Far away in Quanzhou, Xu Lin, like Yu Jiaxing, worked through the night carving. However, Xu Lin's work involved jadeite, which required even greater care. Busy with government affairs during the day and only free at night, Xu Lin spent the better part of a month transforming the jadeite into a jade hairpin.
By the time the jade hairpin arrived at the palace, it was already seven days later. Princess Jinyi had already made the purse and belt, but since Xu Lin hadn't sent any gifts, a woman couldn't be too proactive. Upon receiving the jade hairpin, Princess Jinyi knew it was carved by Xu Lin himself, and immediately had a palace maid comb her hair into a suitable bun to hold the hairpin.
When Princess Jinyi was dining with Empress Jing'an that evening, she would occasionally touch the jade hairpin on her head. Empress Jing'an noticed it the second time she touched her head, but she pretended not to notice. When dinner was over, Empress Jing'an jokingly said, "This jade hairpin looks quite unique. Whoever made it must have put a lot of thought into it, right?"
Princess Jinyi's face flushed as expected. She took Empress Jing'an's arm and said coquettishly, "Mother, how is it? Does it look good?"
Queen Jing'an took a closer look and said, "This must be the first time she made the hairpins and rings, so some parts are not polished carefully." As soon as she finished speaking, she heard her daughter's snort.
Tapping Princess Jinyi's nose, Empress Jing'an said helplessly, "He hasn't even left the house yet, and you're already protecting him. I wonder how much you'll spoil him in the future."
After the mother and daughter had a good laugh, Empress Jing'an spoke to Princess Jinyi in detail about what women would encounter after getting married and how to resolve conflicts. The two of them talked until the second watch, when Princess Jinyi was driven out of Fengyang Palace by the Emperor.
Princess Jinyi, sitting in the sedan chair, looked at the long palace road and could not help but miss the thrilling days of sailing on the sea. At night, Princess Jinyi dreamed that she and Xu Lin went to sea again, but this time they brought a little girl with them.
As the son of both the Emperor and Empress Jing'an, the Eighth Prince suffered far more. The Emperor no longer even approved memorials, leaving everything to the Eighth Prince unless a major incident occurred. His original tutoring assignments were also cancelled, leaving him with no time for classes, his days busy with various government affairs.
One day, when he was so busy that he forgot to eat dinner, the Eighth Prince decided to ignore the Emperor's expression and go to Queen Jing'an to complain. His mother would naturally love her son, unlike his father who treated him like a donkey.
After all, he was a teenager, and the Eighth Prince didn't throw himself into Empress Jing'an's arms like he had in his childhood. After rushing to Fengyang Palace, under his father's glare, the Eighth Prince bowed respectfully and said, "Mother, I have something to say to you alone." He swallowed hard, his father's glare terrifying.
Empress Jing'an was also surprised. It had been so long since her son had been alone with her. She quickly said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, why don't you go to the study for a moment?"
After seeing the Emperor reluctantly leave, the Eighth Prince quickly approached Empress Jing'an and began to complain, "Mother, help! If I continue to be so busy, I might die from overwork, just like you said!"
Upon hearing the seriousness of the matter, Empress Jing'an quickly grabbed the Eighth Prince's hand and asked, "What? Tell me in detail."
For the next two quarters of an hour, the Eighth Prince recounted his daily chores non-stop, stopping only to sip a glass of fruit juice when his throat grew dry. Seeing Empress Jing'an's expression grow increasingly grim, the Eighth Prince lowered his head in amusement. "Father, father, see! Mother will stand up for her son."
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