The Rise of Xueyue

After the Emperor had left, Duke Li informed everyone of the move.

Duchess Li didn't mind the change of scenery, but was slightly reluctant to move because this house had so many memories of Minghua.

Li Chenyang and Wenmin were reluctant to move, because of how long and tiring the journey would be.

But after realizing their new home would have an even bigger field to practice and they could be closer to their doting grandparents that gave in to their every whims, the two packed faster than anyone in the house.

Out of everyone, Xueyue was the only one happy about the move.

She was glad to finally leave Lanbei, a city filled with nothing but painful and dreadful memories. If she went to the capital, she would never run into Viscount Bai and his family.

And thus, the move took two uneventful weeks.

It had taken Xueyue one week to understand the layout of the new house which was significantly bigger than the house in Lanbei.

Xueyue knew the Li family was very rich, but she didn't expect their wealth to be practically endless.

It was expensive to live in the capital, but it was even more expensive to buy an enormous Manor.

The back field seemed to stretch for miles to come and the scenery was more beautiful than the one in Lanbei whose entire city was shrouded in rural farming and forests.

The entire family was enjoying breakfast in their new house when Duchess Li suddenly spoke up.

"Xueyue, have you been to the capital before?" She asked while placing half a braised egg onto Xueyue's already full rice bowl.

"No...I've never traveled further than the walls of the Bai Manor." Xueyue answered while placing a piece of tender fish onto Duchess Li's plate with a bright smile.

"I see, then Wenmin or Chenyang can take you on a tour while the Duke and I pay our respects to the Emperor and Empress of Shenzhou."

Duchess Li nodded to her sons who were too busy wolfing down their breakfast to understand.

"Sure! I'll take Xiao Yue on a tour of the capital!" Wenmin excitedly said as he hurriedly drank the soup.

"Whatever." Replied Chenyang who casually deboned a fish and when no one was looking, secretly placed it into her mother's bowl of rice.

He was pretending to not care, but in reality, he cared and loved his mother the most.

Duke Li happily chuckled at the sight of his happy family and the lively atmosphere that seemed to surround the table.

At first, he was extremely reluctant of allowing Xueyue to stay with the family, but seeing how nicely she bonded with everyone and the way she seemed to brighten Duchess Li's mood, he unknowingly began to grow fond of the girl.

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"And this is the stall that sells my favorite red bean steamed buns!"

"This is the stall that sells Shenzhou's famous honey rice cakes!"

"Oh and if you walk through this street, there will be a stand that sells Tanghulu!"

"But if you don't want something sweet, you can walk down this street and-"

Chenyang rolled his eyes at the overly excited Wenmin who was rambling about his favorite food stalls. "Wenmin, she gets it. You know every food stand in Shenzhou."

Wenmin offered his younger brother and Xueyue a sheepish smile.

The light in his bright eyes never diminished and he barely seemed apologetic.

Although Chenyang seemed annoyed at Wenmin's long rambling, he had a small grin on his face.

Xueyue also had a grin on her face and laughed when Wenmin began to drag her in the direction of the honey rice cakes stand.

The three of them had breakfast an hour ago, but it seemed like Wenmin had a massive sweet tooth regardless of his filled-stomach.

While Xueyue was beginning dragged away by Wenmin, she couldn't help but notice the difference in their heights.

She knew they were older than her, but she didn't expect them to be so tall. They certainly took after Duke Li who was taller than the average man.

Wenmin was practically bouncing on his feet when they arrived at the honey rice cake stand.

He made his order with heavy excitement and eyes shinning for a desire to eat the freshly made dish.

"Sir, that will be 20 copper coins or 2 silver coins."

Wenmin didn't bother counting his coins as he handed the man a gold coin.

The stand-owner's eyes widened at how easily he handed out money.

"Keep the change." Wenmin said with an easy-going smile.

"T-thank you for your gratitude!" The stand-owner nearly stumbled over his words and feet as he hurriedly prepared the rice cakes for Wenmin.

Xueyue was also surprised by Wenmin's generosity.

A gold coin was worth 50 silver coins and a small bag of rice was only worth 10 copper coins.

The stand-owner was a farmer who often came to the capital to sell his rice cakes in hopes of making more money.

A small bag of rice could only feed a family of four for three days and through Wenmin's enormous donation, the family could be full for a very long time!

The man respectfully handed Wenmin the rice cakes with two hands as he deeply bowed to the young boy in front of him.

Wenmin grabbed the three sticks and handed one to Xueyue and the other to Chenyang.

He leads them to another store, but Xueyue suddenly remembered something.

She hurriedly turned towards the stall-owner and offered a quick, "Thank you!"

Everyone stared at her, stunned at her words. Xueyue was too oblivious to realize the stares as she bit into the pipping hot and soft pastry.

The stall-owner knew the three children in front of him came from a wealthy family, and they seemed to be siblings.

Usually, sons and daughters of noble families were spoiled rotten and had no manners.

The Rich wasn't the type to say thank you to someone lower than them.

The wealthy saw no gains in being respectful to a rank so insignificant.

But to Xueyue whose brain wasn't spoiled rotten by the rules of society, she thought it was only proper to thank someone.

It only took one second of their day to be polite and respectful, so she saw no wrong in it.

Wenmin, who had a soft spot for kind girls, couldn't help but begin to like her a lot more.

As he excitedly leads Xueyue to another stand, Chenyang had a very gentle expression on his face.

Like his older brother, he was also beginning to grow fond of this tiny girl to whom he had originally disliked.

The servants trailing after them were extremely surprised to see the tender expression on their Young Master, Chenyang's face.

He was known to be one of the meaner and rougher Li siblings. His temper was horrible when he was angered, and the man didn't seem to understand the word "smile" or "mercy."

He rarely smiled, unless it was for his family members. Moreover, to see such a kind and docile expression on his face, especially towards a girl, the servants were beyond surprised.

It seemed this Xueyue girl was indeed, a good influence on everyone around her...