The Grand Scholar stroked his beard and nodded in satisfaction. "Hmm, not bad. He has a sense of responsibility. This is what a man of the Zhen family should look like."
After saying that, she added irritably, "You can't be like your father, who wasted all his knowledge of poetry and literature by traveling around all day and never coming home."
The real scholar's "waste" did not mean he hoped his son would enter the palace as an official, but rather that he should teach and nurture students in the private school and spend more time with his wife when he had free time.
These days, the old lady has been busy preparing the betrothal gifts and often talks about her eldest son and daughter-in-law.
Zhen Jingxiu smiled and said, "With my second aunt helping to manage the household, my parents are naturally at ease. My little sister Lanzhi will be of marriageable age in another year, and my grandmother is teaching her how to manage a household."
"Alright, stop trying to smooth things over for your father. When we go home for the New Year, I will make sure he doesn't go out again next year. Pack your things properly, and have the steward escort you to the palace tomorrow."
There were also former students of the Grand Scholar in the Imperial Academy, so he wasn't worried about anything.
With Zhen Jingxiu's current talent, passing the imperial examination is still a piece of cake.
...
The night sky is filled with twinkling stars, like rubies set in the heavens, beautiful and mysterious.
The palace was brightly lit, with lanterns illuminating the halls and corridors, creating a shimmering, warm ribbon that bathed the entire palace in a bright and inviting glow.
In the Imperial Garden, the air is filled with a faint fragrance of flowers, which is refreshing and delightful.
Beneath a palace wall in the inner palace, three slender figures leaped onto the wall and disappeared on top of it in an instant.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, three figures arrived at the backyard of the Jiang residence.
They all jumped in together.
"who!"
Suddenly, shouts and the sound of swords being drawn rang out.
"Gao Mu, Cang Yun, stop immediately, the master is here."
The three had barely landed when Gao Mu and Cang Yun, without even seeing who it was, swung their swords to strike.
Upon hearing Xiang Yang and Xiang Song's voices, the two immediately stopped.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! We were unaware of Your Majesty's arrival and have failed to greet you properly. We beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!" Gao Mu and Cang Yun sheathed their swords and hurriedly knelt down to pay their respects.
"No need for formalities. Where does Sui Sui live? Lead the way." Xiao Jingzhao raised his hand, showing no intention of blaming the two.
The three of them were dressed in black, and the corner of the courtyard wall was dark, so much so that anyone who saw someone climbing over the wall would draw their sword.
The fact that the two were able to spot them so quickly and launch a swift attack shows that they are very competent. With them protecting Sui Sui, Xiao Jingzhao felt quite at ease.
Gao Mu and Cang Yun had just passed by Xingyue Courtyard on patrol and knew that Miss and Sui Sui were playing chess in the flower hall.
To be precise, it was Miss playing chess with Young Master Nangong, while Sui Sui watched from the sidelines and occasionally helped make a move.
For some reason, Gao Mu felt a pang of guilt.
He nudged Cangyun with his elbow, and Cangyun found Gao Mu's action inexplicable.
Cangyun stepped aside and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please come forward. Sui Sui is learning chess at Xingyue Academy."
Xiao Jingzhao strode forward, with Xiang Song and Xiang Yang following closely behind.
Gao Mu dawdled behind him.
In the Crescent Moon Courtyard, Nangong Zeyue and Jiang Shuyue played chess while Nangong Zeyue told her about what happened at the grain shop that day.
"Shuyue, now that the price of rice has come down, would you like someone to send some rice to the shop?" Nangong Zeyue pointed to the chessboard, and Suisui picked up the black pieces in front of her and placed them on the board.
Many people who bought grains also want to buy some rice, and there are many inquiries about it.
"Hmm, let's wait a little longer. We're not aiming to make a lot of money, as long as it's stable." Jiang Shuyue had calculated that her business, which required no capital, would be profitable no matter how she sold.
