The two of them grabbed a quick bite and rushed back to the imperial city in a hurry.
After they left, the onlookers started talking again. "Did that young lady just call her Sister Gaoyang? Could it be Princess Gaoyang from the palace?"
"Then who are these two?" The waiter also came over. Could it be that some big shots had really come to their restaurant?
The beautiful woman thought for a while and finally had an epiphany. "With this age and personality, it should be Princess Chengyang. As for the other one, I don't know which of her elder brothers it is. It could be the Seventh, Eighth, or Ninth Prince. Their ages are about the same."
"My goodness! Didn't they hear all the things we were discussing just now?" the old scholar exclaimed.
"It's okay. If the princess thought we were overstepping, she would probably have said something on the spot. Now that they've left, it should be fine. Don't scare yourself."
The beautiful woman was intelligent and could console others.
After saying that, everyone was on tenterhooks and didn't dare to say anything casually. They all dispersed.
Li Jingyun and Li Zhen returned to the palace just in time for the curfew. In Taihe Hall, Li Shimin was having dinner. When he saw the two of them coming back, he let out a long sigh.
"My Hongxuan has grown up. She doesn't even want to come home anymore." Li Shimin put down his food directly, looked up at the sky, and pretended to sigh.
"What about me, Aye? Do you miss your son?"
Li Zhen bounced over like a naughty monkey, stood in front of Li Shimin, and looked at him expectantly.
Li Shimin had just been about to well up with tears in the corners of his eyes, but as soon as he saw Li Zhen, he held them back. "Concubine Yang is waiting for you in her palace. Hurry over and see her."
"Yes, Aye. Your son takes his leave."
Li Zhen was dejected. Why was there such a big difference in Aye's attitude towards him and Hongxuan?
Was it just because one was a daughter and the other was a son?
Sixth Brother was living outside openly, and Aye didn't seem to care at all. But Hongxuan just ate out with him for a while longer, and Aye had to ask about it.
"Aye, I have two good news. Do you want to hear them?" Li Jingyun smiled a bit guiltily and waved two fingers in front of Li Shimin.
"What good news?"
"The movable - type printing technique has been successful, and the paper made from bamboo will be ready soon. We can order people to transport the books to the villa." Li Jingyun's tone was full of joy. She stood in front of Li Shimin, talking and gesturing as she spoke. Li Shimin looked at her with loving eyes.
His daughter was indeed well - behaved and didn't worry him. She was different from his son who always wanted to play outside.
Look, look! The movable - type printing technique had been successful. He couldn't wait to see the expressions of those aristocratic families after the library was completed. It would surely be interesting.
"Aye? Why aren't you saying anything? Shouldn't we inform Secretary - General Wei and ask him to lead people to deliver the books?" Li Jingyun had dealt with the officials before and was generally clear about the procedures.
"I'm waiting for you to tell me the second piece of good news. Wang De, did you hear that? The Secretariat and the Chancellery should start drafting. Let Liu Bei deliver the imperial edict tomorrow morning. Not a single moment can be delayed."
As Li Shimin spoke, Wang De quickly went down to convey the message.
Seeing that her Aye didn't seem so angry anymore, Li Jingyun sat down beside him. She still smiled a bit guiltily. "Aye, before I tell you the second piece of good news, can you grant me a small request?"
She was always rushing between the palace and the outside. It was so uncomfortable. It was okay to take the carriage once in a while, but sitting in it for a long time and it being so bumpy was really hard on her small body.
Didn't Aye bestow a mansion on her? It was so big!
Not to mention there were stalls selling silver - silk candy and transparent - flower cakes at the door!
She had only eaten them once today, and she had completely fallen in love with the sweet taste.
"Go ahead."
Li Shimin looked at his daughter's expression and always felt that what she was going to say wasn't something good.
"I want to live outside the palace like Sixth Brother. Okay, Aye? This way, you don't have to wait for me to come back. Outside the palace, I have so many guards, and Sixth Brother is there too. I won't get into trouble. Aye, you can just rest assured."
Li Jingyun had rehearsed these words in her heart many times before she finally said them.
As she spoke, she was constantly observing her Aye's expression. Since she couldn't tell his emotions, she was even more nervous.
She had even brought up Sixth Brother. She shouldn't be scolded too badly, right?
"Do you have anything else to say? Say it all at once." Li Shimin's tone carried a kind of desolation of a lonely old man.
Hongxuan was only five years old. Why was she already thinking about moving out?
Could it be that he wouldn't be able to see his cute, sensible, and considerate little daughter every day from now on? What a pity!
She even kept mentioning Li Yin. How could Sixth Brother be compared with Hongxuan? Sixth Brother's biological mother was a princess of the previous dynasty. He didn't like reading and had a bad reputation. People said he was a playboy. As long as he could get married, have children, and live a stable and wealthy life in the future, that would be fine.
Hongxuan was the princess he had high hopes for. He expected that one day her contributions would be comparable to those of his third sister.
Li Jingyun hesitated for a moment but still said it. "Just now, Sister Gaoyang came to find us and said that the Ice House will open tomorrow. If I live outside, it will be more convenient for me to go to the Ice House. Moreover, Aye, Sister Gaoyang also lives outside the palace."
"How old is Gaoyang? And how old are you?" Li Shimin let out a long sigh and felt that his meal didn't taste good anymore. "Hongxuan, don't live outside. When you usually go to the villa, it's okay to take a nap in your princess mansion. But if you live there for a long time, can you bear to leave me and your mother? By the way, Taoist Priest Sun Simiao has entered the palace to feel your mother's pulse. Your Sister Sizi is there too."
Since his persuasion had little effect, he might as well let Guanyinbi persuade her.
This daughter always listened to her mother.
"Priest Sun is here? But I haven't even started building the cement road yet." Li Jingyun scratched her head in confusion.
"Go and have a look. And let him check you too. You've been running around outside every day. We need to see if there's anything wrong with your body." Li Shimin said.
"Okay, Aye. Your daughter will go there right away."
Li Jingyun decided to ask Taoist Priest Sun Simiao face - to - face later.
When she reached the door, she just remembered. She immediately turned back and shouted, "Aye! There's one more thing! Big Mee gave birth to three little lambs. I named them Li Dabao, Li Erbao, and Li Xiaobao. They're all very strong. Su Gui witnessed their birth."
The light in Li Shimin's eyes immediately dimmed.
He had thought it would be something related to him, but who knew that his daughter was constantly thinking about a sheep?
"Aye, smile. It's so scary when you always frown." After saying that, Li Jingyun turned around and headed for Lizheng Hall.
Li Shimin showed a smile that was uglier than crying.
Children grow up, and parents have no control.
Let everything in the villa be completed quickly. Then Hongxuan won't have to run outside every day. He wouldn't have to wait for Hongxuan to come back every day like this.