Jian Yu Bai walked away neatly and concisely, but Qing Jiang Jun Zhu and Song Yi Xiao were in a fog, naturally wanting to leave behind the inner servant who reported the news to ask carefully.

  "Should be official business?" The inner servant racked her brains remembering the words of a subordinate from the Bo Ling Hou Fu, "Seems to have something to do with the Ministry of War."

  Song Yixiao felt relieved after hearing the words: She had no good feelings towards Yuan Xuepei himself because of Zhiqin's affairs, but she was afraid that if something happened to him, Yuan Xuepei would be left without support and it would be difficult for her.

  Now that the Yuan family is out of trouble, she has shifted her attention back to maintaining a good relationship with the Qingjiang County Master.

  Not long after, someone came to report that Zhuo Ping'an was crying and making a fuss in the courtyard, and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't calm him down. Seeing this, Qingjiang County Master, who had been sitting uncomfortably, knew that there was no way to ask about the congratulatory gift today, so he tactfully suggested taking his leave.

  "What bad timing today!" Qingjiang Junzhu apologized as she saw her off to the carriage, "Let's get together again another day and have a good chat!"

  "We are all family, don't say such formal words." Song Yi smiled and patted her hand comfortingly. "You go see Ping An quickly, it's getting cold outside, he's been waiting in the courtyard for a long time, don't let him catch a chill!"

  She left the county master's mansion before lunchtime.

  Jin Xun ventured to ask, "I heard that on our way back, there's a place called Peach and Plum Pavilion just one street away, their braised pork belly and duck feet stew are quite good, and the place is clean. Since grandma didn't finish her lunch today and must still be hungry, why not stop by and try some?"

  "You think I don't know, but the jewelry store next to Taoli Building is the one that Fifth Sister mentioned?" Song Yi smiled and fiddled with her wristlet, seemingly smiling yet not quite.

  "We can't just go back now, it's not a big deal!" Jin Xun saw that she said so, but didn't seem to be in a bad mood, so he plucked up the courage to coax her, "Besides, this trip would be for nothing if we went back now. Later on, you'll definitely have to go to Shou Chun Bo's residence to ask for guidance - Shou Chun Bo's sons and daughters will surely come out to greet you! That shop is also one that Shou Chun Bo's wife told the fifth young lady about, it's obviously just what Shou Chun Bo's wife had in mind, so you won't even need to worry about preparing a gift for meeting them!"

  Song Yi thought for a moment, then reached out and gently scratched the tip of her nose: "Look at you, always thinking about it! If I didn't go today, who knows what other tricks you'd come up with next time to persuade me!"

  "I knew grandma would spoil me!" Jin Xun's goal was achieved, and she didn't mind being teased. She smiled and said, "But I'm not just thinking of my own little thoughts, I'm also really afraid you'll go hungry!"

  The master and servant arrived at the place, laughing and chatting. Originally, they had planned to have dinner at Taoli Building first, and then go to the neighboring shop to pick out some jewelry. However, it turned out that Taoli Building was very famous and business was booming. It was just at mealtime now, although not all seats were taken, but the private rooms were already fully occupied.

  Song Yixiao was a woman and she came alone to dine, so it's impossible for her to show off in public.

  "Never mind, let's go to the shop and pick out some jewelry before heading back to the mansion." Song Yi smiled wryly at the scene, feeling a bit disappointed. She sighed and told Jin Xun, "On the way, have them take a look and buy something to eat if they see anything clean."

  Who would have thought that the carriage hadn't even moved, and the shopkeeper of Taoli Building had come over to apologize in person? Upon hearing this, he hastily said: "Madam wants to go next door to pick out some jewelry? What a coincidence! There just so happens to be a vacant elegant room available. It's just that cleaning it up will take some time. If Madam doesn't mind, why not sit for a while in the shop? Our building will first send over some tea and pastries."

  Also said today lazy noble guests, "Grandma's bill for today will be on our house!"

  "The shopkeeper is too polite!" Jin Xun responded with a smile, following Song Yi's eye signal. "In that case, my mother will go to the shop and sit for a while until you've finished cleaning up - as for the meal money, don't worry about it, my mother never likes to take advantage of others!"

