Just then, Lu Zong boldly glanced at the Emperor and saw him looking towards a corner, so he subconsciously followed suit.
And so, he caught a glimpse of a light blue hem of a skirt behind the screen.
He paused for a moment, then seemed to remember something and couldn't help but smile, his eyes filled with doting affection and joy...
Behind the screen, the Third Princess suddenly gripped Jiayin's hand tightly, her face slightly flushed.
Jiayin was trying hard to find her brothers through the gap in the screen.
Jiaren, being the second-place student, sat in the front row, while Lige'er sat among the students, completely obscured, making it quite difficult to pinpoint his location.
She was suddenly jolted back to her senses when the Third Princess pinched her hand, and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, well, I'm just suddenly a little nervous..." The Third Princess suppressed her wildly beating heart and, unusually, didn't tell the truth.
Jiayin ignored her and whispered, "Quickly help me find my sixth brother. I've found my eldest brother, Brother Lu, and Brother Jia, but I haven't seen my sixth brother!"
The third princess pointed to a spot and said, "Isn't that the one sitting behind the blue brocade robe, wearing a silver crown!"
"Where? Where?" Jiayin was getting anxious. She stood on tiptoe, craned her neck, and looked around, but she still couldn't see anything.
Fortunately, Shui Ling ran to find a small table and let her master step on it.
Jiayin's gaze finally reached above the examination hall, and she found her brother's seat.
Unfortunately, she was so focused on her search that she forgot that her gold-inlaid jade orchid hairpin had already leaped over the screen and was now gleamingly exposed to everyone's eyes.
Lu Zong was the first to discover it, and he couldn't help but feel a little anxious, but also happy that his guess was correct.
He had seen this gold-inlaid jade orchid hairpin in Jiaren's study last year; it was a birthday gift Jiaren had prepared for his sister.
Therefore, he also prepared a pair of mutton-fat jade bracelets to match the hairpin, and gave them to Jiayin together.
I didn't want to see him again, especially not in such a setting.
That little girl is really bold; she even dared to come and watch the palace examination.
Similarly, Jiaren and Lige also looked over in unison and saw the top of their sister's head.
The two were both amused and exasperated, yet felt an extraordinary sense of peace and joy.
More and more students noticed something amiss and couldn't help but turn their attention to it.
Soon, the emperor and his high-ranking officials also discovered it.
The Emperor coughed twice and said loudly, "Distribute the exam papers. All irrelevant people, please leave. Don't delay the students from answering the questions."
Officials immediately sprang into action, and the students, too nervous to even watch the spectacle, were caught up in the excitement.
Behind the screen, Jiayin shrank her neck, jumped off the small table, grabbed the Third Princess, and left.
The third princess was still somewhat reluctant to leave, and even after returning to the inner palace, she was still in a daze.
Jiayin gulped down a cup of warm tea, patted her chest, and asked in surprise, "We hid so well, how did we still get discovered?"
After waiting for a long time, the Third Princess still didn't speak. She was blushing, resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
Even the most obtuse Jiayin could see through the deception.
She sidled up to the third princess and asked with a grin, "That man is really handsome!"
The third princess nodded, her face turning even redder, and casually replied, "He's tall and has a good figure, standing out like a crane among chickens..."
Halfway through her sentence, she finally came to her senses. She glanced at Jiayin, whose face was full of mischief, Shuiling, who was trying not to laugh, and Caiyun, who looked helpless. She immediately jumped up.
"Li Jiayin! You actually tried to trick me into telling me this?"
Everyone could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.
Jiayin tugged at the Third Princess's hand and replied, "Was I trying to trick you into telling me anything? Your face is practically blooming with joy. Even a blind man could see your heart pounding!"
The third princess covered her face and stomped her feet, too ashamed to see anyone.
Jiayin waved her hand, signaling Shuiling and Caiyun to go out.
With only the two of them left in the room, she sneakily whispered in the Third Princess's ear, "Tell me quickly, have you taken a fancy to any scholar? For the sake of our sisterhood, I'll help you find out about his family."
"I definitely won't let you fall for my tricks and find someone who's all show and no substance!"
The third princess blushed even more, but still withdrew her hands and replied, "It's not that I'm interested in him, it's just that I think his smile is... very handsome."
"Him? Which 'him'?" Jiayin asked, even more curious.
The third princess's face was practically bleeding as she whispered, "It's Prince Lu, the one who gets along well with your eldest brother!"
Jiayin was taken aback, somewhat surprised.
"You've taken a liking to Brother Lu? Brother Lu is the same age as my brother, about seven or eight years older than you. Isn't he too... old?"
The third princess quickly shook her head and replied, "Not old, not old, seven or eight years old is just right. I have a bad temper and am willful and unruly. He is older than me, so he can keep an eye on me."
Jiayin sighed helplessly, "You're really caught up in this; you're already protecting her."
"Oh dear!" The third princess was so embarrassed that she quickly hugged her arm and begged, "I just like him. Can you tell me about him? He's always coming and going from your house, so you must know him well."
Jiayin hesitated for a moment. She knew Lu Zong quite well, since Lu Zong treated her like a younger sister and they got along very well.
But for now, she didn't intend to say too much to the Third Princess.
The more the third princess knows, the deeper she may get involved, but she has no say in her own marriage...
"Songzhi, you should talk to your uncle about this. If your uncle also thinks highly of Brother Lu, I promise to tell you everything I know, big or small."
The Third Princess seemed to have been doused with cold water; her blush quickly faded, and she calmed down completely.
She replied sullenly, "Okay, I understand."
Jiayin couldn't bear to see her so dejected, so she said, "Come on, let's go back and see how the pork bone soup is cooking in the kitchen. We'll have hot pot in the little garden at noon. The flowers are already blooming in the garden; it's the perfect time."
The third princess roused herself, stood up, and walked out arm in arm with Jiayin.
Jiayin didn't forget her brothers either, leaving Shuiling to relay messages promptly.
Shuiyun is usually not very talkative, but her cooking skills are outstanding.
During the time she followed her master into the palace, she quietly and swiftly took control of the kitchen in Zhilan Palace.
Whether it was the cooks or the palace maids tending the fire, they all obeyed her every word and admired her greatly.
The cook hoped to learn more about cooking from her, because the princess would need to eat even after leaving the palace.
But the Third Princess was used to Shuiyun's cooking skills, and if they couldn't replicate them, they would definitely be in big trouble.
The palace maids who tended the fire liked Shuiyun's kindness and generosity. Whenever she cooked something delicious, besides offering it to her mistress, Shuiyun would always save some for them to enjoy.
Just like today, the masters are having hot pot in the small garden.
They carried large bowls filled with chewy hand-pulled noodles cooked in bone broth, topped with a few fish balls and a handful of greens—it was so delicious it made you want to scream.
In the small garden, the Third Princess and Jiayin were also very satisfied with their meal, rubbing their bellies as they leaned against their master in the pavilion.
"I really wish you could stay in the palace forever, and I would never marry. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could just live our lives together like this?" The Third Princess couldn't help but sigh.
Jiayin found it amusing and was about to speak when Shuiling came running back, all excited.
Today's update is here!
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