a year ago.
Longxing Street is the busiest street in the imperial capital of Daxi Kingdom.
Both sides of the street were crowded with vendors selling various groceries, and there was a constant flow of hawking.
If you encounter road congestion halfway through, you can squeeze into the crowd and see a few jugglers performing desperately for a living.
As soon as the gong is struck, a reward will be given.
As the saying goes, "If you have money, give me a reward, but if you don't have money, you can support yourself."
When the copper coins slipped into the round iron plate, the fair-skinned young man in charge of collecting the money remained expressionless and silent.
He just walked in a symbolic circle in front of the crowd. He didn't thank people for giving him money, and he didn't complain when people didn't have money.
This demeanor was in sharp contrast to the sweating people behind him who were shouting loudly. He didn't look like a man begging for money.
Mu Rongruo, the young lady of the prime minister's family, held the hand of the maid Xiao Ai and was protected by two guards from the family as she pushed her way to the front of the crowd.
Today is her nineteenth birthday. After begging Mu Xiang for a long time, his father allowed her to go out on the street for an hour and specially sent two guards from the palace to accompany her for protection.
Mu Rongruo had a very strict upbringing since childhood and rarely went out.
On weekdays, in addition to doing embroidery and writing, playing the piano and painting in the mansion, she and several of her sisters from the boudoir would go to the Liuli Garden to enjoy the snow in the spring and recite poems and compose poems.
The Liuli Garden was built by the royal family. Only nobles could go there, and ordinary people could not take a step forward.
So it is conceivable that the people inside follow the rules, which is very boring.
"It must be the fireworks of this world!" Mu Rongruo couldn't help but let out a burst of admiration.
When she saw a round ring of fire erupting from the mouth of a sturdy man, her eyes were even bigger than the gong in the hawker's hand.
Yelled "OK"!
Mu Rongruo raised his hands above his head and applauded, and the people around him also cheered and applauded thunderously.
The fair young man in charge of collecting money walked up to Mu Rongruo without haste and raised the iron plate in his hand without saying a word.
Mu Rongruo looked at the boy in front of him. He was about seventeen years old, with fair and smooth skin and clean and slender fingers. He didn't look like a man doing rough work.
Although he was wearing a coarse linen shirt, it could not hide his handsome face.
Mu Rongruo shook his head secretly, thinking that it was a pity that such a good-looking boy was mute.
Mu Rongruo took out a large ingot from his arms and put it generously into the young man's iron plate.
The young man who had never looked at Mu Rongruo looked at Mu Rongruo curiously when he saw something white on the plate.
But it was just a glance, and then he lowered his dark eyes and went to receive the reward elsewhere.
"What a rude guy!" Xiao Ai couldn't help but mutter.
Mu Rongruo didn't hear the little maid's dissatisfaction, her thoughts were all on the sweaty man whose chest was broken.
"Okay! Good!!!"
Mu Ruorong was so excited that her little hands were swollen, and she also rewarded Yuanbao one after another.
The crowd around me stopped watching the performance. They were all attracted by the rich and silly little lady in front of them, and they all cast strange looks at her.
Xiao Ai felt really embarrassed when she saw that her master looked like he had never seen the world. Afraid that she might not be able to keep her wallet, she quickly said to Mu Rongruo: "Girl, there are more fun things ahead. If you don't go and take a look, the time will be up in an hour."
After hearing this, Mu Rongruocai reluctantly left the sideshow stall and let Xiao Ai pull him towards a "more fun place".
The guards of the Mu family breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that their young lady was gone. They quickly kicked away the fat feet on their feet and followed their master.
"Where can there be more fun?" Mu Rongruo looked at the desolation at the end of the street, which was completely different from the bustling center of the street just now, and couldn't help but look at Xiao Ai angrily.
Xiao Ai smiled awkwardly and suddenly caught a glimpse of a fortune-telling stall on her right. She quickly pulled Mu Rongruo to the fortune-telling stall and coaxed her, "Young lady, you haven't had your fortune told yet. It's spread among the people in the city. He said that the fortune teller here is very effective, so why don’t you give it a try, girl?”
The blind fortune teller has white hair, ragged clothes, and skinny bones.
