Su Muqing finished speaking and looked at the two of them expectantly. Why hadn't she thought of this before? Fortunately, it wasn't too late to think of it now. She just didn't know if her parents were willing to go.
To settle in Hua Xia City? The Emperor did not agree immediately, nor did he refuse, but instead frowned and fell into deep thought.
The Empress, however, was somewhat moved. For a moment, even her eyes shone brightly. But then, she seemed to think of something, and the light in her eyes gradually faded.
She sighed heavily, took one of Su Muqing's hands, and gently stroked it. "Alas! Your father is the ruler of a country; it's not so easy for him to abandon everything here and settle elsewhere."
The Emperor also nodded gently. How he wished he could live in the same place as his daughter. Especially in the last few days, more and more memories that did not belong to his era flashed through his mind.
In the fragments of memory, he, the Empress, and his daughter were all there, living together, spending time together. He thought this must be what Mu Qing called their past lives.
The Emperor patted Su Muqing's head with some regret, took her other hand, and said, "I'm afraid your father cannot leave Tianzhao Kingdom for a while."
Hearing his words, the Empress immediately rolled her eyes. "That's right, your father still has so many beauties in his harem! How could he bear to leave? Why don't I, your mother, go to Hua Xia City with you alone?"
In the dreams of his past life, he only had one wife, the current Empress. Now, his harem... No! Before, with Kebi You, his harem was not limited to one.
However, being said this by his wife in front of their daughter, the Emperor felt his face was somewhat disgraced. He covered Su Muqing's ears with his hands and pretended to be angry as he said to the Empress, "You... what nonsense are you talking in front of the child! Besides your Fengyi Palace, which beauty's palace have I visited?"
"That's only in the last six months. You used to..." The Empress stopped mid-sentence. Ever since her last serious illness and recovery, she felt she was becoming more and more jealous, and her temper had become increasingly irritable.
Especially when those women, unable to wait for the Emperor, would always come to Fengyi Palace to pay their respects, sometimes up to eight times a day. How could she not know what those people were thinking? Wasn't it just hoping to encounter the Emperor here?
Thinking of these vexing matters, the Empress, whose emotions had stabilized, suddenly became agitated. She recalled several imperial selections of imperial consorts that she had personally arranged, and suddenly had nowhere to vent her anger.
Seeing the Empress gaze at him again with those resentful eyes, the Emperor felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn't help but lament inwardly how wronged he was.
Since recovering from his serious illness, he had some other memories in his mind. He had not spent the night in any other woman's palace. The imperial consorts who came to pay their respects, hinting and implying, had all been rejected by him citing indisposition.
Seeing the way they interacted, Su Muqing felt it was increasingly like how her parents behaved in her past life. She covered her mouth and gave the Emperor a gloating smile, then gestured with her eyes for him to quickly appease the Empress. She then turned and left the inner chamber, closing the door behind her.
"Let's go, we'll go together to bid farewell to the Empress Dowager." Su Muqing took the little milk bun and headed towards Shou'an Palace.
While the Emperor struggled to calm the Empress, who was on the verge of an outburst, the Empress Dowager also felt reluctant to see Su Muqing leave upon hearing the news.
She had later heard about what happened last night. Originally, she hadn't been particularly fond of this granddaughter who had suddenly appeared. However, after hearing the report of last night's events, she gained a new understanding of Su Muqing, and her attitude changed greatly.
She had saved her grandson Kebina twice, then saved the Emperor, and it was said that she had desperately saved Prince Qing last night, only to be outmaneuvered by Prince Qing. All these things, coupled with the Empress Dowager's genuine affection for Su Muxuan and her treating him as a junior to be doted upon.
Su Muqing sat with the Empress Dowager in her palace for a while, and they chatted about many things. The Empress Dowager was surprised that a young girl of her age possessed such a rich knowledge base; it seemed that no matter what topic they discussed, she could keep up.
The Empress Dowager found Su Muqing to be very socially adept and charming in her manner of speaking. She was not boastful, nor did she always focus on herself. While listening, she would choose appropriate moments to share her own views.
What was most astonishing were her insights; for different topics, she offered different understandings, which made people feel particularly comfortable. This exchange with Su Muqing made the Empress Dowager regret her earlier lack of understanding of this adopted granddaughter, who was barely a teenager.
