Leng Ruo Li and the others paid no mind to Qin Xi Xue and the other two. As Zhou Bai Yu was inconvenient to show himself, he had Ah Fu send Leng Ruo Li and her companions to the shop entrance, while he stood by the second-floor window, watching Leng Ruo Li’s carriage depart.
Inside Leng Ruo Li’s carriage, Bai Yu Xuan and Madam An were discussing the accessories they had chosen.
“Second Cousin-in-law, we’ve all benefited from your good fortune today,” Bai Yu Xuan said with her big, bright eyes sparkling, giggling.
“Indeed! Even I got a good deal, receiving such valuable jewelry,” Madam Su said, her face beaming.
Even Madam An and Madam Jiang were excited looking at the jewelry in their hands. Although they, as sisters-in-law, didn’t like to compare themselves or be vain, who wouldn’t love beautiful jewelry?
“Ruo Li, why didn’t you accept the jewelry Zhou Bai Yu insisted you pick out at Yue Mei Ren Accessories Shop earlier?” Madam An asked with some confusion.
“Eldest Uncle’s Wife, I usually don’t like to wear accessories. Moreover, as Princess Qing Ling said, my Prince has a goldsmith create ten sets of jewelry for me each month, with various designs, so I can’t wear them all. Therefore, I have no need for accessories,” Leng Ruo Li explained.
Actually, Leng Ruo Li’s explanation was only one reason. Another reason was that she was afraid her Prince would become unreasonably jealous if she brought home jewelry gifted by others.
“Alright, it’s willful to be pampered by your Prince,” Madam An quipped casually.
Leng Ruo Li: “……”
“Ruo Li, you promised to make a pair of high heels for each of us. Don’t forget!” Madam Jiang reminded them with a smile. She had been amazed by how stunning and exceptionally elegant Leng Ruo Li looked walking in high heels earlier, and thus, she wanted a pair for herself too.
“Don’t worry, Second Uncle’s Wife, Ruo Li won’t forget. However, you’ll need to measure your foot sizes,” Leng Ruo Li said, her eyes curving with joy.
“Alright, we’ll measure our feet and give you the sizes when we get back to the manor,” Madam Jiang replied with a smile.
“Third Uncle’s Wife, there’s no need to go back and measure. Ruo Li has a ruler with her, and I can measure your foot sizes right here in the carriage and record them,” Leng Ruo Li said with a mysterious smile.
Hearing Leng Ruo Li’s words, the others found it a bit strange. “Ruo Li, you carry a ruler with you when you go out shopping?”
“Uh…”
“My ruler is different from what you’re thinking. It can be used for self-defense, so I usually carry it with me when I go out.”
Leng Ruo Li casually concocted an excuse to fool them, and then, she took out a thin stainless steel ruler from her sleeve and proceeded to measure the foot sizes of Madam An and the other three in the carriage.
In reality, Leng Ruo Li had a variety of styles and colors of high heels readily available in her spatial supermarket. However, since everyone’s feet were different sizes, she needed to measure Madam An and the others’ feet to find the correct sizes for them.
…
As night fell, at the Cold Prince’s manor, Jun Mo Han returned from outside. To thank Jun Mo Han for the ten sets of jewelry he gifted her each month, Leng Ruo Li personally cooked a meal of four dishes and one soup: Spicy Beauty Pig’s Trotters, Tea-Scented Chicken, Caramelized Yam, Garden Vegetables, a small bowl of Stewed Chicken and Mushroom Soup, and a plate of Ruyi Cakes.
As Jun Mo Han stepped into his small courtyard, he was greeted by a pleasant aroma of roasted meat wafting through the air. His heart filled with joy, he hurried into the house and saw his Consort and her two young maids carrying steaming hot dishes from the kitchen and placing them on the table inside.
