Her liege had been so generous that Gu Chi didn't bother being polite.
"I don't need much. This handful will do."
He said a handful, and a handful it was—not a bit more or less.
Shen Tang's mouth twitched. "I never would have guessed Wangchao was so flashy. But I'm curious: why do you need so many diamonds set together? Whose eyes are you trying to blind? Bling bling."
As an adult man, Gu Chi had normal-sized hands, even if he spent all year taking medicinal brews and looked sickly. His handful made the diamonds in the box sink by a noticeable amount. There were enough to make jewelry—or cover half his face.
"Is this really a lot?"
Gu Chi actually looked completely innocent.
"Not at all. Hand-cut diamonds aren't worth much. It's not as if I'd refuse if you wanted a handful. Even if you took the whole box, why would I stop you?" If he really liked them, he could take them home and make a diamond painting.
Shen Tang's answer was just what Gu Chi wanted to hear.
As he spoke, he reached for the box, intending to take the whole thing.
The moment he reached out, Shen Tang stopped him.
He asked, "My liege?"
Shen Tang laughed. "All right, all right. I know you like them. I'll have someone send you a box later, but not this one. These cut diamonds are meant for the jewelers to make our year-end gifts. If you take them all, what will everyone else get?"
"This year's year-end gifts? You're already preparing them?" Gu Chi had only been joking, so when Shen Tang said that, he readily let go of the box and carefully tucked away the handful he'd taken in his sachet. Then he silently calculated how much time