Tsk! How could someone forget her after meeting such a stunning beauty like her!
Looking at Chongwen Emperor’s aged face was truly infuriating!
But no matter what she thought inwardly, she revealed nothing on her face. Instead, she rose gracefully with a curtsy and a radiant smile: “Not at all, not at all, my lord. How was that scented soap? Our shop has many varieties—would you like to see them all?”
How could Chongwen Emperor bear to use the fragrant block gifted by such a beauty? Hearing her words, he immediately agreed with a cheerful laugh.
Xi Hongrui happily spread out entire boxes of scented soaps for the guest to admire.
Chongwen Emperor gazed at the exquisitely crafted “mooncakes,” each carved with intricate patterns that caught the eye, their unique fragrances wafting toward him.
Yet what captivated him more was the delicate, subtle scent emanating from the maiden’s fragrant form.
Though the aromas resembled those of the scented soaps, Chongwen Emperor couldn’t help but feel that the fragrance drifting from the young woman was far more intoxicating…
Xi Hongrui lifted her fan, gently fanning it in rhythmic motions.
The breeze stirred the loose strands of hair at her forehead. As she raised a hand to adjust her temple locks, a section of her pale, creamy wrist was revealed—seemingly unintentional, yet repeatedly sweeping past Chongwen Emperor’s view, unleashing her scent upon him without reservation.
This aged, withered body needed more stimulation to awaken—such as the fresh, sweet fragrance, the milky complexion, and the alluring glimmer in her eyes.
Turning her head with a smile, her large, slightly upturned eyes seemed to hold a bowl of clear, shimmering water.
Chongwen Emperor, lost in this intoxicating radiance, shattered like the moon’s reflection in the bowl.
A dreamlike voice echoed softly in his ears—
“My lord… my lord…”
It was only when De Ren beside him coughed as a reminder that Chongwen Emperor suddenly realized he had drifted into a daze at some point, an uncontrollable smile still gracing his face.
“Ahem, ahem—”
Chongwen Emperor covered his mouth, coughing. This was too unrestrained—utterly unlike him!
Xi Hongrui widened her innocent eyes, her soft, enchanting voice drifting over once more: “My lord, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
Chongwen Emperor hastily waved his hand in dismissal.
Xi Hongrui then continued in a gentle, velvety tone: “Was it the scent of our shop’s soaps that bothered you?”
Only then did Chongwen Emperor redirect his attention to the fragrant blocks. Lifting his gaze toward Xi Hongrui, he shook his head with a smile: “No, what you recommend is naturally excellent.”
“Then I am relieved~”
Xi Hongrui let out a sigh of relief, patting her chest.
A naive smile returned to her face: “So, my lord, which ones would you like?”
Chongwen Emperor looked over. In pursuit of luxury, Lin Wan had designed the scented soaps with many beautiful patterns—vibrant colors, smooth as jade, utterly captivating.
Yet, in the presence of such living allure, what appeal did these inanimate objects hold? After a mere glance, Chongwen Emperor shifted his gaze back and chuckled heartily: “I’ll take all the ones you’ve shown me.”
“Ah—”
Xi Hongrui covered her fan with a hand, letting out a small gasp of surprise. Her exposed eyes darted about like those of a lively young deer.
Pleased by her astonished expression, Chongwen Emperor grew even more smug. With a turn of his head, De Ren—disguised as the steward—presented a stack of gold leaves.
Smiling, Chongwen Emperor looked back at her. Was she overjoyed?
Hah.
It wasn’t her shop anyway—not a single coin belonged to her. What did she have to be happy about?But no matter what, compared to the original male lead, this old man was much more generous, oh hoho!
Xi Hongrui felt genuinely happy, her eyes sparkling as she immediately jumped up and turned around, calling out to the other shop assistants from all directions, urging everyone to quickly attend to this super big customer!
Chongwen Emperor had splurged a fortune originally to win a smile from the beauty, never expecting that because of this, he would instantly become the main focus of Linglong Pavilion.
Watching as a crowd guided him toward a private room—some brewing tea, others serving snacks—he was practically squeezed out of the way.
Amidst the chaotic flurry, he caught glimpses of a swaying skirt a few times, but in the blink of an eye, it would disappear again for some unknown reason.
Chongwen Emperor strained to see, but all he ever caught was a lively hem of clothing, making him unconsciously clench his fist and strike it against his palm.
