"And these few, they should be from Nanyang."

Ren Yuan pointed to Xue Deyi, Xiao Jinyu, and the others below. He remembered them; he seemed to have seen them near Anqing Palace.

"Yes, no matter how many new talents emerge, I will still be at the top."

Ren Lao and Ren Yuan nodded repeatedly, "That's right, that's right. Your Majesty's demeanor is naturally incomparable to these young brats."

"Even twenty years from now, the top spot on this list of handsome men will definitely still belong to Your Majesty!"

Hearing the praise for her hard work and dedication, Xi Jing felt a little better.

"It seems the people here aren't blind after all. How could that little thing be so blind?"

Xi Jing shook his head, unable to understand why Yun Duoduo had never been attracted to him, the most handsome man in the world.

He has the looks, the figure, the status, and the position.

There's not a single flaw in him.

The little thing is pitiful; her sweetheart is her childhood sweetheart, but her father, the emperor, wants her to marry a prince.

I've heard that prince is a powerful and cruel man who commands a large army. How will we manage in the future?

Xi Jing sighed. Well, this little thing still can't do without my help.

【Duoduo, what will you do without me?!】

"Go and send a message to Sun Huohuo at the Sun residence, saying that if he dares to elope with Yun Duoduo, I am willing to lend him a hand."

Xi Jing spoke with absolute certainty, as if he had made a great decision.

"Your Majesty?!"

"Your Majesty is willing to lend Sun Huohuo a hand?!"

Ren Lao and Ren Yuan stared at Xi Jing in shock. Was he going to help someone else steal a bride?

The two men scratched their heads, finding Xi Jing increasingly unfathomable. Just a few days ago, they had fought fiercely at a banquet, so why was the king now helping that man?

...

Inside the Nanyang guesthouse.

Miao Nanyan folded the clothes on the bed, glanced out the window, and sighed, "The Ninth Princess and the Prince of Jibei are getting married on the fifteenth of next month."

"It seems we can't take that child to Beiliang."

Miao Nanyan felt a little melancholy. The Northern Liang palace was just like the name of Northern Liang—cold and deserted, without a trace of human presence.

If Princess Yun Duoduo of Nanyang could marry into Beiliang, the palace would be much more lively. That child is clever and resourceful, full of mischievous ideas. If I could be with her, my later years wouldn't be so lonely.

"Your Majesty really likes that princess!"

Yun Jin took the clothes from Miao Nanyan's hands. These were chores that servants were supposed to do, but Miao Nanyan always said that she could still do these things.

"I wonder what kind of person that Prince of Jibei is, that the Emperor of Nanyang would grant him the marriage so easily."

"It is said that the Ninth Princess is the apple of the Emperor's eye. He probably did not want the princess to go to another country for a political marriage, so he condescended to marry a prince."

“The Prince of Jibei is definitely not as good as our prince!” Xiangling said with certainty.

Xiangling and Yunjin had never met Jin Jinzhi; they had only heard snippets about him, the Prince of Jibei, at the banquet.

But in their hearts, no one could compare to Baili Mingwen, the crown prince of Northern Liang whom they had watched grow up.

Miao Nanyan listened to the two maids' discussion, but just smiled and didn't say anything.

[This woman isn't looking for a husband who will be the best, brightest, highest, and biggest star in the sky.]

It's not like the emperor choosing the top scholar, requiring exceptional literary talent and early success; nor is it like the court selecting male musicians, demanding the most outstanding skills and appearance.

When a woman looks for a husband, she naturally wants someone who is most suitable for her, someone she can support and grow old with.

"Your Highness, at the banquet last time, I noticed that His Highness didn't seem to pay much attention to the Ninth Princess."

"Besides, doesn't the Shu Kingdom also have several princesses?"

"Yes, let Mingwen decide his own marriage!"

Miao Nanyan breathed a sigh of relief. If she hadn't married Yun Duoduo, she wouldn't have cared who she married. After all, apart from Yun Duoduo, all the princesses were very similar.

...

The next morning, Yun Duoduo got up early to go to Yuexiayuan Painting Studio.

She learned yesterday while talking with Liao Ziwan and the others at Jinxiu Silk Shop that the affiliated calligraphy and painting academy of the painting workshop was officially established today.

The calligraphy and painting academy had opened before, but it was not very formal because it had not yet obtained the qualifications of Nanyang Calligraphy and Painting Academy. Now that it has been officially established, it can enroll students on a large scale.

"I also want to see what the backyard of the art studio looks like."

Yun Duoduo smiled as she changed her clothes and spoke to A Xiang.

"Princess, which hairpin will you wear today? Is it made of white jade or carved with a gold butterfly?"

Ah Xiang was picking through the jewelry box, "Wearing a hairpin would be perfect too."

"You pick one, but don't choose one with too flashy a color."

"After all, the calligraphy and painting academy is a very elegant place."

Yun Duoduo looked at herself in the mirror and tidied the stray hairs by her ears.

"Just don't dress like a nouveau riche with a lot of money."

Yun Duoduo stuck out her tongue, and the two of them burst into laughter.

Every time she saw Manager Wen of the Wen Cloth Shop, she had this feeling: Manager Wen's big gold ring was always very eye-catching on his hand, and the gold hairpin in his hair was thicker than his finger.

Yun Duoduo had the privilege of weighing the hairpin; it was indeed pure gold and of full weight, and none of them were hollow.

...

Upon arriving at the painting studio, one would see that next to the original plaque of Yun Painting Studio, there was now a plaque for a calligraphy and painting academy.

Several small yellow pear wood stools were placed at the entrance of the painting studio. Painters sat on the stools, with easels set up in front of them. Several painters were painting portraits of passersby, and the people being painted looked very happy.

The weather is still quite cold, so there aren't many people stopping around, but it has still attracted quite a few people to come and watch.

Today, Chu Dunshi wore a dark blue robe with dark gold iris patterns and a white jade crown to tie his hair up, making him look noble and refined, much more aristocratic than when they first met.

"Young Master".

Chu Dunshi greeted Yun Duoduo and A Xiang warmly and walked over.

"It's so lively! The atmosphere is wonderful. Seeing this scene makes me want to sign up for painting lessons!"

Yun Duoduo pulled A Xiang inside. She had studied painting when she was a child, but now that her handwriting was not good, she simply used painting instead.

"Ah Xiang, let's go inside and take a look!"

The two walked through the shop and into the backyard, where they saw shoes, hats, earthenware pots, wooden buckets, washbasins, screens, dressing tables, tables, chairs, cabinets, mats, and other daily necessities laid out on the ground.

There were also oranges, cabbages and other snacks. People were gesturing in pairs on the open ground. Some were staring blankly at the still objects on the ground, while others were observing the objects on the ground and writing and drawing on white paper.

"What are you doing?"