A small piece of silver was handed before her, and Wei Linxia lowered her head to look. She took the silver without ceremony and placed it in the shallow copper plate of the street performer.
On the way back to the Eastern Palace, the young couple rode in a horse-drawn carriage, and Wei Linxia was still savoring the street performer’s elegant sword technique.
“Such a big night market and there’s nothing to buy,” Xi Linxuan said.
“Hmm? What do you want to buy? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Wei Linxia asked.
“Buy a few bells; their sound is quite nice,” Xi Linxuan replied.
When he mentioned this, Wei Linxia felt uncomfortable, remembering that it was a foolish matter that had embarrassed her for a long time. “Did you bring any this time?” Xi Linxuan pressed.
“No,” Wei Linxia firmly refused.
“Hehe, of course, you gave all of yours to me. This little invention of your Huo people is quite interesting…”
“It’s just two ceramic bells,” Wei Linxia retorted weakly.
“Oh? The palace eunuch told me these are also called ceramic embroidery balls, and young Huo people love to give them to their loved ones,” Xi Linxuan said.
“No way, it’s just a bell… just a bell.” Her head drooped.
Fortunately, Xi Linxuan didn’t say anything more to embarrass her.
The next day, he was busy and didn’t spend much time with Wei Linxia. She didn’t mind and had her ways of coping. Several prince consorts visited her, and their conversations revealed that the kind-hearted spoke less while the gossip-mongers spoke more.
Li Weiheng also sought an audience, still dressed as a woman and seemingly unhappy. Wei Linxia thought she was homesick and offered comfort, to which Li Weiheng smiled helplessly. Later, she invited Wei Linxia to a temple outside the city to burn incense. With nothing to do in the Eastern Palace and wanting to avoid the gossip, they went to the temple in disguise with guards.
The temple Li Weiheng mentioned, claimed to be spiritually efficacious, was unremarkable, with only two halls dedicated to Rulai and Guanyin. There weren’t many pilgrims. After paying their respects and as they descended the mountain, they encountered a ragged vagrant with wild hair sitting on the stone steps, blocking the path.
