Jing'er ran all the way to the entrance of Chang Le Palace, where she saw the little eunuch standing straight, like a legendary "waiting-for-husband stone".
"Ahem! Hey, you've been standing since this morning, aren't you tired?"
The young eunuch blushed deeply at Jing'er's sudden concern.
She replied shyly, "Thank you, Sister Jing'er. I'm not tired at all."
Jing'er had a sudden idea and said anxiously, "Her Highness suddenly said she had a stomachache. Could you please go to the Imperial Hospital and summon the imperial physician to take a look?"
"Is Your Highness suffering from an upset stomach?" the eunuch blurted out without thinking.
He saw palace maids bringing in pastries several times a day, and each time the pastries were different. It was no wonder he got sick from eating them.
Seeing that Jing'er did not respond, the little eunuch realized that he had spoken out of turn and overstepped his bounds. He then said, "Sister Jing'er, please wait. This servant will go to the Imperial Hospital to fetch someone."
Seeing the little eunuch run away, Jing'er quickly turned around.
"Your Highness, the little eunuch has been sent away by this servant."
Chang Le was overjoyed. She stood up, shook her dress, and smiled, her phoenix eyes turning into crescent moons. "Go get a bag of loose silver. Let's leave the palace now."
Chang Le already had experience shopping, and knew that she needed to carry money when she went out, with loose silver being the most convenient to spend.
"Your Highness, won't you change your clothes?"
Chang Le waved his hand, "Stop arguing, let's go."
Having left the palace without permission, she did not intend to ask for a carriage or horses.
Jing'er rushed to the dressing table, opened the drawer, and stuffed all the loose silver and copper coins into her purse.
Chang Le lifted her skirt and ran out. As soon as she stepped out of the inner palace, more than a dozen palace maids knelt down in fear.
"Your Highness, you mustn't."
"Your Highness, please wait."
"What are you afraid of? When the imperial physician comes, just tell him that I'm fine and have already gone back to sleep."
Chang Le pointed to the palace maid closest to her and said, "Go and put the pillows on the bed into the quilt, and then lower the curtains. In short, no one is allowed to come near the bed."
A palace maid asked timidly, "What if Aunt Cai comes?"
"You can handle it yourselves, just don't give anything away. I will definitely be back before dark."
Chang Le was certain that Aunt Cai wouldn't be coming today.
"Your Highness, let's go quickly." Jing'er took out her purse, grabbed Chang Le, and hurried outside.
The master and servant traveled without hindrance until they left the palace gates. Chang Le looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. "Ah! The air outside the palace is so much fresher."
Jing'er was amused by Chang Le's exaggerated appearance and giggled.
Jing'er hailed a carriage on the street and headed straight for the Jiang residence.
As the carriage passed the intersection in front of East Street, the sound of gongs and drums could be heard in the distance.
"Master, it's the top scholar parading through the streets!" Jing'er's eyes lit up.
Before they even left Chang Le Palace, they heard the palace maids on duty at the Qionglin Banquet say that this year's top three scholars were all handsome young men with both talent and good looks.
Chang Le had met Su Jin before. He was handsome and could be considered good-looking, but she felt that he was still a little inferior to her emperor brother.
Throughout history, the third-ranking scholar was chosen based on his good looks. Could he possibly be more handsome than his own emperor brother?
Chang Le's curiosity was piqued, and she lifted the carriage curtain and said, "Hey! Master, wait a moment ahead, let the top scholar who is parading through the streets pass before we go."
She remembered Aunt Cai's words: a young lady must be reserved.
She wanted to see how handsome the third-ranked scholar was, but she didn't say it directly.
Jing'er gave her a thumbs up.
The driver knew exactly what the young girl was thinking; she just wanted to see some excitement.
The coachman parked the carriage on one side of the crossroads, and the people inside could see the street scene simply by lifting the side curtain.
As the music grew closer, people on the street surged toward both sides of the road.
"They're here, they're almost here." Two little heads peered out the window, their eyes fixed intently on the view ahead.
As Zhen Jingxiu rode past on a tall horse, Chang Le clicked her tongue and said, "The top scholar is quite handsome."
"Really? When they said it, I couldn't believe it."
Before Jing'er could finish speaking, Chang Le said again, "He's still not as handsome as Second Brother."
"Master, look! Young Master Su looks even better today than before."
Chang Le glanced at it and said dismissively, "Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse. He does look much more energetic."
"However, he's not as good-looking as my second brother."
Just as the third-ranked scholar walked over, some girls exclaimed and laughed, and Chang Le stared wide-eyed at him.
The third-ranked scholar had clear and bright features, with a smile as gentle as a spring breeze in his eyes. He was tall and elegant, with a refined and graceful demeanor, a truly gentle and refined young gentleman.
As the third-ranked scholar walked by, Chang Le looked away, saying, "Second brother is still more handsome."
Jing'er lowered the curtain and nodded in agreement, "That's right, our Emperor is still the most handsome and majestic."
After the procession passed, the carriage headed straight for the Jiang residence.
The gatekeeper stared in surprise when he saw Chang Le.
"Please come in, Princess. I will go and inform Miss right away."
Chang Le raised her hand to stop her, "I'll just play for a little while, don't make a fuss, we can go in by ourselves."
At the Jiang residence, Chang Le felt as if she had returned to the Prince of Yannan's mansion, and she felt particularly relaxed there.
As Chang Le entered the second hanging flower gate, a maidservant went in to announce her arrival.
Jiang Shuyue came out to greet her, pulled her around and looked her over, then said with a smile, "Hmm, you seem to have lost weight."
Chang Le pulled Jiang Shuyue's arm and shook it, "Sister Jiang has such good eyesight. Since Mother confined me to my quarters, I've been worried about Sui Sui and I haven't been able to eat or sleep well. I'm sure I've lost weight."
"Is the bruise on your wrist better?" Jiang ignored Chang Le's comment about not being able to eat or sleep.
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