General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

"How did your talk with the princess go?" This was the question Shen Luo wanted to ask.

Jiang Qiqi proudly took out her reward and waved it in front of him as if showing off:

"all the best."

They were just waiting for the raid to take place three days later.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Gong Ting has given up on following Gong Yuan and the others around the capital.

She's recently discovered a new hobby—cricket fighting!

That's right, it's the cricket fighting game that's part of the "three-piece set" for spoiled brats.

This activity is highly competitive and inexpensive, making it a perfect fit for Gong Ting, who is poor, bad at games, and loves to play.

She even made several new friends through cricket fighting.

"Ahua, Acao!"

Two children jumped out from behind and shouted, "Little brother's here!"

Gong Ting wiped the tip of her nose, standing out conspicuously among a group of children.

With her hands on her hips, she declared defiantly, "Bring out your crickets and let them witness the might of our 'King of Crickets'!"

"Yes!"

"Don't underestimate us!" Another group of children immediately responded. The leader waved his little hand and pulled out his cricket cage from behind him, saying disdainfully.

"What cricket king? None of them are a match for my 'Number One Cricket in the Capital, capable of killing flies and stuffing chickens to death'!"

Gong Ting paused in her declaration of war, then asked again in disbelief:

"What do you call your crickets?"

The young man in the lead crossed his arms, exuding pride: "The biggest cricket in the capital, it can kill flies and stuff chickens to death!"

Gong Ting's trio: ......

Damn, their names are so cool!

Without further ado, the group returned to their respective positions on either side of the field.

Today's battle can be described as the pinnacle of cricket fighting, with one being a former champion who had dominated the capital and the other a rising challenger.

This battle is not just a fight between two crickets, but also concerns the future of cricket fighting in Beijing!

The cage was opened, and two crickets, full of energy, each perched at one end of the enclosure.

The two groups were on the verge of war, the sky was filled with changing colors, and a great battle was about to break out!

"Zhu Zi, Zhu Zi, where have you run off to again, you brat!"

Suddenly, a sharp female voice broke in, and upon closer listening, it even sounded a bit off.

The boy leading the group on the other side shuddered, his solemn expression replaced by fear.

"Oh no, my mom's here!"

......

The pinnacle battle of cricket fighting in Beijing ended because the champion was dragged back home by his mother to do his homework.

On the way back, Gong Ting carried her cricket jar alone, lost in thought.

"The cricket on the other side has such a cool name. As the new champion, she should also give the cricket an elegant and catchy name."

How about calling it "Qi Delong Dong Qiang"?

"Your Highness!"

A very high-profile sedan chair passed by and then turned back.

Just as Gong Ting was wondering who was so crazy, the sedan curtain was lifted, revealing Lü Jicai's face.

"Ah, it's Young Master Lü."

Gong Ting's attitude wasn't exactly warm, because this person always gave her a very uncomfortable feeling.

Seeing that Gong Ting was about to leave again, Lü Ji quickly called out to her, "Princess, please wait."

"What's the matter?"

Lu Jicai also abandoned his beloved sedan chair and ran out to face Gong Ting.

"Princess, why haven't I seen you these past few days?"

Gong Ting looked him up and down a few times, then asked warily, "You're looking for me?"

"I often go to teahouses to listen to storytelling, and I thought that the princess was a like-minded person, so I paid more attention to her. However, it seems that the princess has not been going recently."

Lu Jicai has been busy these past few days, wandering around the streets whenever he has a spare moment, but no matter whether he goes to the hotel where the Gong siblings are staying or the so-called Fusheng Teahouse, he can't find Gong Ting anywhere.

I also spent a lot more on tea.

I only ran into her on the street today.

Gong Ting was still simple-minded and didn't think anything was wrong when she heard this.

"You've probably misunderstood. I don't like listening to audiobooks."

These past few days, she's been engrossed in cricket fighting, getting up earlier than the chickens and going to bed later than Gong Yuan. She has no time or energy to listen to the old man's stories.

Lu Jicai didn't care whether she liked listening to storytelling or not; he just wanted to find her.

"Princess, since we have met today, it must be fate. Why don't I accompany you for a stroll?"

"Ok."

Seeing that it was still early and she was indeed bored, Gong Ting casually agreed.

A confident smile appeared on Lü Jicai's face, and he gracefully took a half step back.

"Princess, please."

......

The two walked through three streets and came to a road that was wider than the others.

There were no people coming and going on this road. The whole street was clean and tidy. Every two steps, you could see a large bunch of bright red roses placed on the roadside. From a distance, it looked like you were walking on a flower path.

"Princess, do you like it?"

Lu Jicai strained his throat, managing to squeeze out a few bubbly sounds, while simultaneously flashing what he considered his most handsome and confident smile.

He knew that the princess was different from ordinary women and could not be bought off with small favors.

Therefore, the opening act was extravagant – they spent money to buy an entire street.

Sure enough, Gong Ting stared in disbelief at the flowers lining the long street: "I have never seen so many flowers in my life."

A look of smugness appeared on Lü Jicai's face, and he was also secretly excited.

But the next moment.

"Achoo, achoo! I feel so awful—achoo!"

Gong Ting suddenly started sneezing one after another.

In no time, her face turned red.

"These flowers, ouch, move them away quickly!"

After a flurry of hasty adjustments, all the roses on the street were swept away, leaving not even a single petal behind.

Gong Ting finally stopped sneezing, her red nose glaring resentfully at Lü Jicai.

"You intend to murder me, the princess?"

Lu Jicai's hand moved so fast it left afterimages: "I wouldn't dare. I deeply admire the princess; how could I possibly intend to harm you?"

"Then why did you prepare flowers for an entire street?"

Gong Ting was right; she had never seen so many flowers in her life.

The reason is simple: she's allergic to pollen!

Of course, there was no such thing as allergies in ancient times. The doctor only said that her fate was incompatible with flowers, and that seeing flowers might endanger her life.

So from childhood to adulthood, the royal palace never had a single flower planted, and she could only go to places without flowers.

It's a pity that everyone in the capital values ​​these elegant things like flowers and plants so much. I felt sad for a long time after returning from the Second Prince's residence last time.

Therefore, although there were still invitations from various young ladies and wives, the Gong siblings politely declined them all and did not go to any of them.

The Zhenguo General's Mansion is a place where not a single blade of grass grows in the garden.

Lu Jicai was unaware of these matters and could only apologize repeatedly in frustration.

"Princess, I was unaware that you are incompatible with this flower. Please give me another chance; I will surely satisfy you."

Fortunately, he anticipated that the princess would be difficult to deal with, so he prepared three plans.