Chapter 45: Boasting to the Heavens and Earth, Leaving Lihua Floating on Air

On the twenty-fourth day of the seventh month, it was Princess Hui’an’s birthday.

A banquet was held at the Haoyue Manor in the western suburbs outside the city, inviting noble ladies from various families to admire lotus flowers, go boating, drink wine, and exchange poetry, painting, and musical skills. At the same time, young masters from various families were invited to the summer hunt at Haoyue Peak in the western mountains, where they could compete in archery and horsemanship, play polo, drink wine, brew tea, and soak in the warm springs of Haoyue.

Princess Hui’an, now over fifty, was the most influential figure among the imperial clan.

Therefore, on the twenty-fourth day of the seventh month, most of the young masters and noble ladies from the prominent families in Yindu rode horses or carriages to attend the banquet at Haoyue Manor in the western mountains.

Gan Qiongying was naturally dragged out of bed early in the morning by Manyue, who powdered her face and painted her lips. Layer upon layer of luxurious brocade garments framed the dignity and majesty of a princess, and finally, she was adorned with a head full of pearls and jade, accompanied by the tinkling of jade pendants.

Gan Qiongying dozed off in front of the mirror, her head nodding like a pecking chick.

“Your Highness will undoubtedly outshine everyone today,” Manyue said. “This Fuguang Liuyue brocade was personally bestowed by His Majesty as a tribute from Chaozhou. It is said that when walking, it glimmers with flowing light, as if moonlight were shining upon the body. Tailored into clothing, it is truly extraordinary.”

Gan Qiongying only felt that wearing such thick clothing in the height of summer was unbearably hot.

In such a scorching summer season, if it were in modern times, it would be air conditioning paired with watermelon, shorts, and tank tops.

Unfortunately, now she occasionally felt disoriented, especially after gaining all of Princess Duanrong’s memories. She often experienced an absurd sense of confusion, as if she were Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly or the butterfly dreaming of Zhuangzi.

After all, the more than twenty years she lived in the modern era were not as thrilling as the over one month she had spent after crossing over.

Fortunately, although she was dying of heat, she was a princess—a princess who was extremely extravagant, fond of ostentation, and particular about appearances.

Therefore, her rooms, all the places she stayed, including the carriage she would ride in later, were all cooled with ice.

It wasn’t entirely unbearable.

After finishing her grooming, she took out a round, smooth, and lustrous white jade ring from her dressing case—the very one she had chased Zhongli Zhen to retrieve.

After retrieving it, Gan Qiongying had kept it safely stored in her dressing case. Now, she had reattached it with a green silk cord. The green cord paired with the white jade looked elegant and precious.

It perfectly matched her God of Wealth.

After finishing her grooming, Gan Qiongying was helped out by her maids. Early in the morning, Lihua was also pulled by his attendants to get dressed, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

The most intricate gold-threaded water-patterned boots, the most understated yet extravagant Chaozhou Fuguang Liuyun brocade, and a set of purple jade hairpins and crowns—all color-coordinated with elegance as the main theme, yet exuding nobility and subtlety in every detail.

Tianjiao wished she could pile all the fine things she had ever seen in her life onto Lihua, fearing that her young master would be looked down upon.

Lihua, however, didn’t care much. He had been looked down upon by others too many times, and deep down, he never felt that being a merchant was lowly.

The business world was like a battlefield, and he greatly enjoyed the feeling of deploying strategies and commanding with authority in the commercial arena.

With a flick of his finger, he could ensure that the disaster-stricken people in a city had food and drink, or he could raise prices to make the noble families and powerful officials he disliked anxious and overwhelmed.

Lihua did not belittle himself because others looked down on him.

Especially… since Gan Qiongying had recently told him that his hands were hands that could turn things into gold.

He was the God of Wealth who could turn stone into gold.

Although she had merely rearranged some goods in his shop to revive the business, her praise was truly excessive.

Yet Lihua had to admit that no one could resist such flattery and admiration.

Especially when it seemed so genuine, utterly without pretense, her eyes filled with sincere admiration.

Lihua had never experienced the feeling of being lavishly praised and admired for even the smallest of deeds.

