"It's fine, it's fine. I'm already touched to my core that as an arrogant prince, you're cooking for me."
With that, Leng Ruoli's lips curved into a crescent moon smile, and her clear, bright eyes twinkled at Jun Mohan.
Jun Mohan smiled happily at the sight of his consort's playful demeanor.
But just then, someone, at the most inappropriate moment, dressed in a colorful outfit and styled as a matchmaker, with a large flower tucked into their hair, their face smeared with thick rouge and powder, and a prominent black mole on the left corner of their mouth, which looked particularly eerie in the dim candlelight. They held a large red handkerchief in their hand, then, with a comical flourish of their pinky finger, swished the handkerchief while strutting in a sinuous manner, emerging from the small bamboo grove in the courtyard and standing in the center of the grass.
Leng Ruoli watched this matchmaker for a long while before recognizing who it was.
If this wasn't that slut Ming Jiuxiao, then who else could it be? Among everyone she knew, he was the most indecent, always dressing himself up in an unmanly fashion. And now he had dressed himself up as a matchmaker.
Leng Ruoli couldn't help but laugh at his appearance.
"Happy birthday, my dear!"
Ming Jiuxiao winked flirtatiously at Leng Ruoli and sweetly uttered his birthday wish.
Only Jun Mohan felt goosebumps all over his body at the sight of Ming Jiuxiao's appearance.
"Ming Jiuxiao, why are you dressed like this?" Leng Ruoli asked him, amused.
"My dear, don't I look good dressed like this?"
After speaking, Ming Jiuxiao placed his hands on his hips and wiggled his backside twice, then scratched his chest at two very hot, freshly cooked meat buns before doing a spin.
This nearly caused the hidden figures in the dark to suffer internal injuries from suppressed laughter.
Immediately after, several more people dressed in bizarre outfits emerged from the spot where Ming Jiuxiao had just come out of the small bamboo grove. Some were clad in tattered clothes, with a very cute large head drawn over their head, holding a dilapidated fan made of palm leaves in their hands, and they bounced out of the small bamboo grove; some were dressed in black, hunched over, with their mouths smeared black, their attire somewhat resembling the old fox mother in the invitation to the Dragon Subduing Cave in "Journey to the West," even their speaking voice was very similar; some were dressed as clowns... and others had dressed themselves as a ragged, disheveled old beggar... In total, there were eight people dressed in distinct, comical characters, who jumped and performed a funny dance in front of her, humming a funny tune. This scene almost made Leng Ruoli laugh until tears streamed down her face.
Leng Ruoli guessed in her heart that the costumes of these characters must have been conceived by Jun Mohan and her two maids, as well as Ye Ying, because the characters' appearances were all from stories she had told them.
And the dance performed by these eight characters must have been taught by Ming Jiuxiao; Jun Mohan would never have come up with such a flamboyant and eccentric dance.
After the eight characters performed two dances, they retreated.
At this moment, Jun Mohan gently embraced Leng Ruoli's slender waist and flew to the highest rooftop of the Cold King's Estate to sit down. Then, Jun Mohan placed his index finger to his lips and blew a whistle. The guards on the ground immediately received the signal, and after a moment, several "bang bang bang" sounds were heard, as if something was shooting straight up into the sky...
Then came several more "bang bang bang" sounds, gradually unfolding to form countless fireworks of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple, which bloomed like seven flowers in the sky, bursting forth brilliantly in the night, looking incredibly beautiful!
This was the first time Leng Ruoli had ever seen fireworks since she transmigrated to this era. She hadn't expected it, nor had Jun Mohan mentioned it, but gunpowder already existed in this era. However, they didn't yet know how to use gunpowder for war; it was only used for entertainment.
"Jun Mohan, does your era have gunpowder?" Leng Ruoli suddenly asked.
Jun Mohan was stunned upon hearing this.
"Are you referring to black powder? It's been around for a long time, but it's not as potent as the explosives in your space," Jun Mohan explained indifferently.
"Then why have I never heard you mention it?" Leng Ruoli asked curiously.
"I thought you knew. The day you took out black powder to blow up the mountain at the border between Nan Zhao and Tian Wu, I was quite surprised. I had always wanted to ask you how you thought of using black powder to destroy things, but then I thought about it and decided not to, because if gunpowder like yours were to be leaked and used in warfare, it would cause devastating disaster. So let it remain a mystery."
Jun Mohan looked at Leng Ruoli solemnly, speaking his heartfelt thoughts.
"Jun Mohan, you are right to think so. In my era, those warmongers..."
Leng Ruoli earnestly began to talk about the world wars that had happened in her past life.
"Mm-hmm, I have seen the wars that happened in your era on the televisions in my space, so I don't want it to be like your world, where wars between countries cause devastating disasters."
Leng Ruoli gave Jun Mohan a thumbs-up on the spot upon hearing his words.
But just then, Ming Jiuxiao suddenly appeared behind the two.
"You two have finished watching the fireworks for so long, what are you still babbling about on the roof? Aren't you going to eat? Everyone downstairs is starving and stretching their necks waiting for you two to come down for dinner. You truly are heartless!" Ming Jiuxiao said to them with dissatisfaction.
As he finished speaking, the Cold King and his consort looked visibly embarrassed. Then, the couple stomped their feet and flew down from the roof. Ming Jiuxiao also followed closely behind them.
When the three of them entered the grand living room of the Cold King's Estate, everyone had already arrived. There were people from the estate, the Cold family father and son, the Chu family siblings, Yan Yu and Lu Pailuo, her old disciple and Nan Xi, the employees of Jinxiu Pavilion clothing store, brothers Shi Zhenghe and Mei Yue'e. Even Prince An, Prince Ji, and Prince Xian had come. However, what was most unbelievable to her was that even the Emperor and the Empress Dowager had arrived. These two had completely befuddled her today.
"Lier, my dear, Han, you two finally decided to come down. I thought you two were still on the roof, producing a great-grandchild for me before you'd come down!"
As soon as the Empress Dowager finished speaking, everyone present burst into laughter.
"Hahaha..."
The Cold King and his consort: "..."
The faces of both of them also turned red in an instant.
Seeing Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan blush with embarrassment, the people in the room laughed even louder.
"Alright, everyone, stop laughing at them. Li'er and Han are thin-skinned. Let's first offer Li'er my best wishes. Begin!"
The Empress Dowager gave the command.
Everyone stood up and said in unison, "Happy birthday to the Cold King's Consort! We also wish the Cold King's Consort and the Cold King a lifelong union, and early birth of a son!"
The Cold King and his consort: "..."
Following that, the couple quickly bowed to everyone.
Then, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager beckoned everyone to sit down and eat, not bothering to see if the Cold King and his consort had seats.