Shen Ajiao proudly raised her face, "I won't eat the same kind."
"I want chestnut cake!"
"I want one too!"
"I want one too!"
…
Ah Jiao...you can't stand my uniqueness, can you?
"You guys eat chestnut cake, I'll eat fish cake!"
"I want fish cake too!"
"I want one too!"
…
Chen Ajiao was furious and went crazy. "Ah! Ah! Ah! Do you have to be just like your sister?"
Shen Ajiao stood at attention, bowed respectfully to Cui Baozhu, Xiao Yuan'er, and the others, and cleared her throat.
"Princess, Your Highness, ladies and gentlemen, the total cost for this transaction is six hundred taels. Would you like to pay with silver notes or jewelry?"
Cui Baozhu? It seems like they can't get a single hair out of her?
Xiao Yuan'er, "My jewelry."
Huo Huaixi: "Silver notes."
Gu Yuzhi, “I’m Jinzi.”
Everyone? You went out carrying gold?
Gu Yuzhi opened his purse, which was full of golden melon seeds. He smiled sheepishly and said, "These were given to me by my ancestors."
"It's my treat! It's my treat!"
Shen Ajiao stretched out her old hand, "Young master, this old servant will take responsibility for you."
With a look of satisfaction, Gu Yuzhi solemnly took out a golden melon seed and placed it in Shen Ajiao's hand, saying, "Go and enjoy your wine."
"This old servant thanks you greatly, young master. You are truly generous. I wish you a long and healthy new year..."
Shen Ajiao had a few more gold melon seeds in her hand.
Even Zhou Shun reached out and said, "Grandpa, let me help you out too, so you don't get tired."
"screw you!"
Zhou Shun... Hmph, if you won't give it to me, then don't. I have my sister Ajiao to share with me. You're so stingy!
"Sister Gillian is beautiful and kind-hearted, she will surely reward me with one or two. One is a token of her affection, and one is a token of her respect."
Shen Ajiao laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight. With a wave of her hand, she gave all the golden melon seeds she had just received to Zhou Shun. "Hahaha, you'd better leave me alone. Your little breath is too strong."
Zhou Shun, with a fawning smile, said, "I'll take my leave now. I'll go buy chestnut cakes and fish cakes for all the gentlemen and ladies."
Before leaving, he didn't forget to pull Lin Daiyu away, saying, "I'm taking Miss Lin with me, so you won't laugh at me later."
Huo Huaixi?
Lin Daiyu laughed heartily, "Come on, I'll go with you. You have to share half of your golden melon seeds with me."
"Look at you all, I worked so hard to earn these gold melon seeds, and you've all taken them all." Despite saying this, he still gave all the gold melon seeds in his hand to Lin Daiyu.
"Miss, this way please." Saying this, she put one hand behind her back, bowed, and the two of them, along with their maids and guards, went to buy pastries.
Huo Huaixi wanted to go forward several times, but after looking at the people around her, she stopped herself.
Gu Yuzhi sighed repeatedly, because he couldn't help either... He had given all the necessary reminders, but His Highness always hesitated at crucial moments. He didn't understand why His Highness couldn't take that step; perhaps it was an insurmountable barrier.
But Zhou Shun is really shameless!
Gu Yuzhi glanced at Cao Zhiyan beside him, "When I came here, I saw they were selling small ice sculptures over there. What do you like?"
Cao Zhiyan smiled and said, "Really? Do you have magnolia flowers?"
Gu Yuzhi said, "Let's go take a look. If we don't have one, I'll carve one for you."
"Okay, let's go then."
As Shen Ajiao watched as the people around her left one by one, leaving only her and Huo Huaixi, she touched her arms, which were covered in goosebumps from the cold. She wondered if she should go for a stroll too.
What excuse did she use to run away? Maybe she said she's old and needs to go to bed early?
That might not be a good idea. Maybe she should go buy some jewelry?
Just as she was about to suggest that she go for a stroll too, she heard Lin'an running quickly towards her from afar, "Madam, wait, Master is back."
Lin Ruhai is back; now we have a reason.
"Your Highness, I'll be leaving now."
Lin Ruhai had been busy in the palace for most of the day. He returned home without stopping, only to be told that his two ancestors had gone out to play. He changed out of his official robes and went out to look for them.
I searched for most of the street and asked around before I finally found it.
"Master!"
Lin Ruhai turned around and saw Shen Ajiao running happily towards him from under the silver lantern tree. "Come back."
"Yes, as soon as I got home, I found that you two were gone."
"Hehe, we're bored without you at home. Look how lively it is outside."
"Yes, yes, it's very lively. I wonder if Mrs. Lin would like to accompany her husband to stroll through this bustling night market."
"Haha, let's go! Gu Yuzhi said there are ice sculptures over there, and I want one too."
"good!"
...
Huo Huaixi took a deep breath. This bustling night market was now just another boring person like him. Just as he was about to leave, someone from the manor rushed over, "Your Highness, the Emperor Emeritus requests your presence at the palace to keep watch."
Huo Huaixi looked at the silver lantern-shaped tree by the roadside and said, "There's a tree in the West Garden, let's decorate it like that."
The servants were completely baffled. What was so special about this tree? After looking it over, they couldn't find anything different. The only thing it might be the same as the tree at home was the same species. Nevertheless, they made a note of it and planned to find someone to arrange it when they got back.
Huo Huaixi had barely stepped into the Emperor Emeritus's palace when he was hit by a teacup. "You unfilial son!"
Huo Huaixi remained expressionless. "Greetings to Father Emperor."
"You still know to come to the palace! Your mother kept talking about you until the very end. You unfilial son, why don't you come to the palace?"
Faced with the Emperor Emeritus's questioning, Huo Huaixi knelt on the ground and said, "His Majesty has not approved it. Today is the thirtieth day of the lunar year. I am not allowed to enter the palace without being summoned by the palace."
That was for someone else, not you!
"Father didn't explain." Huo Huaixi remained expressionless, which angered the Emperor Emeritus, who then rubbed his forehead, overwhelmed with grief. "Your mother...your mother...she's gone!"
Huo Huaixi knelt on the ground, "Father, please accept my condolences."
“If it were any other day, Father would have given your mother a grand and glorious funeral.”
"Father, I'm so sorry to your mother. Now it's just the two of us, father and son, who depend on each other for survival."
Huo Huaixi: "Father, the Emperor, and other elder brothers."
The retired emperor...
"You don't understand Father and Mother."
Huo Huaixi remained silent, simply kneeling.
The Emperor Emeritus sighed, “I know you resent your mother, but she has taken such good care of you all these years, raising you to adulthood. How can you be so heartless as not to come and see her?”
Huo Huaixi: "There are rules in the palace; no one may enter without an imperial edict."
The retired emperor roared, "Stop making excuses for me! How have you treated your mother? How have you treated her with all the care and education she has given you over the years?"
"If you had any conscience at all, you should have listened to your mother's arrangements and let her pass away peacefully!"
Huo Huaixi replied, "Your subject will obey Your Majesty's decree."
The Emperor Emeritus's expression softened upon hearing this. "Your mother has arranged a marriage for you, which will be announced in a few days. You should finalize the marriage first, and then get married after observing a year of mourning for your mother."
Huo Huaixi looked at the Emperor Emeritus for a long time, wanting to say that he was unwilling, but after much deliberation, he ultimately remained silent.
"Go and see your mother one last time, see her off, and tell her the good news. Go."
"yes."
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