Jiayin was worried about how her brothers were doing on their exams, so she got up early, ate breakfast, and then wandered around the yard.

Zhilan Palace has many flowers and plants, which are already showing a light green hue at this time of year.

Several young palace maids were watering the plants with buckets of water, and they quickly bowed when they saw her.

Jiayin waved her hand, rolled up her sleeves, and helped out to pass the time.

The young palace maids were initially a bit reserved, but they gradually discovered that Jiayin was approachable and very amiable.

They then began to muster their courage and chat with Jiayin.

"Princess, everyone says that Broken Gold Beach is a place of great fortune, where gold grows everywhere. Is that true?" A round-faced palace maid asked with curiosity and surprise, and her question made everyone smile.

Jiayin pulled up two weeds and replied with a smile, "That's true. The soil in our Broken Gold Beach is suitable for growing Jade Melons and Golden Fruits, which are especially sweet and delicious."

"When a jade melon is at its most sought-after, it can indeed be exchanged for a silver ingot. So, you could say that Broken Gold Beach is truly a place where silver grows."

The round-faced palace maid clearly loved to eat, and couldn't help but swallow her saliva, her face full of envy.

"If only I had been born in Broken Gold Beach, they say that if you put the Jade Melon in well water to cool it down, you can take a bite during the hottest days and you wouldn't trade it for anything, not even from a god! It's incredibly refreshing and incredibly sweet."

The other palace maids nodded in agreement, smiling and chiming in.

"Yes, the eunuchs in the Imperial Study have eaten the Jade Melon. It was a gift from the Emperor to Chief Eunuch Yi, who then distributed it."

"It's a pity we don't serve in the Imperial Study."

"I've heard that the Jade Melon has a green skin on the outside, but the flesh inside is red. It's amazing."

Jiayin, never stingy, said, "Suijin Beach is my fiefdom, and I have no shortage of jade melons. You all guard my territory, why envy others?"

"You all serve the princess well. In the summer, I will have someone send over a few more jade melons so that everyone in Zhilan Palace can taste how sweet the jade melons are."

"Really? Thank you, Princess!"

"Thank you, Princess! You're so kind!"

"Waaah, will I really get to eat the Jade Melon? Thank you, Princess."

Hearing the commotion inside, the third princess also came out to join in the fun.

The palace maids instantly transformed back into timid quails, quickly bowed, and then ran away with the buckets of water.

The third princess couldn't help but roll her eyes and pretend to be angry.

"Li Jiayin, you've bribed my maid again! Humph, if you stay any longer, my Zhilan Palace will all become yours!"

Jiayin has lived with her for so long that she knows all too well her tendency to say one thing but mean another.

So she rolled her eyes at the Third Princess and snorted, "If that's what you're saying, then I'll leave the palace right now? I'd rather stay at home and come here to suffer with you. I'm such a worthless wretch!"

The third princess immediately hugged Jiayin tightly, laughing and trying to please her, "No! You have to stay with me, otherwise I'll have no one to play with!"

Jiayin slapped her arm away and sighed, "I miss Baozhu so much! That girl is the cutest and most obedient! I haven't seen her in a long time. When I send a letter home, I'll definitely ask Aunt Mei to send some fruit and vegetables to Baozhu."

"Waaah, Jiayin, you can't be so biased! I want to eat fruit too, no, I want bananas and peaches, I can't sleep thinking about them. Princess, please give me a few, okay?"

The third princess's mouth watered with envy, and she couldn't help but curse again, "It's all that old hag's fault for causing trouble! We can't even leave the palace now!"

Jiayin was afraid that she might say something that the eunuchs and palace maids would overhear, so she quickly changed the subject.

"Fine, if you want to eat it, just send a message. Have the fruit sent to the palace and lowered in with a rope!"

“That’s a great idea!” The Third Princess immediately agreed. Just as she was about to speak, Shui Ling rushed over and said, “Princess, Shui Yun’s sachima failed. Please give her some pointers.”

The third princess impatiently went into the kitchen, and upon hearing this, she said, "I'm going back to change my clothes. Shall we go to the little garden for some snacks and tea later?"

"Okay, I'll go check. Sachima goes best with milk tea. I'll let you try some in a bit!" Jiayin coaxed the Third Princess and quickly returned to the side hall.

Sure enough, Mu Xu was sitting on the soft couch by the window eating roast chicken. When he saw Jia Yin come in, he handed her a chicken leg.

Jiayin laughed and said, "Oh my, is this the roast chicken from that old-established shop in the south of the city?"

She took a bite and asked, "My older brother and the others must have done well on their exams, otherwise you wouldn't have gone all the way to buy roast chicken, would you?"

Mu Xu raised an eyebrow, his smile becoming even more roguish.

"The eldest young master and the sixth young master did well in the exams and have already entered the examination hall. Everything is fine at home too. The eldest young mistress is preparing your spring clothes so you can wear them when you come home next time."

"The villagers are preparing to plant crops in Suijintan. The village chief is extremely busy, leading the villagers to turn the soil and tend to the fruit trees. Uncle told me to tell you not to forget to prepare melon seedlings."

These things were trivial, but Jiayin felt exceptionally at ease listening to them.

As they talked, she ate the whole chicken leg with a good appetite.

Mu Xu then said, "When the young master and the others were at the examination hall, someone deliberately caused trouble and told them that Zhilan Palace had been sealed off."

"The Marquis and the Earl stepped forward and found out who was behind the trouble and who was behind it, so that the eldest young master and the sixth young master's exams were not delayed."

Sure enough, Jiayin immediately frowned. No wonder she felt she had overlooked something before.

It turns out that someone really did take this opportunity to cause trouble for the brothers.

Mu Xu poured tea for Jiayin and advised, "The people behind this are from the Wen family. Mr. Wen has already dealt with them, and the Marquis has also spoken to the Imperial Examination Hall. No one will scheme against the eldest and sixth young masters anymore."

Ultimately, as long as things are good here, they won't have any other concerns or be distracted.

Jiayin nodded, understanding the reasoning, but still felt uneasy.

“I didn’t help my brothers with their exams; in fact, I dragged them down.”

The girl's bright face seemed to be covered by a layer of dark clouds, making her look somewhat dim, which made Mu Xu feel inexplicably choked up.

He wanted to offer advice, but his words were not effective, so he quickly changed the subject.

"When I came back just now, I made a big discovery. Let me tell you about it first, and then I'll go and report to the Marquis."

Jiayin forced herself to stay awake, blinked her big eyes, her eyelashes fluttering like tiny fans, and asked, "What big discovery? Are there any other interesting things happening in Xindu?"

"No, it's because there's a secret passage in this palace that leads outside. I accidentally found the exit of the tunnel!" Mu Xu said proudly, tossing the orange in his hand, and laughed, "I searched high and low without finding it, but it came to me effortlessly."

"Oh my, tell me quickly, how did you find it? Where is the tunnel entrance?" Jiayin was extremely curious.

In the past few days, because Shou Kang Palace used the excuse of hiding from illness to close down the palace, it was actually a way to carry out some underhanded activities. So, not only the Emperor and the Marquis, but also Jia Yin sent her little foxes to wander around there quite a bit, all in an attempt to find out what was wrong with the Empress Dowager.

Whether she was secretly contacting the outside world or had other plans.

Unfortunately, they gained nothing.

Who would have thought that Mu Xu would stumble upon the solution to this difficult problem by sheer luck during his one trip out!

Today's update is here!