But as Anxin had predicted, business was dismal.
At this rate, I'm afraid I won't make much money even after a whole day.
An Xin spread her hands and shouted, "Character divination! Character divination with gifts! Five coins for one divination, plus a great gift! Don't miss this opportunity!"
Jinqiao stared wide-eyed at Anxin, completely bewildered.
An Xin whispered, "Sister Jinqiao, quickly prepare the brush and ink."
Jinqiao hurriedly rummaged through her basket, but there was no ink or brush in it. She had no choice but to go and buy some. Although the ink, brush, paper, and inkstone were not expensive, they would cost Jinqiao all her savings.
After An Xin called out, curious people immediately stepped forward and asked, "Miss, you can also interpret characters?"
An Xin immediately clapped her hands and laughed, "How could I not? Do you see these handicrafts?"
The man nodded, looking completely bewildered.
An Xin said mysteriously, "These items are all carved from peach wood. Peach wood has the effect of warding off evil spirits. Anyone who comes here to have their fortune told will receive a free piece of peach wood to ward off evil spirits! No money back if it's inaccurate!"
The man's eyes lit up and he said, "I'll test it!"
Jinqiao came running up, panting. Anxin casually grabbed a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone and laid them out, asking, "What character do you want to have divined?"
Jin Qiaosheng was extremely beautiful, with exquisite features. The person staring at him was mesmerized and swallowed hard, exclaiming, "A beauty!"
An Xin picked up her pen and wrote down the characters, which were in regular script.
"Traveling a thousand miles is not tiring, why ask a Taoist priest for the secret? Everyone has their own path in life, and what is gained is often unexpected." An Xin recited the poem with a slight smile.
The man stared at An Xin for three seconds before asking, "What do you mean?"
An Xin clasped her hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Young master, one should enjoy life to the fullest when things are going well, and not be too concerned about gains and losses. Don't force anything, and just let things take their natural course!"
Jinqiao chuckled from the side, and the man's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
An Xin casually picked up a small peach wood figurine and handed it to him, saying, "Five coins, you won't lose out, five coins, you won't be cheated! Young master, just go with the flow, and your wishes will surely come true!"
In the distance, a sedan chair was parked.
The sedan curtain was lifted slightly, revealing a stunningly beautiful face.
Shen Zhuo gazed into the distance, his lips twitching as he said, "My lord, she actually intends to make a living this way."
"Hmm." He opened the folding fan with an elegant curve, gently shook it, and seemed to be deep in thought.
Shen Zhuo said in a low voice, "Should my men buy all those things?" Since the master is interested, he must have taken a liking to this woman.
"No need." The sedan curtain was casually lifted, and the person, as beautiful as a wildflower, slowly stepped out of the sedan. "To avoid revealing your identity, you should not appear in front of her."
Shen Zhuo immediately cupped his hands and said, "Yes."
The moment the man stepped out of the sedan chair, he shone like a bright pearl, instantly catching everyone's eye.
He held up a folding fan, partially obscuring his face, and slowly walked towards the distance.
An Xin was busy when a fair hand landed in front of her, picking up a peach wood comb. An Xin was startled and looked up.
A flowing purple brocade trails out a dazzling silhouette, a delicate folding fan paints a vibrant picture of a peach blossom forest, and a face... blooming with unparalleled beauty and grace.
All sounds around her vanished instantly, leaving only the man gazing at her with a languid smile, a relaxed demeanor, and shimmering eyes.
An Xin's face stiffened. Since their last parting, she had completely forgotten about this person. She never expected to run into him here. What a coincidence!
The peach wood comb wasn't particularly attractive to begin with, but when he held it in his hand, it was as if the system had been upgraded and revamped, instantly becoming understated yet luxurious and sophisticated. An Xin felt that if someone like that stood here holding the peach wood comb, it would be a living advertisement, wouldn't it?
"Uh, do you want me to have your words analyzed?" An Xin wondered why her voice was so clear. It turned out that everything around her was silent except for the chirping of insects and birds. It was so quiet.
He glanced down at it, then casually picked up a pen. With a flourish, the two large characters leaped onto the paper.
An Xin stared at it for a long time and asked in surprise, "Yan Zhen?"
He smiled and said, "Let's test it."
An Xin asked curiously, "Your name?"
He neither confirmed nor denied it.
An Xin remembered that there was a pictographic character "真" on his fan. Just as she thought, it was a character from his name, Yan Zhen...
---Aside---
Everyone's been curious about the Right Prime Minister's name. Well, the Right Prime Minister's surname is Yan, and his given name is Zhen. He'll be the first male character to appear. Hope you all like him! Mwah!
Chapter Twenty-Three: Living Advertisements
An Xin opened her palm and said, "Five coins for one test, small business, no credit!"
He raised the corner of his lips, reached into his sleeve, and after a moment looked somewhat embarrassed. The dignified Right Prime Minister was penniless!
Jinqiao finally came to her senses. She stared at the man in front of her in shock. How could such a beautiful person come from such a small place as Yi'an County?
