"This glaze color pen washer, only two were obtained in total. Mr. Li, look at this color, how elegant and clean it is! Look, the inside has also been glazed..." The shopkeeper introduced enthusiastically.

  Li Xia pulled Li Wenshan, this kind of pen wash, Gu Liu must like it very much, this color, she heard Gu Liu say countless times, called after the rain the sky is clear cloud...

  Li Wenshan nodded, "Just this one will do. Bring me a few more Hu brushes, they don't have to be too good, just average ones are fine. My sister is practicing calligraphy."

  The shopkeeper responded with a sound, neatly washing and putting the pen into the box. The apprentice next to him brought over a large handful of lake pens. Li Wenshan casually picked out four or five, "How much does it all cost?"

  "The account has already been settled." The shopkeeper hurriedly bowed and smiled.

  Li Wenshan heard the shopkeeper say so, didn't say much more, stretched out his hand to take over the box, Li Xia took over that one lake pen from the clerk's hand, Li Wenshan just turned around and turned back again, asking once more, "How much money in total?"

  "This brush is worth four hundred taels of silver, and the small inkstone is a gift." The shopkeeper, who had seen many things in his life, replied in a low voice.

  Li Wenshan took a light breath and suddenly felt that the pen in his hand was heavy and pressing.

  Li Xia was also surprised, when she could afford this kind of sky blue and gray porcelain, the imperial kiln had already been specially fired for her. Before and after that, she didn't know that this kind of sky blue and gray porcelain was sold so expensively among the people...

  Li's siblings went in and out quickly, the servant took over the box from Li Wenshan's hand and the pen from Li Xia's hand, led a horse to Li Wenshan, Li Wenshan brought Li Xia, got on the horse and followed among the crowd, rushing straight to Qingfeng Building.

  In front of Qingfeng Building, Li Wenshan handed over Li Xia to Chengying and quietly pulled Lu Yi back a few steps, saying in a low voice: "Thank you, it's just... too precious."

  "It's Jin Shizi." Lu Yi smiled and glanced at Jin Zuyan, lowering his voice, "Don't worry about it, it's nothing."

  Li Wenshan was shocked, he never thought it would be Jin Xiangyan...

  Cheng Ying walked two steps with Li Xia's hand, then Qin Wang stopped, took two steps back, took Li Xia from Cheng Ying's hand, and led her into the welcome gate, into the main hall, and upstairs.

  Jin Zuo's words fell behind Qin Wang and Li Xia, along with Gu Liu who was looking around nervously, and followed them up the stairs.

  "This is West Lake. Have you been to West Lake?" Qin Wang led Li Xia, walking straight to the window facing West Lake and asked.

  The window on the second floor of Qingfeng Building, facing West Lake... It's more accurate to say it's a door. The window opens all the way down and is blocked by a half-person-high carved wooden railing outside. Li Xia may be short, but she can see clearly.

  Li Xia slowly shook her head, in two lifetimes, this was her first time seeing West Lake, and seeing such a beautiful West Lake.

  "Do you like it?" Seeing her shake her head, Qin Wang's mood lifted and he smiled.

  Li Xia nodded again, and the West Lake in front of her was indeed as Gu Liu said: The elegance of Jiangnan can be seen just by looking at West Lake.

  This West Lake, and the Jiangnan in her imagination, are like a watercolor painting, like the blue porcelain of the sky after the rain, no different, only more lively, more ethereal...

  "You little girl, I didn't expect it, but your eyes are really good. Brother tells you, this West Lake is best seen after rain, light rain is beautiful, heavy rain is also beautiful, if it snows, that's the ultimate scenery in the world."

  Qin Wang Xing walked all the way up, gesturing to the young servant, "Move that low couch over, A Xia and I will sit here. Is there any rock sugar? Ah, yes, bring that box of sugar I brought too."

  Several young men winked and moved the low couch, put on a cushion, arranged high and low tables, filled with all kinds of pastries, tea, and also osmanthus sugar, and a box of colorful, slightly transparent sugar grains.

  "Try some of this, it was my favorite when I was a kid." Qin Wang handed over the box and passed it to Li Xia's face.

  Li Xia looked at the half-transparent sugar grains in various shapes such as lotus root, pumpkin, eggplant and Chinese cabbage in the box, slightly dazed. In the palace, she liked to use molds like this to make things. Before, in those soups she drank, there were often face points made into these shapes...

  Li Xia took a small pumpkin, stuffed it into her mouth along with her fingers, and bit down. A burst of refreshing sweetness flowed out, filling her entire mouth.

  The filling is jujube paste...

  "Is it delicious?" Qin Wang stared at Li Xia and asked.

  Li Xia nodded, this kind of sugar, she had never eaten before, previously...she didn't know the imperial kitchen would make such sugar...

  "This is called sugar? It's obviously fruit juice." Jin Zheyan walked over, standing behind Li Xia, tapping the fan holder with a folded fan, and said disdainfully.

  "When you were five years old, you ate a whole box of this candy in one breath and still wanted more, crying and shouting for it. Look at Xia, she's much stronger than you." Qin Wang put the box into Li Xia's arms and glanced sideways at Jin Qianyan.

  "What about you? When you were seven years old, you pretended to be ill, and after taking the medicine, you would eat two pieces of sugar with half a bowl of medicine!" Jin Cuiyan wouldn't give in.

  "Nonsense!" King Qin was about to jump up, "You're talking about yourself! Half a bowl of medicine needs at least one box of sugar, the imperial kitchen can't even make something for you to eat! Who doesn't know this? I originally wanted to save you some face! Who was it that on the day of the coronation ceremony, hugged a box of sugar and said that from then on, eating sugar would have to be done in secret?"

  "You!" Jin Zuo Yan looked like he was really furious, "How dare you mention me? The other day who was it that snatched candy from a five-year-old child? When the child ate one piece, you ate three pieces, and when there was only one piece left, you grabbed it with one hand. How dare you mention me?"

  Li Xia held the box, eating the fruit juice candies one by one, happily watching Qin Wang and Jin Cuiyan staring at each other like two fighting cocks, exposing each other's shortcomings. These black materials are perfect for serving with sugar.

  Lu Yi, Li Wenshan and Gu Liu stood in a row, staring at Qin Wang and Jin Qianshen who were quarreling.

  Lu Yi stared with his eyes wide open, speechless to the extreme. Gu Liu's excitement far exceeded his shock, one foot on the ground jumped up and down, just short of stomping his feet and clapping his hands loudly. Li Wenshan's shocked eyeballs almost fell out...

  "Cough! Cough!" Lu Yi couldn't bear it anymore, and he coughed loudly several times. His voice suddenly rose high, startling everyone. "Let's get the dishes served quickly, everyone is starving!"

  "Hmmph!"

  "Hmm!"

  The King of Qin and Jin Xuyan hummed in discontent, each to their own. Jin Xuyan suddenly opened his folding fan with a whoosh, shaking it rapidly as he turned around and sat down beside the table.

  The King of Qin, also enraged, suddenly closed his fan and stepped forward to the top seat. Just as he was about to sit down, he made a sudden turn, grabbed Li Xia, and pressed him onto Zhang Gong's chair, then sat down loudly in the top seat himself.

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