Jiayin, having nothing to do, took out a few pieces of fabric and planned to embroider some purses for her brothers.
Her skills were average, but she could manage to embroider phrases like "passing the imperial examination with flying colors."
The big exam is in three days.
Since she can leave the palace tomorrow, she can hurry up in her space tonight and get it to her brother in time.
As soon as the fabric was unpacked, Shui Ling rushed in, shouting, "Princess, Princess! Great news! Great news!"
Jiayin paused in surprise, guessing at a certain possibility. Her heart pounded, and she quickly asked, "Has my brother and the others returned from their sea voyage?"
Panting, Shui Ling nodded vigorously and said quickly, "Princess, I was delivering some snacks to His Majesty when the head eunuch suddenly grabbed me to help out, so I'll be back a little late."
"As it turns out, I heard that Quanzhou had sent an urgent memorial over 800 li, and the Fourth Young Master and the Fifth Young Master had returned from overseas with envoys from eight countries."
"I am currently residing in Quanzhou, and will proceed to the capital immediately upon receiving the imperial edict!"
"That's wonderful!" Jiayin jumped up in ecstasy, her eyes immediately welling up with tears.
You should know that her brothers had her support when they went to sea.
Over the past few years, she has carried a heavy burden of guilt in her heart, fearing the bad news and even more so the possibility that her brothers will never be heard from again.
Whenever her family members mentioned her brothers, she would laugh and talk, appearing absolutely certain that her brothers were safe and sound, all to put her family at ease.
She had countless nightmares and regretted it countless times in private.
Now everything is alright, the brothers are back safe and sound!
They're finally back!
She didn't care how many envoys her brothers brought or what great achievements they made, as long as they returned safely!
"Let's go see my royal uncle. I need to get to the bottom of this."
Jiayin couldn't wait any longer, and regardless of whether it was dark or not, she lifted her leg and walked outside.
Shui Ling quickly followed, but by the time Shui Yun came out of the kitchen after hearing the news, they had already vanished...
In the imperial study, the emperor was talking to the marquis, both of them looking happy.
The Emperor praised, "The Li family is truly a lucky star for Tianwu. Since they arrived in the new capital, they have not caused me any trouble, but rather brought me constant surprises."
"Not to mention that Li Zhensheng found high-yield grain and solved the food shortage for the people of Tianwu, Li Laosi and Li Jiayi are also in the army, fighting for the country."
"By the way, were the two boys from the Li family among those who took the big exam? Now, two more have returned from the sea and made such a great contribution!"
"If everyone in the world were like the Li family, I could rest easy!"
The Marquis's usually resolute features softened considerably as he spoke, "If the Li family heard this, they would be overjoyed. From the matriarch to the youngest sons, the Li family is always grateful to the Emperor for giving them a place to settle down and survive in Suijintan."
"The old lady always taught her children and grandchildren to be grateful and loyal, and the boys were eager to compete with each other, wanting to make a name for themselves."
"Now it seems that they did not make empty promises, and have finally repaid the Emperor's high regard and cultivation over the years."
Although he knew these words were mostly just polite formalities, the Emperor was still very pleased to hear them.
"Cousin, don't try to take credit for me. I've watched the Li family grow to where they are today. How could I possibly be jealous?"
"If anyone is truly jealous, it's not my place. All the powerful and wealthy families in the new capital are green with envy."
"All those good-for-nothing children and grandchildren of theirs spend their days chasing after cats and dogs, eating, drinking, and having fun. They're no match for even one of the Li family's sons!"
This time, the Marquis nodded in agreement.
"The Li family boys were all raised in a free-range manner, without any strict education. It was only because of the family's upright and open-minded traditions that they all became successful through the influence of their environment."
After saying that, he added, "Just now, taking advantage of the Hailan Army's urgent dispatch of a memorial, Li Zhensheng also wrote me a letter. Li Jiayi is already engaged and will be bringing his new bride home in the next few days."
"Oh, so Madam Li really agreed to let him marry an orphan girl?" The Emperor had naturally arranged for people in Quanzhou to send the intelligence to the new capital on time.
Although he did not order anyone to specifically monitor the Li family's words and actions in Quanzhou, the people of Quanzhou already knew about this, so it certainly couldn't be kept from him.
He even knew the detailed background and experiences of the orphan girl, Coral.
The Marquis was not surprised and nodded in agreement, "Yes, the Li family has sent betrothal gifts and intends to formally welcome her into the family."
"When the Li family takes a granddaughter-in-law, they never consider the woman's social status. As long as she has good character and the grandson likes her, they won't object."
At this point, he laughed again and added a few more words.
"This time, the Li family is doubly happy. Not only is Jiayi getting married, but they may also have to hold a wedding ceremony later. This is because Jiaxi has also brought a wife back from overseas, and they've even had a child."
"What? Li Jiaxi married a woman from a foreign country?!" The Emperor was surprised, his gossip-loving heart burning brightly.
"That barren land of the barbarian kingdom is said to be uncivilized, with men and women covered in hair like monkeys. How could the Li family's son possibly be interested in it?!"
The Marquis raised his hand to pour tea for the Emperor, pausing for a moment to see the urgency in his eyes before saying, "Among the envoys from the eight nations, there is the Queen of the Golden Buddha Kingdom. Your Majesty should have seen the list, right?"
"Jiaxi married the queen of the Golden Buddha Kingdom. It is said that when the fleet was sailing, it encountered a storm and was stranded on the coast of the Golden Buddha Kingdom. Jiaxi was injured and was rescued by a woman from the Golden Buddha Kingdom. Later, he learned that this woman was the princess of the Golden Buddha Kingdom!"
"The powerful Jinfo family was rife with corruption, taking advantage of King Jinfo's serious illness and coveting the princess's beauty, while the prince was still young. Therefore, Princess Jinfo asked Jiaxi and others for help, and in the end, they eliminated the powerful family."
"The princess proposed to him in the street, and Jiaxi readily agreed to marry her. Five parts of this was mutual affection, and five parts was Jiaxi's desire for a reliable place for the fleet to rest and relocate on the return journey."
"Unexpectedly, on the way back, the king passed away, the princess ascended the throne as queen, and even gave birth to a son!"
The Emperor listened with a mixture of surprise and amusement, and after a long while, he exclaimed, "This Li Jiaxi is too... lucky! He married a princess and can inherit the throne!"
The Marquis nodded and replied, "Yes, just as His Majesty said, the barbarians are uncivilized and lack proper rules and etiquette, so women can also inherit the throne."
"Moreover, Prince Jinfo is obsessed with poetry and books, dislikes royal power, and was raised by his older sister since childhood, so he strongly supports his sister's rule and has no intention of vying for power. Jinfo is now very peaceful, and the people are even very happy because the queen married a man from Tianwu."
"The Golden Buddha Queen brought many treasures with her on this mission, all of which were offered as tribute by the people."
Sure enough, the emperor was pleased to hear that the people revered the Golden Buddha.
He thought for a moment and asked, "How far is this Golden Buddha Kingdom from our Tianwu Coast?"
"It will take about a month to sail. If Tianwu opens up sea routes in the future, or has any dealings with foreign countries, Jinfo will be the most suitable transit point."
"It's not far, but it's a pity I haven't had the chance to go and see it," the Emperor replied casually, without saying anything more.
Just then, Jiayin arrived and asked as soon as she entered.
"Uncle, Godfather, have my fourth and fifth brothers returned safely from overseas?"
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