"If you're in a hurry, you're free to return now."
The real reason Yun Shu had invited Cen Yiyi along today was to quietly plant a seed in the young girl's heart. She wanted to prevent her from growing up exactly as she had in the original novel—bullied to tears every day by Yun Chuhuan, that little scoundrel.
But it turned out that because Cen Yiyi was still young and relatively untouched by all the poison of her future, she awakened to her own desires faster than anyone.
That unexpected dream of hers, so wildly at odds with her soft, adorable appearance, had even taken Yun Shu by surprise.
Since Cen Yiyi likely wouldn't be interested in visiting the restaurant site later, Yun Shu simply sent her home early.
While Yun Shu was chatting with Cen Yiyi, Tang Xinhua's emotions, once burning bright with enthusiasm, had begun to settle. Her mind turned back to something Yun Shu had mentioned earlier:
"Your Highness, you said you wanted to open a restaurant. Have you already chosen a location?"
"I had someone find a suitable place. I was planning to go check on it today," Yun Shu replied with a nod. "You should come with me, cousin."
Yun Shu had only returned to the capital yesterday, so naturally she hadn't picked the location herself. She had simply written out her requirements in a letter and entrusted it to Eunuch Wang, the same man who had once helped her acquire a manor.
True to form, he hadn't let her down. He'd quickly found a four-story building along the busiest commercial street in the capital, complete with a small courtyard tucked away behind it.
Along the way, Yun Shu explained her overall vision for the restaurant to Tang Xinhua, though she said nothing about the courtyard or how she planned to use it.
Tang Xinhua quickly sensed there was more to it.
"Does Your Highness have a separate plan for the back courtyard?"
"That's right. The design for the courtyard will be more unique. I'll need to think on it carefully after I return to the palace."
Yun Shu wasn't hiding anything deliberately. The truth was, she hadn't yet decided on the finer details.
As they talked, the two women followed Eunuch Wang through the doors of the now-empty four-story building, completely unaware that across the street, Yun Chuhuan was crouching behind a vendor's stall.
One hand held a newly purchased mask over his face, while the other clamped down tightly on Liu Ziming, stopping him from poking his head up.
"Don't move! Fifth Sister hasn't gone inside yet!" Yun Chuhuan hissed.
"…Weren't you supposed to be out with Her Highness the Fifth Princess today?" Liu Ziming asked, baffled.
He had just been admiring a few of the masks when he was suddenly yanked to the ground face-first, scraping his nose in a most undignified fashion.
Now covered in dust and thoroughly confused, he dared not protest—only offered a plaintive, puzzled question.
"We haven't done anything wrong. Why are we hiding?"
"You don't get it!"
Yun Chuhuan peeked over the edge of the stall. Once he confirmed that Yun Shu and Tang Xinhua were no longer in sight, he finally exhaled in relief and tilted his chin upward with smug satisfaction.
"The Wanshou Festival is coming up soon. I noticed that Fifth Sister hasn't prepared anything for it—looks like she forgot entirely. And I'm certainly not going to remind her!"
A glint of triumph sparkled in his eyes.
"This time, I'll beat her in front of Father Emperor. She'll have nothing to offer, and when Father Emperor gets angry, he'll fine her in gold!"
"…I don't get it," Liu Ziming admitted, still puzzled.
"You don't need to remind her just because you see her, do you? Even if you ran into her, you could still just say nothing. Why the need to hide?"
"You really are hopeless!"
Yun Chuhuan gave him a scornful look.
"If you show up carrying gifts right in front of her, how is that not reminding her?"
"Gifts?" Liu Ziming glanced down at the bundles he was holding for the Sixth Prince. "Wait… you're planning to give these to His Majesty for his birthday?"
"Look at you—already shocked, huh?"