He doesn't look like a fortune teller, but like a refugee who has just escaped from the famine.
At this moment, seeing that he finally got a business and saying that he was efficacious, he opened one of his eyes in excitement and quickly urged the guests to sit down. He said with a smile, "Although Xiaoxian just arrived at Guibao Land yesterday, he didn't expect that his reputation has already spread. , just for this praise from the girl, Xiaoxian will definitely tell the fortune of the little lady."
"I never believe in fate, so what's the use of this trouble?" Mu Rongruo was about to leave, but the fortune teller quickly stood up to stop him.
After sitting around for a day, he finally opened the business. He couldn't just let go of the opportunity to make money.
Then, the fortune teller's words made Mu Rongruo sit down willingly.
"My dear, don't worry, my dear, this is the life of the Crown Princess!"
"Girl, he actually..."
Xiao Ai immediately covered her mouth, fearing that she would say something that would damage her wife's reputation.
"You two go and wait far away!"
Mu Rongruo pushed away the two guards and sat firmly in front of the fortune-telling stall.
"How did Sir find out that I was destined to be the Crown Princess?"
The corners of Mu Rongruo's mouth couldn't help but turn up a little, and even the maid Xiao Ai beside him became happy.
Seeing that he had hit the mark, the fortune teller returned to his seat unhurriedly and stopped pretending to be confused. He said bluntly: "The young lady has bright eyes and white teeth, and the beauty of a country. She is so beautiful." Many young men from rich families came to propose marriage, but the young lady was not satisfied and all her thoughts were focused on one person, which is why the young lady has not married yet."
"Accurate! So accurate!" Xiao Ai couldn't help exclaiming.
Mu Rongruo felt sad in her heart. She would be nineteen after today's birthday.
Her sisters in the boudoir of the same age had already married and had children, but she was the only one who still stayed in the boudoir and had yet to make a marriage decision.
Mu Rongruo was the only daughter in the family, and she was already past the age of marriage. Her life-long events had become a concern for the Prime Minister.
It turned out that the Prime Minister had already promised Mu Rongruo to the young Marquis of Jingyuan House, who was of outstanding character and appearance. Unexpectedly, on the day when the matchmaker proposed marriage, his daughter actually kicked the matchmaker out.
This matter spread inside and outside the imperial city, and everyone said that the young lady in the Prime Minister's Mansion was a little shrew.
With such a bad reputation, no one would propose marriage anymore.
This delay lasted until Mu Rongruo was nineteen years old.
The Prime Minister and his wife were so worried that they looked sad all day long, and they did not know what to do with their precious daughter who had been pampered since childhood.
Mu Rongruo, on the other hand, acted like he was happy every day and didn't know what sorrow was.
It's just the sadness in my heart that I don't dare to talk to outsiders.
"How on earth did Sir find out that I have the destiny of being a Crown Princess?"
This is what Mu Rongruo is most concerned about right now.
"The little lady has dragon eyes and a phoenix neck, and she is extremely noble. If she were a man, I might not be able to catch this overwhelming wealth, and things would turn upside down. It is unknown whether I would lose my life in the future. Fortunately, the little lady is born as a girl. After the disaster, there will be great blessings. Even the position of queen is within your destiny!"
"A big disaster? You think I will have a big disaster?" Mu Rongruo was a little panicked.
The fortune teller stroked his gray beard and said with a proud look on his face: "Young lady, do you want to avoid misfortune? There is a way for Xiaoxian here."
"Girl, you don't have to listen to his nonsense. This is a trick used by these charlatans. They first say nice things to lure you into the game, and then talk about disasters and disasters to scare you, just to make money."
Xiao Ai reminded Mu Rongruo in his ear and looked at the fortune teller with contempt.
"But didn't you say that he is very effective? And he even figured out the prince brother and me..."
Mu Rongruo hesitated for a moment, then said: "Please sir, please give me a way to avoid disasters."
"Hahahahahaha..."
The fortune teller laughed loudly and reached out to ask for the money: "One hundred taels!"
"A hundred taels of silver? It's indeed a bit expensive, but it's better to believe it's there than to believe it's not. It's worth it to avoid disasters."
