The little Crown Prince picked up another pastry and was just about to eat it when he noticed Shen Ying looking at him. He handed the pastry over and asked, “Does Mother want to eat?”
“No, you go ahead and eat.”
Dubious, Shen Ying picked up the teacup and took a sip. She found that the taste seemed acceptable—not as terrible as she had imagined, though certainly not amazingly good either.
It was impressive that Pei Yun, a mere child, could drink it with such proper composure.
After traveling for a while, the carriage suddenly arrived somewhere where it grew lively and bustling.
Shen Ying lifted the curtain to look outside. The street was lined with shops, all decorated with great refinement.
Perhaps seeing how absorbed she was in watching, the little Crown Prince came over and took her hand. “If Mother likes it, we can get down and take a look.”
These words truly spoke to Shen Ying’s heart. She was desperately eager to see what ancient shops looked like.
Stepping off the carriage with the little Crown Prince and walking down the street, every shop on both sides was exquisitely appointed, and the passing customers all appeared wealthy or noble.
Even Xuerong could not help looking around a few times. She was not looking at the shops, but up at the sky.
Ever since entering the palace, she had not expected that she could leave before reaching the appropriate age. After a quick glance, seeing that the Crown Prince and Seventh-Rank Maidservant Shen had entered a nearby shop, she immediately followed them inside.
Inside the store, Shen Ying cast her gaze around. The hall displayed various pieces of jewelry. Seeing that the adult and the child were dressed extraordinarily well and had striking appearances, the shopkeeper’s eyes glittered, though he could not tell which family’s female relatives they belonged to.
Although the staff did not recognize them, they dared not be neglectful and immediately came over to attend to them.
This location was in the East Market, close to the residences of high officials and nobles. Naturally, the goods in the shop were valuable, and the street was wide with no makeshift stalls set up.
Those who could come here were naturally relatives of dignitaries and aristocrats.
“May Fortune bless Madam and the young master. If there is anything you need, please feel free to tell me.”
Shen Ying looked at the items on the counter, and the little Crown Prince stood on tiptoe to look as well. He was too short to see anything, so Shen Ying picked him up to let him see.
The things used by His Highness the Crown Prince were naturally of the highest quality, so despite his youth, he knew how to judge value.
Upon seeing those items, he instantly frowned. “These are all very ordinary and not worthy of Mother. If Mother likes jewelry, after we return, I will have Father pick out some better ones from the storeroom for Mother.”
Hearing the little Crown Prince’s words, the shop attendant smiled even brighter. “Young Master, these displayed here are all for show. If you want better ones, please step upstairs. I will immediately bring them out for you and Madam to see.”
Knowing quality was a good thing—it meant these were distinguished guests.
Holding Shen Ying’s hand, the little Crown Prince went upstairs. In truth, he had never bought things here before, nor had his father ever brought him out of the palace to play. This was his first time coming out.
Thinking that he was with Mother, the little Crown Prince wanted to display a bit of knowledge.
Shen Ying felt that visiting this kind of shop was just like when she used to browse luxury stores—if she took a liking to something, she could go into a VIP room to admire it at leisure.
Or she could directly have them send the new seasonal items to her home for selection.
They delivered to doors here as well, and one could even custom-order styles.
Female relatives of noble families were regular customers here; they directly put things on account, settling the bill altogether at the end of the month when someone went to their homes.
Thinking of money, Shen Ying stood up just after sitting down. A thought suddenly struck her—engrossed in browsing, she had forgotten that she had no money.
“Mother, what is wrong?”
“Crown Prince, let us leave quickly. I did not bring money.”
With her meager monthly stipend, who knew what she could even buy.
Earlier, when the little Crown Prince suggested going out of the palace, she had agreed enthusiastically, completely failing to consider the matter of money.
In the past, when going shopping with her girlfriends, she never carried cash either—she always swiped cards directly.
