Chapter 101 It really is him! "Prince Chen has returned to the capital!"
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Is it really possible?
She couldn't believe it, and she didn't believe it.
But for some reason, the expression and look in Mu Hanshi's eyes when he said those words kept replaying in her mind.
It felt unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar.
That deep, dangerous gaze seemed to hold many secrets, and that restrained yet resolute expression seemed to be suppressing his emotions, which still troubled her even before she fell asleep.
She drifted off to sleep, half-asleep, and woke up groggily, disoriented, taking a while to distinguish between reality and dream, and to figure out where she was.
Voices could be heard coming from outside. Besides Xia Chan, there was another unexpected person, Gu Shizhi.
Gu Shizhi lifted the curtain and came in. Seeing that she was awake, she happily went up to her and said, "Sister Ali, you're finally awake."
The word "finally" indicates that it is already quite late.
Before she could explain, Gu Shizhi spoke for her, saying, "My mother said that people who want to take care of their health should eat and sleep more."
As the little girl spoke, she was already in front of her, leaning over the bed, resting her chin on her hand, and staring at her as if admiring the scenery. "Sister Ali, you are so beautiful."
Xia Chan couldn't help but smile, and quickly came over to help her young lady get dressed and wash.
Gu Shizhi followed closely, step by step.
Looking at the stunningly beautiful woman who had just finished her simple makeup, her small mouth was slightly open and remained so for a long time.
Shen Qinglu was amused by her and asked her with a smile what she wanted to do later, saying she could accompany her. Upon hearing this, her eyes immediately lit up, and she said she wanted to go to the horse market.
The horse market was still bustling with pedestrians, looking even more lively than before.
If you look closely, you'll notice many more foreign faces.
She pulled Shen Qinglu along, excitedly pointing to the shop with the most customers coming and going, "Sister Ali, I heard that the shop that sells foreign goods has a lot of strange and unusual things. Shall we go and take a look?"
Shen Qinglu smiled and agreed, and went to the shop with her.
The shop was filled with a dazzling array of goods, many of which were not commonly seen, such as rare spices and dried fruits, as well as some uniquely shaped utensils, and various raw stones and furs.
The shopkeeper was not a foreigner; he spoke with the accent of Donglin City. Even the shop assistants and waiters were not from foreign lands.
Gu Shizhi looked around curiously, examining this and touching that, displaying the typical childlike innocence. After walking around for a while, she frowned and muttered, "This isn't here either."
When the waiter serving her asked what she was looking for, she smiled and gestured for him to come closer, asking mysteriously, "I heard your shop sells something really useful. It makes you feel energetic and happy, I think it's called something like 'Joyful Balm'."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qinglu's mind stirred slightly. She silently stepped aside, pretending not to have heard anything, and began selecting the goods she wanted.
The shop assistant was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, "This customer must have misheard. My shop doesn't have that kind of thing."
"Do you know where I can buy them?" Gu Shizhi asked eagerly. "My mother has been in a bad mood lately and is depressed all the time. I want to buy some for her."
While she was saying this, she secretly slipped a silver ingot to the shop assistant.
The shop assistant looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, calmly accepted the silver. "If you really want to buy that thing, you can ask at the inns where foreign caravans are staying. Maybe they have it."
"So troublesome?" She frowned, looking very childish. "Then I'll just buy something else to make my mom happy."
After she finished complaining, she seemed to have completely forgotten about it. She then looked around and examined anything that interested her, occasionally discussing it quietly with Shen Qinglu.
In the end, the two cousins each bought several items, returning home with a full load.
As soon as she stepped out of the shop, she was about to say something when Shen Qinglu stopped her with a look.
She immediately understood and then talked about what she had bought, sounding very happy and satisfied, "Sister Ali, the piece of red jade I just bought is perfect for carving a jade pendant for my mother."
“Your filial piety will surely please your mother.”
"It's a pity I couldn't buy that 'pleasure cream'..."
"We've only heard about that stuff from others, who knows if it's true or not? Maybe someone just spread rumors and exaggerated it to fool people."
"Too."
As they talked, they entered a clothing store. After leaving the clothing store, they went into a cosmetics store and made some purchases at both.
After leaving the rouge shop, Renchun leaned closer and whispered to Shen Qinglu, "Miss, that person is no longer with us."
Shen Qinglu nodded, then looked at Gu Shizhi.
Gu Shizhi's eyes sparkled. "Sister Ali, how did you know someone was following us?"
"They should have that kind of thing in their shop."
"Then why don't they sell to us?"
Shen Qinglu smiled and patted her head. "They wouldn't dare sell those harmful things openly. We're not regular customers, nor were we introduced by acquaintances, so they wouldn't easily show them to others. That shop assistant got the benefits and pointed us in the right direction. He must have regretted it and was afraid of being found out by the shopkeeper, which is why he followed us."
The bustling market street is filled with all sorts of shops. There are crowds of pedestrians, vendors shouting their wares, and waiters greeting and seeing off customers.
This is the most bustling and lively place in Donglin City. The more bustling it is, the more stable the world seems. However, few people realize that undercurrents are surging beneath this balance, as if a tsunami is slowly approaching.
The two cousins continued walking forward, occasionally going in and out of the shop.
