Reborn as Murong Fu: This Time I'm the Protagonist

Chapter 501 Night Market
Seeing the Chu princess in a daze, Murong Fu smiled and said, "Your Highness, would you like to go down and take a candlelit stroll at night?"

Like a pebble gently breaking the thin ice on an early spring pond, the Chu princess snapped out of her daze: "Huh? What?"

Murong Fu thought to himself: Could it be that this little girl is scared because it's her first time experiencing flight? That shouldn't be the case, since she wasn't flying that high herself.

"I said, Your Highness, would you like to go down and have some fun? After all, it's not easy for you to leave the palace. But it seems you're not interested, so we won't stop here."

"Who said this princess isn't interested! Humph, you bullied me like that before, and you haven't even apologized to me yet!"

The Chu princess said coquettishly, but her charming and innocent appearance was seen by Murong Fu as a flirtatious glance directed at a blind man.

"Then how does Your Highness wish me to apologize?"

Murong Fu said.

"Hmph, since you're so sincere, I'll punish you by making you accompany me for a stroll along the Imperial Street!" Princess Chu laughed.

"Is it really that simple?" Murong Fu asked uncertainly.

"That's all for now. I'll think of something else later. Hmph."

“I have no objection, but there’s someone else here right now.” Murong Fu raised an eyebrow and looked at Huang Yunjin beside him: “Aunt Yun, how about we go for a stroll along the Imperial Street? What do you say, Aunt Yun?”

Huang Yunjin rolled her beautiful eyes slightly, utterly speechless.

"Oh, I forgot, I pressed your pressure points. Sorry, I'll undo it now." Murong Fu pointed a finger out from the air, and Huang Yunjin felt a warmth in her chest, her body instantly regaining its freedom of movement. Her pretty face turned cold: "Sir, you truly have remarkable skills. You possess such superb martial arts, yet you come to toy with a woman like me. What are your intentions?"

"It was not a joke, but a matter of expediency. Please forgive me, Lady Huang, and I will formally apologize to you another day," Murong Fu said, bowing slightly.

Princess Chu felt uneasy and tugged at the hem of her dress as she looked at Huang Yunjin: "Aunt Huang, it's really not what you think. There's really nothing between me and Young Master Murong."

Huang Yunjin hesitated, then swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

"Okay, this will only happen once, and there won't be a next time."

The Chu princess exclaimed joyfully, "I knew Aunt Yun was the best to me!"

Huang Yunjin glanced at Murong Fu meaningfully. Murong Fu turned his head away slightly, feeling embarrassed, and dared not meet her gaze: he felt like he had been caught by his mother having an affair with someone else's daughter.

Murong Fu chose a secluded alleyway away from the crowds, and the three of them slowly descended. After all, for three people to descend from the sky without any assistance was awe-inspiring in any era. Murong Fu was also moved at this moment, not so much by the grandeur of the city before him—compared to the massive projects of later generations that required enormous investments, this was child's play. It was simply that when the myriad lights and vibrant life of the city were laid bare before him, he genuinely and profoundly felt that his choice was right. If the throne came at the cost of shattering this dazzling and exquisite human life, then Murong Fu declared that it should be set aside; he didn't want it, and no one else was allowed to have it either.

Princess Chu curiously examined the lively, everyday trinkets. Although Huang Yunjin was watching over her from an old woman, her girlish nature was irrepressible; she looked at this stall, then that stall. Having grown up in the deep palace, everything was new and exciting to her.

She walked up to a stall selling pearl hairpins and picked up a gilded hairpin to examine it curiously. The hairpin was adorned with a dozen or so tiny water droplets, forming the shape of coral. Although it was not extravagant, its ingenious design and exquisite workmanship were remarkable, demonstrating the wearer's cleverness.

The stall owner, a middle-aged woman of about thirty, saw the appreciation in the eyes of the Chu princess and quickly said, "Young lady, you have good taste. This is the treasure of my shop, a hairpin made by the needleworkers of the Knitting Bureau in three days. It is of absolute imperial quality and a rare treasure even in the palace. If you like it, I will sell it to you for only fifty strings of cash."

"Ah, so expensive..." The Chu princess couldn't help but feel regretful. Although she was reluctant, she had no choice but to put it down gently.

The stall owner, however, thought that the Chu princess was haggling. He thought to himself that she was well-dressed but stingy with even a mere fifty strings of cash. He thought that the rich were ruthless. He gritted his teeth and said, "How about this, I'll give you five strings, forty-five strings, forty-five strings. You can take it, young lady."

Little did people know that Empress Dowager Gao was extremely frugal throughout her life, fearing that future historians would record a bad name for her. She was like this herself, and she treated those around her the same way. One New Year's Eve, according to ancestral custom, she bestowed blessings upon the Gao clan, but the gifts were nothing more than two bolts of silk for each adult and two small lion and rabbit candies for each child. Her frugality towards resources was truly remarkable.

Princess Chu grew up in the palace from a young age, raised by the Empress Dowager. Naturally, she was also strictly disciplined by her grandmother, and her daily necessities were even less than those of some daughters of wealthy families. Despite being a princess of a nation, she sometimes lived like a girl from a humble family.

The Chu princess shook her head and put it down regretfully: "It's still too expensive, forget it."

Upon hearing this, the stall owner looked disappointed and gently placed a golden bean on the stall with a "plop": "Please put it in a better box."

The middle-aged woman's face lit up with joy: "Oh my, this young man is so handsome and refined, he looks like a charming and considerate man. He and this young lady are a perfect match, a match made in heaven."

The Chu princess blushed deeply: "What are you talking about? Who's a perfect match?!"

Murong Fu laughed and said, "You've misunderstood. This is my younger sister, not my wife."

"Oh dear, look at my mouth! I deserve a slap! I drank two bowls of wine last night and started talking nonsense. Look at the mess I've made. Please don't be angry, young lady," the middle-aged woman apologized repeatedly.

The Chu princess was both ashamed and angry, but unable to retaliate, she angrily stomped on the foot of the person next to her. Murong Fu deliberately made a face as if to show his teeth, hoping to calm the Chu princess down. Upon seeing Murong Fu's funny expression, the Chu princess chuckled, and the little incident was thus dropped.

The female stall owner carefully packed the hairpin into an embroidered box and handed it to the princess of Chu. The princess happily accepted it and waved it in front of Murong Fu: "Consider this your apology. In consideration of this apology, Your Highness will reluctantly forgive you!"

Murong Fu was taken aback, then realized what he meant, and smiled helplessly, rubbing his forehead: "Alright, I wonder if Your Highness the Princess still finds my apology acceptable?"

"So-so, it's alright."