After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

The Crown Prince was quite annoyed. He shamelessly asked Lu Zhiyuan for a weapon, but the little girl ignored him. It seemed that in her heart, he was not as good as the maids and guards beside her.

As the palanquin descended, he reached out to embrace the Seventh Princess, but Lu Zhiyuan grabbed his sleeve. The little maid looked distressed, staring into his eyes and asking, "What kind of weapon does Crown Prince Brother like? I've been racking my brains all the way here but haven't been able to think of anything suitable."

It turns out the little girl hadn't refused; she had already agreed and was now thinking about what kind of weapon would suit him.

My mood instantly shifted from gloomy clouds to clear blue skies.

Holding the Seventh Princess close to her ear, he whispered, "Your Highness will like anything that A-Yuan makes."

His gaze lowered and fell on the Crown Prince's thumb ring.

A jade thumb ring is difficult to tamper with. Gold is too vulgar, silver is unbecoming of his status as the Crown Prince, and gold inlaid with jade? That would make His Highness seem a bit poor, unable to afford even a whole piece of fine jade.

His gaze shifted downwards, landing on the wrist of the man holding the Seventh Princess.

"Does the Crown Prince like barbecue skewers?"

"Skewers?" The Crown Prince looked puzzled, staring wide-eyed at Lu Zhiyuan. "Is this something A-Yuan saw in that world?"

“Yes and no, just tell me, Your Highness, whether you would like to wear something like Buddhist prayer beads.” Lu Zhiyuan wrapped her arms around the prince’s wrist: “It’s something you can play with on your wrist in daily life, but in a critical moment, each bead can save your life.”

"It sounds better than the purple bracelet."

After thinking about what it would look like to wear Buddhist prayer beads on one's wrist, the prince found it acceptable.

"In terms of attack power, the purple bracelet is better, but unfortunately it is not suitable for the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince's face has distinct features and a dignified appearance. Wearing a bracelet, no matter what style or material it is, would look out of place. Xiao Yebai's features are more feminine and delicate, with a slightly sickly appearance. The purple bracelet would be the icing on the cake for him."

He looked the prince up and down.

“I observed that my elder brother, the Crown Prince, wore no extra accessories, even his hair ornament was extremely simple. The only things I could have tampered with were the jade pendant on his body and the jade thumb ring on his hand. The jade pendant was a dragon-patterned jade pendant, which was probably bestowed by His Majesty and represented my elder brother's status, so it could not be easily damaged. The jade thumb ring was also a symbol of status, so I couldn't very well poison it, could I? If my elder brother accidentally ate it, wouldn't I become the murderer who plotted against my elder brother?”

The crown prince looked at his own jade, then at the jade thumb ring on his hand, and shook his head and smiled.

“A sword would be fine, but with so many guards around the Crown Prince, he probably wouldn’t need one. After thinking it over, only a string of beads is suitable. Wearing it on the Crown Prince’s hand gives him a cool, aloof, and ascetic air.”

He roughly understood what "aloof" meant; it implied someone aloof, expressionless, and unsociable, giving off an air of mystery and unfathomable depth. What was asceticism? He wanted to ask, but his intuition told him it was best not to; who knew what shocking things Ah Yuan might say?

Having decided to use the string as a weapon, the Crown Prince carried the Seventh Princess in one arm and helped Lu Zhiyuan down from the sedan chair with the other.

At the entrance of Mingguang Hall, Xu Rui was waiting with a whisk in his hand. Seeing that the Crown Prince and Lu Zhiyuan had come together, he greeted them with a smile. After exchanging greetings, he reached out and took the Seventh Princess from her, whispering, "Your Highness, Miss Lu, Her Majesty the Empress is waiting in the side hall."

The Crown Prince said gently, "I would like to trouble Eunuch Xu to help take care of Yin'er."

Xu Rui bowed: "It's all what this old servant should do."

Lu Zhiyuan took out a small red purse and stuffed it into Xu Rui's hand: "This purse was made by me, the flowers are embroidered with fireflies, and the silver inside was put in by me. I wish you a happy new year and all the best, Father-in-law."

Xu Rui quickly said, "No, no, this old servant is already so old, how could I possibly accept a red envelope from Miss Lu?"