After spending some time playing with Su Muxuan in the Empress Dowager's palace, messengers from the Emperor and Empress arrived at lunchtime. When they were leaving, Su Muqing presented the Empress Dowager with a Ganoderma lucidum.
This was the Ganoderma lucidum spore collected from the cliff earlier. After cultivation and planting in fertile soil, its size and nutritional content were no less than the nine-leaved Ganoderma lucidum on the cliff.
The Empress Dowager held the rare Ganoderma lucidum and was unable to put it down, her delight evident. She ordered her private treasury to select a considerable amount of gold, silver, jewelry, fabrics, and silk, and asked Su Muqing to take it all back to Hua Xia City.
After all, she was the rightful and officially enfeoffed Eldest Princess of Tianzhao Kingdom in this generation. It wouldn't do for her to return to her territory without many good things to accompany her, lest they be looked down upon by Tianzhao Kingdom.
Su Muqing looked at the dozen exquisitely crafted boxes placed before her and didn't quite know how to refuse. She gave a Ganoderma lucidum and received so many gifts, making it seem as though she were doing business with the Empress Dowager.
Heaven and earth as her witness, although she loved wealth, this was her sincere filial gesture to an elder. The Empress Dowager, unaware of the past and present lives, only saw her as an ordinary junior and was not very close to her. However, Su Muqing regarded the Empress Dowager as her own grandmother.
Su Muqing was internally conflicted and verbally refused the gifts, but the Empress Dowager directly began to dismiss her, stating she felt a little tired and waving her to go find the Emperor and Empress for lunch. She would have someone send these items to the Regent's Estate.
The Empress Dowager's elderly governess, with a benevolent smile, stepped forward to support Su Muqing's arm. "Princess Ning'an, this old servant will escort you out. As the saying goes, one should not refuse a gift from an elder. The Empress Dowager truly loves you and your brother, which is why she is willing to give you these treasured possessions. If you refuse again, it will truly hurt her."
With the governess saying so, Su Muqing felt it inappropriate to continue refusing. She hugged Su Muxuan and bowed to the Empress Dowager, "Your granddaughter thanks Imperial Grandmother for such great affection. Then I will take my brother and withdraw. May Grandmother rest well."
The Empress Dowager nodded and waved her hand, looking with some reluctance at the plump, rosy-cheeked baby in her arms. "Go! If you have time in the future, you must come back here to visit. Don't forget that you are still the Eldest Princess and the First-Rank Prince Rong of Tianzhao Kingdom. This is also your home."
"Yes! Your granddaughter understands. When we have time in the future, we will definitely come back to see you. Once I have built Hua Xia City, I will immediately start the maritime trade. Then we can contact each other frequently. If Imperial Grandmother is willing, you can come to Hua Xia City to play."
"Good! This old bone of mine truly wishes to go out and see the world. I have been confined in this world for a lifetime; it is time to go out and wander." The Empress Dowager, who had been quite happy, looked out the window with a hint of melancholy, as if thinking of something.
After bidding farewell to the Empress Dowager, the group majestically proceeded to Fengyi Palace to accompany the Emperor and Empress for lunch. After lunch, it was time for their family of three to say goodbye. The others retreated to the outer courtyard to play with Su Muxuan and the black bear for a while.
Once everyone had left, Su Muqing took out a Qiankun bag from her sleeve and handed it to the Emperor. The Emperor's eyes were full of questions as he reached out and picked up the inconspicuous bag to examine it.
The exterior revealed nothing unusual. The Emperor held the bag and asked Su Muqing, "What is this?"
"This is called a Qiankun bag. Don't be fooled by its small size; it contains immense potential," Su Muqing said with a mysterious smile, then reached into the bag to rummage.
She first took out several sets of recently produced high-end skincare products and handed them to the Empress. Then, under their astonished gazes, she took out many more incredible items.
Medicines, daily necessities, food, drinks, things to use, things to play with – in a short while, the floor was piled with a large collection of items. The Emperor was so startled that he didn't know whether to stand or sit, pacing around her.
The Empress was also somewhat dazed. She would look at the exquisitely packaged items in her hand, called skincare products, and then look at the strange clothes and shoes displayed on the floor.
