When they returned to the Ye Manor, Song Shixue was keeping watch over the sleeping Song Anhao, still awake herself. Hearing Xuetuan's low growl from the courtyard, she threw off her quilt, got out of bed, and walked out of the room.
Seeing that it was Song Jinzhao and Song Qiming returning, her face instantly bloomed into a radiant smile as she went to greet them. "Sister, Brother."
Noticing how thinly dressed she was, Song Jinzhao reached out to guide her back into the room, asking with gentle concern, "Why are you still awake so late?"
Song Shixue rubbed her eyes. "I couldn't sleep without you two back."
Song Qiming plopped down onto a round stool and immediately started pouring himself some water. Having waited outside the palace gates for over two hours and talking too much on the carriage ride back, his throat was completely parched.
The ice-cold liquid slid down his throat into his stomach. A few drops escaped the corner of his mouth, which he quickly wiped away.
He asked with eager anticipation, "Shixue, guess what reward the Emperor bestowed upon our sister?"
Song Shixue looked at Song Jinzhao, who was calmly sitting in a chair grinding ink. "Did she become a Lady of the Commandery?"
According to what they had discussed before, being promoted to a Lady of the County wasn't enough; such a massive contribution deserved the title of Lady of the Commandery.
Song Qiming shook his head with a wide grin. "More than that! The Emperor has officially titled her as County Princess Linghui. He also rewarded her with a thousand taels of gold, a thousand acres of fertile land, and even gave her a mansion."
On their way back, his teacher had mentioned that even he hadn't anticipated such a generous reward, which showed just how highly the Emperor regarded their sister.
Song Shixue's mouth fell open, unable to close, and her eyes gradually grew as bright and burning as the sun.
Before coming to the capital, the phrase she had heard the most was that high-ranking officials were everywhere here—if a brick fell from the sky, it would hit someone with a red-buttoned hat. To say she hadn't been worried would be a lie.
Now that her sister was a County Princess, they no longer had to worry about being bullied when they went out.
Among the four siblings, Song Qiming and Song Shixue were so excited that it took a long time for their emotions to settle, and they didn't even know when they finally fell asleep.
Song Jinzhao and Song Anhao slept the deepest. Having been busy for several days, the matter was finally settled, and they could relax and get a good night's sleep.
Compared to the good night's sleep enjoyed at the Ye Manor, some people spent a completely sleepless night.
During the morning court session the next day, several officials sported dark circles under their eyes. Thinking about what was to happen later, they had to keep their nerves highly strung.
Emperor Xiao Chengjing said sternly, "My beloved Minister Dong, the Court of National Granaries will be responsible for planting the one hundred and fifty catties of potatoes presented by County Princess Linghui. If there is anything you do not understand, go consult the County Princess. I want to see four thousand catties of potatoes after the new year."
Dong Yuanbin, the Chief Minister of the Court of National Granaries, stepped out from the ranks of civil officials, knelt on both knees, and responded with a resonant and powerful voice, "This humble subject receives the decree."
"My beloved Minister Gu, I command you to lead a team to review all historical records and texts concerning maritime affairs in the Chongwen Pavilion. Refine them based on the nautical chart provided by County Princess Linghui. I want to know where this unknown new continent is located."
"This humble subject obeys the decree." Gu Qishan gritted his teeth and accepted the order, though he was already beginning to fret inwardly.
From ancient times to the present, no one had ever ventured into the deep ocean. Even if they found something, who would know if it was true or false? If an expedition encountered disaster and they died at sea like those foreigners, the Emperor would be furious and place the blame on him. He would be the one to suffer.
Li Qinyun's maidservant went out at the crack of dawn to gather information and hurried back half an hour later.
"Your Ladyship, at the birthday banquet yesterday, Song Jinzhao presented a birthday gift to the Emperor. The Emperor was so immensely pleased that he conferred upon her the title of County Princess Linghui on the spot."
Having not slept well all night, Li Qinyun had a terrible headache. She immediately demanded, "What birthday gift?"
