My reborn husband and son are thinking about how to kill me every day.

Gu Chunzhi rushed to the table and abruptly opened the money pouch. Seeing the gleaming gold melon seeds inside, she almost fainted from excitement.

With trembling hands, she picked up a golden melon seed and bit into it. Only when she saw the pure gold color showing through the edge of the seed did she seem to come to her senses. She hurriedly pushed Wu Mei and Jiang Min, who were equally stunned, and said, "Hurry up and calculate the bill and pack the pastries for our distinguished guest."

The two then came to their senses and hurriedly began calculating the bill and packing the pastries.

To allow customers to see the appearance of various pastries more clearly, Ji Yunshuang arranged the cookies and other pastries in the shop on large porcelain plates or in wicker baskets.

Only a small portion was wrapped in oil paper and neatly arranged in a wooden box to the side.

Li Dequan used to order thirty bags of all kinds of pastries, but now the shop only has about ten bags of each kind that are properly packaged. The rest have to be weighed and repackaged.

Gu Chunzhi regretted that she had only been anxious and hadn't listened to her daughter-in-law and packed the pastries in the shop earlier.

She apologized to Li Dequan repeatedly, saying that there weren't enough packaged pastries and that it would take a little longer.

Li Dequan was not angry at all. Instead, he looked at her with a smile and said there was no rush and that she could take her time pretending.

While Gu Chunzhi, Wu Mei, and others were busy packing the pastries, Li Dequan stood smiling at the shop entrance.

When Prince Rui was only a few years old, Li Dequan served him as a young eunuch.

He rose from a lowly eunuch to become the chief eunuch serving Prince Rui.

He often represented Prince Rui.

In Hongdu, many people are watching his every move.

At that moment, he stood smiling at the entrance of Sweet Fragrance Shop, which stunned everyone who was paying attention to the shop's movements.

Someone said, "Who is that? Could it be a shill hired by the owner of Sweet Fragrance Shop? Otherwise, who would buy so much at once!"

Someone nearby immediately scoffed and said, "If she really has that ability, then it's quite an achievement for her to be able to hire that person as a shill."

Hearing his tone, the person next to him asked in surprise, "Who is that? Is he some important person?"

The man who had spoken earlier glanced at the person next to him, a hint of smugness on his face, and said, "That big shot next to me, wouldn't you say he's a big shot?"

Upon hearing that it was someone who served Prince Rui, a collective gasp immediately arose from the surrounding area.

Those waiting near Tianxiangfang, hoping to see the lively atmosphere, or those who happened to pass by and witnessed this scene, were all incredibly shocked.

The fact that Li Dequan appeared at Tianxiangfang to buy pastries has also sparked various speculations.

At this moment, in a private room of a teahouse opposite Sweet Fragrance House, sat several people dressed in brocade robes.

One of the men, dressed in a white brocade robe, looked at the person opposite him with suspicion and asked, "Just who is the owner of Sweet Fragrance Shop? How could she possibly get someone serving Prince Rui to act as her shill?"

A man in a green robe opposite them said, "Brother Zhou, do you know who is standing over there?"

Zhou Jincheng was a scion of a prominent family who had moved here with his clan a few days ago. He was not very familiar with the situation in Jiangzhou, nor did he know the chief eunuch serving Prince Rui.

He cupped his hands in greeting to the man in the green robe and said, "I hope Brother Lin can inform me."

Lin Lixin said, "The chief eunuch beside Prince Rui."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jincheng was immediately filled with surprise and exclaimed, "It's actually the chief eunuch serving Prince Rui?"

Although he had only recently arrived in Jiangzhou and was unfamiliar with many aspects of the city, he knew that the chief eunuch serving Prince Rui had been bribed and was unlikely to be acting as a shill.

Sometimes, the old men who serve a prince have more power than a local official.

Moreover, such a small matter as buying pastries didn't require his personal involvement as the head steward.

He came in person, so there must be a reason why he had to come.

Or rather, it represents a certain meaning.

He frowned. "Could the owner of this Sweet Fragrance Shop be someone Prince Rui wants to promote? Or perhaps..."

Or perhaps Prince Rui wanted to convey some message through this.

Not only Zhou Jincheng raised this question, but the other people in the room also raised the same question.

Among the people in this room were scions of local prominent families, as well as scions of prominent families who had recently moved here from elsewhere. They were almost all talents that their families had devoted all their efforts to cultivating.

Once someone realized this, they immediately sent their servants to investigate the background of the owner of Sweet Fragrance Shop, while others immediately sent messages home.

Soon, some quick-thinking people found out the background of the owner of Sweet Fragrance Shop.

Upon learning that the owner of Sweet Fragrance Shop was a refugee who had been resettled in Hongdu a few days earlier, Lin Lixin immediately went to see her father.

“Father, we must make a decision immediately!” he said. “Li Dequan’s purchase of pastries in front of Tianxiangfang is likely a warning from Prince Rui to those aristocratic families who are secretly transferring their property.”

Lin Yutang pondered for a moment, then looked at his son and asked, "What do you think we should do?"

Lin Lixin said, "I think Father should make a decision on whether to bet on Prince Rui or Prince Xuan. The Li family must never do something like having one foot in two boats."

If a father is indecisive and tries to please both sides, he will likely end up pleasing neither.

Lin Yutang looked at him, nodded approvingly, and then sighed, "I was greedy before, thinking that if Jiangzhou fell, my Lin family would have a way out in Jingzhou. If Jiangzhou hadn't fallen, our ancestral foundation would still be intact."

I thought I had acted appropriately, but how could we possibly escape that person's eyes and ears? You're very good.

Lin's father was always strict in raising Lin Lixin.

In all her years, Lin Lixin had received only a handful of approving glances from her father, let alone such direct praise.

Lin Lixin's ears turned slightly red as she received such a direct praise from her father for the first time.

Lin Yutang said, "So, do you think we should simply abandon Jiangzhou and move all of the Lin family's assets to Jingzhou, or should we stay here?"

For some reason, Lin Lixin thought of the owner of Sweet Fragrance Shop.

He had never met the owner, but from the information reported by the servants, the man inexplicably gave him a feeling of strength and confidence.

He said, "I think Jiangzhou might not necessarily be lost."

"Please let me think about it."

Although Lin Yutang did not make a decision immediately, he was inclined to agree with Lin Lixin's suggestion.

At Prince Rui's residence, Princess Rui and several concubines, as well as the prince and princess, all received pastries personally purchased by Li Dequan.

In the Prince's mansion, there were still people who hadn't heard the rumors about Sweet Fragrance Workshop, and they were very curious about the fact that Prince Rui had actually sent someone to buy pastries for them despite his busy schedule.

That evening, when Prince Rui went to Fufeng Palace, Princess Rui smiled and stepped forward to serve him.

Thinking of the pastries that the prince had specially sent today, she asked, "Does Your Highness have any good news today?"

Prince Rui took a sip of tea and casually asked, "Were the pastries you sent delicious?"