"What the princess said makes sense. Then you don't need to learn the rules. Just keep the princess company and help this old lady relieve her boredom."
The Empress Dowager stopped smiling and gave a promise.
Jiayin, however, did not know when to stop and continued to make demands, "Your Majesty, when my grandmother left home, she instructed me to take care of Suijintan and the family business."
"Therefore, I cannot stay in the palace every day. From now on, I will stay in the palace for three days and go home for two days. Is that alright?"
"Empress Dowager and I have no blood relation, yet she loves me so much."
"My family naturally cherishes me dearly, and they would be worried sick if they didn't see me for a long time."
"My adoptive father and father are fighting for the country, and my uncle also has duties to share the burden of the country. Your Majesty the Empress Dowager must not be able to bear seeing me and must be thinking of me, right?"
On the other side of the screen, Li Lao Er and the Marquis almost burst out laughing when they heard this, and their hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
My little girl is usually very sweet-talking to the elderly, and I never expected her to be so effective in a crucial moment.
If these words came from their mouths, they would be ungrateful.
But when the young girl herself spoke up, she was essentially throwing the problem to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager's refusal was considered unreasonable, forcing officials and their families to separate.
If we agree, it would be like inviting a spoiled brat who can't stand the slightest grievance into the palace!
Sure enough, even though the Empress Dowager was furious, she still agreed, "Fine, you're a filial child, I'll grant your request!"
Jiayin finally smiled broadly and thanked her joyfully, "Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager! I knew Your Majesty was so kind and understanding, you must care about me!"
"Then I will go home and pack my things, and enter the palace before the Lantern Festival to accompany the Empress Dowager to enjoy the lanterns."
The Empress Dowager nodded and said nothing more.
Everyone was not stupid, and they could naturally see that the Empress Dowager was unhappy.
But they were even more surprised by Princess Kang Le's audacity.
This little girl actually dared to negotiate with the Empress Dowager, and she almost completely dominated her...
Put yourself in their shoes. If their daughters were asked to enter the palace, they would probably just cry and whine, and wouldn't dare to fight for their own convenience!
Having achieved her goal, the Empress Dowager grew impatient with being scrutinized openly and subtly by everyone and excused herself from her seat, claiming to feel dizzy.
Almost as soon as she left, the Third Princess grabbed Jiayin's hand, tears of regret welling up in her eyes.
"I shouldn't have come to ask you for snacks, otherwise the Empress Dowager wouldn't have seen you and wouldn't have let you into the palace!"
Jiayin really didn't blame her.
The Empress Dowager had clearly planned this all along; even if the Third Princess hadn't come over to chat and play, she would have found another excuse.
But she had no intention of comforting the Third Princess, after all, this girl would be her talisman in the future!
So, Jiayin, looking both aggrieved and worried, hugged the Third Princess's arm and whispered, "Princess, I'm scared. You have to protect me when we go to the palace!"
"good!"
Touched by the words "elder sister," the third princess immediately straightened her back and hugged Jiayin tightly, saying, "Don't worry, if anyone dares to bully you, I'll whip them!"
"Then, you'll eat and live with me!"
"Great! I'll bring more fruit from home! And I'll have Baiyunjian send us freshly baked pastries every day!"
Jiayin timely offered a "sweet date," which indeed made the Third Princess even happier...
On the other side, the Marquis took the opportunity of offering a toast to get to the Emperor's side.
Before he could speak, the Emperor whispered, "Cousin, I didn't know she would come up with this idea. Don't worry, we can select two skilled guards from the secret police to protect Fu Niu'er secretly."
The Marquis nodded. He had many men, but to avoid suspicion, he didn't arrange any for them in the palace.
He had no choice but to seek help from the Emperor in this matter.
Jiayin had some means of self-protection, and with the princess always by her side and the secret guards protecting her, it wouldn't be easy for the Empress Dowager to harm her.
