He was a clever man with a sharp mind. Perhaps wanting to impress the emperor, he repeated all the conversations he had overheard outside the imperial bedchamber.
After he finished speaking, the emperor waved his hand after a long while.
Chief Steward Yi quickly chased the young eunuch out.
The Emperor sighed and said, "Fu Niu'er is such a good child. No wonder her cousin loves her like his own daughter."
"Intelligent, kind, filial, and reasonable, most importantly, this child is insightful and knows how to be grateful."
"If the Third Princess were half as sensible as her, I wouldn't have to worry about state affairs and then family matters."
The Marquis was filled with immense pride and satisfaction, but he spoke apologetically, "Your Majesty, Fu Niu'er is young and spoke without thinking. Please do not take offense."
The Emperor smiled helplessly, "Cousin, there's no need to be so careful. As the saying goes, honest advice is hard to swallow. Fu Niu'er really wants the Third Princess to wake up, which is why she spoke so frankly."
"I am very pleased with her sincerity. Sending her to persuade the Third Princess was the right decision."
After saying that, he instructed Steward Yi, "Go to the storeroom and pick out some nice things for the princess, especially fabrics and jewelry that young girls like!"
"And those gems that came to the palace a few days ago, put the good ones in a box, and if the jewelry doesn't suit her taste, let this girl make it herself."
"Oh, and pack another two hundred taels of gold ingots. This girl likes gold!"
Chief Steward Yi could tell that the Emperor was genuinely pleased, so he smiled and agreed, and quickly went to make preparations.
So, Jiayin ate some snacks in the carriage out of boredom. When she finally saw her adoptive father, she saw a group of eunuchs following behind him, carrying a lot of things.
For this reason, the palace specially allocated a carriage to carry these rewards.
As soon as the Marquis got into the carriage, Jiayin immediately leaned over and whispered, "Godfather, how did you manage to please Uncle Emperor and rob so many good things!"
The Marquis smiled, ruffled her hair, and said with a smile, "Silly girl, those were all gifts from the Emperor."
"For me?" Jiayin was overjoyed, blinking her big eyes twice before understanding.
The news of his persuasion of the Third Princess must have reached the Emperor's ears.
After thinking it over carefully, she realized that although her words were too "intense," they didn't seem to have offended anyone, so she felt relieved.
"If I had known that persuading the Third Princess would bring such a reward, I would have gone long ago!" Jiayin peeled an orange for her godfather to quench his thirst, rubbing her hands together in anticipation of receiving the gift.
The Marquis slowly ate the orange and asked, "I need to go to the Ministry of War later. Are you going back to the shop or to Suijintan?"
"I'll go back to the shop first, and if there's nothing else, I'll head back to Suijintan. Grandma and Mom aren't here, so I want to wander around and put everyone at ease."
"Good, Fu Niu'er has really grown up. Your godfather doesn't need to worry about her anymore." The Marquis smiled, patted the little girl, and instructed, "Prepare a few more dishes for dinner tonight. After I'm done with my work, I'll go back to dinner with your second uncle and Mr. Wen."
"Okay," Jiayin replied with a smile.
Soon we arrived at Tiantian Fruits and Vegetables. Business was still good, with customers frequently coming out of the right door carrying beautiful baskets.
Although their wallets were empty, the thought that the elderly and children would be happy when they got home made the guests feel that it was all worth it.
Jiaren and the others were still in the backyard and hadn't left. They all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw their sister return.
Just then, Cyclamen delivered a food box, and everyone ate lunch together.
Jiayin didn't say much about what happened in the palace, and neither did anyone else ask.
After the meal, Jiaren and the others left. Jiayin gave Zhao Hui a few instructions and then returned to Suijintan with the rewards.
The sun was shining brightly today, and there was no wind blowing snowflakes; it was just dry and cold.
Seeing that there was no one on the road, Jiayin decided to sit on the carriage shaft for a while.
Shuiyun and Shuiling couldn't stop them, so they told the person in front.
Mu Xu gestured for the veteran to ride a horse, then took the reins and had Jia Yin sit on the other side of the carriage.
Winter air is the best stimulant; just one breath and you're instantly refreshed.
Jiayin wrapped her cloak tighter around herself; the dizziness she had felt from the charcoal fumes in the car had immediately subsided.
Mu Xu saw her curled up in the white fox fur, her small face no bigger than a palm, her big eyes blinking, her long eyelashes trembling, she was so charming that he couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Jiayin noticed and asked, "Is there charcoal ash on my face?"
Mu Xu coughed twice, pretending to stroke her head, "It seems like there's some shell stuck to your hair!"
Jiayin quickly lowered her head and shook it twice, saying in annoyance, "It must have come out when I was eating chestnuts at the Third Princess's place."
"The Third Princess must have found out, but she didn't tell me. What a stingy girl!"
"If I had known, I wouldn't have tried to persuade her. I would have let her cry her eyes out until they were like rotten peaches!"
Mu Xu, curious, asked, "The Third Princess is such a precious person, raised in an ivory tower, yet she still feels wronged?"
"Hmph!" Jiayin rolled her eyes and muttered, "What grievance? It's just being dramatic!"
After saying that, she briefly explained the Third Princess's "grievances".
Mu Xu was speechless, his eyes full of mockery.
"Sure enough, she's just being pretentious! She's surrounded by fine clothes and food, and still thinks she's pitiful? If she were to live my life even once, she probably wouldn't be able to survive a single day."
Jiayin was already curious about Mu Xu's identity. After all, someone who could be favored by her godfather and entrusted to her as a guard must be no ordinary person.
But no matter how many times she asked, her godfather refused to tell her.
This time, we finally got to the point where we were talking, so how could she let it go!
So, she rolled her eyes and asked, "What kind of day is your 'day'?"
Seeing the curiosity in her eyes, Mu Xu hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's nothing, it's just that my father and mother died but I survived, so I'm just seeking revenge."
Jiayin couldn't say a word, all her words stuck in her throat.
She could never satisfy her curiosity by stepping on other people's sore spots.
So she quickly tried to change the subject.
Just then, they arrived near the Second Village. Xiao Cui'er led some women walking along the roadside, and when they saw the princess's carriage, they quickly surrounded it.
Jiayin thought for a moment, then asked Mu Xu to stop the car. She jumped out and asked, "Where are you aunties going?"
Xiao Cui quickly replied, "The princess is back! It's already December, and we'll be baking pastries soon. We thought we'd come over early to tidy up, wipe off the dust, and heat up the stove."
This is a good reminder for Jiayin, as the villagers have a custom of starting to prepare food once the twelfth lunar month begins.
Sticky rice cakes, sticky rice pancakes, jujube steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and twisted dough sticks—every household can make these.
However, the pastries in the New Year's gifts are so plentiful that they require the use of an oven.
She thought for a moment and then said, "It would be good for the aunties to tidy up. I've already placed a snack order in the last few days and have someone prepare the ingredients."
"When the time comes, we'll have to trouble the aunties to bake a lot more. Everyone has been busy all year, so let's share some more pastries and try something different."
"Oh dear, Your Highness, please don't say that. It's only right that we do some work! The New Year is all about having fun, so it's good to be busy!" Xiao Cui quickly said.
The women chattered about which pastries were the best and which were the most labor-intensive and expensive to prepare.
After chatting for a while, Jiayin was about to return to her old house.
Unexpectedly, a young woman stepped forward and whispered, "This humble woman has a request. I wonder if the princess could listen to a few words?"
Serving you at midnight~
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