There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 357 My Plaything

Li Shuchen didn't even glance at them, staring straight ahead and coldly said...

"I gave you a chance earlier, but you treated it like a joke. What do you think you are now? You are the Tenth Prince's people, and the Tenth Prince will make his own decision."

After saying that, he immediately turned to the Tenth Prince and said

"Tenth Prince, I have come today with Lady Gu to express my gratitude for saving our lives."

The tenth prince smiled faintly, waving his white jade fan.

"Oh? Is that why? Please come in."

After saying this, he swaggered into the mansion, not even glancing at the two people on the ground.

Seeing this, Li Shuchen and Gu Ziying then entered.

The mansion was vast and empty, its every corner lavish and opulent. Such a beautiful place should have been bustling with activity, yet the entire mansion exuded a chilling stillness, sending shivers down one's spine.

It wasn't until he entered the magnificent hall, where the charcoal fire burned brightly, that Li Shuchen finally felt warm all over.

The tenth prince removed his black fox fur cloak, sat upright above, rested his cheek on his hand, and lazily said with his eyes slightly closed.

"How does Miss Li intend to thank this prince?"

Li Shuchen, after giving a small gift to the group, asked the question that had been weighing on her mind: "I am deeply grateful to the Tenth Prince for rescuing me, but I am also filled with trepidation."

The tenth prince asked with a slightly displeased tone, "What is it that you are so afraid of?"

Li Shuchen: "It is an honor for me that the Tenth Prince has given me tonics, but the gifts are far too precious for me to accept."

The Tenth Prince lowered his fair wrist, his tone slightly mocking: "So, even the fearless Miss Li has something to fear? What makes you afraid that I, the Prince, will kill you?"

She was afraid, of course she was afraid. Whether he killed her or not was entirely up to him, but she dared not say a word.

Li Shuchen wiped the sweat from her palms, forcing herself to remain calm, and said, "The Tenth Prince is kind and compassionate, how could he kill a commoner like me? I had absolutely no such intention, absolutely no such intention!"

The Tenth Prince scoffed, "Is that so? Miss Li, put your mind at ease. I sent the tonic because I was afraid that your only plaything would die, which would be a pity."

"Tenth Prince, Shu Chen is not a plaything."

Gu Ziying's expression was serious, and her tone was solemn as she refuted the Tenth Prince.

Li Shuchen was terrified and quickly gave her a wink.

Don't panic, Ziying. The Tenth Prince is talking about me, but I'm not losing any blood or flesh, it doesn't hurt me at all. Let him say whatever he wants. Let's lie low for now and retaliate when we have the chance.

Gu Ziying received the message, but remained steadfast, standing there unyielding and unquestionable.

The tenth prince slowly rose and began to walk down, his imposing aura overwhelming him.

Li Shuchen knelt down abruptly: "Tenth Prince, Ziying was only concerned about this commoner and had absolutely no intention of offending you. Please, Tenth Prince, understand."

After saying that, he tugged at Gu Ziying's skirt, causing Gu Ziying to kneel down as well.

The tenth prince stopped in front of Li Shuchen.

Gu Ziying panicked and immediately said, "The Tenth Prince can punish me; it has nothing to do with Shu Chen."

"What's the panic? When did I, the prince, say I would punish you?"

After saying that, his gaze fell on the bulging bundle in Grape's hand, and the corners of his mouth curled up again.

"It seems Miss Li has prepared a very generous gift for this prince. Let me see it."

"Yes Yes Yes"

Li Shuchen immediately took the green bundle from Grape's hand and handed it to Qingyu.

The bundle was opened and placed in front of the tenth prince.

The tenth prince picked up a clay figurine shaped like a boy, rubbed it for a moment, and then slammed it onto the table.

Then I picked up a bamboo dragonfly, twirled it left and right, and threw it onto the table with a snap.

Then I picked up a package of oil paper, opened it to reveal the coconut milk jam cake inside, squeezed it, and tossed it onto the table with a "pia" sound.

……

Before long, the table was filled with all sorts of trinkets and street food.

