At noon, several sacks of mung beans were delivered. Chef Zeng was quick - witted. He immediately washed the beans and cooked them into soup. Li Jingyun and the others each had a bowl.
Sure enough, as Chef Zeng had claimed, he was an excellent cook. The turtle and snake soup was delicious. Li Jingyun ate a whole large bowl of rice.
Most of the meat was given to the three of them. For the remaining soup, each craftsman got a spoonful to go with their rice.
Li Jingyun was munching on a piece of snake meat with gusto. When she looked up, she saw her elder sister Li Mingda was also relishing the food, with oil dripping from the corners of her mouth. There was no sign that she was afraid of snakes.
Li Jingyun couldn't hold back her laughter. To her surprise, Li Mingda looked up at her and burst out laughing too.
Li Yin turned around and saw that, goodness, the two little princesses had turned into little kittens with oil around their mouths. They were really carefree outside the palace.
The craftsmen were with them. The meat that Li Jingyun and the others couldn't finish was given to them. In this era, it was an honor for servants to be given leftovers by their masters. Master Tian and the others ate happily.
If it were other officials, they would surely flatter to the sky, praising Emperor Taizong of Tang's past political achievements and Empress Zhangsun's virtue as a paragon for all women in the world, and how well - raised their children were, even eating with the craftsmen.
However, among these craftsmen, there were no such words. Except for Chef Zeng and Master Tian, few of them were eloquent.
After Master Tian and the others finished their meal and went to rest, Li Jingyun still remembered the Shuren Academy and the "Wine - Drinking Scholar" she had met on the way. She wanted to go and have a look.
"Aye said that we should take a walk after a meal to aid digestion. Let's go and take a look. Aren't you curious about that 'Wine - Drinking Scholar'?" Li Jingyun couldn't remember many things, but she was very clear about such nicknames.
"Fine. We have nothing better to do anyway." Li Yin couldn't resist his younger sister's plea and had to agree.
Li Mingda didn't care. Anywhere was fine for her to play.
Just like this, the three siblings strolled leisurely to the academy gate.
The shadows of the trees were dancing, and the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and the chirping of birds, making this seemingly ordinary academy look like a secluded paradise on earth.
Finally, the big gate opened. Several students were walking out, munching on dry rations while chatting about poetry, literature, politics, and life.
Each of these students was accompanied by a servant or a pageboy, who was sitting on the doorframe waiting to serve their young masters.
When Li Jingyun and the others approached, before they could say anything, a servant with a very loud voice shouted into the courtyard, "Sir! There are more people who want to become your disciples!"
An old man with graying temples walked out slowly from the courtyard, carrying a bottle of wine. At a glance, he said, "Why are there three children? Where are your parents?"
At this time, the word "parents" referred to one's mother and father. There was no such term as addressing an official as "My Lord" yet.
Wang Ji was a shrewd old man. He immediately saw that the middle - aged man behind the three children was not their parent but a servant.
"Wang Ji, haven't seen you for a while, and you've forgotten who I am?" Li Yin stepped forward and called Wang Ji by his full name.
Wang Ji looked around, his eyes scanning each of them one by one. Finally, his gaze fell on Li Jingyun, the most beloved youngest daughter of the current emperor, who had a large mansion not far from here and was said to have many skilled craftsmen.
As for the young man who had just claimed to be a young master, this prince looked familiar. He should have seen him in the Menxia Province before his reclusion. He was Li Yin, the sixth son of the emperor and the Prince of Shu.
This Prince of Shu had a capricious personality but was extremely affectionate. He doted on his two younger sisters very much.
With such behavior and aura, they should be the royal prince and princess.
"How dare you talk like that?!"
"You should address Mr. Wang with respect in person! Don't be so rude!"
"If you dare to be so presumptuous again, we'll kick you out!"
Wang Ji didn't say a word, but the scolding voices of these students came one after another.
How could they know the identities of Li Jingyun and the others? Most of them were the illegitimate sons of fifth - or sixth - rank minor officials. They had set up an image of loving reading, just like Li Tai, and were sent here through connections by their elders.
That old farmer always talked about high - ranking officials. In his eyes, anyone with an official position was a noble.
Wang Ji quickly turned around and shouted, "All of you, shut up!"
Then he handed the wine bottle to the servant, bowed, and said, "I've seen the three Highnesses. May I ask what brings you here today?"
As soon as he said this, everyone was surprised and quickly bowed.
What kind of luck was this? How could they meet a prince and a princess in this desolate and remote place?
"Get up, Mr. Wang."
Li Jingyun was very curious. Where did these people come from? Did they have to return to Chang'an City every night?
It must be so tiring to travel like this every day. How could they still focus on their studies?
Would she be like them when she went to school in the future?
"Disperse. Go and do what you should do." Wang Ji said as he accompanied the three siblings and introduced things to them.
Everyone scattered, stealing only furtive glances. These were the royal family, the blood relatives of the imperial family. Moreover, the rumors about the talent - show the day before had spread far and wide, and everyone wanted to know if they were true.
Only a young gentleman of seven or eight years old was sitting in his original position, staring blankly at Li Jingyun. This person looked so familiar. Where had he seen her before?
"Su Gui?" Li Jingyun tentatively called his name.
"Does Your Highness know me?"
Su Gui quickly stood up.
Li Mingda and Li Yin also gathered around. Li Mingda looked at Su Gui for a long time before realizing that this was the younger brother who had come to pick up Crown Princess Su Rui when she left the imperial city last night. She didn't expect that after just one encounter, Li Jingyun still remembered his name.
Su Gui was a young prodigy. He passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty and became the prime minister during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, wielding great power for a time.
"We've met before. Why did your parents allow you to come so far to study?" Li Mingda asked curiously.
"They were busy dealing with my elder sister's marriage. They were happy to have me out of their hair. I just picked up my elder sister yesterday and was dropped off at the academy on the way." Su Gui joked with a smile, and the others laughed too.
Li Yin, as an elder brother, was on high alert.
He had to take a good look at every young gentleman who appeared around his younger sisters.
Wang Ji stroked his beard and said slowly, with an air of calmness, "The second young master of the Su family is very intelligent. He learns everything quickly. He can understand the gist of many articles after just reading them twice without my explanation."
Actually, there was a strong smell of wine on Mr. Wang, but it was a light and pleasant fragrance, not pungent.
This smell always gave Li Jingyun the illusion that the old gentleman was drunk and that what he said was just the rambling of a drunkard and couldn't be trusted.
"Your Highness, is it true about your bet with the young lady of the Cui family?" Su Gui asked, voicing the curiosity of his classmates behind him.
This was the biggest gossip recently!
On one side was the most beloved little princess of the royal family, and on the other side was a young lady from a prominent aristocratic family. It was also about something like a library.
How could they not be interested? If the library that Li Jingyun had mentioned was really built, they would also benefit from it.
At first, Li Jingyun was looking forward to what Su Gui would say to her. Who knew it would still be this question.
She was really annoyed by it.
The coachman was very observant and handed over a sign that read: I can do it.
There was an uproar on the scene, and the voices got even louder.
"Is this really true?"
"Are you really Princess Chengyang, Your Highness?"
"Why did you think of building a library?"
"Where do you plan to build this library?"
A group of people surrounded her in unison, making Li Jingyun's head buzz.
Where was Wang Ji? He should quickly pull his students away!
Li Jingyun took a closer look and found that he was the one who was asking the most enthusiastically beside her.