CHAPTER 1885: CHAPTER 1875: OFFERING CAKES TO THE BUDDHA

"Ah... Ah..." The mute girl’s voice suddenly came from ahead; Sangta’s face changed drastically. He looked up to see the mute girl, arms crossed over her chest and walking toward him with a look of disdain.

He couldn’t muster any strength in his body and found it difficult to escape. In the blink of an eye, the mute girl was in front of him and kicked him, causing him to groan in pain as he fell flat on the ground.

The mute girl let out a mocking laugh and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him back without a care for whether he was suffocating from the pressure on his neck.

... (Don’t blame me, folks; if it were easy to escape, Sangta wouldn’t have been caught for so long.)

In Beiyu City, Bai Ruozhu sent Jiang Yichun off early before wandering around the residence herself. With her due date approaching, she was moving more to ensure a smooth delivery.

She walked to the front yard and saw her second brother, wearing his official uniform, about to go out.

"Second Brother!" Bai Ruozhu called out, holding her lower back as she walked over.

When Bai Zepei saw his little sister, his facial features softened considerably. "Why up so early? Didn’t sleep well?"

"No, I’ve been sleeping early and waking early lately. With my due date approaching, I’m making sure to stay active," Bai Ruozhu replied with a smile.

Bai Zepei sighed in relief, "Take it slow. I’m heading out now."

Noticing her brother’s slightly thinner face, Bai Ruozhu spoke with concern, "Second Brother, are you not eating properly? You’ve lost weight again. I have some dimsum here; take it with you and eat when you’re hungry."

As she spoke, she took out a pack of dimsum from her sleeve, osmanthus-flavored with a sweet scent, which she had instructed the kitchen to make.

"No need, I don’t like these," her brother refused.

But Bai Ruozhu didn’t give him a chance to refuse and shoved them into his arms. Fearing he might accidentally bump into his sister’s belly, Bai Zepei reluctantly accepted them.

"Second Brother, make sure to eat them, or I’ll have to bring food to you at the Guest Palace," Bai Ruozhu said with a deliberately stern face.

Bai Zepei sighed, "Alright."

When he reached the Guest Palace’s entrance, he initially thought of tossing the dimsum but didn’t, unable to discard something symbolizing his sister’s goodwill.

"Good morning, Lord Bai." The Ministry of Finance’s deputy minister greeted him with a smile.

Bai Zepei courteously returned the greeting, but the other sniffed, "Oh, fresh osmanthus scent? You have good taste, Lord Bai," the deputy minister chuckled.

Bai Zepei awkwardly replied, feeling strange that a grown man like himself would smell so sweetly of osmanthus.

The deputy minister moved closer and whispered, "Lord Bai, I just saw the granddaughter of the Prime Minister’s house entering the palace—your fiancée. Aren’t you going to meet her?"

Bai Zepei felt more embarrassed, "No need, no need. I’ve got tasks to attend to; take care first."

Though moving quickly, he could still hear the laughter behind him; that deputy minister really loves teasing young folks like them.

He soon reached the Imperial Study Room, was about to go in, but heard a woman’s voice.

A woman soon emerged with a young lady—not others but his fiancée, Si Yihuan, and his future mother-in-law.

Bai Zepei, not adept in such matters, awkwardly stepped forward to greet them.

Impressed by his courteous and steady manner, the lady gave a satisfied nod.

Si Yihuan sniffed, "Oh, the osmanthus scent? Is it the osmanthus pastry Ruozhu made?"

"My little sister insisted I take them," Bai Zepei said reluctantly.

Si Yihuan laughed, "When we last met, Ruozhu mentioned using honey to preserve osmanthus after it blooms and making fresh osmanthus pastries; I didn’t expect she actually made them."

Talking about food lit up Si Yihuan’s eyes.

The lady couldn’t help but laugh, "This girl gets so animated at the mention of food. Excuse us, Bai Bangyan."

Bai Zepei hurriedly assured them otherwise, then handed the pack of ’hot potato’ from his sleeve to Si Yihuan, "If Miss Su likes, I’ll offer it gladly."

Si Yihuan generously accepted, immediately opened it and placed a small piece in her mouth, closing her eyes in satisfaction, then jokingly said, "It’s not ’offer flowers to Buddha,’ it’s ’offer cake to Buddha.’"

The lady laughed until her eyes curved, feeling confident about her daughter’s future happiness, letting her finally relax.

Bai Zepei politely took his leave and entered the Imperial Study Room, finding the emperor and Tang Feng both smiling, Tang Feng outright saying, "Lord Bai, time to marry?"

"No rush!" Bai Zepei grumbled, wondering why the day started disastrously from encountering his sister.

"You may not be in a rush, but Miss Su seems eager, wouldn’t you say? It shows when she enjoys the pastry," Tang Feng continued teasing.

"You are the champion; if anyone’s marrying first, it should be you," Bai Zepei retorted coolly.

Tang Feng appeared unconcerned, "I’m just waiting for the emperor to bestow a marriage."

"Quite right, I’ll issue a decree today!" Tang Yin timely interjected.

The small palace incident quickly reached Jiang Yichun, who told his wife upon returning home.

"Ruozhu, I never imagined your typically aloof brother could blush. When he marries, we must crash the bridal chamber!"

Bai Ruozhu glared at him, "Who said my brother is aloof? He’s so good to us. Also, don’t think of bullying him; I’ll make it difficult for you."

He leaned forward, smiling wickedly, "How will you make it difficult for me? Would you really do that?"

She swiftly nipped his chin with a laugh, "Certainly, why not?"

Annoyed, he kissed her deeply, then released her, "Try biting me again, and I’ll..."

"And what?" Bai Ruozhu mischievously tapped a certain part of the armor, producing a thud, "This armor’s so hard. Don’t say I didn’t warn you; stop self-torturing."

She struck a part coincidentally at a certain risky area—though shielded by sturdy armor, the knock still hit inside, heating him instantly with a desire to punish that mischievous girl right here.

He bit her Vermilion Lips fiercely, "We’ll settle this later!"

Then he dashed away, leaving Bai Ruozhu laughing hysterically behind.

After laughing, Bai Ruozhu rushed her son to the Main house, unwilling to wait for him to settle accounts later, plus she aimed to tease her second brother, seeing he surprisingly knew to offer gifts to his fiancée.

Arriving with Dengdeng at the Main house, her second brother had already returned.

She greeted him smilingly, "Second Brother, were the osmanthus pastries I gave you earlier delicious?"

Bai Zepei felt a twitch at his mouth; he hadn’t tasted them; how would he know?

"Delicious," he replied reluctantly.

Bai Ruozhu laughed with her eyes curved, "What, did Second Sister-in-law tell you?"

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Second update, asking for monthly votes, la la la~