Shop after shop opened. Shen Qinglu glanced around casually and saw that Fang's Cloth Shop was open, but the sign above the door had been changed to Huang's Cloth Shop. She felt a little sentimental.
Suddenly, a young woman rushed out from inside, looking panicked and frightened. When she saw them, she ran straight over as if she had met a savior and grabbed Shen Qinglu.
"Girl, save me..."
Before she could finish speaking, another person came out of the cloth shop. He was a man who was not young, with a pale and thin face, and gave people a gloomy and uncomfortable feeling.
It was Guan Bao!
"Manager Huang, I just wanted to buy some fabric to make a dress and asked you to take my measurements. What are you doing here?"
Guan Bao squinted, it was impossible for him not to recognize Shen Qinglu. While he was amazed by her beauty, a wicked glint appeared in his eyes.
Shopkeeper Huang shook his head frantically, tears streaming down his pale face. "You...you didn't ask me to take your measurements, you clearly wanted to take advantage of me, you wanted me to be your concubine..."
"Who do you think you are, daring to slander this official!" As soon as he uttered the words "this official," Guan Bao clearly intended to use his official position to intimidate him.
His official position couldn't suppress women from privileged backgrounds, but it was more than enough to suppress a female merchant with no connections.
Shen Qinglu sized up Manager Huang. She had to admit that she was an extremely beautiful woman, and also the kind of weak person who looked very easy to bully.
Very white, an unnatural white, probably because it hasn't been exposed to much sunlight for many years.
"Is this shop yours?"
"This shop is all I own; I just want to make a living and support myself..."
"Then report it to the authorities."
"I..." Manager Huang lowered her head, her voice tinged with dejection, "The common people can't fight against officials. He is an official, and I'm just a helpless woman. How dare I report him to the authorities..."
"I don't know about other officials, but if you go to the Divine Martial Camp, someone will definitely stand up for you."
“Miss Shen, as I said, I only wanted to make a dress. How can you judge my actions as inappropriate based on this woman's one-sided account? And why do you insist that this woman go to the Shenwu Camp to sue me? What are your true intentions?”
Guan Bao spoke with righteous indignation and his voice was loud enough to attract many onlookers.
Shen Qinglu ignored the onlookers, her dark eyes fixed on him, and spoke in a tone that was neither too loud nor too soft, “Speaking of which, I learned this from Guan Tixing. After all, Guan Tixing, as an official of the Ministry of Justice, had previously broken into a private residence without any evidence, based solely on one person’s testimony, and attempted to forcibly arrest someone.”
"Is Miss Shen complaining about me?" He moved closer, trying to use his aura as a Ministry of Justice official and his height advantage to force her to submit.
Manager Huang seemed very afraid of him; his hand gripping Shen Qinglu's sleeve was trembling slightly.
Shen Qinglu helped the person up and looked at Gu Shizhi, "Sister Zhi, don't be afraid, he won't dare to touch us."
A flicker of doubt crossed Gu Shizhi's eyes, then she suddenly understood and burst into tears, "Sister Ali, I'm scared, I'm so scared! Will he arrest us? I heard that the people in the Ministry of Justice like to arrest people randomly and torture them without any explanation... Waaah..."
The onlookers pointed and whispered, saying all sorts of things.
To everyone else, Shen Qinglu and the others were all women, and each one of them was more beautiful than the last—some were stunningly beautiful, some were delicate and charming, and some were frail and weak—making them truly pitiful.
Guan Bao said with a gloomy face, "I really just wanted to have some clothes made, but I didn't expect it to cause such a misunderstanding. It's better not to make these clothes at all."
Before he left, his gaze toward them was extremely sinister.
Shen Qinglu didn't flinch at all; her dark eyes were like an overwhelming, cold night.
After they left, Manager Huang kept thanking them and said he would give them some fabric and invite them into the shop to choose.
"No need." Shen Qinglu looked at her without any emotion. "You saved yourself. We were just one part of your self-rescue."
She was stunned for a long time after hearing this.
That frail figure seemed to straighten up considerably in an instant.
“Miss Chen, I will remember this favor you have done.”
After she entered the shop, Gu Shizhi asked Shen Qinglu, puzzled, "Sister Ali, don't you think she's a little strange?"
Shen Qinglu lowered her eyes, and when she looked up again, she saw the four characters "Huang's Cloth Shop". "In Donglin City, there is no shortage of hidden talents."
Suddenly, a loud shout came from somewhere, "Prince Chen has returned to the capital!"
These words were like a drop of water falling into a pan of oil, instantly causing it to explode and splatter everywhere.
The crowd surged toward the city gate like a tide.
The bright yellow palanquin with its canopy and the prince's imposing entourage were a sight to behold, their imperial majesty undeniable even from afar. Their supreme dignity, transcending that of the common people, and their unattainable glory, shone like the sun, moon, and stars.
Shen Qinglu gazed into the distance, her heart filled with complex emotions.
Dragons emerge from the abyss, tigers roar atop the mountains; this capital city, right under the emperor's nose, is likely about to experience a world-changing upheaval.
The five-colored jade tassels shimmered and shone in the sunlight. A hand with distinct knuckles and a jade-like appearance lifted a crack in the bright yellow curtain, and a perfect profile flashed across the high carriage like a shooting star, falling right into Shen Qinglu's eyes.
It really is him!
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