They were in charge of being beautiful, and she was in charge of taking the hits.

"What are you doing? You scared me." Han Yu was deep in thought when he was startled by the sound of Wu Ziyan clapping her hands.

"When you occasionally come to this market, what do you notice those foreign friends selling? And what do they buy the most?"

Seeing their blank expressions, Wu Ziyan knew that asking them would be pointless, and it would be better to just treat it as a simple shopping trip.

That makes things easier. She stopped putting on airs, took the two of them by the arm, and smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescent shapes.

"Let's go."

"Flowers for sale! Flowers for sale! Glehnia littoralis flowers, a specialty of the northern desert."

"Fabric for sale! Fabric for sale!"

"Knives for sale! Knives for sale!"

Wu Ziyan thought he had misheard. In the border market, there were people openly buying and selling knives. In the capital, this would be a capital offense. Selling knives in private was tantamount to treason!

The three of them headed towards the knife shop, where the owner was a strong woman with brown eyes, dark brown hair, and striking features; she was clearly not a local.

Seeing people come into their shop, she held a hammer in her hand and put on a polite, businesswoman's smile: "How many of you? What would you like to buy?"

Wu Ziyan was selecting knives from the cutting board in front of her. They were mostly decorative knives with elaborate decorations, but no sharpening.

"Boss, do you have any knives that are easy to carry and have high lethality for self-defense?"

"Oh dear, young lady, you have to register with the government to make blades. Besides, I'm from the Northern Desert, and I'm sure you can see that getting official documents is going to be a bit difficult."

"So you can do that too?" When Wu Ziyan asked that question, she felt like an idiot. Why would she ask such a pointless question? She was a blacksmith; how could she not know how to sharpen a knife?

"can."

"Name your price, I want three."

"This... as I just said, requires government approval and registration."

"Just do it, because I am the government!"

The blacksmith's eyes changed slightly. Was this seemingly frail woman, who could swing her hammer 20 times in one stroke, a government official?

"Girl, you must be joking."

Wu Ziyan felt insulted once again, but it didn't matter; after being insulted so many times, she became numb to it.

She glanced at the sentry post in the distance. Well, she couldn't do it herself, since she was on an incognito visit and had told him not to make too much of a fuss before she left.

Then she remembered what Sima Lingchuan had told her: when she came out, the guards had secretly followed her and looked around, finally spotting their guards in the inconspicuous crowd.

His hand was in a "come, come, come" gesture. The guard, seeing this, thought something had happened and hurried over. Still a little uncomfortable, he wanted to bow, but Wu Ziyan grabbed his hand and whispered in his ear, "Take this to the sentry post over there. Remember, don't reveal my identity."

He glanced at the token, nodded, and headed to the guard post. He spoke a few words to the man on duty there, who immediately came over, bowing and scraping, and said to the blacksmith shop owner, "Do whatever these distinguished guests say they want; the authorities won't pursue the matter."

The blacksmith was somewhat embarrassed, never expecting that this unassuming little woman actually had some connection with the government.

"Alright, alright, I was just too naive to recognize your kindness. But it will take some time to sharpen this broken sword. Please come back another day to pick it up. Oh, and please sign this contract so that we can have proof later."

Wu Ziyan wrote her simple signature on it in a flowing style, and Sima Lingchuan and Han Yuxiu looked at her handwriting and exclaimed, "How ugly!"

They then went to other shops run by outside merchants, and Wu Ziyan seemed very happy, enjoying the food, drinks, and entertainment at public expense; she was all smiles.

But they hadn't gone far when the blacksmith scratched his head, deep in thought. [This woman... seems to be the woman from the magazine in the message!]

Although she was a spy for the Northern Desert Kingdom, the border between the two countries had been peaceful for many years, and everyone was doing quite well. However, she suddenly received a secret message that the Wu Dynasty had actually sent a princess!

Of course, they weren't planning any assassination, but rather to observe secretly. They had originally intended to befriend the Wu Dynasty, and if the envoy they sent was wise, they might consider opening trade routes between the two border countries.

[Good heavens! Such an important task, and you've entrusted it to a blacksmith like me?!] He thought to himself as he swung the hammer, striking the iron needles with a clang, sending sparks flying.

"Ah, the flowers of the sand ginseng tree~"

There were many vendors selling this flower along the way. It looked a bit like the spider lily. Wu Ziyan was eventually drawn to it. The flower vendor was a middle-aged man. It wasn't unusual for a man to do business on the street, but usually, if a man showed his face in public, he must have something going on at home.

"My lord, please buy a flower for the two beauties beside you. This flower has a wonderful meaning: sand ginseng, which symbolizes three lifetimes. If you put this flower on their heads, they will be with you for three lifetimes."

【Ah! A pun? Three lifetimes, I don't even know if I can finish this lifetime!】 But when she turned to look at the expectant eyes of the two people beside her, she knew what they wanted.

"Give me three." Sima Lingchuan put the money into the man's hand. Only then did Wu Ziyan realize that she had come out shopping penniless!

Wu Ziyan was so embarrassed that she was digging her toes into the ground, but she still calmly accepted the flowers. She turned to look at the two of them and said, "You're both looking down too high. I can't reach them."

The flower vendor next to them laughed. Sima Linchuan obediently lowered her head, flicked her hair with her fingers, and tucked it behind her ear. Wu Ziyan steadily placed the flower in her hair bun: "So beautiful!"

But she had to treat everyone equally, so she turned around and put the flower in Han Yuxiu's hair. Han Yuxiu was still a little unhappy: "What three lifetimes? It's all a lie!"

But after putting on the flowers, an undisguised joy shone in his eyes.

At this moment, he encountered a familiar person on the street, a waiter from the inn. She had come specifically to find Han Yuxiu, saying that her ancestor had a secret medical manual to give to him.

Wu Ziyan clasped her hands together. This waiter was practically her savior. Even if she wanted to build up goodwill, she had to do it one by one. Doing it all at once was too much for her.

After Han Yuxiu went back with Xiao Er, Wu Da took Sima Ninglingchuan's hand openly and they visited many shops of foreign merchants. They bought a lot of gold and silver jewelry, as well as some local silk fabrics. Of course, they didn't just buy for Sima Lingchuan alone, but also for their whole family.