De Ren lowered his head and chuckled softly: “Your Majesty, please be patient. She’s right here—it’s not like she can fly away to the heavens, can she?”
Only then did Chongwen Emperor calm down, unable to hold back a wry smile.
What was wrong with him today? With so many beauties in the palace, how could he lose his composure over a little girl like this? It was truly unbelievable!
Xi Hongrui lifted the hem of her skirt and bustled up and down the stairs, doing her best to appear exceptionally busy.
What was wrong with him? His cheap bones were acting up again!
The men of this world were most skilled at longing for charming concubines while facing their dignified wives, yearning for delicate mistresses while with their charming concubines, pining for courtesans of both beauty and talent while with their delicate mistresses, and while in the courtesan’s chamber, suddenly remembering the widow next door.
In their pursuit of romance, perhaps the allure itself wasn’t what mattered most—what truly mattered was the thrilling heartbeat during the hunt itself.
Chongwen Emperor had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, ascending to the throne with almost no setbacks. He was the ultimate predator, so supreme that he didn’t even need to actively hunt—prey would willingly offer themselves to him.
Around him were already countless trophies: consorts selected from across the entire nation—was any of them ordinary?
Compared to them, she had only one outstanding advantage: she wasn’t one of Chongwen Emperor’s designated consorts but rather a chance encounter he had stumbled upon while traveling incognito as an ordinary man.
How novel this was for an emperor! So this fresh game needed to be played a little longer~
Xi Hongrui bustled about, running up and down as if he were just any ordinary customer.
Only when Chongwen Emperor was waiting with ants in his pants did she finally rush upstairs, panting slightly, and blink her innocent eyes at him: “Sir, have you been waiting long?”
Chongwen Emperor, currently intoxicated by this sudden surge of elderly romance, was in such high spirits that he didn’t mind anything at all.
He beamed at her cheerfully: “Not at all. Do you have something new to show me?”
Seeing his good-natured demeanor, Xi Hongrui immediately became as happy as a lively little bird, hopping over and blinking her spirited eyes: “Sir, would you like to become our premium member? You can enjoy even better service~”
Chongwen Emperor sipped the tea that had been served—the quality was naturally far inferior to that in the palace—but gazing at the vivacious beauty, he found it sweet nonetheless. Smiling, he asked: “What kind of service?”Xi Hongrui immediately straightened up and began pitching to him incessantly, but the Chongwen Emperor’s attention drifted again to the little girl who was as proud as a peacock. In the end, he only clearly heard one sentence—
“…We can even send a specialist to your home to provide one-on-one personalized service…”He set down his teacup, interrupting Xi Hongrui’s incessant speech, and looked directly at her with smiling eyes: ‘Then the one serving me—would that be you?””
“Huh?” Xi Hongrui tilted her head, seemingly caught off guard by his sudden interjection.
But she soon covered her mouth with her fan, laughed, raised her chin, and looked at him proudly: “I’m the shopkeeper, and I’m very busy!”
The Chongwen Emperor raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when Xi Hongrui laughed again. Peeking over her fan, her eyes sparkled as she gazed at him: “But if the payment is sufficient, it might just be possible~”
“Hahaha!”
The Chongwen Emperor had never seen such a money-loving little girl before; his eyes were full of novelty. He turned and gestured, and De Ren smilingly presented another stack of gold leaves.
This time, Xi Hongrui was truly stunned. Holding her fan, she stood motionless.
Just as the Chongwen Emperor was about to call out to her with a laugh, Xi Hongrui finally snapped back to reality.
Her large eyes fixed unblinkingly on him, and in a crisp, clear tone, she exclaimed with utmost clarity and surprise: “Good heavens, could you be the God of Wealth from the heavens?”
Hearing this, the Chongwen Emperor froze in place.
When he looked again, he suddenly couldn’t hold back his laughter.
No, he was the True Dragon of the heavens!
He finally remembered everything!
Why this little girl had always felt vaguely familiar, yet he couldn’t quite recall.
Now, hearing such a similar remark, it struck him like a thunderbolt, clearing his mind completely—he remembered it all!
So she was that little girl behind the flowering tree who had said she wanted to marry the emperor or something like that.
Once behind the flowering tree, once by the water’s edge, and now this time—he had actually crossed paths with this little girl three times in such a short period!
If the first time was coincidence, and the second time fate, then what about the third time?
Xi Hongrui blinked her pure and innocent large eyes, fluttering them as she looked over.
As for the third time? Well, of course, it was calculation~
Hehe~