  The shopkeeper personally came out to greet, having heard from the waiter that Song Yisheng's carriage was a first-class model, and his entourage were all dressed in bright clothes with an air of grandeur, obviously from a noble family, not wanting to offend them, so he brought out the spare elegant room to meet the emergency, and also offered to waive the bill, to maintain harmony and generate wealth.

  Now Song Yixiao wants to pay for himself, he doesn't insist, and smiles: "The little one will go and prepare tea and fruit, please don't worry, our restaurant is a 20-year-old old brand, the food may not be loved by everyone, but it's absolutely clean!"

  A moment later, Song Yishou got off the carriage wearing a hood and entered the jewelry store. As expected, Xiao Er from Taoli Building followed closely behind and delivered a gold lacquer box and a pot of freshly brewed white chrysanthemum tea.

  The guests of Taoli Building seem to have waited for a seat in this situation before.

  As soon as the gift box was handed over, the maid who greeted female guests in the shop immediately led Song Yishang upstairs to a room with tables and chairs. Fu Li said: "Madam, you can have tea here, if you want to see any jewelry, just tell me, I'll go get it for you?"

  Song Yixiao was very satisfied with the arrangement: "Let's take a look at the hairpins and earrings first!" Remembering that Shou Chunbo's wife had come to buy for her daughter before, she feared buying duplicates and asked, "Are there any new styles that have just been released in the past two days?"

  "Yes! Master Fu has recently made a batch of seasonal chrysanthemum hairpins, among which the one with imitation jade phoenix tube is particularly lifelike. When the wind blows, the petals dance in the wind, it's very pretty!"

  "Bring it here and let me take a look!" Song Yi laughed as she gained interest upon hearing this.

  The maid brought the jade hairpin with a chrysanthemum pattern, and at the same time, she recommended a pair of plum blossom pearl flowers: "Madam, take a look at this pair of pearl flowers made from Zhào Diàn Hóng. The color and luster are top-notch, and the craftsman who made them is a master of traditional techniques, almost as good as those from Yeji. We only have one pair like this in our store! Many customers were afraid they wouldn't be able to afford it, so it's been left here all along. I think you don't need to worry about that, Madam, so I'll take the liberty of showing them to you!"

  "You're really good at talking!" Song Yixiao smiled and glanced at her, but the pearl flower had been unsold since it was made. It was only when the maid said it that it seemed that even the previous customers' appearance couldn't compare to Song Yixiao's, which is why the pearl flower hadn't found a good owner yet. However, upon closer inspection, this pair of pearl flowers really was stunning and had a style that she didn't have in her own collection, so she teased the maid for a moment before buying it with relish.

  The maid was greatly encouraged and became more diligent: "Madam, take a look at this pair of pearl earrings! These pearls are..."

  However, the staff at Taoli Building were efficient, and before she could finish introducing the earrings, the guards standing outside handed in a message saying that the private room on the other side had been cleaned up and asked Song Yixiao if she wanted to go over immediately.

  "Let's take another look!" Song Yi smiled, originally intending to leave, but catching a glimpse of Jin Xun's reluctant expression, and the maid's eager appearance, she hooked her mouth and said, "Anyway, having tea at this gathering isn't very filling."

  As a result of this "re-examination", when she finally settled the bill, she bought fourteen chrysanthemum hairpins, eight pearl pins, one pair of plum blossom pearl flowers, three pairs of gold-plated ankle bells, two pairs of pearl earrings, four pairs of red gold gourd inlaid crow earrings and five peony pendant hoops!

  The maid who saw her off was overjoyed, not only sending her out the door with courtesy, but also flattering her all the way to the entrance of Taoli Building, before reluctantly bidding farewell: "Madam, please come again soon!"

  "The servant said that the owner of this shop should give a discount to Sister Jin Xun, it's only right!" After entering the Peach and Plum Building, the newly promoted maid Li Yu teased, "Otherwise, where would they get such good business today?"

  Jin Xun smiled and said, "It's also because of that maid's glib tongue."

  As they spoke, they were led to the third floor.

  This floor is all suites, no lobby, only corridors for people to enter and exit.