Pei Yun’s round eyes stared at Shen Ying. The little Crown Prince had no concept of needing to pay money when buying things; whatever he wanted, someone would naturally prepare and send over.
“Why bring money? Does Mother need money?”
The little Crown Prince’s innocent bewilderment left Shen Ying at a loss for how to answer.
She thought she was naive enough, but she had not expected there to be one even more so.
“It is normal for a child to be naive. But for a grown person like you, Host, to be this naive is a bit abnormal.”
When Jin Dou’s voice came through, Shen Ying could bear it no longer and spat out a single word to it, “Scram.”
Was she not reduced to this all because of Jin Dou?
This broken cat actually dared to mock her.
Seeing the little Crown Prince still staring at her, Shen Ying said, “Without money, we cannot buy things. How about we just leave?”
The little Crown Prince was puzzled. “Why is money needed? Can we not just take them?”
Shen Ying cupped her forehead. She suddenly felt that Jin Dou’s statement about the little Crown Prince becoming a future tyrant might not be impossible after all.
Buying things without paying money should count as a kind of tyrannical behavior, right?
Eunuch Liu saw the large and small ones whispering together and could not help speaking up: “Your Highness the Crown Prince, Seventh-Rank Maidservant Shen, you can simply give the name of the Eastern Palace, and let them collect the payment later. If you do not wish to reveal your identities, this old servant has brought silver and money along; we can just pay directly when the time comes.”
In fact, he preferred to say that there was no need to be so secretive. Even if they truly had not brought any, having someone deliver it right now was no trouble at all.
As for being looked down upon, that would truly be underestimating him, an eunuch serving the Crown Prince.
“Is that not inappropriate?” Shen Ying said embarrassed.
How could she have the face to spend a child’s money?
The little Crown Prince looked quite happy. As long as he was happy, Jin Dou could gain some energy.
Then it started running its mouth again: “Host, stop saying things contrary to your heart. Though your mouth is dishonest, your expression is very honest.”
“Jin Dou, scram for me!” Shen Ying said.
The people in the shop were initially stopped outside; Eunuch Liu inspected them and let them pass only after confirming there was no danger.
First, tea was poured, and then pastries were served.
Finally, the exquisite jewelry in the shop was brought out and laid out one by one before Shen Ying.
“Madam, please take a look to see if anything catches your fancy.”
Eunuch Liu also said, “If Madam likes anything, just take it. There is no need to worry about anything else.”
His Highness the Crown Prince favored Seventh-Rank Maidservant Shen—or more accurately, the Crown Prince viewed Seventh-Rank Maidservant Shen like his birth mother—and His Majesty had said nothing on the matter, so Eunuch Liu naturally dared not be negligent.
“Mother, this one looks nice.” The little Crown Prince also looked around with her and pointed at a huasheng hair ornament.
At a young age, he had quite a good eye for quality; the several pieces of jewelry he pointed to in succession were all ones Shen Ying liked.
“He actually has the exact same taste as me.” Shen Ying could not help being astonished.
Among all the jewelry, Shen Ying had only cast a few extra glances at those few pieces; she had not expected every single one to be pointed out by the little Crown Prince.
Once was a coincidence, but multiple times was hard to say.
She even suspected whether the little Crown Prince possessed mind-reading abilities, or else how could it be such a coincidence?
“This is probably what they call ‘mother and son connected at heart,'” Jin Dou said while licking its paw.
For once, Shen Ying did not tell it to scram; her heart had not snapped back to reality just yet.
As for the little Crown Prince, hearing that all the items he picked were things Shen Ying liked, his excited little face turned rosy flush. “Mother and Yun’er are what people call ‘two minds beating as one.'”
Shen Ying pinched his chubby little cheeks, her gaze falling upon a purple sandalwood box.
Inside the box lay cream-yellow silk, upon which rested a silk-inlaid red agate longevity lock. Hanging below it on gold chains were pendants shaped like blades, spears, swords, and halberds symbolizing the warding off of evil.
