She looked at Chu Liuyun with a gaze that was three parts nervous and seven parts afraid, terrified of hearing an unfavorable answer.
"Brother Liuyun, I heard you met a woman you like in Xining City. Is it true?"
Chu Liuyun raised his eyebrows in astonishment and asked in confusion, "Xining City? What woman I like? Who? Who did you hear this from?"
Seeing his blank expression, Xiao Yongjia felt he wasn't lying, and the heart suspended in her chest settled down just a bit.
"Rumors in the palace say you've fallen for a woman named Song Jinzhao, and that's why you begged Imperial Father to confer upon her the title of Township Princess Linghui."
Chu Liuyun's eyes widened in disbelief. He never expected such rumors to spread, especially within the palace.
Realizing she had waited outside specifically for him today, Chu Liuyun hastily explained, "I don't like her, and I wasn't the one who requested the Township Princess title."
"Lord Fei from the Hanlin Academy proposed it first. I just happened to pass by, and when the Emperor learned I had met Song Jinzhao, he asked for my opinion. I merely put in a good word for her."
"Song Jinzhao and I have only met two or three times. I don't like her at all." He repeated himself, afraid Xiao Yongjia wouldn't believe him.
Looking at his flustered explanation, the young girl turned her head and asked shyly, "Then what kind of woman does Brother Liuyun like?"
The cold wind blew Xiao Yongjia's dark hair against her cheeks, her flushed face tainted with a touch of pink.
Chu Liuyun said, "I like someone who smiles with pure innocence, who has a kind heart. Someone who is usually quiet, gentle, and considerate, but gets a little fussy when things happen. Someone who thinks of me when she's happy, and tells me when she's sad."
He paused slightly, his gaze fixed firmly on a small mole near the upper part of the young girl's cheek.
"It would be best if she had a small mole on both her left and right cheeks. That would look especially cute."
Xiao Yongjia froze before the realization hit her. The joy in her eyes grew so intense it nearly overflowed like water. She bit her lip hard, barely managing to suppress the corners of her mouth from rising.
"Oh—I suddenly remembered that Imperial Mother was looking for me. I'll take my leave first."
The young girl's heart pounded like a beating drum. Too shy to even look at Chu Liuyun, she grabbed her skirt and quickly ran off.
The fluttering hem of her skirt transformed into a sky full of flowers, scattering over Chu Liuyun's heart.
He lowered his head and smiled softly. There were only six months left until her sixteenth birthday; it was time to start preparing for certain things in advance.
Upon returning to the palace, Xiao Yongjia picked up the embroidery resting on her couch and happily took up her needle to continue sewing.
She had two small moles on her face. Brother Liuyun was talking about her!
After only a few stitches, she put down the embroidery again and walked over to her dressing table, carefully examining herself in the bronze mirror.
As her smile deepened, the two raised cherry-like moles appeared exceptionally bright, completely revealing the young girl's inner thoughts.
The army responsible for annihilating the Life-Claiming Sect had not yet returned, but the decree-bearing eunuch, having completed a series of complex procedures, arrived at Anyang Prefecture a step ahead of them.
"Eldest Miss, many officials have arrived outside! They say they are from the palace, here to read an imperial decree!"
The servants had just opened the estate gates in the morning when they saw soldiers clearing the way not far off, beating gongs and drums, looking incredibly solemn and dignified.
Just as the servant girl stood at the door watching the spectacle, she never expected the group to head straight toward her, stopping right at the entrance of the Song Estate.
The official bearing the decree stunned the maidservant with just a few words. She hastily curtsied in apology, turned, and ran back inside.
Running and shouting along the way, her voice reached the inner courtyard, alerting the entire household.
Song Qiming, who was drinking porridge, suddenly choked. Coughing twice and clutching his throat, he said, "Sister, could it be~?"
Factoring in the distance and time, it was a few days later than they had anticipated.
