Gigali
Mu Chengwen reluctantly walked ahead with her brother, listening to him lecture her.
To avoid getting annoyed to death, he firmly grabbed Liang Youan's arm, making her stay with him.
Bai Qiuru and Ya'er walked in the middle, discussing the most fashionable clothing styles here, so as not to be ripped off by shop owners later because they didn't know much about the goods.
Zhu Qinghe and Shen Er walked at the back. After a moment of silence, Zhu Qinghe couldn't hold back and asked, "Are you very free?"
Shen Er: "I do have a lot of free time."
Zhu Qinghe: "Why are you following us when our girl is buying clothes?"
Shen Er: "Who told our General Mu to be so worried about his sister?"
Mu Chengwu turned around: "Brother Shen, did you call me?"
Shen Er: "...It's nothing, let's talk about you."
Zhu Qinghe: "Seriously, what did you find out about that incident last time?"
Shen Er: "Isn't what you just want to know if that matter is true or not? It's been hidden so well, it's probably true."
Zhu Qinghe: "Isn't it possible that they deliberately showed it to us to confuse us?"
Shen Er: "Your guess makes sense, but they're not trying to distract us."
Zhu Qinghe suddenly understood what he meant, "You mean someone will use the sky lantern ceremony to make a fuss!"
Shen Er crossed his arms and said, "Although Yin Luoha has pretended to be indulging in a life of pleasure and neglecting his duties these past few years, he has actually been secretly cultivating a considerable amount of power. Once the things in the book are exposed, the king will inevitably be wary of him and investigate him, and those things will no longer be able to be hidden. The person behind the scenes wants to intensify the conflict between the king and Yin Luoha."
Zhu Qinghe: "Who did it?"
Shen Er: "Whoever benefits from it is the one who did it."
Zhu Qinghe frowned: "It seems that the person behind the scenes has already begun to covet the king's position."
Shen Er: "This might be a good thing for us."
Zhu Qinghe: "I don't think so. The person behind the scenes is ruthless and cunning. They are not an easy target to control."
Shen Er's eyes flickered slightly: "Then why don't we stir things up even more and see who is the best partner?"
Zhu Qinghe: "...Are all the people in your Shen family so eager to stir up trouble?"
Looking at her complicated expression, Shen Er leaned closer and said, "Don't worry, leave these troublesome things to me. Princess, just focus on eating, drinking, having fun, and dressing up beautifully every day."
The two were very close, and their warm breaths brushed against her neck and earlobes, ruffled the stray hairs at her temples, and tickled her cheeks and the tips of her ears.
Zhu Qinghe took a step back and glared at him: "Stay away from me, or I, the princess, will punish you for the greatest disrespect."
Shen Er chuckled, his tone drawn out in an ambiguous manner: "Very well, it would be my honor to die at the hands of the princess."
Zhu Qinghe turned around and walked away quickly, too lazy to pay him any more attention.
The best clothing store in the Silver Tenon Tribe is Hua Cai Liu Chang, located on West Lin Street. It is said that the owner is from the Le Dynasty, so the clothes here combine the characteristics of the Le Dynasty and the Silver Tenon Tribe. The styles are relatively conservative, but the patterns on them have the wildness and mystery of the Silver Tenon Tribe.
Seeing so many girls picking out clothes, the shopkeeper, whose business had been slow for a long time, was overjoyed and closed half of the shop door to make it easier for them to choose clothes.
The clothes here are indeed somewhat similar in style to those of the Great Li Dynasty, except that the openings are slightly wider and the sleeves are not wide, but rather tighter for ease of movement.
The skirt won't drag on the ground, nor will it be slit up to the upper thigh; it will fall smoothly around the ankles, making it both lightweight and stylish.
Zhu Qinghe was dazzled by the row of dresses when a splash of red, like a rosy cloud, caught her eye. Shen Er handed her a smoky red gauze dress.
How about this one?
The light gauze was ethereal, its color like spring flowers, as vibrant as peach and plum blossoms. The feather decorations embroidered on the skirt were inlaid with tiny pearls like grains of rice at their bases, making it light, delicate, and beautiful.
Zhu Qinghe hesitated for a moment: "Isn't it too famous?"
This color is a bit too bright, isn't it?
Shen Er raised an eyebrow: "What are you afraid of? You are a princess of the Great Li Dynasty, you should be the most dazzling person here."
His demeanor was flamboyant and arrogant, and the aura of confidence and composure emanating from his very being gradually spread outwards.
Who would believe that such a person is a servant or a lowly servant?
Zhu Qinghe withdrew her gaze. "What you said makes sense. I'll give it a try."
When the curtain was lifted and Zhu Qinghe, dressed in red, walked out, everyone present involuntarily held their breath.
She was dressed in red, like a leaping flame, burning brightly in everyone's eyes. There seemed to be a captivating radiance flowing around her, making it impossible to look away.
Shen Er gazed at her, his eyes filled with deep affection.
Upon closer inspection, everything appeared calm, as if it were merely an illusion.
Seeing everyone staring at her, Zhu Qinghe asked somewhat shyly, "How was it?"
Ya'er was the first to applaud, saying, "The princess is so beautiful."