Li Shuchen and Gu Ziying witnessed all of the Tenth Prince's actions.

But his expression was indifferent, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

"These are the generous gifts Miss Li has prepared for this prince?"

"Tenth Prince, please calm your anger. These are gifts that Shu Chen prepared for the children of Aiyoutang. The packages all look the same, and I unfortunately took the wrong one. The truly precious gift that Shu Chen prepared for the Tenth Prince is here."

After Gu Ziying finished speaking, she tugged at Li Shuchen.

Li Shuchen opened his mouth but didn't say anything, watching as An Lan handed him a bundle.

The pattern on that bundle was clearly different from hers; hers was green, while this one was purple, and the bundle's design was also more refined.

Qingyu took it, opened it, and placed it on the table.

Inside was a jade Buddha statue, a pair of lustrous white jade bracelets, and a pot of pearls the size of a thumb...

These precious items must have cost a fortune to gather, but Ziying was leisurely riding in the carriage, as she was preparing a grand gift for the Tenth Prince.

She will always remember such kindness.

It would be too much of a loss to give so much silver to the Tenth Prince for nothing.

She couldn't accept so much money from Ziying, so she spoke up.

"Tenth Prince, Ziying is mistaken. The items in the green bundle were carefully selected by this humble woman and are specially presented to you. It took a long time and a lot of effort to gather them all."

The tenth prince told Qingyu to put away the purple bundle, then turned to the two of them and said...

"You're all sticking to your own stories, do you think I'm easy to fool?"

Li Shuchen immediately flattered, "We are just insignificant people, how dare we deceive the tenth prince, a member of the imperial family?"

Tenth Prince: "Oh? Then tell me why you prepared these things?"

Li Shuchen straightened his back and began to pry.

"The so-called 'generous gift' does not refer to how expensive or rare it is in the world, but rather to whether it is precious to the recipient."

After listening, the Tenth Prince casually fiddled with the gadget: "Does Miss Li think that I lack these kinds of things?"

Li Shuchen: "The Tenth Prince was born into the royal family, so his clothing, food, housing, and transportation are naturally subject to many restrictions. Although these things are rough and rustic, they are the most interesting, fun, and delicious things among the common people, and they also carry the commoner's best wishes for the Tenth Prince."

Upon hearing this, the tenth prince's lips curled into a smile: "A beautiful wish? Tell me about it."

Li Shuchen was taken aback upon hearing this, and the smile on his face froze.

Oh, she was just being polite; she didn't mean to offer any special wishes.

Why is the Tenth Prince acting so unpredictably? It's annoying. Why doesn't he just accept the gifts and tell her to get lost? Now she has to come up with a new excuse; it's so troublesome.

His eyes darted around, and he opened his mouth to pull...

"This clay doll with its mouth wide open in laughter is my wish that the Tenth Prince can be like this clay doll, always smiling."

This large bamboo dragonfly represents the commoner's wish that the tenth prince could be like it, soaring freely and without restraint.

This bag of coconut-flavored and delicious coconut milk jam cake is the favorite snack of this commoner. One bite and my heart and mouth are filled with sweetness. I wish that the Tenth Prince will never suffer and will only eat sweetness in his life.

......"

Upon hearing this, the Tenth Prince was stunned for a long time, only slowly coming back to his senses after Li Shuchen finished speaking.

"The ground is cold, get up."

Li Shuchen was taken aback by the Tenth Prince's gentle and considerate words. He quickly recovered, thanked him, and pulled Gu Ziying to her feet.

"If the Tenth Prince has nothing else to say, I will take my leave."

While saying this, her eyes remained fixed on the purple bundle in Qingyu's hands, subtly implying to the Tenth Prince that it was time to return the lavish gift Ziying had prepared to her.

Why did Qingyu keep holding it?

He can't possibly want two expensive gifts, can he?

Seeing that Li Shuchen didn't move, the Tenth Prince looked up at him, then gave Qingyu a wink. Only then did Qingyu hand the purple bundle in her hand to Gu Ziying.