This was a tactic typically used by parents and elders to coax children—no matter what they did, even if it was just eating an extra bite of rice, they would be praised.

But Lihua had grown up in loneliness. An old momo had managed to hide him, this “calamity” abandoned by the royal family, and keep him alive—that was already the limit. How could she possibly care for him like an ordinary parent, attending to his every need?

Moreover, in the ancient world, even boys from ordinary families were strictly educated, expected to uphold the family’s honor in the future. There was no room for indulgence.

Thus, Gan Qiongying’s “untimely” indulgence was like a long-overdue downpour in Lihua’s life, now pouring down all at once, nearly drowning him in its intensity.

“Husband, husband!” Just as Lihua was lost in thought before the mirror, recalling Gan Qiongying’s various praises, her voice seemed to emerge from his mind, swirl around, and then whisper into his ear.

“Husband! Are you ready? The carriage is prepared, you… Wow!”

Gan Qiongying lifted the hem of her skirt, calling out excitedly to Lihua as she entered the room.

Hearing her voice, Lihua turned around, and Gan Qiongying immediately exaggeratedly covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling with delight as if she had seen an immortal descending to the mortal world.

Seeing her reaction, Lihua found it both amusing and exasperating, even feeling a bit stiff.

It was too exaggerated.

Gan Qiongying continued, “My heavens, is this my husband? Could it truly be that some immortal made a mistake, was banished to the mortal realm, and ended up benefiting me?”

Since letting go of her inhibitions, Gan Qiongying had become Lihua’s biggest admirer.

She praised him endlessly.

Her praises soared to the heavens and swept across the earth, lifting Lihua off his feet.

She drew closer, circling around Lihua, clicking her tongue in admiration.

If Lihua’s skin weren’t so resistant to blushing, he would have been flushed red by now.

“Did Tianjiao dress you up? She deserves a reward!” Gan Qiongying said to Manyue. “Everyone who serves the Consort well shall be rewarded!”

“Absolutely!” Manyue replied cheerfully.

Recently, Gan Qiongying had been frequently rewarding those around Lihua. Manyue had initially had some reservations, but Gan Qiongying soon explained to her the concept of “the wool comes from the sheep’s back.”

Manyue was enlightened, deeply impressed by the Princess’s profound wisdom.

Now, within the entire Princess Manor, the Consort and the Princess’s household were in perfect harmony. As for the Consort and the Princess themselves, no matter who spoke, not even a hint of discord could be heard.

It was a level of harmony and bliss that even ordinary couples who had loved each other for years rarely achieved.

Tianjiao, having been praised and rewarded, was still young and quickly lost her composure. She couldn’t help but say, “The Prince Consort has a slender waist and long legs. This brocade robe was hastily tailored, and I thought it might be too long, but it fits perfectly.”

Upon hearing this, Gan Qiongying exaggerated even more, “How could it possibly be too long? This Princess sees the Consort’s legs every night—they are so long, they can’t even fit from the head to the foot of the bed.”

As the conversation suddenly shifted to the bed, Tianjiao flushed bright red, so embarrassed she nearly burst into tears.

Gan Qiongying didn’t tease the child any further. Clicking her tongue, she walked over to Lihua and reached out to measure his waist.

Lihua wore a human skin mask, and no matter how neatly he dressed, he could only be considered above average in appearance—refined and elegant.

But his back and waist were exceptionally straight, like pine and cypress, tightly cinched by a jade belt, lean yet subtly radiating strength.

He was not frail at all.

Yet Gan Qiongying pinched his waist and said, “Does your mouth still hurt? Stick out your tongue and let me see if it’s healed. How did I never notice that your waist is so slender?”

“I told you, you eat too little…”

Lihua’s ears were already burning. He lowered his gaze slightly to look at Gan Qiongying, took her hand—which was resting on his waist and had nearly made him tremble—and pressed it down. In a lowered voice tinged with helplessness, he said, “Enough.”

So many servants are watching, and you say whatever comes to mind.

Lihua truly couldn’t get used to her somewhat flirtatious words. Every time, she made him blush, and everyone in the room felt the same.