They then heard a knock on the door and the voice of the shopkeeper outside."Enter.", Xuan Xu Chen called out.
The shopkeeper himself was carrying a tray with a few hairpins, which he then placed in front of Lou Yi and Xuan Xu Chen. The a.s.sistants who entered after the shopkeeper also brought a couple other accessories, which they placed on the s.p.a.cious side table.
"These are two of the precious hairpins we"ve received from the main branch yesterday, esteemed guests. Please take a look."
Gesturing to the goods, the shopkeeper allowed the two of them to carefully inspect the product before stepping back a little. Xuan Xu Chen calmly eyed both Lou Yi and the hairpins while sipping tea, not wanting to miss any change in the girl"s expression. He wants to see if he can guess which one Lou Yi will like.
Lou Yi, on the other hand, caressed the hairpin on the left of the tray solemnly. The hairpin had a curvy stick pin body, with a five-petalled white flower ornament. At the center of the flower, is a red stone. Hanging from the base of the flower are two metallic strings with pearls at the end. Without a change in her expression, she looked at the shopkeeper.
"Introduce this hairpin to me."
"Certainly.", Xiao Han replied before taking a step forward. He first pointed at the hairpin Lou Yi was caressing. "What we have here on the left is a blood red agate adorned hairpin. This was crafted by one of our master jewelers from our branch in the Kingdom of Hua."
Lou Yi looked at the said hairpin for a while before she turned to the other hairpin on the tray. It was another hairpin that has a stick pin style. Unlike the other one though, it doesn"t have a flower ornament. Instead, hanging close to its tip is a bronze carving of a waning moon, two strings that surpa.s.ses the height of the moon by a bit with pearls at its end, and a shorter string with a sparkling stone at the end. Due to the shorter string, it would seem like the stone is delicately laying on the inside curve of the moon.
"How about this one?"
"That one is a moonstone adorned hairpin. The main highlight is the crescent moon and moonstone.", the shopkeeper introduced. "This craft is from the Kingdom of Zhao. Our Zhao craftsmen have created some gorgeous adornments in celebration to their princesses" respective marriages. It is a good thing that this one arrived right before you came for a visit, Your Highness."
"I see.", Lou Yi nodded, somehow showing a smile on her face. "Send my praise to the craftsman. It is exquisitely made."
"Thank you for your praise.", Xiao Han bowed.l slightly. "We"ll make sure Your Highness" praise will reach the craftsman."
"It seems that Second Princess likes this moonstone hairpin.", Xuan Xu Chen smilingly said to Lou Yi before turning to the shopkeeper. "Wrap this one up for us then."
"Prime Minister, that"s not nece-"
"No need to be polite.", Xuan Xu Chen cut off her words. "This is my gift to you. As my future wife, you should take it."
As Lou Yi was a cool-headed person, she didn"t entangle herself with the issue any longer. She just pursed her lips and allowed the man to do as he wished.
Xuan Xu Chen encouraged her to look at other adornments afterward. To not let him find something amiss, Lou Yi perfunctorily went through the pile but eventually said that nothing else caught her interest.
She initially wanted to let the Prime Minister treat her to some inexpensive pieces of jewelry but she didn"t expect that he would straightforwardly pick one of the most expensive ones. As the owner of the pavilion, how could she not be aware of the price tag attached to the moonstone hairpin?
It would have been a happy affair for her that Xuan Xu Chen bought such an expensive item as it will bring more income to her business. However, knowing that this man"s money will soon be under her disposal, it dampened her mood a little bit. She didn"t have the mood to shop for more. After all, if she allowed the man to pick other expensive jewelry for her, it will just be like putting the money from her left pocket to her right. It will just be a big loss for her so nevermind.