Mu Rongruo took out the last silver note in his wallet and was about to hand it to the fortune teller, but was stopped by Xiao Ai on the side.
"Girl, this man is a liar! I just said that he is efficacious, but I am afraid that I will not find a fun place to go and be scolded by the girl, so I just find a fortune-telling stall to relieve your boredom. I thought that I would only spend a few taels of silver to make you happy. Who would have thought that this charlatan would actually ask you for a hundred taels of silver? This is simply an open robbery. You girl must not be deceived by him!"
Xiao Ai was so anxious that she knew that her wife had never been out of the house, she had a simple mind and was very trustworthy.
But Xiao Ai grew up in this market, and because her parents couldn't afford to support her, they sold her to the prime minister's mansion as a maid.
She knew the character of the people in the market very well. The girl was so kind to her, how could she let the girl be deceived by these quacks and sorcerers.
"Just think of spending money to buy peace of mind!"
Mu Rongruo pushed Xiao Ai's hand away and handed the hundred taels of silver notes to the fortune teller.
Unexpectedly, the fortune teller glanced at the bank note in Mu Rongruo's hand with disgust, and retracted his outstretched hand.
He said slowly: "I want a hundred taels of gold!"
As soon as these words came out, both Mu Rongruo and Xiao Ai were surprised.
Is this fortune teller crazy?
He wants to stay open for a year and eat open for the rest of his life!
If a hundred taels of silver gave Mu Rongruo peace of mind, then a hundred taels of gold made Mu Rongruo feel that she had really met a charlatan, but she had no intention of taking advantage of him.
"My father is a very human minister and is highly valued by His Majesty. Even if I encounter a serious disaster and a hundred taels of gold cannot help me, my father will be able to protect me! Therefore, Mr. Guo Lao takes action!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Mu Rongruo put the banknotes he took out back into his purse and pulled Xiao Ai to leave.
Seeing that Mu Rongruo was really going to leave, the fortune teller quickly jumped up from his stool, and the arrogance he felt just now disappeared in an instant.
He stopped in front of Mu Rongruo and stretched out a finger with a playful smile.
"One hundred taels of silver is one hundred taels of silver. Give it to me, little lady, and I will give you a way to crack it."
"Girl, I just said he was a liar!"
Xiao Ai glared at the fortune teller again.
Mu Rongruo smiled and said: "You didn't want it if I gave it to you just now, but now... I don't want to give it to you anymore!"
Mu Rongruo insisted on leaving, but the fortune teller stopped him again and begged: "Fifty taels? Isn't fifty taels not enough?"
"Girl, ignore him, let's go!"
"Thirty taels? Fifteen taels? Five taels? Oh, one tael? Isn't one tael enough?"
The fortune teller burst into tears, and Mu Rongruo couldn't help but stop.
After all, letting people calculate it for so long is also wasting their time.
Mu Rongruo gave the last few taels of silver in his purse to the fortune teller and told him: "Seeing that you are old, it is not easy to go out early and come back late to make a living. Keep these few taels of silver and don't lie to others again."
After that, Mu Rongruo took Xiao Ai and left.
The fortune teller held a few taels of broken silver in his hand, his eyes were moist, and he shouted loudly to Mu Rongruo's back: "The little lady is kind-hearted, she will be blessed one day. Just be sure to distinguish a good match, and don't be too obsessed!"
As Mu Rongruo walked, he asked Xiao Ai: "What does this fortune teller mean by his words?"
Xiao Ai said disapprovingly: "It's all nonsense, just to get you to go back to him and defraud him of the one hundred taels of silver notes."
Mu Rongruo frowned, a little confused: "But he said that I have the destiny of the crown prince, and he seems to know that I like the crown prince brother."
Xiao Ai thought for a while and suddenly realized: "Which unmarried lady in this imperial city does not like His Highness the Crown Prince? If he says this, I am afraid he will say it once to a young lady when he sees him. Those young ladies who want to be the Crown Princess will naturally listen to this. I am happy in my heart, if I ask him a few more questions, he will get his money by cheating."
Mu Rongruo nodded, feeling that what Xiao Ai said made sense, so he stopped thinking about the fortune teller's words, called the guards, and went back to his house.