The others smiled and agreed. Zhu Qinghe walked up to Chen Er and said, "Let's take this one. I didn't realize you had such good taste."
Shen Er said in a low voice, "I've always had a good eye, whether it's choosing clothes or choosing people."
Zhu Qinghe was standing in front of the mirror when she heard this. She looked at the mirror, and their eyes met through the mirror. Shen Er was almost a head taller than her, and his lowered eyes and soft words had a kind of inexplicable gentleness.
The blurred outline of the brass mirror softened further, vaguely overlapping with the face she longed for day and night. Zhu Qinghe clenched her fingers, her eyes unreadable.
Liang Youan stopped in front of a pomegranate red dress; she also owned a dress of that color and style.
However, the waist of this dress is very slender, so it should look very pretty on a slim girl.
She was lost in thought when someone next to her asked, "Do you like this one?"
With his well-defined knuckles, he helped her take off the dress and handed it to her: "Go ahead and try it on."
She stared blankly at Mu Chengwu, who was smiling at her in a friendly manner, and felt a pang of sadness for no reason. Those dark and hopeless thoughts were slowly fermenting in the deepest corner of her heart.
“I…I don’t like this color,” she said.
It's too dazzling; it will burn her with those painful and gloomy memories.
She didn't want to recall how she had slunk away from him, feeling ashamed of her appearance. Even though she was much thinner now than before, and at least wouldn't be called fat by strangers, she still felt that she was no different from before in front of this person.
Even though he never remembered her.
Mu Chengwu: "Oh, I thought you'd been standing here for so long because you liked it."
He was wondering if the little girl couldn't reach it or pick it, so he came over to help.
“Brother Mu,” Liang Youan suddenly called out to him, “if something isn’t yours, you can’t get close to it no matter how much you like it, right?”
Mu Chengwu frowned in confusion: "What do you mean?"
Liang Youan paused for a moment, quickly concealing the sadness in her eyes, and revealed a bright smile: "...Of course, I'm referring to this dress."
"Look how bright the color is and how slim the waist is, it's not my size, so even if I like it, I can't wear it."
"So, just hang it back up; it will find the right person for it."
Even as the girl's figure gradually receded into the distance, Mu Chengwu remained standing there, lost in thought.
Of all Wenwen's friends, he was only somewhat familiar with this Miss You'an. Actually, his intervention at the imperial kitchen entrance last time was just a spur-of-the-moment thing; he wasn't usually that fond of meddling in other people's business.
But for some reason, he felt a strange sense of familiarity when he looked at her from afar that day, as if he had seen her somewhere before, so he couldn't help but step forward.
Compared to Wenwen's lack of self-control, this girl is gentle and always smiling, which makes people feel better just by looking at her.
But just now, she looked at that dress with such sadness, her brows furrowed, as if she had thought of something very upsetting.
Is it because of this dress? Do you like it that much?
-
"My lord, Qingque requests an audience," the guard at the door reported.
"Let her in."
A woman in a light blue, tight-sleeved short jacket walked in. Her hair was tied up high, and her delicate features had a sharp edge.
“My lord.” She bowed.
The person in the chair raised their right hand, and the black jade thumb ring on their thumb reflected a dim light in the sunlight.
"How are the preparations going?" the man asked.
Qingque's expression was serious: "Everything is ready. In addition to me, there are twenty experts on standby at any time."
"Good." The man clapped his hands and laughed. "This time, it will definitely be an impressive sky lantern ceremony."
The spacious area was supported at the four corners by bamboo poles tied with red ribbons and hung with red lanterns. Large and small round platforms were set up in the area, and on the round platforms were unlit sky lanterns.
Everywhere was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. Elegantly dressed guests, led by maids in black veils, walked through a long corridor to their seats to enjoy the banquet.
Zhu Qinghe's gaze was fixed on the figure surrounded by the crowd. The man wore a dark red brocade robe, and standing in the brightest light, the subtle patterns on his robe shimmered. The deep base color paired with the intricate patterns could easily have given off an ostentatious air, but it suited him perfectly. He wore no other accessories, except for the gleaming black jade thumb ring on his right thumb, which gave him an air of noble yet gentle elegance.
A gentle smile played in his slender eyes. He appeared to be in his early thirties, but the impetuousness and youthful energy of his youth had faded, replaced by the elegant demeanor of a mature man.
With such an aura, he must be no ordinary person.
As Zhu Qinghe was deep in thought, the person behind her gave a light but cold snort: "Is it really that good-looking?"
His tone carried a hint of barely perceptible dissatisfaction and awkwardness.
Zhu Qinghe asked without turning her head, "Who is that person?"
Shen Er replied irritably, "I don't know."
Zhu Qinghe turned her head and glared at him: "...Aren't you childish?"
Shen Er snorted, "That's Prince Kesh's uncle, Gigali."
She had heard of Prince Kesh; he was said to be obsessed with martial arts and uninterested in the throne. For many years, he had been serving in the border army and rarely participated in the internal politics of the Silver Tenon tribe.
However, Prince Kash's uncle, being a relative of the emperor, why would he be so familiar with these powerful figures?
"It seems this uncle is quite ambitious," Zhu Qinghe concluded.
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