, and that Mu Nan, who had bad character and no self-respect, was not worthy of the princess's favor.
Mu's mother was anxious: "You are talking nonsense, Princess Chaoyan likes my son!"
"Come on, you're so poor!" the doctor said disdainfully. "Your entire family doesn't even have a single copper coin. How could the princess possibly fall in love with your son?"
"What's wrong with my son?" Mu's mother said, "My family is very well-off. I can buy a house in the west of the city at any time, and I can eat bird's nest and sea cucumber at any time. We even have servants to serve us..."
Oh, right, servant!
Mu's mother looked around hurriedly, but didn't see a single servant.
"Where are those servants? Where have they gone?"
Father Mu sighed and said, "The indenture is also a kind of property. It was confiscated during the house raid."
The doctor couldn't sit still when he heard about the "confiscation of property". As God knows, he was just a doctor and had nothing to do with the Mu family.
"Get out of here!" the doctor said, wielding a broom and driving them away. "Carry your sick old lady away, or I'll have someone throw her out on the street."
The Mu family was driven out like lost dogs. After they left, the doctor quickly closed the door as if they were some kind of plague gods.
It was a cold winter night and there was no one on the street.
Mu Dong's son burst into tears: "Dad, Mom, I want to eat meat, I want to go home."
Li hugged him with heartache, and the resentment in her heart could no longer be controlled.
"We want to separate. Why should we, the first wife, be held responsible for the mistakes made by the second wife?"
The third family was also hungry and cold. If this continued, they were not sure whether they could survive until tomorrow morning.
"If you from the second branch want to wait for Mu Nan, then you can wait by yourselves. Our third branch will leave first. Anyway, there is nothing to divide now that our house has been ransacked. We will each live our own lives from now on."
Mu Dong thought: Mu Nan has a huge debt to pay off. Even if the money I used to pay for his education has been wasted, I absolutely cannot share the burden with Mu Nan.
It was a debt of hundreds of thousands. In their village, ten taels of silver could provide a good life for a whole family for a year.
Uncle Mu said, "We should all live our own lives."
Mu's mother tried to stop her: "I don't agree. Mother is still sick now, and this is the time when the whole family needs to work together to face it."
"Don't come here. Is it because mother is sick or because you want to drag us down with you? You know it yourself." Nian said, "We have helped Mu Nan for twenty years. We have our own lives to live."
"Mom, let's take it away. The silver belongs to Mu Nanhua. He spent a lot of money in the building and didn't think about us."
Father Mu said anxiously: "Brother, little brother, think about it again, we are just facing a small difficulty now, it will pass sooner or later..."
"Are you members of Mu Nan's family?" A man in a thin cotton coat came over and shouted at them.
Mu's mother's eyes lit up: "Yes! Mu Nan is my son, do you know where he is?"
"He has committed the crime of deceiving the emperor and has been thrown into death row by His Majesty."
"Death...death cell?" Mu's mother felt dizzy.
"Yes, your son is quite bold. He said such treasonous words in front of His Majesty, and even dared to covet Princess Chaoyan and ask her to marry him. He deserves to be thrown into death row."
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