Nangong Zeyue had no idea that after returning home today, he roughly calculated that after deducting the monthly allowances for the shopkeeper and servants and then subtracting costs, there was almost no profit to be made.
Jiang Shuyue was preoccupied with other matters when, without noticing, Sui Sui ate one of her white stones.
"Mother, it's okay to lose. Try a piece of osmanthus cake."
"Uncle Nangong, have a piece too. It's fragrant, sticky, and delicious."
When Xiao Jingzhao arrived outside the flower hall, he saw a harmonious and joyful scene.
"Cough cough..."
"Miss, the Emperor has arrived."
Jiang Shuyue was startled. What was this guy doing here?
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Faced with this uninvited guest, Nangong Zeyue dared not be negligent and immediately got up and knelt down to pay her respects.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Jiang Shuyue was about to bow when Xiao Jingzhao looked at Sui Sui and said, "No need for formalities, quickly help your mother to sit down."
Xiao Jingzhao was influenced by his father from a young age; that was how they demanded of their mother.
When Sui Sui saw her father arrive, she jumped up from the prayer mat with joy.
"Father! Sui Sui thought that you would abandon me after you became the emperor."
Sui Sui bounced up and pounced on Xiao Jingzhao, who squatted down and hugged her in his arms.
“Nonsense, when did Father ever say he didn’t want Sui Sui?” As he said this, Xiao Jingzhao looked at Nangong Zeyue.
Nangong Zeyue: "..." What does this have to do with me?
The father and son were reunited after a long separation, and Sui Sui kept asking questions.
As if she knew Xiao Jingzhao would say "no need for formalities," Jiang Shuyue quickly sat back down.
Nangong Zeyue stood to one side. Since the emperor hadn't spoken, it wouldn't be right for him to leave, and it would be even more inappropriate for him to sit down. So he just stood there like a fool.
Upon hearing the news, Qiuju rushed over, exchanged greetings, and quickly withdrew to prepare tea and pastries.
"Father, you are the Emperor now. Mother says there are many rules in the palace. Would you like to take a stroll in the palace?"
Sui Sui wrapped her arms around Xiao Jingzhao's neck, acting affectionately and coquettishly.
He was very curious. Aunt Qiuju said that the palace was beautiful and the people were beautiful. Even the flowers and plants in the Imperial Garden were different from others. These words aroused the little guy's curiosity.
"Yes, people will laugh at you for not following the rules, but that's all for show. When there are no outsiders around, Sui Sui can be herself."
Xiao Jingzhao is skilled in both literature and martial arts. He dislikes formalities the most. Being in a high position means getting used to those things, and he is slowly adapting.
Upon hearing the word "outsider," Nangong Zeyue couldn't help but assume it referred to someone else.
He looked at Jiang Shuyue with feigned composure, and Jiang Shuyue smiled at him.
Jiang Shuyue's smile was like a gentle breeze, and Nangong Zeyue's discomfort vanished instantly.
The expressions of the two did not escape Xiao Jingzhao's keen peripheral vision.
Gao Mu, standing outside the door, saw everything clearly.
Cangyun stood at a distance, looking up at the sky, as if nothing had happened.
Xiang Song and Xiang Yang were also waiting outside the door, their eyes occasionally glancing into the flower hall.
"Hmph! You vixen." Xiang Yang snorted and muttered.
"Ah! Who did you say?" Xiang Song was worried that Xiang Yang had said something wrong, so he quickly pulled him away from the flower hall.
"Who else could it be? Didn't you see that when Master was talking to Young Master Sui Sui, that pretty boy was exchanging glances with Miss Jiang? He has fox eyes, what else could he be but a sly fox?"
Xiangyang was filled with righteous indignation and resentment. His master was now the emperor, and Miss Jiang was his woman. She would definitely enter the palace in the future.
That fellow spends all day fawning over the girl; if he keeps doing this, he'll dig the foundation of the palace walls down.
Xiang Song pinched Xiang Yang's arm hard. "We don't understand anything right now, so don't talk nonsense."
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