You cause trouble and I collect your body, the little emperor’s aunt abuses the scumbag again

The threshold of Huayan Pavilion is almost worn down by the crowds.

Three days ago, the place was deserted, but now it's packed with people, making the whole West Market street much more lively.

The noble ladies in the capital were all holding their breath, and now they were all putting in their best effort to rush in.

Firstly, the product is indeed useful; secondly, it's a form of silent alignment.

Your Crown Princess is known for being intolerant of others, but we're here to support you!

This is the human heart.

Meng Siya stood by the second-floor window, wearing a veil, watching the bustling scene below, but her heart remained unmoved.

That green-canopied carriage never appeared again after that day.

That's good, at least I can have some peace and quiet.

Business has been booming for several days in a row.

There were fewer customers that afternoon.

Meng Siya was sitting behind the counter, teaching the new clerk how to distinguish the color of lip rouge.

The shop door was pushed open, and the wind chimes rang once.

A man wearing a long silk robe walked in. The fabric looked expensive, but the style was understated. He seemed to be a wealthy merchant.

Meng Siya raised her head, and her hand stopped moving after just one glance.

It's him.

Ji Yongyan.

He changed his clothes and tied his hair with just a jade hairpin, but she would still recognize his face and figure even if he turned to ashes.

Why is he here again? And dressed like this?

His mind was in turmoil, but he remained outwardly calm.

"What would you like to see, sir?" Meng Siya handed the lipstick in her hand to the waiter and stood up, her voice deliberately hoarse.

Ji Yongyan didn't say anything, but just walked slowly around the store, looking at this and touching that.

The waiter wanted to follow up and introduce the product, but Meng Siya stopped him with a gesture.

She went over there herself.

"Sir, are you a newcomer?"

"Hmm." Ji Yongyan responded, picked up a cushion foundation, opened it, and smelled it. "I heard that your products can anger the Crown Princess, so I came to take a look."

He spoke directly, with a hint of joking and probing.

Meng Siya's heart sank.

"You flatter me, sir," she replied calmly. "Our shop is just doing honest business and cannot afford the wrath of Your Majesty."

She led him inside to a tea table for guests.

"Please have a seat, sir, and have a cup of tea."

Without waiting for Ji Yongyan's reply, she began to fiddle with the tea set on her own.

Ji Yongyan sat down and just looked at her.

I watched as she picked up the teapot, first scalded both cups with boiling water, and then poured the water out.

His movements froze.

This habit...

Many years ago in that dilapidated little mountain village, she was just like that.

She said the cup should be warmed with hot water first, so that the tea will be fragrant and clean.

He even laughed at her for being fussy.

What a coincidence!

Ji Yongyan's heart skipped a beat, and his hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.

"Madam, you're not from Beijing?" he asked casually, taking a sip of tea.

"No." Meng Siya put the teapot down. "It's from the south."

"one person?"

"I brought my elderly mother and child with me."

Ji Yongyan put down his teacup and finally asked the question.

"What does the landlady's husband do?"

The air grew quiet.

The aroma of tea mingled with the fragrance of flowers and herbs in the shop, filling the space between the two of them.

Meng Siya lowered her eyes, making it impossible to see her expression.

After a long while, she spoke softly.

"My husband is dead."

These four words pierced Ji Yongyan's heart.

He heard her continue speaking.

"But he will always live in my heart."

Ji Yongyan's heart clenched suddenly, and his breath caught in his throat.

Does he live on in her heart?

Which "him"? Is it the Meng family husband she thought he was, or...?

He dared not think any further.

He felt like he was going crazy, his mind and body were being disturbed by the woman's every move and word.

He wanted to lift that veil and see that face, to see if it was the one he had been longing for day and night.

But he was also afraid.

He feared that if he uncovered the truth, he would find a completely unfamiliar face, and all his hopes would become a joke.

Just as he was about to ask further questions, a loud shout came from the shop entrance.

"Oh dear! Boss Meng! You're busy!"

Lin Daxiong, dressed in casual clothes, swaggered in, his loud voice breaking the silence of the room.

"I'm here to buy something! Give me two boxes of that cream, it's a gift!"

He didn't look at Ji Yongyan, but walked straight to the counter and tapped the table with his hand.

Meng Siya stood up and smiled apologetically at Ji Yongyan, "Please have a seat, sir. I'll be right back."

She turned and walked towards the counter, not glancing at Ji Yongyan once more throughout the entire process.

While urging the waiter to pack the food, Lin Daxiong chatted with Meng Siya.

"Boss Meng, your business is really booming! I'm going to open one someday, and you'll have to teach me!"

"General Lin is joking."

The conversation between the two sounded perfectly normal.

But Ji Yongyan felt extremely uncomfortable sitting there.

Lin Daxiong... why is he here? And why is he so familiar with this woman?

He looked at Lin Daxiong, who happened to turn around and see him.

Lin Daxiong was stunned for a moment, then grinned and pretended to have just noticed him.

"Oh, isn't this...Young Master Li? What a coincidence!"

He chuckled, but his eyes darted between Ji Yongyan and Meng Siya.

Ji Yongyan said nothing, but simply stood up.

He knew he wouldn't get anything out of him today.

He walked to the counter and picked up an eyebrow pencil from the merchandise.

How much is this?

"Fifty coins," the waiter replied.

Ji Yongyan took out a piece of broken silver from his sleeve and threw it on the counter.

"keep the change."

After saying that, he picked up the eyebrow pencil, turned around, and walked away quickly.

Lin Daxiong watched his retreating figure, stroked his chin, and remained silent.

Meng Siya stood behind the counter, staring at the broken piece of silver, without moving for a long time.

……

The Eastern Palace, the study.

As soon as Ji Yongyan returned, he locked himself inside.

Li Dequan stood guard outside the door, not daring to even breathe loudly.

His Highness has been acting strangely ever since he came back from his trip today.

In the study, Ji Yongyan sat behind his desk, holding the eyebrow pencil he had bought from Huayan Pavilion.

It's a very ordinary eyebrow pencil, even a bit rough.

Why would he buy this?

He himself couldn't explain it.

curious coincidence.

He spread out a sheet of Xuan paper, holding a brush, but his hand remained suspended in mid-air, hesitant to bring it down.

My mind is a mess.

The way that woman made tea, the tone of her voice, and Lin Daxiong's sudden appearance...

Everything seemed strange.

Ke Yaya is dead.

He personally witnessed Lin Daxiong bring back his ashes, and he personally erected the blank memorial tablet.

He threw down the pen in frustration.

The eyebrow pencil rolled once on the table and then stopped.

Ji Yongyan looked at the pen and, as if possessed, picked it up again.

He closed his eyes.

A face popped into my mind.

That face was sometimes under the big tree at the village entrance, smiling at him without a care in the world.

Sometimes it's on the delivery bed, covered in blood and filled with despair.

His hand, which was holding the pen, began to move uncontrollably across the paper.

He didn't deliberately draw anything; he just followed his feelings.

One stroke, two strokes...

A curved eyebrow shape appeared on the white paper.