After going to the palace three to five times, you can find an excuse to decline...
Leaving aside how frustrated, angry, and worried the Li family was, the guests were secretly gossiping while watching the song and dance performance.
In particular, some simple-minded women, who did not understand the power struggles in the court, were envious and jealous of Jiayin being able to be a princess's companion.
"Why would the Empress Dowager take a fancy to that country bumpkin from the Li family? It would be an honor to let her enter the palace to accompany the princess, but she keeps making excuses and can't stand hardship or being wronged!"
"Yes, the Empress Dowager is truly kind and benevolent. If it were me, I would have punished her for her great disrespect long ago!"
"In terms of looks, background, and character, my He Rou is far superior to that wild girl from the Li family. It's just a pity that she's not as good at flattery. Look, she's managed to please the Third Princess and thus caught the Empress Dowager's eye!"
Jiayin didn't hear these words. If she had, she would have given them a few eye rolls and encouraged them to send their daughter to Shou Kang Palace as soon as possible!
The banquet lasted until the moon was high in the sky before it finally ended.
The Marquis and Mr. Wen rode in the carriage and went directly to the Earl's mansion.
Once the door closed, everyone looked grim.
Not wanting her elders to worry, Jiayin smiled and prepared hot tea, pouring a cup for each person. She said, "Godfather, Father, Second Uncle, Mr. Wen, I know the Empress Dowager has ill intentions. When I enter the palace, I will definitely keep a low profile and never provoke her."
“If she provokes me, I will cry loudly, and she will be afraid to do it again because she cares about her reputation.”
"Don't worry, I will definitely not let myself be wronged!"
Lord Hou and the others were of course aware of these things, and they had even more confidence in Jia Yin's intelligence.
But Shou Kang Palace is, after all, the Empress Dowager's territory. With the little girl right under her nose, there are still too many ways to scheme against her.
If the Empress Dowager is pushed to the limit and abandons all pretense of reputation and dignity, causing an accident like a fire that kills the young girl, who will then dare to point fingers at her and accuse her?!
Even if they avenge themselves and kill the Empress Dowager later, it will be of no use!
Li Lao Er sighed, "If I had known, I wouldn't have let Fu Niu'er go to the palace tonight!"
To be fair, Mr. Wen said, "Fu Niu'er is a princess. She has been hiding for so many years. If she doesn't enter the palace now, someone might seize this opportunity to attack our family."
Jiayin quickly nodded, "Yes, Second Uncle, I've grown up, I'm not a child anymore."
"I'll have to face these things eventually. Consider this a good opportunity for me to practice."
Everyone laughed when they heard this.
The Marquis sighed and ruffled his daughter's hair. "You've got quite the nerve, using the Empress Dowager as a whetstone."
After saying that, he thought for a moment and then said, "I just asked the Emperor for two secret guards to protect you in the palace. I will arrange for Mu Xu to be in there as well, along with another skilled person. Remember to be careful when you act."
Jiayin understood that her godfather didn't mean to warn her about the Empress Dowager, but rather to be careful not to let the secret guards discover her "secret".
She quickly replied, "Understood, Godfather."
Li Laosi instructed his daughter, "If you are wronged, don't be afraid of anything, just make a big scene."
"Father will immediately ride into the palace with a sword in hand, and even if it means looting, I'll get you out!"
“Okay, my dad is Hercules, the strongest!” Jiayin hugged her father’s neck and kissed him on the cheek.
Li Laosi blushed deeply.
My daughter is all grown up now; it's been a long time since we've been this close!
Not to mention that the entire Li family gathered together to consider all the possible scenarios of entering the palace, they also tried their best to add as many protective measures as possible for the child.
Even in Quanzhou, winter is still a time of lush greenery, blooming red flowers, and birdsong.
On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Grandma Li sat with her whole family in the courtyard, basking in the morning light and eating dumplings. It was truly magical!
Served at midnight~~
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