Chapter 20

Zhao Mingzhu slumped in her chair and let out a satisfied burp. “An-zai, forget about marrying Bai Mu. Why not marry me instead?”

“As long as you marry me, I’ll gladly eat nine meals a day—meat and veggies—live in a big courtyard, and ride a fancy carriage.”

An Yun rubbed her full belly, not quite food-drunk yet. “I wouldn’t dare steal someone from the Eastern Palace. Better not.”

Zhao Mingzhu pouted. “Coward.”

“Yep, coward. So what?”

Gu Yu, more composed than the other two, sat properly against the chair back, listening to their bickering. No wonder they were called a trio of unruly friends. She squinted, drifting off to sleep.

Two hours later, An Yun jolted awake at the sound of frantic knocking.

“Miss, run! The master heard you skipped class and brought people to catch you—he said he’ll beat you to death!”

An Yun: !!!

She panicked and shook Zhao Mingzhu. “Mingzhu, wake up! My dad’s here—we need to run!”

She scrambled around, looking for an escape route, ready to jump out the window—until Zhao Mingzhu stopped her.

“Don’t forget, we have our designated scapegoat.”

An Yun retracted her half-hanging leg from the window, suddenly remembering. “Oh, right, I totally forgot.”

Despite all the commotion, Gu Yu hadn’t awakened. Zhao Mingzhu manually woke her up.

“Zhao Mingzhu, what are you doing!” Gu Yu, struggling to breathe, shoved away the hand pinching her nose.

Zhao Mingzhu: “Princess, it’s your time to shine!”

An Yun: “Princess, go forth!”

Gu Yu: You two are insane.

Just then, the door was kicked open with a roar, “You unfilial brat! Skip class for one day, and you start itching for a beating? You even bought a man home—are you trying to ascend to heaven!”

An Yun’s father, Grand Tutor An, stormed in, wielding a bamboo cane. But seeing more than just his daughter inside, he skipped over Zhao Mingzhu and immediately bowed to Gu Yu. “I didn’t know Princess Zhaohua was here. Forgive my rudeness.”

Gu Yu stood up calmly. “I was the one who dragged your daughter out to skip class today. If you must blame someone, blame me.”

Grand Tutor An froze, cane mid-air. He’d assumed it was another one of those two troublemakers. Now he was caught in an awkward spot. But realizing it wasn’t his daughter’s idea, he relaxed and felt much better.

“Your Highness is too kind. I only feared An Yun might disturb you. If she has, please punish her as you see fit.”

Once he left, he planned to find Old Zhao and cry tears of joy—finally, a mess his kid didn’t start. Truly, the ancestors must be smiling down.

Gu Yu knew it was all polite formality and smiled. “Your daughter is lovely. You’ve raised her well.”

Grand Tutor An humbly shook his head. “You flatter me, Princess.” He put away the cane and glared at An Yun.

“Since the Princess is here, and the Crown Princess as well, you must treat them properly. No slacking! Or else when you get home, my cane won’t be so forgiving!”

Satisfied, he left with his entourage, leaving An Yun clutching her chest.

“That scared me. I thought I was going to get my legs broken.”

“Broken legs mean rest at home. Isn’t that nice?” Zhao Mingzhu grinned.

An Yun huffed. “Good sister, then I’ll go tell Duke Zhen a bunch of nonsense. You won’t escape either.”

Zhao Mingzhu clutched her chest in disbelief. “You’re ruthless.”

Gu Yu watched their back-and-forth, then said, “It’s getting late. Are we still going to see the fireworks for Daughter’s Day?”

As expected, the two immediately nodded in unison. “Let’s go!”

Gu Yu was satisfied—peace at last.

The third day of the third lunar month—Shangsi Festival, also known as Daughter’s Day. On this day, the capital lifted its curfew. Girls flooded the streets to celebrate and enjoy the festivities together.

It was only tonight that Zhao Mingzhu finally grasped the full extent of An Yun’s extravagant wealth.

“An Yun, did you buy an entire boatload of fireworks?”

Gu Yu stared at the lavishly decorated lake cruise ship anchored in the river.

An Yun lifted her skirt and boarded. “I was in a rush, so I bought it from someone else. What? Not enough fireworks? I’ll just buy another boat…”

“Enough, enough—don’t buy more.” Zhao Mingzhu quickly stopped her from saying anything more outrageously rich. What they already had was enough to set off fireworks for three days and nights without pause.

An Yun shrugged and turned back to wave at the two who hadn’t caught up. “Hurry up! I bought tons of river lanterns, too. You can make all your wishes for the year in one go.”

She wasn’t exaggerating. The deck was piled high with lanterns of every shape and size.

Zhao Mingzhu picked up a round one. “Everyone else is releasing lotus lanterns. Why do yours look so weird?”

An Yun stood on the deck, letting the wind tousle her hair. “That’s a spirit-stone lantern. The shopkeeper said it was the last one—super rare.”

Zhao Mingzhu and Gu Yu: “…”

Gu Yu picked up an eight-pointed lantern, each corner dangling a little toad. “And this one?”

It had the shape, the symbolism—just not the aesthetic.

An Yun replied, “He said the lotus lantern had to be sold as a set with this one. Otherwise, he wouldn’t sell it to me.”

Zhao Mingzhu took a deep breath. That shopkeeper had clearly emptied out three years’ worth of unsellable stock just to fleece An Yun.

She took a step and accidentally stepped on something so hideous it defied description. “You bought this one because he said it would bring blessings and longevity?”

An Yun, oblivious to the sarcasm, beamed, “Nope! I just thought it looked unique, so I bought it.”

Zhao Mingzhu and Gu Yu exchanged a silent glance.

Zhao Mingzhu: Now I understand why she likes Bai Mu.

Gu Yu: It’s clear now.

An Yun has a thing for ugliness.

As dusk fell, a sharp whistle pierced the air. Golden light exploded overhead, and a thousand sparks shot into the sky. Gold foil scattered like stardust, silver blossoms bloomed into celestial robes.

Countless fireworks burst together. Children chased the falling sparks, women gasped behind embroidered handkerchiefs, and heads tilted skyward to admire the dazzling display.

An Yun nestled into Zhao Mingzhu’s arms and suddenly shouted over the fireworks, “I’m so happy!”

“Mingzhu, are you happy?”

Zhao Mingzhu looked down at the girl in her arms, her smile so wide her eyes disappeared, cheeks glowing like peach blossoms.

Zhao Mingzhu pinched her cheek. “With a beauty in my arms, how could I not be happy?”

Gu Yu, busy setting off fireworks nearby, came over to pry them apart. “Your turn. No slacking.” She couldn’t stand it—so clingy and cuddly.

In the next moment, Zhao Mingzhu and An Yun wrapped themselves around her like a human sandwich.

Zhao Mingzhu: “An-zai, didn’t I say beauty in your arms brings joy?”

An Yun sneakily pinched Gu Yu’s waist and snuggled up. “Princess, just give in to me…”

Gu Yu: …

The night was too lively. Everyone was swept up in joy, placing their wishes into river lanterns.

Zhao Mingzhu tried to peek at what Gu Yu was writing, but Gu Yu anticipated it and moved away. She then casually glanced at An Yun’s lantern. One look was enough, and she turned away.

Wishing Bai Mu would change his mind.

Predictable.

Zhao Mingzhu began writing her own wish. After a moment’s thought, she put brush to paper: May all the money in the world be mine.

Such a simple, unpretentious wish.

Zhao Mingzhu nodded in satisfaction.