Song Shuyu was brawling with the kitchen maid at the estate. Meanwhile, Xiao Yun'an and the others were ambushed on the road.
A group of masked men suddenly charged out and killed the coachman and the guards.
Xiao Yun'an pulled Xiao Yunming out of the carriage, and the two of them fled.
Xiao Yun'an didn’t dare look back. Grabbing his little sister, he ran at full speed toward the crowd.
Several masked men chased close behind them.
When the townspeople saw that someone had been killed, they hurried into their homes and slammed the doors shut.
They hadn’t gone far when Xiao Yunming could run no longer.
“B-Brother… I can’t run anymore!”
Regardless of how dirty the ground was, Xiao Yunming plopped down right in the street.
Xiao Yun'an glanced back and saw several masked men searching the area for them.
“If you don’t run, you’ll die here!”
For a brief moment, Xiao Yun'an considered abandoning his sister and escaping alone.
Hearing his words, Xiao Yunming sobbed as she struggled back to her feet.
“Brother, why are these people trying to kill us?” Xiao Yunming couldn’t understand.
Xiao Yun'an pressed his lips tightly together.
He had naturally heard some rumors during the past few days while staying in the outer court.
However, he wasn’t certain of anything.
“Come on!” Seeing the masked men drawing closer, he grabbed his sister and ran again.
As Xiao Yun'an ran, he spotted a large crowd gathered ahead, all watching something.
There was no time to think. Instinctively, he pulled Xiao Yunming into the crowd with him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A sudden burst of gongs rang out, startling both Xiao Yun'an and Xiao Yunming.
It turned out that a shop was celebrating its grand opening and had hired a lion dance troupe for the occasion.
Xiao Yun'an looked up at the signboard. Three large characters were written on it: “Fu Duo Duo.”
Both sides of the entrance were covered with paintings.
They depicted plate after plate of tempting pastries.
Xiao Yun'an hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning, aside from a few pastries.
After running all this way, he had long since digested them.
As he stared at the pastries in the paintings, his stomach began to growl.
He felt a tug on his robe.
“Brother, I’m hungry!”
Seeing the pastries in the paintings, Xiao Yunming licked her lips.
They looked so delicious!
She wanted to try them so badly!
Xiao Yun'an glanced outside the crowd and saw the masked men searching the streets.
Going out now would be no different from walking straight to his death.
“Come on! Let’s go inside and take a look!”
Xiao Yun'an pulled Xiao Yunming into the shop with the flow of people.
Inside, the place was packed, and voices rang out without pause.
“This one, this one, and this one—pack up a pound of each for me!”
“Five pounds of mung bean cakes! No, make that ten!”
“I want ten pounds too!”
…
Xiao Yun'an and Xiao Yunming stared at the scene inside, completely dumbfounded.
Who were all these people?
And where had they come from?
Every customer in the shop seemed desperate to shove their silver into the shopkeeper’s face.
The workers packing the orders didn’t even raise their heads. Their hands moved so quickly they became a blur.
“Please wait! I’m packing your order now!”
“Please wait, sir. You’ll be next!”
…
The shopkeeper wore a broad smile and showed no hint of impatience.
He collected the money with swift, practiced movements, without the slightest hesitation.
“Brother, this shop is so busy!”
Xiao Yunming quietly swallowed as the fragrant aroma filled the air.
This was the first time she had ever seen customers fighting to buy things in a shop.
It was as if waiting even a moment meant there would be nothing left!
“Everyone, today’s discounted mung bean cakes have all been sold!”
“You’re welcome to take a look at our other pastries. Since today is our grand opening, everything is twenty percent off!”
“If you want mung bean cakes, please come back tomorrow.”
“Our special promotions will change every ten days!”
“Please keep an eye out for our announcements!”
The shopkeeper smiled as he loudly advertised the shop.
Many people let out disappointed sighs.
“What? They’re already gone?”
“Exactly! I was hoping to buy a pound for my children to try.”
“But the other pastries don’t seem expensive either. I’ll buy some of those.”
Since they had come all this way, they felt they would be losing out if they didn’t buy something.
So everyone’s attention shifted to the other pastries.
Xiao Yunming hurriedly tugged at Xiao Yun'an’s sleeve.
“Brother, they’re going to snatch everything up!”
She was growing anxious.
Xiao Yun'an pulled his gaze back. “What do you want?”
“That one!” Xiao Yunming pointed toward the pastry surrounded by the fewest customers.
Xiao Yun'an led her over.
“Ten taels? That expensive?” He was stunned when he saw the price.
A shop assistant smiled and explained, “Young master, this is our shop’s signature pastry.”
“It was made by the imperial pastry chef for His Majesty.”
“All the pastries in our shop are exact reproductions of the imperial chef’s recipes!”
“Just think about it—if it’s something the emperor eats, how could it be cheap?”
“We have plenty of other pastries as well. You’re welcome to try those.”
The assistant’s words were tactful, and his tone and manner were extremely respectful.
Xiao Yun'an looked at Xiao Yunming.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Yunming pointed at the assistant.
“Pack two pieces for me!”
Then she felt that ordering only two sounded a little embarrassing.
“If they’re good, we’ll buy more!” she added, putting on a bold front.
The assistant beamed. “Of course, miss. Please wait a moment. I’ll wrap them up for you right away!”
As he spoke, he swiftly used oiled paper to remove two pastries from the shelf and wrap them.
Xiao Yun'an took a banknote from his purse and handed it to the assistant.
The assistant saw that it was a fifty-tael note.
“Young master, would you like your change in silver or in banknotes?”
“Banknotes,” Xiao Yun'an replied, glancing outside as he spoke.
The masked men who had been chasing them had already left after failing to find them.
The assistant quickly returned with the change.
“Please take care, young master and miss! We look forward to seeing you again!”
The assistant bowed deeply to Xiao Yun'an and Xiao Yunming.
Xiao Yun'an thought for a moment, then took a small piece of silver from his purse.
“Help us hire a carriage.”
The assistant froze for a moment, then immediately put on another smile.
“Please wait here, young master.”
He walked to a teenage boy standing near the entrance and quietly explained the situation.
Shitou glanced at Xiao Yun'an and Xiao Yunming, then nodded and walked outside.
Before long, a carriage stopped in front of the pastry shop.
Xiao Yun'an pulled Xiao Yunming into the carriage.
Neither of them noticed that Shitou had taken a seat beside the coachman.
As soon as they were inside, Xiao Yunming eagerly opened the oiled-paper package.
“Brother, where are we going now? Are we going home?”
Xiao Yunming wanted to go home.
“No. We’re going to the imperial palace,” Xiao Yun'an ordered the coachman.
The coachman glanced at Shitou, who gave a slight nod.
The carriage began rolling toward the imperial palace.
“Brother, why aren’t we going home?” Xiao Yunming asked, her face full of grievance.
“What if those masked men come after us again?”
“Brother, I don’t want to die!”
