In the whole room, no one spoke. For a moment, it was so quiet that it felt abnormal.
Eunuch Feng came in with a bowl of freshly - brewed rose and red - date milk tea. A fragrant smell wafted through the air. He carefully handed it to Li Jingyun. "Princess, try this milk tea. It's your favorite."
"I can't drink it. Take it away."
Li Jingyun imitated her elder brother's way and twirled the Bodhi bracelet she had asked for from him. She shook her head, trying to shake off those chaotic images in her mind, such as the failure of the sweater trade and Sister Xinxing still having to marry into a foreign land, or Sister Xinxing holding her hand and crying bitterly before her marriage.
Facts proved that experiencing these ups and downs really promoted Li Jingyun's growth, especially after she presided over the construction of the library and planned the whole sweater trade.
The words that Li Shimin had taught her on a daily basis had a deeper impact on her.
When Cui Xian was executed, Li Shimin warned them that if one person's death was so tragic, what about a hundred or a thousand people? What kind of scene would it be?
So, reminded by the system, Li Jingyun came up with the idea of the sweater trade. Wasn't this better than going to war?
After the meeting to compete for the naming right of the library, Li Shimin also told Li Jingyun to take Princess Pingyangzhao as an example. From then on, Li Jingyun was even stricter with herself.
"Princess, there's no need to be so worried. There's still much we can do." Su Gui quickly spoke up to persuade her. "Let me tell you a joke."
"Okay, go ahead." Li Jingyun looked at him.
"Yesterday, I went with you to meet the Turks and the Tibetans. After it was over, my sister called me to the Crown Prince's palace. She actually asked me what my goals were recently. I said I wanted to run the sweater shop and the new courtyard well, and hopefully get a good ranking in the imperial examination next spring so that I could become an official in a proper way and bring glory to the Su family."
"She looked at me with a very strange expression, like this, like this. I asked her why she asked such a question, and she stammered and couldn't explain clearly."
While retelling what had happened yesterday, Su Gui imitated his sister's expression.
This made Li Jingyun and the others burst out laughing.
Only then did Li Jingyun notice that the siblings really looked very similar in features. But while her elder sister - in - law was always gentle, virtuous and reliable, Su Gui's imitation looked funny and ridiculous.
Only Duan Jia understood the implication in Crown Princess Su Rui's words. The worries of Empress Zhangsun and her daughter - in - law were really unnecessary, but that didn't matter. The most important thing now was that the little princess could laugh.
"Princess, if you really can't figure it out, you can go to the Dongchanding Temple to find Master Xuanzang. He has a deep understanding of Buddhist scriptures and will surely answer your doubts." Duan Jia gave a timely suggestion.
Li Jingyun also recalled the young monk she had seen on the Double Ninth Festival. He was very tall and kind - looking. She had only felt this way about a few great masters.
"But I don't have time recently. There are a lot of things waiting for me to do."
Li Jingyun unconsciously slapped the table. The hard bracelet left a row of red marks on her delicate little hand. She gasped in pain.
Then she thought that the shop would open tomorrow. The Turks and the Tibetans would all come, and her father, mother, elder brothers and sisters also said they would come. How chaotic the scene would be!
Even if she wanted to see Master Xuanzang, she had to wait until tomorrow was over.
"Princess, there must be a way out. Don't be too hard on yourself." Eunuch Feng still held the bowl of milk tea and coaxed Li Jingyun gently. "Princess, take a few sips to soothe your nerves."
"Okay." Li Jingyun replied in a muffled voice. She took the milk tea and took a big gulp. The warm, sweet milk tea seemed to really help after it went down.
"Before, I was the one who comforted Sister Gaoyang and Sister Xinxing when they were troubled. I didn't expect that now I'm the one who's troubled." Li Jingyun hugged the doll Li Dami and murmured to herself.
The matters of Sister Lizhi and the child in her belly, and Sister Xinxing's marriage to the Turks were like two big mountains weighing on Li Jingyun's head.
Sister Xinxing's matter could be talked about openly, and others could console her. But Sister Lizhi's matter had been kept secret. Except for her father, no one else knew.
Up to now, the Changsun family and the royal family had all been happily preparing to welcome the little life in Sister Lizhi's belly.
Especially her mother. Every now and then, she would call Sister Lizhi to the Lizheng Palace, exhorting her to take good care of the fetus and teaching her all kinds of experience in raising children. From time to time, she would even cite herself and Sister Mingda as examples.
"My sister is right. What's the use of being sad? Life has to go on." Li Jingyun twirled the bracelet, and her tone became much more determined.
"Princess, look. His Majesty, the Empress, and all the prime ministers don't want Princess Xinxing to marry into a foreign land. Only the Turks are wishful - thinking. So this marriage won't happen. Moreover, we're not without other solutions." Seeing that Li Jingyun seemed to have figured it out, Duan Jia quickly followed up.
Su Gui said, "What General Duan said is very true. We still have the sweaters."
Eunuch Feng didn't say a word, but silently sighed in his heart. The way the little princess spoke just now was exactly the same as the Crown Prince's!
Sure enough, they were real siblings!
Time passed bit by bit. The sun was setting, and the temperature was getting lower and lower.
Li Jingyun went to the sweater shop for another round. The clerks stood in two rows waiting for Li Jingyun to give a speech.
"Give out the rewards first. Tomorrow is a big day. All of you, cheer up."
Su Gui handed out the purses one by one and whispered instructions, "The princess attaches great importance to this. I don't need to emphasize it to you again, right? As long as nothing goes wrong with this task tomorrow, there will be more rewards."
"We understand!"
After receiving the heavy rewards, the clerks replied.
Li Jingyun said, "Then go back and rest. There will be more rewards after tomorrow's business is over!"
"Thank you, Princess!"
When the clerks left, Li Jingyun glanced outside. There were already many people lined up. Judging from their clothes, they were ordinary people. Seeing Li Jingyun, they quickly knelt down and shouted, "Greetings to Princess Chengyang!"
"Get up! Get up!" Caught off guard by so many people kneeling, Li Jingyun quickly told them to get up.
"Princess, you don't look like a princess anymore. You look like the boss here!" a middle - aged man shouted.
They had all seen how Li Jingyun behaved just now. Even though she was still a child, her imposing manner was really different from ordinary people. His little son was about the same age as the princess, but he was still playing with mud at home.
This made Li Jingyun feel confused. She pointed at herself and said, "I am the boss here."
"Hahaha."
Everyone burst out laughing.
Not knowing why, Li Jingyun also laughed.
"Are you not going home tonight? Just waiting for my sweater shop to open tomorrow morning?" After looking for a while, Li Jingyun guessed this because the people in front of her didn't seem to be leaving.
"Yes. Otherwise, we won't be able to grab them. These are rare things." an old man said.
Li Jingyun scratched her head. "Su Gui, let's open the shop at the beginning of Chen hour tomorrow. Eunuch Feng, go and get a few blankets for them. It's too cold outside."