"Why are you looking at me like that? It's not like I said anything wrong."
Xu Jinxin lay back down again.
"Forget it. I'm not going to embroider these troublesome things. I'd rather just go to the embroidery shop and buy one."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang pursed her lips and smiled.
"If you want one, I'll embroider it for you once I finish what I have on hand."
Xu Jinxin sat up.
"A promise is a promise, no taking it back!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang looked at Xu Jinxin with a face full of helplessness.
"You, if you want something just say it directly. Do you have to beat around the bush so much? Aren't you tired?"
Xu Jinxin lay back down again.
"Not tired, I'm bored out of my mind every day!"
"Bored? Find something to do, and you won't be bored!" the Princess Consort of Pingyang said casually.
Xu Jinxin pouted.
"What can I do? I wanted to open a shop, but Li Jin said that with my intelligence, I might not even be able to calculate how much I earned or lost."
"Make food? Li Jin cooks better than I do!"
"Needlework and embroidery, I'm no good at either! Zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, I don't know any of them!"
"Sigh, looking at it this way, I'm just a good-for-nothing!"
"Forget it, I'm just going to lie flat! I'll leave saving the world to capable people!"
Xu Jinxin said this, but her tone revealed her unwillingness to accept it.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang pursed her lips and smiled.
"I heard the Prince of Pingyang teaching Duoduo that if a person doesn't know what they are good at, they can try many things."
"After trying, you will always find what you are good at."
"Even if you can't find it, at least you'll know what you're not good at."
"Just like you, you like wielding spears and staves. I think opening a courier agency or running a caravan would be fine!"
Xu Jinxin sat up abruptly.
"Right? You think so too, don't you?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang nodded, "Yes, you can give it a try."
Xu Jinxin waved her hand and lay back down.
"I can't try. Li Jin doesn't agree!"
"He said those are too dangerous, and he doesn't want me doing tiring and dangerous things."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang stopped what she was doing.
"Are you... right, showing off your romance? Is that the phrase?"
Xu Jinxin burst out laughing.
"Su Xian, you have a pretty good memory! I just mentioned it in passing, and you remembered it!"
"Of course, like daughter, like mother!" the Princess Consort of Pingyang winked playfully.
Xu Jinxin froze, "Oh, is this still the Su Xian I know? You actually know how to retort now?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang gave Xu Jinxin a reproachful look.
"It's getting late, aren't you going back?"
Xu Jinxin waved her hand.
"I'm sleeping with you tonight!"
"Forget it. If Li Jin complains to the Prince of Pingyang later, I won't be able to bear the consequences."
"By the way, since you're bored, why not just have another child to play with."
"If I were you, I'd have seven, eight, or nine!"
Xu Jinxin widened her eyes.
"Why do you sound exactly like Li Jin?"
"Seven, eight, or nine? I'm not a pig! Why would I have so many?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang laughed uncontrollably, but as she laughed, her smile faded.
"If you can have them, then have them. It's better than not being able to."
Seeing the Princess Consort of Pingyang's downcast expression, Xu Jinxin knew she had touched upon her sore spot again.
"Hey, fine, I'll have them, but after I do, I'm dumping them all on you to raise!"
"Huh?" The Princess Consort of Pingyang was stunned.
"Su Xian, it's a deal. I'll be responsible for having them, and you'll be responsible for raising them!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang recovered her wits and smiled.
"I don't mind, but it depends on whether your Li Jin is willing."
Xu Jinxin sighed.
"I don't know if he would mind, but your Prince of Pingyang will definitely have a problem with it."
At the mention of the Prince of Pingyang, the Princess Consort of Pingyang sighed.
"I wonder how the Prince is doing? Not having seen him, my heart just can't be at ease."
"What are you worried about? Your Prince has so many guards around him."
"You should just take care of yourself and look after Duoduo."
"It's getting late, I'm heading back. You should rest early too."
Xu Jinxin stood up.
She was worried that if she kept talking, she would bring up the Princess Consort of Pingyang's sore spot again.
"Alright! Come over early tomorrow, and we'll go shopping."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang stood up and reluctantly walked Xu Jinxin to the door.
In the study, Li Jin had also finished his exercises for the day.
"Duoduo, tomorrow I'm going shopping with my mother and the others, so I won't accompany you to class."
Yingniang held Duoduo's hand apologetically.
Duoduo looked reluctant to part.
"Are you skipping the nanny's etiquette class tomorrow morning too?"
Yingniang shook her head.
"Forget it, I'm not entering the palace anyway, so learning that stuff is useless."
"Who said that? Yingniang, you don't need to go with them tomorrow."
Li Jin took a towel and wiped the sweat off the two children.
Hearing this, Yingniang felt like she had been struck by a bolt from the blue.
"Father, Mother said I could take a day off tomorrow!"
"What your mother says doesn't count!" Li Jin refused without hesitation.
"Father!" Yingniang felt like crying.
"Teacher, just let my sister go!" Duoduo pleaded for Yingniang.
"No! Since she decided to be your study companion, she must be wherever you are!"
Li Jin was very insistent.
The tears Yingniang had held back for a long time finally fell.
Duoduo looked at Yingniang and gave her a soft hug.
"Teacher, then I wanna go shopping tomorrow too!"
"What?" Not only was Li Jin surprised, but even Yingniang stopped crying.
"Teacher, you said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles."
"So me going out for a walk is also improving my studies!"
"Tomorrow morning's etiquette class will be moved to the afternoon."
"I'm going to tell the two teachers right now! Sister, come with me!"
Without waiting for Li Jin to object, Duoduo grabbed Yingniang and ran off.
Li Jin just smiled and tidied up the equipment on the floor.
Master Zhang did not object to Duoduo going out; on the contrary, he strongly approved.
"Princess, when you go out, you can observe everyone's faces more closely. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation, and observation is the first step."
"In fact, this old man will go with you, Princess. That way, we can discuss things together."
Duoduo jumped up.
"Great! I'll go tell Mother right away!"
Having settled things with Master Zhang, Duoduo went to Nanny Li's place. Nanny Li had already rested.
Feeling very embarrassed, Duoduo explained the reason for her visit to Nanny Li.
"Alright," Nanny Li agreed concisely.
"Then please rest, Nanny. I'll be going now."
Duoduo curtsied to the nanny and left.
Having convinced both teachers, Duoduo looked excited.
"Sister, tomorrow we can go shopping together!"
"Thank you, Duoduo." Yingniang was also very happy.
"Sister, hurry back and rest early. We'll see each other tomorrow!"
Duoduo waved her little hand at Yingniang; she still had to visit the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
Duoduo ran into the room like a gust of wind. The Princess Consort of Pingyang was sitting under the lamp reading a book.
"Mother, what are you reading?"
"Of course I'm reading the book you gave me. Go take a bath quickly. You must be tired today, right?"
"Mother, I wanna go shopping with you all tomorrow!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang was very surprised.
"Aren't you going to class?"
Before Duoduo could answer, hurried footsteps came from outside.
