After saying this, she lightly walked away, about to leave. As she reached the door, she heard a familiar, hurried sound of footsteps behind her. Everyone turned around and saw the emperor, holding a string of candied haws, leisurely approaching with the chief eunuch. While chewing the candied haws, the emperor asked with interest:
"Hey! Why is it so noisy here? I can hear the commotion from far away. What happened?"
As he spoke, his eyes swept over everyone, finally landing on the ball of paper tightly clenched in Jiang Yan's hand. A hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes:
"What good stuff has Lord Jiang hidden? Let me see it."
Jiang Yan thought to himself that something was wrong and wanted to hide the paper in his hand, but it was too late. In desperation, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and hand it over. The emperor took it and slowly unfolded it. He was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help laughing:
"Jiang Yan is an idiot? Hahaha! Great! Su Jinli is so good, she even dares to scold the top scholar! It's really funny, extremely funny!"
Su Jinli's heart skipped a beat, and she secretly groaned. It was over! This had truly stabbed the emperor in the back. Uneasy, a bead of sweat formed on her forehead, as she wondered how the emperor would react next. Seeing this, everyone around her was terrified and held their breath. The once bustling study was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The emperor laughed for a while, then finally stopped smiling. His eyes fell on Su Jinli again, and he asked with a half-smile:
"Su Jinli, tell me, why did you call Jiang Zhuangyuan an idiot?"
Su Jinli was flustered, but she tried to calm herself down. She bowed slightly and said softly:
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am a good friend of Jiang Zhuangyuan. We often joke around with each other. I wrote these words today on a whim. I meant no offense. I hope Your Majesty will understand."
The emperor nodded slightly and turned his gaze to Jiang Yan:
"Lord Jiang, what about you? What are your thoughts on this matter?"
Jiang Yan took a step forward and said respectfully:
"Your Majesty, Miss Su is lively and accustomed to joking with me. Far from minding it, I find that there is a unique amusement between the lines of this letter."
The emperor listened, and a smile flashed in his eyes:
"Hahaha, you two are quite amusing. But, Jiang Yan, your dignity as the top scholar has been completely ruined by Su Jinli's scolding."
Jiang Yan smiled slightly and said:
"Your Majesty, I am truly honored to receive such 'favor' from Miss Su. What does it matter if it's a matter of face or not?"
The emperor looked at the two of them, thinking to himself that their relationship was quite deep. He then glanced at the tense crowd around him, and a sense of understanding dawned on him.
"Hmph, are you guys trying to take this opportunity to embarrass Su Jinli?" The emperor's voice suddenly became serious, and his eyes swept over Madam Li, Lady Liu, Princess Pingyang and others.
Everyone was so frightened that they knelt on the ground and said in unison:
"Your Majesty, forgive me!"
The emperor snorted coldly:
"I will not pursue today's matter. But you all must remember this: do not do these little tricks again. Jiang Yan and Su Jinli are both rare talents, and I still hope they will serve Dajing. If I find you making trouble again, I will not let you off easily!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Everyone kowtowed in gratitude.
The emperor handed the paper ball back to Jiang Yan and said with a smile:
"Lord Jiang, you must keep this 'calligraphy treasure' carefully. Perhaps it will become a good story in the future."
Jiang Yan took the paper ball, carefully put it into his sleeve pocket, and said:
"Your Majesty, rest assured. I will keep it safe."
The emperor looked at Su Jinli again and said:
"Su Jinli, stop joking around with Jiang Yan all day. I've heard you've made great achievements in the poetry club and in writing vernacular novels. In the future, you should contribute more to the cultural development of Dajing."
Su Jinli said quickly:
"I obey your command. I will definitely live up to your Majesty's high expectations."
The emperor nodded in satisfaction and left with the chief eunuch. Seeing the emperor leave, everyone rose. Madam Li, Lady Liu, Princess Pingyang, and the others all looked dejected and filled with regret. What had been a carefully planned spectacle had been easily derailed by Jiang Yan and Su Jinli, even attracting the emperor himself. It was truly a case of losing more than gaining.
Jiang Yan looked at Su Jinli, his eyes full of concern:
"Jinli, I'm sorry I wronged you today. But you're so bold to actually write 'Jiang Yan is an idiot' on that piece of paper, in front of so many people."
Su Jinli stuck out her tongue and said playfully:
"You're the one who always teases me. This is just a small revenge. Besides, I know you'll definitely help me."
Jiang Yan smiled helplessly:
"You, please don't be so reckless in the future. If His Majesty hadn't been in a good mood today, I'm afraid this matter wouldn't have been so easy to resolve."
Su Jinli nodded and said:
"I know. But today, thanks to you. If you hadn't shown up in time and spoken up for me, I really don't know what I would have done."
Jiang Yan gently held Su Jinli's hand and said:
"Jinli, I said, no matter what happens, I will be by your side. We will face it together."
Su Jinli looked at Jiang Yan, tears of emotion flashing in her eyes:
"Well, I believe you."
After this incident, Su Jinli and Jiang Yan's relationship deepened. Madam Li, Lady Liu, Princess Pingyang, and the others also temporarily restrained their thoughts, no longer daring to attack Su Jinli. But Su Jinli knew they wouldn't give up, and she feared more challenges would await her in the days ahead. However, with Jiang Yan by her side, she was filled with courage and confidence, and no matter what difficulties she encountered, she was fearless.
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