According to what Zhao Fujin said.
The outside of the palace is so lively, with candied hawthorn, figurine making, and even acrobatics. You could walk around for a whole day and still not get enough of it.
Inside the palace, there are high walls everywhere. Sometimes, the food isn't even hot by the time it's brought to you, and wherever you want to go, you need Father Emperor's approval.
"It's not that you think it's fun outside the palace, but rather that you're feeling restrained," said Chen Mo with a sigh.
"Hm? What did you say about me?" Zhao Fujin suddenly froze.
Chen Mo's expression changed: "Your Highness, Empress!"
"You clearly called me 'yours' just now."
"Then Your Highness must have misheard."
"I can't have misheard. My ears are just fine."
Chen Mo chose to remain silent.
"Humph, you're just like Ling'Er and the others, always so respectful towards me," Zhao Fujin grunted in dissatisfaction.
Chen Mo still didn't respond.
He waited respectfully on the side.
"Forget it, I'm too lazy to argue with you. Come on, I'll take you to the market." Suddenly, Zhao Fujin thought of something and spoke to Chen Mo.
Chen Mo nodded: "Yes."
...
"Candied hawthorn, sweet candied hawthorn..."
"Wontons, hot wontons."
"Young master, come on..."
On the street, vendors shouted amid the rising mist, and the atmosphere of the Great Song Dynasty was relatively open. Chen Mo saw many unmarried girls strolling around.
Merchants from the south and north brushed shoulders in the crowded streets, filled with an array of goods, including Jiangnan porcelain, Western Regions agate, and East Sea seafood.
As the imperial capital, Bianliang was bustling and orderly, completely devoid of the chaos expected before a major upheaval.
It seemed true what the simulator said about the impending great upheaval, that the Imperial Palace was the safest place.
Chen Mo was relieved to see this.
After all, bringing the Empress out of the palace had put him on edge, constantly worrying something unexpected would happen.
As a modern transmigrator into a world resembling ancient times, Chen Mo was very intrigued by everything around him.
However, with the Empress beside him, he had to constantly keep an eye on her, so he barely noticed the street scene, just occasionally stealing glances at the tall figure in front of him.
Actually, just by looking at the way Chen Mo and Zhao Fujin were dressed, any normal person could see they were from the palace. As commoners or even some noble offspring knew the palace was deep and unfathomable, they dared not provoke them.
Zhao Fujin, on the other hand, strolled around like a tourist, occasionally stopping in front of stalls to fiddle with items. When she saw something tasty or attractive, she would have Chen Mo pay for it.
Fortunately, before leaving the palace, Zhao Fujin had brought her purse, entrusting it to Chen Mo for safekeeping.
There were silver notes worth thousands of taels and gold leaves.
Otherwise, the mere five taels of silver that Chen Mo held wouldn't be enough to satisfy Her Highness's spending.
Without the bright neon lights and colorful signs, the ancient charm that greeted Chen Mo's eyes calmed him down.
He thought about the system's description that interacting with objects could expand his talents.
So Chen Mo began touching the ancient items on the street stalls.
Of course, whether modern or ancient times, there were always counterfeits.
Chen Mo didn't sense anything special.
However, he didn't get discouraged, moving from one stall to the next once he was done feeling the items.
The stall owner saw Chen Mo dressed like an eunuch and, possibly intimidated by the secret police, not only refrained from saying anything but even considered giving him an item as a gift.
Chen Mo naturally declined.
After touching several stalls,
Chen Mo gained some benefits.
He expanded many blue and purple talents.
Additionally, he learned that the older an item, especially if used or refined by a strong person, the better its talent extension.
"Chen Hong, do you think this little bunny is cute?" Zhao Fujin said as she hugged a small white rabbit.
Perhaps she was having a great time or maybe Chen Mo seemed nice, Zhao Fujin appeared to have dropped all her guard, and started calling him by his name.
"Cute." Chen Mo smiled in response. All along the way, he had been coaxing her, saying everything was nice whenever Zhao Fujin asked, even if it wasn't.
"Shall we take it back to the palace and raise it?" Zhao Fujin actually consulted Chen Mo, as if seeking his consent.
Chen Mo nodded, going along with her wishes.
"Then I'll leave it to you to raise," she said, trying to hand the rabbit to Chen Mo.
"..."
"What's wrong?" seeing Chen Mo silent, Zhao Fujin was puzzled.
Seeing no one paying attention around them, Chen Mo whispered, "Begging Your Highness, if this rabbit is left to me, it might end up as spicy rabbit head."
"Huh?" Zhao Fujin didn't react at first, but when she did, she frowned, a hint of scorn on her charming face: "How can you eat a rabbit when it's so cute?"
"It's not that I want to eat it, but it won't survive in Weiyang Palace. Even Her Majesty doesn't keep pets, let alone us servants," Chen Mo whispered.
"Ah..." Zhao Fujin sighed, resignedly returning the rabbit to the vendor, and said wistfully, "We can't keep it at Fengyang Pavilion either."
Noticing Zhao Fujin's mood drop, Chen Mo spotted a crowd gathering in the distance and taking a few glances, he said to Zhao Fujin, "Your Highness, there's a magician performing tricks over there, let's take a look."
"Magic tricks? Where?" Zhao Fujin immediately brightened.
She instantly forgot the disappointment of not being able to keep a rabbit.
"Over there," Chen Mo pointed.
Zhao Fujin quickly ran over.
Chen Mo followed.
But after watching for a while, Zhao Fujin remarked, "Rather dull."
"What is it?" Chen Mo didn't see anything special and asked curiously.
"It's just blinding technique to fool ordinary people. Once you become a Sixth Grade Martial Artist and open the Celestial Eye, you'll see through it too," Zhao Fujin said.
"Is Your Highness a Sixth Grade Martial Artist?"
"No." Zhao Fujin shook her head.
Chen Mo understood, it must be above Sixth Grade.
Zhao Fujin didn't say anything more, so he, as her servant, naturally didn't dare to ask further.
...
The two continued strolling for a while.
Chen Mo glanced at the sky and said, "Your Highness, it's almost time for the palace curfew, we should head back."
Having said that, Chen Mo expected Zhao Fujin to play the Empress card and want to stay out longer, but surprisingly, she nodded and looked up at the sky: "Yes, it's time to return."
Chen Mo was taken aback.
He found himself starting to like Zhao Fujin.
Inherently kind, lively, a cultivation prodigy, somewhat willful but understanding the big picture.
A super-rich and beautiful woman!
...
Chen Mo pretended to buy some spices, and then they retraced their steps.
Whenever he saw ancient items, Chen Mo still touched them.
When he touched a Bronze Small Bell, Chen Mo's eyes lit up.
[Ding! Orange talent extension received!]
This Bronze Small Bell was covered with green rust, and in some of the decorative patterns, there was even some moss.
Yet, looking at it whole, it gave off a "new" feeling.
Just like the bronze artifacts Chen Mo saw in the antique streets before he transmigrated.