"Father, is something troubling you? Why are you sighing?"
The third princess harbored many resentments in her heart, but in reality, she still relied on and cared for her father in every way.
Seeing her father sigh, she became worried and quickly asked him what was wrong.
The Emperor patted her head and shook his head with a smile.
"Father is alright. He is just pleased to see you all happy. But he is also worried that once you are engaged and married, the palace will become quiet and lonely."
"Then I won't get married. I'll live in the palace forever and stay with Father Emperor," the Third Princess replied casually.
"What nonsense are you talking about!" the Emperor laughed and scolded, then took two pieces of cold rice cake and gave them to the two girls.
Jiayin smiled and accepted it, then looked up and carefully observed the Emperor's expression before lowering her eyes again.
I don't know what medicine Chief Physician Liu used, but it seems to be accelerating the burning of the Emperor's life force, which is why he looks so healthy now, but in reality, his internal health is slowly declining...
The third princess, perhaps also worried, said, "Father, do you know that there is a divine doctor at Jiayin's Broken Gold Beach? Should we ask him to take your pulse?"
Jiayin quickly nodded and also advised, "Yes, Uncle Huang, the doctor Zhang in our village is very skilled. Why don't you let him take a look at you? Last time... even if you were cured, we should still check if there were any lasting effects!"
The emperor waved his hand, refusing outright.
"You don't need to worry. I know this Physician Zhang. He treated the Marquis many years ago, and he also invented the wound medicine for the army."
"But he's not good at...detoxification, so don't make a fuss about bringing him to see a doctor. Besides, I've already recovered and am no different from an ordinary person."
The Third Princess was about to offer further persuasion when the Emperor changed the subject, "Lu Zong came over this afternoon? What do you think? I think I made a good choice for my son-in-law?"
The third princess blushed, her usual haughty and dignified demeanor vanished, and she became unusually shy and bashful.
"How could Father Emperor do this? Who praises himself like that?"
The Emperor laughed even more heartily, "If you say that, then you're getting along well, and I'm relieved. I'll pick an auspicious day soon and have you two get married. Once you're married, I can finally rest easy."
"Choose a date?!" The Third Princess was startled and immediately protested.
"Father, I don't want to get married so early! Didn't you say you wanted me to stay for a few more years? I'm still so young, getting married is too early!"
The Emperor, however, refused to compromise and advised, "You are not young anymore. Get married and have children soon. Lu Zong is the only legitimate son of the Lu family. If you have a few more sons, the entire Lu family will probably treat you like royalty! Then I won't have to worry about you having a bad life."
The third princess pouted and shook her head, the phoenix hairpin with pearls beside her temple jingling and clanging.
"Father Emperor doesn't keep his word! You only have eyes for the Imperial Concubine and the Second Prince, and you despise me, a girl, and plan to marry me off as soon as possible."
Helpless, the emperor looked to Jiayin for help.
If possible, he, as a father, would naturally want to keep his daughter for a few more years.
But the royal court and the imperial court are the most dangerous places in the world, and even he, the supreme ruler of the world, fell victim to their poison.
It would be better to let his daughter get out of this mess as soon as possible, so he could save himself some trouble.
Jiayin thought for a moment and then said, "It doesn't matter whether we get married sooner or later, Princess. You're not marrying someone from the southwest, which is thousands of miles away. It's not easy for you to travel back and forth like that."
"Your marriage will also take place in Xindu; it's just a change of residence. If you want to come back to see your imperial uncle, it's only a fifteen-minute carriage ride. Besides, marriage is great; you'll have more freedom, and it will be easier to go shopping and sightseeing whenever you want."
The third princess blinked twice and suddenly realized that this made sense.
Even if she gets married, she will still be a princess, and the emperor will still be her father; nothing will change.
Thinking this, she held back the tears that hadn't yet flowed.
"Alright then, I'll listen to Father. However, I'd like to come back for a short stay, and Father can't stop me."
The Emperor smiled and replied, "What father in the world would stop his daughter from returning to her parents' home? The palace will always be your home; you can come back anytime you want."
The third princess was completely relieved. Upon seeing Jiayin, she enthusiastically arranged a marriage for her good friend.
"Father, you can't just worry about me. Jiayin is of marriageable age. Aren't you going to find her a good husband?"
The Emperor casually replied, "Fu Niu'er, no, Jia Yin, you're a young woman now. Do you have any thoughts about your future husband?"
Before Jiayin could respond, a soft cracking sound suddenly came from a tree in the corner of the yard, followed by a branch falling down and two night birds taking flight.
The Emperor and the Third Princess couldn't help but glance over, but they only looked once and didn't pay much attention.
Jiayin, however, had some guesses and couldn't help but chuckle to herself.
She replied with a smile, "Thank you, Your Majesty, but I am the only girl in my family. My husband will probably have to be tested by my grandmother, my uncles and aunts, my parents, my godfather, and my brothers—a total of dozens of people—before he is satisfied."
"I bet anyone would run away if they heard this! I'm still young, so I'll wait and see, at least until my dad and godfather come back."
The Emperor and the Third Princess were amused and laughed heartily. The Emperor nodded in agreement, saying, "That makes sense. Your sons-in-law are probably having an even harder time than our royal sons-in-law."
"I won't get involved. If I choose someone who doesn't suit your family's taste, I'll be blamed. You should choose for yourselves. I'll bestow a marriage upon you then, and you can have a grand and glorious wedding."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Jiayin said generously without any shyness, and then said, "Your Majesty, I made two bowls of ice cream in the kitchen. They should be ready to eat. I'll bring them over for you to try and cool off."
"Alright, I'll try your cooking too. I've been too busy before, and you sent it twice, but I didn't get to eat it, which is such a pity." The Emperor nodded with a smile, and Jiayin left with Shuiling and Shuiyun.
For a moment, only the Emperor and the Third Princess, father and daughter, and Chief Steward Yi, who was serving from a distance, remained under the eaves.
The Emperor couldn't help but sigh, patted his daughter's arm, and said with emotion, "If you were half as clever as Jia Yin, I wouldn't have to worry about you or make plans for you."
"Father..." The third princess asked, somewhat aggrieved and fearful, "Is Father's health...?"
"Don't worry," the Emperor still wouldn't tell the truth, but comforted you, "Your father knows what he's doing and can protect you. Listen to your father's arrangements, get married early, and don't worry about anything else."
"If you can't decide something, listen to Jiayin, okay?"
“I have watched Jiayin grow up since she was a child. She is a good girl, and the Li family values loyalty and righteousness. As long as you treat Jiayin well, and you have lived together for so long, even in the future... she will never abandon you.”
Hearing the ominous tone of those words, the third princess shook her head vigorously and choked out, "No, I have my father. With my father here, I am a princess, and I don't need anyone's care."
The emperor sighed and remained silent.
The courtyard was quiet; even the night insects wisely kept silent…
Jiayin waited in the kitchen for fifteen minutes before taking the ice cream out.
The emperor ate most of a bowl of food, chatted with the two young girls for a while, and then returned to his study.
The third princess looked dejected and urged Jiayin to go to bed early.
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