The capital was located at the heart of the entire country, and it was the most prosperous place in the Great Yue.
After three hundred years of sedimentation, it gradually formed the four major characteristics of buying horses in the north, tea in the south, wine and food in the east, and smile in the west. The last word 'smile' naturally referred to the sweet smiles of the women in the street.
The Dragon Boat Festival had just passed, and the east was more lively than usual. In order to attract more customers, the merchants along the river were resourceful, and the dragon boat race on the Chaobai River would be held until the end of the month. Sure enough, there was an endless stream of tourists, crowding both sides of the river. Looking at the turning oars in the water and the competing bows of the boats, they clapped and cheered. The vendors along the river also made a lot of money, smiling so widely that their eyes could not be seen.
Now was the most popular season for selling dumplings at the food stalls. The snow-white glutinous rice was soaked in mountain spring water two hours in advance, and the grains were soaked until they were white and plump, plump and full. Then, with the rich stuffing, they were wrapped in green bamboo leaves, and a dazzling silk thread had been firmly tied into a triangle. The boiling water in the big pot could not wait any longer, and with dozens of splashing sounds, the pot was full. At this time, one must not be careless, and one must keep one's eyes firmly fixed on the heat. When the time came, one must immediately lift the pot. The fragrance of the bamboo leaves, the fragrance of the glutinous rice, and the stuffing together overflowed half of the street, making one's mouth water.
If one liked sweet, one would buy sweet date dumplings, and if one liked salty, one would buy dried rice dumplings. The boiling hot dumplings were taken out of the hot soup, and the green bamboo leaves were peeled off layer by layer, and the process of looking forward to the rich stuffing inside was the greatest enjoyment in the world.
On Chunghua Street, in front of the most famous snack stall, dozens of hands holding copper coins surrounded the stall owner. Ning Shu squeezed out of the crowd with difficulty, holding two steaming hot dumplings, and was already sweating profusely.
She looked back, and at the end of the surging tide of people was a tall Chinese redbud tree, with lush branches and leaves. Above her head, the brilliant sunlight shuttled back and forth through the gaps between the leaves, sprinkling golden fragments on the body of a young man wearing a frost-colored robe under the tree. He was extremely tall, tall and straight, and the outer layer of his silk robe, painted with an ink pattern of distant mountains and long clouds, fluttered slightly in the wind. He did not need to speak, but he already had a noble and lofty aura, making people unable to help but slow down, wanting to see his true appearance.
It was a pity that such a dazzling man was wearing a veiled hat on his head, which completely covered his face, causing the young girls who passed by to feel hatred in their hearts.
Of course, this veil hat was worn by Ning Shu, who begged Xiahou Qing to wear it. The reason was: She was in her prime, and did not want to be trampled to death by the embroidered shoes of the tens of thousands of young girls in the market who wanted to see the handsome face of the heir.
It seemed that Ning Shu had been waiting impatiently for a long time, and behind the veil hat, Xiahou Qing could not help but wrinkle his eyebrows. It was not until he heard the familiar sound of footsteps coming from afar that he slowly relaxed his eyebrows.
Ning Shu's warm voice, like a dumpling, sounded in his ear: "Your Highness, I have already peeled off the bamboo leaves for you. While it is still warm, you should quickly try it. This is the best dumpling maker in the entire capital, and the stuffing is also the best and freshest. I guarantee with my life that it is absolutely delicious!"
As she spoke, she enthusiastically delivered the peeled dumplings to Xiahou Qing's lips.
Xiahou Qing couldn't understand why she had lined up for an hour to flatter him for two rice dumplings. "For me, food is just food to fill my stomach. As for the taste, whether it's sour, sweet, bitter, or spicy, it doesn't make any difference whether it's delicious or not."
Ning Shu was not dispirited at all. She pinched her sleeve to wipe the sweat from her forehead and said: "Whether it is delicious or not, you may not know it with your mouth, but your heart knows. Especially my daughter … Ah, no! This subordinate spent a lot of effort to buy these dumplings. Even if you can't tell with your mouth, Your Highness will definitely feel that it is delicious in your heart. "
Her voice was like a sparrow's chirping, and it was even more lively than the cicadas in the redbud tree above them.
Xiahou Qing lightly snorted: "Preposterous logic."
But in the end, he took the dumplings in her hand and put them into his mouth, slowly eating a few bites.
"How is it? How is it? Does Your Highness feel this subordinate's good intentions? "Ning Shu blinked her eyes, expectantly waiting for him to praise her.
Xiahou Qing indifferently said: "It's only so-so."
Ning Shu curled her lips and a handkerchief flew over: "Use this to wipe your sweat. Don't always use your sleeve. Aren't you afraid of getting dirty?" The owner of the handkerchief coldly said this, then turned around and continued walking.
Ning Shu took the handkerchief and looked at his tall back. She secretly stuck out her tongue, ridiculing in her heart: Awkwardness is a kind of illness that needs to be treated. But how did he know she was using her sleeve to wipe her sweat?
Although this person's eyes were blurry, his heart was full of wisdom. He didn't need to look. Nothing could be hidden from him.
Today was the ninth of the fifth month, eight days away from Princess Changping's marriage. Wen Hui Niang, who had been sent out as bait, suddenly died in her home. The cause of death was a dagger shot from a flying crossbow that pierced her throat. When the Prince of Nanping's personal guards chased after the assassin, they found a token that belonged to the seventh prince's estate.
Ning Shu had just accompanied Xiahou Qing to the scene of the crime, but found nothing. Wen Hui Niang's son, Qian Bingyi's wails were still ringing in their ears. Ning Shu thought for a moment, then dragged Xiahou Qing to the nearby eastern market to stroll around and watch the commotion.
As she slowly walked behind Xiahou Qing, Ning Shu bit into the sweet dumplings in her hand. "It shouldn't be Xiao Yuncen's doing. Assassins in charge of assassinations wouldn't carry anything that could reveal their identities in order to avoid being exposed. A token like this is too clumsy."
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