The villagers, men who knew each other well, gathered together to chat, their laughter ringing out from time to time.
The children were being mischievous, weaving through the crowd. One of them almost bumped into the old woman carrying the dishes, and she pulled his ear and gave him two hard slaps on the bottom.
The child scratched his bright red bottom, grinned, and then went back to being naughty.
The elderly were helped to sit down early, drinking tea and nodding with smiles.
Everyone in the village, regardless of age or gender, was genuinely happy for the Li family and delighted that their child was doing well.
It seems that in their hearts, there is no distinction between "you" and "me" in the village; we are all a shared source of glory.
The third princess watched with a mixture of curiosity and surprise.
This was a feeling she had never experienced before.
So much so that when Jiayin came to find her for dinner, she was still sitting on a big tree at the entrance of the village, lost in thought.
Caiyun stood guard under the tree, pacing anxiously in circles, afraid that her master would fall, futilely stretching out her arms.
It's as if they're always ready to catch their master!
Jiayin found it amusing and went over to greet her, "Songzhi, dinner's ready! What are you doing standing here in a daze? If you linger any longer, all the meatballs will be gone!"
The third princess's maiden name was Songzhi, but she was usually addressed as princess by Jiayin.
There were quite a few people from other villages nearby at that moment, and she called out this name because she was afraid of revealing her identity as the Third Princess.
Sure enough, the third princess looked down at her, but patted the tree trunk beside her.
Jiayin hugged the tree trunk and climbed up in no time, quite nimbly.
The third princess blinked twice and finally smiled. "I learned to climb trees when I was little to avoid my nanny's nagging, but you're so good at climbing trees too?"
Jiayin shrugged and said helplessly, "I'm the only girl in my family, the rest are boys. I've been playing with my brothers since I was little, but when they get naughty, they often forget about me."
“For example, this tree. I’ve fallen onto its trunk at least a dozen times, and my dad and my godfather always carried me down. Over time, in order to save myself, I had to learn skills to defend myself.”
The third princess subconsciously imagined a scene: a group of naughty boys running wildly in front, and a pitiful chubby girl riding on a big tree behind them.
She couldn't help but burst into laughter, exclaiming, "You actually have a time like this? I thought you, my precious darling, would always be pampered by your brothers, but I never expected you to be left hanging on a tree branch like this."
Jiayin rolled her eyes, nudged her with her elbow, and protested, "Hey, sister, your gloating is too obvious. Shouldn't we tone it down a bit?"
The Third Princess laughed even harder, reaching out to hug Jiayin's neck and mimicking her tone, saying, "Sister, don't be ungrateful. I'm just feeling sorry for you, you poor little thing."
Jiayin took the opportunity to tickle her armpits, making the Third Princess almost fall off the tree. Of course, it also scared Caiyun so much that her heart almost jumped out of her throat.
The Third Princess waved Caiyun away, leaned against Jiayin, and said, "I really envy you, growing up here. It's so lively here, full of human warmth. Unlike me... in the cold palace, it's not easy to even see my father and mother."
Jiayin never allowed her to wallow in self-pity like this. As usual, she raised her hand and patted her back, scolding her, "Stop making that pitiful face at me! You're only envious now because you see how well we're doing, how lively and prosperous we are."
"But you have no idea that when we first moved here, this place was full of gravel beaches and barren mountains, and we couldn't even find a place to dig for wild vegetables."
“Our whole village tightened our belts, ate only one meal a day, and endured hunger to clear this land with picks and hoes.”
"The uncles and elders in our village are so thin they look like paper dolls, they could be blown away by the wind."
The third princess was surprised and grinned as she listened.
"Um... ah, I thought this was a place with excellent feng shui..."
Jiayin sighed, "This auspicious place was created through our hard work, not by nature! You only see our good life, you don't know how hard we work."
"Although you live in the palace and don't enjoy as much parental love, you have no worries about food and clothing, which makes you happier than most children in the world. Go to a poor place and see; even today, there are still many people who don't have enough to eat or wear."
"One should not be greedy, nor should one strive for perfection, otherwise one will never be satisfied and will never have a happy life."
The Third Princess listened in silence, leaning against Jiayin without saying a word.
Jiayin didn't say anything more. The Third Princess was intelligent, but sometimes she was a bit stubborn and willful.
If you give her a few pointers at a crucial moment, she will naturally understand.
Sure enough, after a short while, the Third Princess said, "Father Emperor is looking for a consort for me recently. Although he said he would let me choose one and try to pick one I like, I know that whether I like him or not is not important. The consort that Father Emperor chooses for me will definitely help him stabilize the court."
“I was very angry at first, but now I suddenly understand. As a princess, the fine clothes and delicacies I enjoy are all thanks to the support of the people. Now, it is time for me to take on my responsibilities.”
"Like you said, it's impossible for me to have all the good things and only enjoy them without giving anything in return."
Jiayin was unaware that the Third Princess had such worries. Lately, she had been preoccupied with her brothers' exams and frequently left the palace, so she hadn't paid much attention to the Third Princess.
She wanted to offer advice, but she was at a loss for words.
Since we cannot resist established facts, we can only learn to accept them.
It must be said that it was fortunate that the Third Princess didn't get stuck on a rut.
Because between his daughter and the stability of the court, the emperor would definitely choose the stability of the court.
Otherwise, how could there be the saying, "The most ruthless are those in the imperial family"?
After the banquet, Jiayin and the Third Princess returned to the palace.
Jiaren took Lige'er and stopped staying up late to study. Instead, he stayed in Suijintan to take care of some household chores, walked around the village, and soaked in the hot springs in the hot spring valley to completely clear his mind.
The two brothers returned to the city the night before the imperial examination, and the next day, before dawn, they rushed to the palace gates to queue up.
More than a hundred students lined up in order of their rankings and, as dawn broke, stepped into the palace.
The palace examination, personally supervised by the emperor, was the final step in the imperial examination process.
For this day, the students have endured countless winters and summers, and shed countless hairs.
Some people walked along, trembling with excitement, their hands and feet wobbling unsteadily, which made the little eunuch leading the way chuckle to himself.
Of course, there are also those who walk with composure and calmness, and are steady and disciplined, such as Jiaren.
When the villagers first arrived at Suijintan, he followed his family into the palace to offer tribute to the emperor.
Even the emperor visited Suijintan and ate noodles cooked by his aunt.
Now it's my own younger sister, who's still staying in the palace for a while.
No one was more confident than him.
Soon, the students were led to a spacious hall.
The main hall was furnished with more than a hundred small tables and brocade cushions, with writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones all laid out on them.
The emperor brought along the ministers of the six ministries and other important officials to personally supervise the examination.
The students knelt down, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" and their tension reached its peak.
The emperor's gaze swept over the students below, and he nodded in satisfaction.
It must be said that the nine-day grueling examination at the Imperial Examination Hall eliminated the elderly, the sick, and those with weak wills.
The students who are here are all the best, each one full of vigor and handsome.
He couldn't help but glance at the corner leading to the rear hall, where a screen stood, embroidered with clusters of vibrant and bright flowers...
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