“Ruo Li, what’s the special occasion today? You’re cooking yourself. This is truly unexpected,” Jun Mo Han’s lips curved into a handsome arc, his violet eyes, like violets, holding a gentle light as he looked at Leng Ruo Li, as if gazing upon a snow lotus blooming on the Tianshan Mountains after a thousand years of waiting, softening the surrounding sunlight.
He felt how fortunate a man was to return home after a busy day outside and be able to eat a meal prepared by his wife.
“Ruo Li, thank you for cooking for me again!” Jun Mo Han said, touched.
“Alright, let’s sit down and eat first,” Leng Ruo Li said with a smile.
Then, she instructed Xing’er and Ling’er to go and eat. As she had taken the dishes out of the pot, she had set aside a portion of each dish for her two maids, which was more than enough for them.
After Jun Mo Han sat down, Leng Ruo Li also sat beside him and thoughtfully served him a bowl of mushroom soup and a piece of pig’s trotter, which truly overwhelmed Jun Mo Han with gratitude.
“Ruo Li, do you have something you want to tell me?” Jun Mo Han asked, looking puzzled.
“Yes, but let’s finish eating first,” Leng Ruo Li replied readily.
“Ruo Li, tell me now. I’m very curious,” Jun Mo Han furrowed his brows.
“Alright then. What I wanted to say is, please don’t ask that goldsmith Li to make jewelry for me anymore. I can’t wear them all, and it’s a waste of precious jewels. Plus, it troubles that goldsmith Li,” Leng Ruo Li said directly.
“Oh, so Ruo Li wanted to talk about this,” Jun Mo Han said with a smile.
“Yes, that’s what I wanted to talk about,” Leng Ruo Li nodded.
“Ruo Li, I found out that Goldsmith Li was the one who carved the Double Cicada Jade Pendant. However, he’s unwilling to reveal who commissioned him to carve the Double Cicada Jade Pendant back then. I was testing him by making things difficult for him, and having Goldsmith Li make jewelry for you was also to make you happy. Unexpectedly, you’re different from other women; you don’t like wearing accessories and prefer to collect them in your treasury. I’ve had so many sets of jewelry made, but I’ve never seen you wear any of them,” Jun Mo Han said with great helplessness.
Uh…
“Perhaps Goldsmith Li doesn’t know who commissioned him to carve the Double Cicada Jade Pendant?” Leng Ruo Li questioned.
“Goldsmith Li must have met the person who commissioned the Double Cicada Jade Pendant, because when I went to find him, as soon as I mentioned the Double Cicada Jade Pendant, his eyes kept darting away,” Jun Mo Han explained.
“Then, the person who possesses the Double Cicada Jade Pendant doesn’t necessarily have to be the one who poisoned you back then,” Leng Ruo Li added.
“That’s why I’ve been trying every way to have Goldsmith Li carve a Double Cicada Jade Pendant for me, so I can compare it carefully. I want to see what differences there are between it and the Double Cicada Jade Pendant I saw back then. If there are differences, it means that the person who commissioned Goldsmith Li to carve the Double Cicada Jade Pendant is the same person who poisoned me back then. And if the Double Cicada Jade Pendant has no differences, it means that what happened back then has nothing to do with the person who commissioned Goldsmith Li to carve the Double Cicada Jade Pendant,” Jun Mo Han explained patiently.
“Then, why would having it carved differently indicate the culprit? Do you think that person threatened Goldsmith Li after receiving the finished Double Cicada Jade Pendant, telling him not to carve similar Double Cicada Jade Pendants anymore? If you have Goldsmith Li carve a different Double Cicada Jade Pendant, it means he was threatened. If he carves an identical Double Cicada Jade Pendant, it means he was not threatened,” Leng Ruo Li mused with narrowed eyes.
“Yes, that’s the idea,” Jun Mo Han agreed, nodding.
“Then, making all this trouble for an old man is so troublesome. It would be more effective if I just hypnotized Goldsmith Li,” Leng Ruo Li said, her eyebrows knitted together.