Yan Zhen glanced casually at something not far away, and immediately a plain-looking servant boy ran over and whispered, "Master, Master..."
Yan Zhen raised her long eyelashes and glanced at the person, causing the word "person" in the person's mouth to be swallowed back down.
"Master, I only have ten taels of silver..." There really wasn't any smaller. If I offered ten taels of gold, I reckon he'd get a beating.
He raised his lips and said lightly, "It's alright." Then he placed the silver in An Xin's hand, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against her palm. An Xin felt a strange itch in her heart and hurriedly withdrew her hand.
"Too much, I don't have change!" An Xin glanced at the rather large silver ingot and handed it back.
He casually picked up a few more exquisite wooden hairpins, his eyelashes curving as he said, "I'll take all of these, no need for change."
An Xin didn't think there was anything wrong with it. In this kind of thing, it's a matter of mutual consent. Since the other party said that she didn't need to give change, she had no reason to refuse. It would be crazy to insist on giving change.
Jinqiao felt bad instead. She rarely encountered someone so generous, and this sudden appearance of such a person startled her. She kept saying, "Xin'er, I think we should try to exchange the silver. This is too much."
An Xin said earnestly, "No merchant is honest, and besides, the other party would rather be cheated, so what is there to feel guilty about!"
His words caused a stir among the entire audience.
Yan Zhen raised her eyebrows slightly and said with a smile, "That makes sense."
An Xin examined the two characters and remained silent for a moment before saying, "When the country is righteous, the heavens are in harmony; when officials are honest, the people are at peace; when the wife is virtuous, there are few disasters; when the children are filial, the father is at ease." It must be said, these are two good characters; in other words, this is a good name.
He looked at An Xin with a smile and said, "It looks good."
That smile was undeniably beautiful, instantly reminding An Xin of a sentimental poem: "A beauty unparalleled through the ages, a pleasing sight indeed. A face that could topple kingdoms, a breathtaking celestial being."
An Xin picked up the wooden hairpins and placed them in his hand, pulling out a smile and saying, "Keep doing what you're doing now, and it will definitely have a good result. Next!"
The next one is still in a state of stagnation.
He seemed to have a lot of leisure time, casually picking up a wooden hairpin to examine it closely, then turning around and smiling, he said, "It has a pleasant fragrance and is exquisitely crafted. Did you make it?"
"You seem to have a lot of free time."
"There was nothing to do before I left."
"Oh, come a little closer."
"Is this place nice?" He walked to within a foot of her. The faint fragrance of incense was like the lingering golden gauze curtains in the afternoon. Its aroma was as luxurious as golden chrysanthemums, swirling around his nose and making his mind float, as if he were unrestrained in a magnificent silk, lingering and reluctant to leave.
An Xin casually picked up the wooden hairpin from his palm, tiptoed slightly, and inserted it into his jet-black hair. In an instant, a delicate fragrance seemed to waft out, as if the hairpin itself had been imbued with his divine charm.
An Xin looked at the stunned crowd with satisfaction and said, "Want something high-end? Want something luxurious? Want something elegant? Want to be as captivating as this young master, with a single glance that could topple cities and kingdoms? All you need is a peach wood hairpin, and you can undergo a glamorous transformation!"
The crowd instantly became energized, and the frozen scene transformed into a roaring torrent, pouncing towards An Xin like wolves and tigers.
"I want one!"
"I want one too!"
"I want them all!"
...
In the distance, Shen Zhuo's face was ashen, and his lips twitched stiffly as he said, "This woman is ruthless!"
****
Jinqiao was unable to express her feelings. Normally, it would be extremely difficult for her to sell even one wooden hairpin, but today, they were all snapped up.
Unbelievable, truly unbelievable!
What surprised her most was that the hairpin that the man bought was casually resold by An Xin at a high price, with one hairpin fetching a price of fifty taels.
This is absolutely outrageous!
An Xin had only one thought about this: "This face is worth way too much!"
With the bamboo basket slung over her shoulder, An Xin glanced at the live advertisement on the side and said, "Want to have dinner together?" You can't hire someone to do advertising without paying them!
He seemed to be in a very good mood, as if being used as a live model was nothing wrong, and simply asked with a smile, "What would you like to eat?"
An Xin thought for a moment and asked, "What would you like to eat?"
Yan Zhen shook his folding fan and laughed, "What can you do?"
An Xin glanced at him and said, "Are you really going to eat what I made?"
Yan Zhen asked, "Why not?"
An Xin was thoroughly annoyed by the question: "Say a statement!"
Yan Zhen said, "I'll eat what you made."
An Xin: "..." You must have used the wrong punctuation mark, honey!
From a distance, Shen Zhuo's face darkened. This woman had just lured his master home like that?!
A servant boy said, "Young Master Shen, a letter has arrived from the capital, saying that something serious has happened and that you must return to the capital immediately."
Shen Zhuo said, "I know."
The servant said, "Aren't you going to urge them?"
Shen Zhuo said, "Go."
The servant said, "Then I'd better pretend I don't know." Before leaving, he couldn't help but sigh, "Beauty can ruin a country!"