The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

The vendor hurriedly stuffed the silver into his pocket and said with a broad smile:

"Young lady, I never lie. This sky lantern has truly been blessed and is extremely effective. Guess what happened to the sow in the next village that had never given birth? After I released this lantern, her sow had no piglets."

He slapped his thigh and shouted, "Hey! She's pregnant! She's given birth to a full ten!"

"Did your mother think I looked exactly like one of those ten piglets?" Shen Zhizhi said angrily, her eyes cold. "No matter how many there are, give me back the money, you liar."

The vendor nimbly dodged, then turned his gaze to Chu Chouchi behind him, pleading earnestly, "Young master, I have never told a lie."

"Who would believe you? Give the money back right now!" Shen Zhizhi said, reaching out to grab the merchant's collar and snatch the silver back.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed the back of her collar.

Shen Zhizhi was stopped by the force behind her and stood frozen in place, unable to move forward. Instead, she was pulled backward.

Seeing the vendor getting further and further away from her, and even smilingly kissing her two silver ingots, she became even more furious.

She struggled free from his grasp with all her might, "Second Prince! He's a complete liar! These two broken lamps aren't worth that much silver! And he even claimed to have blessed them! I'll go back right now and crack his head open."

Chu Chouchi glanced at her and raised an eyebrow, "I don't think he was lying."

"But he—"

Before she could finish speaking, he lowered his gaze to her, a slight smile playing on his lips: "He just said that I, Your Highness, am incomparably handsome, and that you are as beautiful as the moon and as lovely as a flower, and also said..."

The words caught in his throat, his eyes narrowed, then suddenly shifted, "In short, are those two things he mentioned just to deceive me, Your Highness?"

Shen Zhizhi coughed lightly and flicked the stray hairs from her forehead with a smug look. "Hey, you know what, you really do know, it's all obvious to everyone."

Chu Chou's lips curled up slightly.

Shen Zhizhi sighed inwardly. If you say this guy is simple-minded, he was a bloodthirsty freak in the original work, showing no mercy to himself or others.

But if you say he's not innocent, he'll be praised a couple of times and then believe this smooth-talking peddler.

"Fine, since Your Highness has said so, I will spare his life for your sake." Shen Zhizhi raised her eyes and smiled radiantly.

"Ah."

The two walked to the riverbank, where the people of Nanliyue Star City released prayer lanterns.

The talented young man and beautiful woman attracted the frequent glances of passersby. Some even tried to strike up a conversation after their eyes fell on Shen Zhizhi, only to be glared at by Chu Chouchi. This startled the women who had been secretly watching him, causing them to lower their heads in embarrassment.

"Your Highness, here is paper and pen."

After handing him paper and pen, Shen Zhizhi bent over the stone table and began to write. Finally, she rolled up the paper and hung it in the base with the hole punched in it.

She turned to look at Chu Chouchi, only to find that he had not picked up a pen and had been standing there waiting for her for a long time.

The prayer lanterns were lit, and the two of them stood side by side, watching the two lanterns fly further and further away until they finally merged into the sky full of bright lights, making it impossible to tell which one they had lit.

"So beautiful, so incredibly beautiful," Shen Zhizhi exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

Thousands of lanterns swayed in the air, their lights intertwining, illuminating the distant mountains and outlining their undulating lines. The entire Nanliyue Star City was like a city that never sleeps.

Chu Chouchi turned his head to look at her, and in that one glance he felt a sense of disorientation. The interplay of light and shadow fell on her face, and her eyes seemed to shine even brighter than the prayer lanterns in the night sky.

Chu Chouchi pursed his lips, lowered his eyes, and fixed his gaze on the girl's hand hanging at her side. After a moment, he finally couldn't help but reach out his hand—

"By the way, Second Prince, why didn't you write down your wishes when you came to release the sky lanterns?"

Unexpectedly, the former suddenly turned around, completely shattering the courage he had painstakingly mustered.

He coughed lightly, a slight blush rising to the tips of his ears, and subtly withdrew his hand. "This prince has never believed in gods who grant wishes."

"Huh? Then why did you come to release these prayer lanterns?" Shen Zhizhi asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Once the question was asked, the person in front of him fell silent.

Shen Zhizhi glanced at his graying eyes, clicked her tongue, and realized that she must have touched a sore spot. She immediately dared not ask any more questions.

Out of guilt, Shen Zhizhi had no choice but to move a step closer to him, looking at him mysteriously, "Your Highness, do you know what wish I made?"

Chu Chouchi concealed the emotions in his eyes, raised his gaze in confusion, and asked, "What is your wish?"

She straightened up, looked intently into his eyes, and replied with a smile, "I, Shen Zhizhi, hereby pray to the immortals that Your Highness may be forever blessed with health and happiness, and that Your Highness may enjoy lasting good fortune."

I also hope to go home soon!

boom--!

Fireworks burst into bloom, and gasps of amazement filled the air.

The girl stood there amidst the brilliance, her smile bright and radiant.

They gazed at each other, the surrounding noise seemingly fading away, with only his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

For a moment, Chu Chouchi couldn't tell whether the deafening explosions of fireworks were also causing his heart to explode again and again.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind swept by, lifting her black hair and causing Shen Zhizhi to shiver.

She raised her hand to hug herself and muttered, "Ouch, why does it suddenly feel a bit cold?"

Now I finally understand the reason why Chu Tu wore a mink coat in the middle of summer – it was for protection against the wind at night!

Little brat, you've got some shrewdness to your name.

She blinked, took a step forward and leaned closer to Chu Chouchi, saying, "Second Prince, it's getting late and a bit chilly. Shall we go back?"

Chu Chouchi was in a state of utter confusion, his face flushed and his ears burning. How could he possibly listen to what she was saying?

Seeing her so close now, he was even more flustered and took a step back. "Ah? Hungry? I'll go buy some pastries right away. You wait here."

Shen Zhizhi:? ? ?

This guy, he read it but replied randomly?

Chu Chouchi did not wait for her explanation, and left in a hurry after speaking.

It was an urgency that Shen Zhizhi had never seen before, almost as if she were fleeing in panic.

Was the fireworks very loud?

Shen Zhizhi twitched her lips. Seeing that he had already walked far away, she stopped chasing after him and thought of finding a place to wait for him.

Unexpectedly, the next moment he smelled a strange fragrance, and then everything went black before his eyes, and he completely lost consciousness.

......

Chu Chouchi returned to his original spot with the pastries in his arms.

Looking up, he saw a crowded scene with a cacophony of noise filling his ears. He stood in the crowd searching for that familiar figure, but the person he was looking for was nowhere to be found.

His heart trembled violently, and he quickened his pace, looking around hesitantly.

Suddenly, the familiar peacock feather hairpin on the ground caught his eye. He stepped over and picked it up.

Upon smelling the lingering fragrance from the hairpin, his gaze turned icy in an instant.

He gripped the peacock feather hairpin tightly, gritted his teeth, and forced out two words.

"court death!"