After marrying the fierce god, her handsome young husband was pampered to the extreme.

I didn't expect the gift from that blond kid to be so practical.

I'll barely add one point.

Not only Yin Cheng found the medicine bell amazing, but Yuan Bao did too.

Pearl tied the medicine bell, pushed her younger brother's head away, and said, "Eat your food properly."

Yuanbao said, "Brother, don't be stingy! What's so good about it? Let me see it!"

Pearl smiled, her eyes crinkling. "No."

"I don't want yours, just let me see it." Yuanbao pleaded like a puppy begging for a New Year's greeting.

The other children were also curious, but they were all rather reserved, glancing at the medicine bell from time to time, and doing so furtively, as if afraid of being discovered.

Pearl took off the medicine bell and placed it in the center of the table. "Look, there's a little worm inside, and herbs are stuffed in the gaps."

As soon as Lin Ling heard that there were insects inside, she immediately lost her curiosity.

Not only was he not curious, he even moved the bowl a few inches away.

The other children huddled together and discussed it for a long time, and even the usually composed Lin Zhishan couldn't resist taking a second look out of curiosity.

I had only ever seen the strange arts of the ethnic minorities in the southwest, such as the use of Gu insects, in books before; this was the first time I had ever witnessed them in person.

Feng Yixuan was also somewhat surprised, "Won't the bug die if I put it in here?"

Pearl shook her head. "It's been more than ten years, and she's still alive."

Yuanbao asked, "If I go to Brother Huangmao to surrender now, will he give me one too?"

Pearl: "...I'm afraid not."

Yuanbao's face fell. "Future brother-in-law gets a huge deduction!"

"Yuanbao, want some more pig's trotters? They smell amazing!" Lin Zhishan said. "If you don't hurry, Shiming and Shiyue will snatch them all."

Yuanbao immediately said, "Leave some for me!"

These aren't younger brothers, they're clearly a bunch of bandits.

Lin Ling quietly placed a roasted pig's trotter on his plate.

The children love each other, unless they fight over the roasted pig's trotters.

At another table, Ye Qingyu asked, "Who were those people just now? Coming here to cause trouble during the New Year."

Lin Yunyuan said, "They were just a few scoundrels in the martial arts world; the matter has already been resolved."

Ye Qingyu said, "I'm not trying to criticize you, but what kind of martial arts alliance leader is this? There's no money in it. There's no benefit at all, and you have to guard against those people who might do something desperate. It's a thankless job."

Lin Yunyuan: "...We won the martial arts tournament, there's nothing we can do about it."

Ye Qingyu said with exasperation, "Can't you just give way to others?"

Shen Qingheng said, "They are people of the martial arts world, and they value rankings very much. Besides, Yun Yuan isn't doing this for himself. If he loses, it means Guishan loses, so there's no way they can let him win, both morally and logically."

Ye Qingyu sighed, "I disagreed with the eldest brother going to Guishan back then. It was all because of your short-lived father. He insisted that the old man was powerful and that following him would lead to a bright future. Otherwise, it would be a waste of the eldest brother's good genes..."

Lin Yunyuan coughed. "Father, Father has been dead for so many years, so please stop criticizing him."

"So you're everywhere, huh? Why did you have to say anything?" Ye Qingyu rolled her eyes.

Shen Qingheng rolled her eyes at her husband, "Go drink your wine."

Yin Cheng patted the eldest brother's shoulder sympathetically.

People at the bottom of the food chain are truly pitiful.

Just then, fireworks exploded in the sky. The earlier incident did not affect everyone's mood, and they all went out of their rooms to watch the fireworks.

Lin Nian didn't know that the fireworks were prepared by a man; she assumed it was some noble family in the city celebrating.

As Pearl touched the medicine bell and looked up at the fireworks, she wondered what 'someone' was doing at that moment...

The "someone" that Pearl is thinking about is currently raising a venomous insect.

The rows of jars of varying sizes trembled from time to time, and occasionally the contents of the jars would push open the lids, creating a chaotic clanging sound that could be heard throughout the dimly lit room.

On New Year's Eve, the family went to the palace to celebrate the festival as usual.

This year's Lunar New Year's Eve was no different from usual, except that all the civil and military officials present were on edge, eating their meals with trepidation.

Prince Cheng has returned to the capital.

Nobody mentioned this before it happened!

I should have pretended to be sick and not come...

Yin Cheng had no idea that the civil and military officials below were gossiping about him. At this moment, he was deep in thought, looking at the six-inch chocolate cake on the table.

Si Zhaozhao actually managed to get her hands on some chocolate.

Damn it, a recipe is faster than his actions; it's infuriating just thinking about it.

Yin Mo continued, "What is before you, my dear ministers, is called cake. It is a food that has been introduced from the West. Please try it for its novelty."

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials picked up spoons and began to scoop out cake to eat.

Lin Nian had been eagerly anticipating it for a long time.

The cake has a rich aroma; just smelling it makes it incredibly sweet.

Pearl liked it very much too. If it weren't for the fact that Princess Zhaoren needed to be reserved in public, he would definitely have shown off the cake.

Yuanbao doesn't have this problem; children love sweets, and he eats them happily.

Not only did Pearl envy her younger brother, but the young prince Yin Zhixuan also envied him.

He had been learning the art of imperial power from Yin Mo since childhood, and no matter how much he liked it, he never showed it on his face.

He only took two small bites and then stopped eating.

He was only about the same age as Yuanbao, yet he already kept his emotions hidden, making it impossible for people to guess what he was thinking.

He envied Yuanbao's carefree life, but even his envy was restrained.

Yuanbao and Zhixuan sat together, sharing the same table.

After showing off the cake, Yuanbao was still a little unsatisfied.

Aren't you going to eat?

Yin Zhixuan shook his head.

Yuanbao looked at him, blinked, and then scooped a spoonful of cream and put it in his mouth.

Yin Zhixuan was immediately stunned.

A sweet taste filled his mouth as he looked intently at his cousin.

He disguised himself very well, even concealing his gaze and not glancing at the cake more than twice.

But Yuanbao knew he wanted to eat.

Yuanbao spooned the food over and over, stuffing it into his mouth.

Yin Zhixuan was "forced" to accept his cousin's feeding.

He was really happy.

But he couldn't show it.

Seeing this, Yin Mo simply smiled and did not speak to stop him.

The civil and military officials below were all drenched in sweat.

As expected of the Prince of Cheng, his courage is exactly the same as the Prince of Cheng's.

That's the crown prince!

How dare the Crown Prince force himself to eat? This Prince Cheng's son is utterly absurd.

Some civil officials have already begun to consider how to impeach the Prince of Cheng along with his heir during the next impeachment of the Prince of Cheng.

Lin Nian took a bite and immediately realized what was going on.

"Ah Cheng, is this chocolate?"

Yin Cheng nodded, "Yes."

Lin Nian smiled, her eyes crinkling. "I haven't had chocolate in so many years, I almost forgot what it tastes like."

"Tomorrow we're going to visit our boss Zhao Zhao for the New Year and buy all the chocolates he's stored up," Yin Cheng said.

"Okay." Lin Nian whispered to the man, "Oh, right! I've already calculated the money Zhao Zhao has given us as dividends over the years. It totals several hundred thousand taels of silver. Let's go to the warehouse to count it when we have time."

"Perfect, let's give it all to Pearl as her dowry," Yin Cheng said. "It will save her from having to live a hard life in the mountains after she marries into the family."