The maidservant replied, "It is the potato that the Prince mentioned. It is said to yield a thousand catties per acre. The news has already spread throughout the bustling markets of the capital, and everyone is calling it a divine artifact."
Li Qinyun slumped onto the soft couch in a daze, muttering to herself, "She became a County Princess this quickly?"
If she had known, she would have invited Song Jinzhao to the manor the day before yesterday. Now that she was a County Princess and currently in the limelight, it would be impossible to suppress her with authority anymore.
After pondering for a long time, Li Qinyun personally wrote an invitation and handed it to her maidservant.
"Deliver this invitation personally to Song Jinzhao at the Ye Manor. Tell her that I have missed her dearly since we parted in Anyang, and invite both her and her brother to our manor for a chat."
Li Qinyun was actually unsure if they would come, but since Prince Ying had given the order, she had to send this invitation whether she wanted to or not.
When Song Jinzhao received the invitation, the palace eunuchs had just left. The table in the room was covered with various rewards: trays of gold and silver jewelry, fine silks and satins, as well as two exquisite red lacquer boxes.
One of them was open, revealing it was full of gold ingots. Although not large in volume, it was very heavy. Lifting it slightly, one could estimate it weighed about forty kilograms, roughly a thousand taels of gold.
The other box contained three title deeds. The mansion was located near the center of the inner city and covered an area of fourteen acres.
As for the thousand acres of fertile land, it was actually two royal manors that added up to exactly a thousand acres.
Song Shixue stared at the elegant, neat calligraphy on the invitation and asked in confusion, "Why does Brother have to go too?"
Prince Ying's secondary consort was a female family member; why would she invite a male guest?
Song Jinzhao tossed the invitation onto the table. "The one who wants to see Qiming is not Prince Ying's secondary consort, but Prince Ying himself."
Thinking about how Ye Liangyu was at odds with the two princes in the court, Song Shixue clenched her fists, looking somewhat worried.
"Is Prince Ying going to deal with Brother?" Prince Ying and Lord Ye did not get along, and since her brother was Lord Ye's student, this move felt like it would bring trouble.
Song Jinzhao closed the boxes containing the gold and title deeds. "Perhaps he wants to recruit him, or maybe it's a warning."
Song Shixue frowned in distress. "Can you just not go?"
Song Jinzhao replied, "Not going will only cause more trouble. Since the invitation was sent by a female family member, I will just play dumb and not bring your brother along."
She truly couldn't feel at ease letting Qiming face Prince Ying alone.
Song Shixue bit her lip. "I can accompany you to see Prince Ying's secondary consort, Sister."
Song Jinzhao patted her head but shook it in disagreement.
"Don't worry. I've met Li Qinyun before; she won't do anything to me. Even if she wanted to make a move, she wouldn't choose this time to do it."
The matter of the potatoes was not yet fully settled, and she had just been titled a County Princess. If something happened to her in Prince Ying's manor, the Emperor would definitely blame Xiao Rongyan. He wouldn't dare, nor would it be worth the cost.
After the morning court session ended, the news of the two commands the Emperor had issued back-to-back spread out. In just an hour, the fact that the Court of National Granaries was responsible for planting potatoes had already spread through every street and alley.
Especially the commoners who made a living by farming; they were all inquiring about where outside the city the Court of National Granaries would plant them, wanting to go take a look.
After court, Ye Liangyu did not go to the Censorate. Instead, he returned to the manor, found Song Qiming who was practicing martial arts, and said, "For the next three months, the Imperial Academy will conduct a series of rigorous examinations and training for students in preparation for the metropolitan examination. I will take you to see the Chancellor this afternoon, and you will start attending the Imperial Academy tomorrow."
He had to attend court every day, and the Censorate also had a lot of official business.
As early as when they left Anyang Prefecture, he had already decided to have Song Qiming study at the Imperial Academy for a period, which was why he had instructed him to come to the capital immediately after the examination results were posted.
Previously, he had been worried that Song Qiming might be looked down upon by the children of officials at the Imperial Academy, given his humble background.
But now that Song Jinzhao had been titled a County Princess, Song Qiming's status had also become extraordinary by association, so he no longer needed to worry.