After a period of internal struggle, she carefully placed the skincare products on a nearby table and then, following the Emperor, began to circle Su Muqing.
Seeing Su Muqing continuously taking things out, the Empress quickly stopped her. "Enough, enough, stop taking things out. Soon, my room won't be able to hold them all."
"It's alright, Mother. We can put them all back into the bag later," Su Muqing said, and in the meantime, tossed a large bag of snacks back into the Qiankun bag. The bag's size remained unchanged.
"Quickly show Dad this treasure," the Emperor, unable to contain his excitement, eagerly extended his hands towards Su Muqing, eager to see this magical treasure.
Su Muqing handed the bag to the Emperor. He took it and examined it closely again. He really wanted to pull it hard to see how much elasticity it had to hold so many things, but he was afraid he might accidentally tear the bag, which would have made him regret it immensely.
The Empress ignored the Emperor, who was muttering to himself with a complex and conflicted expression. She pulled Su Muqing aside and asked her how to use those items.
Women and men had different points of focus. Su Muqing opened a set of skincare products and explained the basic skincare process, the appropriate amount to use each time, as well as facial acupressure massage and precautions.
The Empress cautiously followed Su Muqing's instructions, squeezing out a little of each product and trying it on the back of her hand. The scent was light and pleasant, and after use, her hand felt smooth and tender, appearing even whiter.
Although she lived in the palace year-round, it was a coastal city. Due to the constant erosion of sea winds and climate, people in Tianzhao Kingdom were generally somewhat darker-skinned.
Ever since Su Muqing had stopped her from using cosmetics containing lead powder and instead gave her some foundation, the Empress had fallen in love with these strange cosmetics. This was also why she had been holding onto those skincare products just now and was reluctant to let them go.
After trying to retrieve and store items several times himself, the Emperor, like a child, excitedly ran over, "Daughter, where did you get this bag? This is a priceless treasure!"
"A good-looking immortal gave it to me, but he has gone into seclusion, so I don't know if I'll see him again." Su Muqing thought of Luo Li, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, and suddenly missed him.
"Never mind him! There are many, many things stored inside, so even after I leave, you won't be short of these items for a while," Su Muqing said, putting most of the items back into the bag and placing it in the Emperor's hands.
"You, you're giving it to us? That won't do! No, no. You have such a long journey ahead; you must bring many things. With this treasure, it will be much more convenient for you. Father and Mother don't need your things; quickly take it back! I heard the Empress Dowager rewarded you with a lot of gold and silver jewelry? It's perfect for storing in this treasure bag, and it will avoid drawing attention on your way back." The Emperor refused to accept it no matter what and shoved the bag back into Su Muqing's hands.
The Empress also nodded, telling her to quietly take out the items and store them at night, but to keep the bag for herself.
Since their grandmother, the Empress Dowager, had rewarded so many things, how could they, as parents, give less? They would only give more, so it was perfect for storing in the bag.
"Dad, Mom, it's really fine. I specifically took this bag out for you to use. I have more," Su Muqing said, seeing that both of them were already planning where to put the items. She couldn't help but feel amused and exasperated. With a stretch of her hand, she took out another Qiankun bag.
This one was originally on Lu Yuzhi, but then the little milk bun got it and was playing with it. He accidentally opened the bag's opening and almost spilled the contents out. Fortunately, Su Muqing quickly put the bag away.
She thought that with this, the two of them would be able to accept it with peace of mind, but unexpectedly, the Emperor and Empress didn't even look up. The Emperor was even writing down the items to be rewarded while earnestly telling Su Muqing, "Don't talk nonsense! This is an immortal's treasure; do you think it's cabbage from the ground? You can have it if you want?"
Su Muqing was speechless and walked forward to show them both Qiankun bags. "See! I didn't lie to you, did I?"
The Emperor abruptly put down the brush in his hand and, with disbelief, took the two bags and looked through them. Finally, he asked Su Muqing with some confusion, "Isn't this an immortal's treasure? How do you have two?"
Su Muqing smiled mysteriously again, not answering his question. In fact, she had more than two. She clearly had five. The other two were left in Hua Xia City, and one was in the third brother's hand. But she decided not to mention these, lest her parents think she was showing off.