  Song Yixiao originally thought that since Taoli Building had invited her over, there shouldn't be any problems. However, things turned out to be more complicated than she expected: just as she sat down in the private room and hadn't even removed her veil, the door was suddenly pushed open and a girl burst in, panting heavily!

  "I don't care if you're from a wealthy family, this place has been rented by my second brother since half a year ago!" Song Yi thought the other person had walked into the wrong place, but to her surprise, the girl came in and took one look around before pointing at her and shouting, "Normally, it's fine for the owner to sell out to someone else for money, but now that we're here, you should hurry up and get out!"

  Song Yi smiled and raised an eyebrow, waving her hand to stop Jin Xun from speaking out against her. She said calmly, "This young lady is being too serious. I came to the Peach Blossom Pavilion to eat, not to put on airs or show off my family background. What's the point of mentioning it? In fact, if the shopkeeper hadn't stopped my carriage and told me that a private room had just become available, I would have left already. But since we're seated now, if you have any opinions, please go discuss them with the shopkeeper; they have nothing to do with me!"

  He said without looking at the girl's face and instructed Jin Xun to see off the guest.

  "How dare you!" The girl refused to leave, instead taking a few steps closer and continued pointing at Song Yi with a mixture of laughter and scolding, "Do you know who my father and brothers are? How dare you cheat me like this!"

  "Whose ancestor is this again?" Song Yi smiled and thought to herself, "No matter how arrogant they are at home, it's none of other people's business. How can they not teach them some manners when they go out? It's really annoying!"

  She was about to teach this arrogant young lady a lesson, but another person came in from outside. Judging by her attire and appearance, she looked almost identical to the previous girl. It turned out that they were twin sisters - except that the latter was much more polite than the former. As soon as she entered, she apologized repeatedly: "I'm really sorry, ma'am! Our second brother booked this room half a year ago and promised not to let anyone else use it. But today, the shopkeeper gave it to you, and our second brother brought us here. So my sister rushed in and offended you. To be honest, this is all because of the shopkeeper's untrustworthiness, but it also implicated you. Please forgive us for any offense caused!"

  "Speaking of which, I'd like to introduce myself. My father is Duke Ji of the State of Wei, my name is Shao Ling, and my sister's name is Shao Miao. May I ask your esteemed surname, madam?"

  "My surname is Song." Song Yi Xiao was still angry, but upon hearing that she was the daughter of Ji Guo Gong, she suddenly remembered that during the last time when Si Kong Yi Luo was critically ill, her brother Su Shao Ge had been very helpful. Her tone immediately softened, and she took off her veil, stood up and greeted them, "My husband's surname is Jian, you can call me Shan Wei."

  Na Su Shaohuang heard this and thought for a moment before suddenly saying: "But isn't that the Song lady from the Yan State Duke's estate? I'm really sorry about today!"

  Then he pulled over a reluctant Su Shaoming to pay his respects.

  "Miss Su is being polite!" Song Yi smiled and returned the courtesy, then mentioned the last time Su Shaoge helped her, "If I had known this was Mr. Su's place, I wouldn't have dared to occupy it for a long time. Fortunately, I just arrived and haven't ordered food yet, so I'll let you have it back. It won't take much effort to pack up!"

  "But just for a meal, there will be other rooms available, why bother you to move?" Su Shaohong refused and pushed it away, "My sister is also confused for the time being, don't mind! Let's let the shopkeeper clean up another room!"

  The two of them pushed and pulled for a long time, neither willing to give in on the elegant room. Just as the atmosphere was about to become awkward, Su Shaoming, who had a quick temper, couldn't hold back any longer and said: "Anyway, we're all here to eat, and since you want to turn hostility into friendship, why don't we just share it!"

  She clapped her hands and said, "Anyway, today the second brother will accompany us two over. Judging from Song's tone, she has also met the second brother before. In broad daylight, with our two legitimate sisters accompanying him, having a meal together, I don't think Prince Yan would be so petty, right?"

  Yu Ling Guan: a chrysanthemum variety with very thin petals, drooping downwards, hollow and white in color, with the middle part being green.

  Ruby