Song Jinzhao used a handkerchief to wipe the steamed egg custard off Song Anhao's face. "Let's go out and see."
The Vice Director of the Ministry of Rites, dressed in his official uniform, saw a young woman leading the way out of the house. Having seen her portrait beforehand, he recognized at a glance that this person was Song Jinzhao.
Sweeping his gaze from top to bottom, the Vice Director of the Ministry of Rites was somewhat startled by the confidence and composure exuding from Song Jinzhao.
Her bright eyes held a sharpness and steadiness unlike ordinary women, and her back, straight as a pine, surpassed countless noble scions in the capital.
With just one glance, one could see her uniqueness. Though young, she possessed the majesty and aura of a head of the household, a trait typically exclusive to men.
Lanxi led people to bring over the incense altar. As curling smoke rose, the Vice Director of the Ministry of Rites took the imperial decree from the yellow silk box and unrolled it.
He raised his voice and shouted, "Song Jinzhao, receive the decree!"
Having received an imperial decree once before, Song Qiming and Song Shixue lifted their robes and knelt down with relative calm.
On the contrary, Qingshuang and the others kneeling at the very back felt extremely anxious and uneasy.
Please don't let it be bad news.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Song family's daughter, Song Jinzhao, is innately intelligent, outstanding in talent and virtue, and has repeatedly achieved extraordinary merits. Our heart is greatly comforted. We hereby confer upon her the title of Township Princess Linghui, grant her a mandate of honor, and she shall enjoy a stipend according to the regulations. Respect this!"
Chunxing, Qingshuang, and the others widened their eyes in shock. Not daring to look up, they could only stare at the ground, their eyes darting wildly.
Township Princess! The Eldest Miss has been titled a Township Princess!!!
Song Jinzhao looked up and received the decree with both hands. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your profound grace. Long live the Emperor, long live, long long live!"
The eunuch standing to the side, seeing that the decree had been read, stepped forward and respectfully handed the lacquer tray containing the official mandate robes to Song Jinzhao.
"Congratulations, Township Princess Linghui. This is your auspicious attire. If the Emperor summons you in the future, or if you attend a palace night banquet, you may wear this robe for your audience."
"Many thanks, Eunuch." Song Jinzhao took the tray and handed it to Song Qiming, who was kneeling beside her.
A cyan brocade sleeved shirt and long skirt, along with two stoles embroidered with magpie motifs folded in a cross, lay there. The exquisite floral embroidery looked incredibly lifelike; at a glance, it was clearly the work of palace embroiderers.
Watching the officials and eunuchs leave on horseback, Chunxing and the others leaned their right hands against the doorframe, their legs turning to jelly.
Fushun lived at the farmstead. Among the five servants present, the calmest was actually the youngest, Lanxi.
The neighbors only dared to come out and see what had happened after the people had left.
Song Shixue picked up a scroll placed on the right side of the lacquer tray and unrolled it.
The decree paper was a full meter long, stamped with numerous red official seals.
Pointing to the two characters on the far right of the scroll, Song Shixue asked, "What is a Gaoshen?"
Song Qiming handed the tray to Qingshuang and leaned close to Song Shixue to see what was written on the scroll.
"A Gaoshen is Sister's letter of appointment as a Township Princess. It proves her identity. She will need to bring this every year when she goes to the government office to collect her annual stipend."
Song Shixue's eyes widened in pleasant surprise.
She buried her head and carefully read the words on it, then looked up in confusion. "Why doesn't it say how much the annual stipend is?"
Song Qiming said, "They usually don't write it. Sister is a primary seventh-rank Township Princess, so her annual stipend should be eighty shi of rice."
Song Shixue began to calculate mentally on her fingers.
One mu of medium-grade paddy field can yield one shi of unhusked rice, which is about seven dou of husked rice.
Eighty shi of rice was equivalent to the yield of one hundred and fourteen mu of medium-grade paddy fields, and it was tax-free. This was simply too much!