Yun Chuhuan was practically glowing with pride now. Seeing Liu Ziming more flabbergasted than he himself had been the first time, filled him with a deep and inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
"You don't understand. What kind of person is my Father Emperor? He's seen all the treasures under heaven. Night-illuminating pearls, red coral, giant golden Buddhas—none of that means much to him anymore.
It's these little trinkets, these unassuming odds and ends, that truly delight him."
He had learned this the hard way.
Last time, he had spent thousands of taels of silver on a glowing pearl… and still lost to Fifth Sister, who had bought a bundle of so-called "junk" for five taels. She'd stolen the spotlight completely.
That humiliating defeat had haunted him for over half a month, until finally he came to this revelation.
And if Liu Ziming weren't such a loyal sidekick—and a Liu family member to boot—he would never have shared this secret.
"Ohhh, so that's why!" Liu Ziming looked as though he'd just glimpsed the heavenly way.
But then his brows furrowed again.
"Still… this is the Wanshou Festival. It's a public ceremony. Are you sure it's okay to offer things like this?"
"What wouldn't be okay about it?"
Yun Chuhuan narrowed his eyes, clearly offended by the question.
"I'm giving these to Father Emperor—not to some other official or noble.
Just wait and see. Once Father Emperor beams with joy and praises me in front of the entire court, they'll all choke on their words! They'll be so jealous they could spit blood!"
"…If you say so," Liu Ziming muttered.
He scratched his head. Maybe the Sixth Prince did know the Emperor better than he did. After all, he was His Majesty's actual son.
"Then… what else are we buying?"
"…Let's find a little porcelain boy!" Yun Chuhuan declared, suddenly inspired.
He had seen the little porcelain girl that Imperial Father kept on his desk—the one Fifth Sister had gifted him—and quickly formed a new plan.
"I'm going to give him a little porcelain boy!"
With Liu Ziming in tow, Yun Chuhuan soon found a stall selling miniature ceramic figurines. But luck was not on his side today—no matter how he searched, he couldn't find a single porcelain boy.
He scowled in growing frustration.
"What kind of vendor are you? Not a single boy figurine?"
"Porcelain boys are considered auspicious," the stall owner explained, cheerful despite the boy's tone. "Women who are pregnant, or those hoping for a son, all like to buy one to place at home."
From the fine cut of their robes, it was obvious these two were sons of wealthy households out enjoying the day, so the vendor paid no mind to their temper. He simply smiled and handed over a small ceramic dog.
"Have a look at this instead, Young Master. It's quite lovely."
"You're the dog!" Yun Chuhuan snapped, thoroughly offended.
He knew full well that the porcelain girl had been a metaphor for Fifth Sister herself. This time, he was planning to give the porcelain boy as a symbolic gesture too—one representing him.
And now this vendor wanted him to replace it with a dog?
Insufferable!
He glared at the man, ready to explode—
When a teasing voice suddenly called out from behind.
"Well, well! Isn't this our little Sixth Prince?"
===
The Wanshou Festival (万寿节), which literally means "Ten Thousand Longevity Festival," was a grand imperial celebration in ancient China, especially prominent during the Qing Dynasty. It was not a folk festival, but a court festival held to honor the birthday of the reigning Emperor, usually celebrated on his sixtieth birthday or every ten years thereafter as a show of reverence and political legitimacy.
"Wanshou" (万寿) translates to "ten thousand years of life," a phrase commonly used to wish the emperor eternal longevity.
The festival was deeply rooted in Confucian ideals of filial piety and loyalty, and also infused with Daoist beliefs in immortality and auspicious omens.
Though called a festival, it was not open to commoners, but rather a state-level event filled with ritual, spectacle, and formal tribute.
The festival became an embodiment of imperial power, prosperity, and cosmic harmony.
Emperors used it to reinforce Mandate of Heaven legitimacy, displaying benevolence, grandeur, and the unity of the empire.
The phrase "Wansui" (万岁), or "Ten Thousand Years [to the Emperor]," was chanted by court officials as a standard blessing, becoming part of imperial ritual.