Chapter 218: Living Securely, Sharing Peace

That evening, Xiao Er reported, "Prince, I have investigated the Ink Rhythm Studio; it is merely an ordinary shop with no other background."

"The shopkeeper said the painting was offered by a poor ordinary scholar in exchange for food money; he kept it because he saw the brushwork was delicate and the artistic conception far‑reaching, but he does not know the scholar's name."

"According to his information, I traced it to Dengke Alley, where only traveling scholars reside; people come and go, and this person has long disappeared."

Xiao Yuanhang sneered, "So the painting wasn't intended for anyone in particular; it was just left there, and whoever buys it is the unlucky one."

Xiao Er nodded, "It does seem that way. However, the Ink Rhythm Studio's prices are steep, and its regular patrons are mostly officials' families and noble ladies."

"Clearly, the painting targets those high‑born women of Jingcheng."

"Bang!"

Xiao Yuanhang slammed his palm heavily on the table, "If so, it is even more hateful!"

"If it were aimed at a single individual, it would be a personal vendetta. This act treats human lives as weeds!"

"To think they regard all the officials' families throughout the city as prey to be slain at will! And they hide the aftermath so cleanly! The mastermind's heart is poisonous, his ambition vast, far from ordinary!"

"Who is controlling this Nether Peak, and why?"

He thought for a moment, "I will report the whole affair to Wang Mingrui, hoping that with his ability he can quickly track down this Nether Peak and bring them to justice."

"Yes."

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Xiao Jieyun issued an edict ordering Prince Ning and his wife to bring Tuan Tuan into the palace to attend a family banquet.

At the banquet, Tuan Tuan noticed that everyone present were young princes and princesses with their Mother Consorts; apart from the Eleventh and Twelfth princes she knew, the rest were all unfamiliar faces.

Xiao Jieyun was in a good mood, "Today's family banquet need not be formal; feel free to be casual."

Tuan Tuan naturally sat together with Xiao Jin and Xiao Lin.

After the main meal, palace servants brought steaming bowls of plump white rice dumplings; each child had a bowl with the same amount—four per person.

Just as Tuan Tuan lifted a small spoon, a prince slightly older than Xiao Lin carried his own bowl, swaggering over to their table.

He stopped directly in front of Xiao Jin, thrust his small bowl into Xiao Jin's view, chin raised, "Twelfth Brother, look, my dumpling is bigger than yours! Better than yours!"

Xiao Jin recoiled in fear, "T‑Tenth brother…"

The Tenth Prince, seeing his fear, grew smug and almost slammed the bowl into his face, "See? My bowl is definitely better than yours!"

Xiao Lin widened his eyes, about to speak, when Tuan Tuan went "Snap!" and set the spoon down.

She stood up, walked to the Tenth Prince, glanced at his bowl of dumplings, then turned to look at Xiao Jin's bowl.

"They're clearly the same! You're talking nonsense!"

The Tenth Prince could no longer hide his embarrassment; his little face flushed, "What do you know? They're different! Mine's better!"

Tuan Tuan gave him a withering glance and ignored him.

She turned back to her seat, placed Xiao Jin's bowl next to her own, lifted the spoon, scooped a dumpling from her bowl, and carefully set it atop the dumpling in Xiao Jin's bowl.

Then another.

She scooped another and stacked it steadily.

Holding her breath, she managed to pile all eight dumplings into a round, cute "little pagoda" inside the bowl!

"Look!" Tuan Tuan pointed at her one‑of‑a‑kind dumpling tower and said to the Tenth Prince, "Twelfth's dumplings can be stacked high! Yours cannot!"

She turned to Xiao Jin, "Twelfth, look, yours is better than his!"

Xiao Jin's eyes sparkled, his little face beaming, and Xiao Lin clapped his hands, "Tuan Tuan is amazing! Tenth brother loses!"

The Tenth Prince looked at the bland, soup‑soaked dumpling in his bowl, then at Tuan Tuan's incredible "dumpling tower," and burst into tears with a "Wah!"

He set his bowl down, turned and ran to a concubine at another table, throwing himself into her arms, "Mother Consort! My dumpling can't be stacked high! My dumpling isn't as good as Twelfth Brother's!"

The concubine hurried to comfort him; the Tenth Prince, feeling aggrieved, cried louder and louder.

The loud sobbing immediately drew everyone's attention.

Xiao Jieyun followed the sound and saw the Tenth Prince crying sorrowfully in his Mother Consort's arms, "Old Tenth, what's wrong? Why are you crying when everything was fine?"

The palace servants hurried forward, suppressing smiles, and reported the incident again.

Xiao Jieyun clapped his hands and laughed heartily, saying to Xiao Yuanhang, who sat nearby, "Yuanhang, with Tuan Tuan's temperament, you can truly rest easy! She won't be shortchanged anywhere."

"She is clever and quick‑witted, and rare in that she knows how to protect her friends, showing a hint of chivalry."

The Emperor's unreserved praise made everyone at the table burst into laughter as well.

Xiao Yuanhang looked at his daughter with pride, "Your Majesty's compliment is mistaken; my little girl is mischievous, please forgive the embarrassment."

Just then, a huge "Bang—!" echoed from outside the hall.

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a massive golden peony burst in the black night sky, its radiant colors almost illuminating the entire palace.

"Fireworks! It's fireworks!" the children shouted instantly.

Tuan Tuan, Xiao Lin, and Xiao Jin ran to the window, three little heads pressed together, eagerly gazing up at the night sky.

Soon, more fireworks roared upward.

Silver waterfalls cascaded nine heavens, brilliant fire‑trees blossomed in a sky of colors, … the constant "Bang—Bang" filled the air, lighting the palace as if it were daylight, illuminating every smiling, upward‑looking face.

Tuan Tuan watched intently, while Xiao Lin and Xiao Jin excitedly pointed and commented beside her:

"This one looks good!"

"That one looks even better!"

Xiao Jieyun stood by the window, gazing at the splendid fireworks, "Yuanhang, this year has finally passed peacefully. I only wish that every year thereafter can be just like this."

"May all my great subjects live stable lives and share peace."

Xiao Yuanhang looked at the Emperor's side profile lit by the flames, "Your Majesty works diligently, caring for the people. Heaven will surely protect us; our great realm will have favorable winds and rains, and the nation will be prosperous and the people safe."

"Ha ha, good!" Xiao Jieyun laughed loudly.

The festive atmosphere faded with the fireworks, and the next day came the morning court.

【9】 The officials lined up; the Minister of War hurried forward, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial."

【10】 "While patrolling soldiers at a hidden valley on the western frontier, I seized an illegal workshop and discovered several components of the Nine‑Star Repeating Crossbow's arrow tails."

Officials stood in rows, the Minister of War stepped forward quickly: "His Majesty, I have a memorial to present."

"I, while on patrol with soldiers in a concealed valley on the western border, uncovered an illegal workshop and discovered several Arrow-tail components of a private workshop's Nine-Star Repeating Crossbow."

At the scene, they captured an artisan who had failed to escape in time; after interrogation, he confessed that he had been acting on the orders of Jifeng of West Lu.