The chain was strung with pearls and agate. Shen Ying recognized this—the pearls on top were all uniform in size, plump and lustrous, with a delicate nacreous gleam flowing across the surface. One could tell at a glance that the quality was top-notch.
It felt heavy in her hand as well; judging by the craftsmanship of this longevity lock, the price would definitely not be cheap.
She picked up the longevity lock and hung it on the little Crown Prince, feeling the more she looked, the more suitable it seemed.
The little Crown Prince touched it with great delight. “Mother, I like it very much.”
Shen Ying felt a sensation like returning to the time before her transmigrations, and instantly waved her hand—buy, buy, buy! If he liked it, buy it all!
This first shop yielded a rich harvest. Eunuch Liu had people wrap everything up and let the guards carry the packages.
Stepping out of the jewelry shop, they headed straight for other stores. Coming out of every shop, they never left empty-handed, purchasing more or less at each.
Finally getting tired from browsing, they went to a teahouse.
Just as they were about to go upstairs, they saw a long queue in front of a shop not far away.
“What is that?” the little Crown Prince asked out of curiosity.
Shen Ying was extremely curious as well.
Seeing the two of them about to head over, Eunuch Liu hurriedly stopped them—how could he let the little Crown Prince run toward a crowded place? He went over to take a look himself before returning to report.
“Replying to Your Highness, that is a pastry shop.”
“What do they sell? Why are there so many people?”
“It is disu baoluo (crisp milk curd spirals).”
The little Crown Prince frowned; he had never heard of it.
Shen Ying had heard of it even less.
Seeing this, Eunuch Liu asked the little Crown Prince and Shen Ying to sit in the nearby teahouse while he instructed guards to go buy some.
Those queued up to buy disu baoluo were clearly servants from various households; there was no reason to let the little Crown Prince queue up to buy things in person.
Sitting inside the private room, Shen Ying sat by the window looking down, unable to resist frowning as she asked, “Does everyone dislike shopping? How come there seem to be so few people?”
In the past, when she bought things, whenever she encountered crowds she would also reserve the whole venue, but it had never been this quiet.
Eunuch Liu poured tea for the Crown Prince and Shen Ying, explaining upon hearing her: “The shops here in the East Market are places specifically serving the royal family and officials. Those people naturally do not need to come out to look in person—if there is anything, it is sent directly to their homes. Speaking of lively, it is naturally the West Market that is livelier.”
Shen Ying understood—this side belonged to the luxury goods district, whereas the West Market over there was livelier.
She wanted to go take a look, but thinking about having browsed for so long and feeling somewhat tired, she gave up the idea.
Eunuch Liu ordered people to buy two portions of sushan (crisp ice mountain) as well.
“Ice cream?” Shen Ying looked at the sushan placed before her, her face full of surprise.
“Seventh-Rank Maidservant Shen, this is called sushan. Yours is cherry-flavored,” Eunuch Liu explained.
As for that “ice-something” Seventh-Rank Maidservant Shen mentioned, he did not understand it at all.
Shen Ying stared blankly at the item before her, on which some cherry fruit pulp could still be seen. The little Crown Prince’s portion was called peach sushan, drizzled with peach pulp.
Reminded that it would melt if she did not eat it soon, Shen Ying finally began to eat.
She poked Jin Dou, and it hummed twice before answering Shen Ying’s doubts. Knowing that ancient times already had this “ice cream,” Shen Ying was still quite shocked.
Besides this, Eunuch Liu had prepared other things, such as jusheng nu (honey-drizzled sesame pastries), which the little Crown Prince particularly enjoyed eating.
Seeing that he was eating a lot, Eunuch Liu hurriedly stopped him from eating any further, terrified that he might suffer from indigestion.
Shen Ying tasted a piece as well; the flavor was very good.
In the original owner’s memories, she seemed to have eaten these things before, but the impression was not deep, so much so that she felt as though she were eating them for the very first time.