Lu Zhiyuan smiled sweetly: "My master said that no matter how old you are, you can always wish for good luck in the New Year."

Xu Rui placed the Seventh Princess on the ground and bowed solemnly: "This old servant thanks you, Miss. I am grateful for your kind words. May everything go smoothly in the new year."

This scene, as seen by onlookers, further solidified Lu Zhiyuan's identity as the future Crown Princess.

Xie Yubai and Xiao Yebai traveled together, and the officials who passed by all bowed to them.

"Congratulations, Lord Xie! It seems the Xie family is about to produce a distinguished person."

Xie Yubai returned the greeting: "Yuan'er's surname is Lu. Even if she has immense wealth, it belongs to the Marquis of Pingnan's mansion and has nothing to do with my Minister's mansion."

"You flatter me, Lord Xie. This Miss Lu is your niece." The official raised his hand. "I will need your guidance in the future."

After speaking, he shifted his gaze to Xiao Yebai: "I heard that His Highness Xiao is staying at Ronghua Palace?"

Xiao Yebai nodded, his face expressionless.

The official chuckled awkwardly, "It is Your Highness's good fortune to be able to befriend Miss Lu. In my opinion, Your Highness is destined for great success."

"Thank you for your good wishes."

Xiao Yebai remained indifferent, not wanting to say anything more to this official. If it weren't for the presence of Lord Xie, and if he weren't afraid of implicating the Xie family and being blamed by A Yuan, he wouldn't even bother to acknowledge this official.

Inside the main hall, two long rows of banquet tables were already filled with the clinking of glasses and the lively atmosphere of convivial drinking. Graceful dancers moved to the music, like butterflies emerging from their cocoons. Their movements were light and beautiful, a truly breathtaking sight.

With a quarter of an hour to go before the New Year's bells rang, Lu Zhiyuan felt stifled in the main hall and made an excuse to slip out. Fearing a sudden summons from the Emperor, she didn't dare go too far and sat down at the shop entrance. As soon as she sat down, she saw a group of palace maids and eunuchs carrying trays, passing through the corridor and beginning to serve dishes into the hall.

Firefly slipped out along the corner of the wall, and somehow bumped into the palace maid who was walking at the very back. The maid cried out in pain and steadied the tray she was carrying. Seeing this, Firefly quickly apologized, and the maid didn't hold it against her, enduring the pain as she walked to the side and put the tray down.

"Judging from your attire, you must serve some noble person. May I ask for your help?" The maid looked at her foot, her face contorted in pain. "I twisted my ankle and can't continue serving dishes. If the head eunuch finds out, I'll definitely be punished. Please help me take this dish inside. Just put it on the table to the right, near the door. It won't cause you any trouble."

Liu Ying couldn't bear to refuse and nodded in agreement. Only when she picked up the tray did she realize that she should ask Lu Zhiyuan for permission first. Lu Zhiyuan sat on the steps, propping her head up with her hand, her eyes half-closed as she looked at the palace maid.

Although she didn't know what had just happened, she clearly saw that the palace maid had only sprained her ankle, a very minor one. It hurt a little, but not so much that her facial features would be distorted and she wouldn't be able to serve the dishes. She was a palace maid, a palace maid who served dishes to the Mingguang Palace. Such palace maids must have undergone strict selection and be able to handle all kinds of scenarios and unexpected events.

She did it on purpose, deliberately bumping into the fireflies.

What exactly is she up to?

Upon seeing Lu Zhiyuan, the palace maid stood up, leaning against the palace gate behind her. "May I ask which family you belong to, young lady? Are you this younger sister's mistress? If you are unwilling to help, I can deliver these vegetables myself. It's just a pity for my mother; her eyesight is poor, and she is waiting for me to leave the palace to serve her. If I am punished by the eunuch, I'm afraid I will never have the chance to leave the palace again."

The palace maid took a deep breath and extended her hand to Liuying: "Thank you, sister. You should go and take care of your master."

“It’s alright, it’s just a dish. Let Liuying deliver it.” Lu Zhiyuan stood up and walked to the palace maid. “My surname is Lu, Lu Zhiyuan. I live in Ronghua Palace by the grace of His Majesty and the Empress. I have studied medicine and can take a look at your foot.”