I dress up as a poor noblewoman, and I bring my whole family home with my literary talent.

Chapter 19 Princess Qi Yang
When Princess Qi Yang arrived outside the Xuan Zheng Hall, she just happened to hear a "creak" and the carved wooden door was pulled open from the inside. The first person to open the door was Yu Youzhi, the Shaoqing of the Siwei Palace.

The eunuch who escorted him out of the Xuan Zheng Hall was also an acquaintance, the eunuch Wei Yan, who was in charge of serving tea in front of the emperor.

"I pay my respects to Her Royal Highness the Princess."

When a minister paid his respects to the princess, he had to bow and kowtow, but Yu Youzhi only bowed his hands, which was very perfunctory. He did not even wait for Princess Qi Yang to say "No need to bow, please stand up."

Princess Qi Yang was not annoyed by Yu Youzhi's arrogant behavior. She smiled and said, "Is Yu Shaoqing going to leave the palace?"

Yu Youzhi opened his thin lips and said, "Your Majesty is busy with government affairs, and there are still some minor matters in the yamen that need to be handled by this humble minister."

"In that case, I will not keep Yu Shaoqing to chat any longer."

"Wei Chen retire."

Princess Qi Yang turned around and glanced at Yu Youzhi's departing back, revealing a thoughtful look: "I'm afraid that the Queen Mother is not in a good mood today?"

This question is for Eunuch Wei.
"Whether His Majesty is in a good mood or not is something that the ministers should consider. Princess, what are you afraid of?" Eunuch Wei flattered.

The two were whispering to each other when the news of the audience had been passed in. The eunuch Li Huaizhong opened the door himself, "Your Highness, please come in."

Princess Qi Yang took the scroll from the maid beside her and walked into the Xuan Zheng Hall.

Xuanzheng Hall was the palace where the empress reviewed memorials and met with ministers.
On the imperial platform, behind the ebony desk, a figure was busy working, concentrating on reviewing memorials.

"Your son pays respects to the Queen Mother. May the Queen be blessed with good health!"

The sound of a sandalwood chair rubbing against the ground could be heard from behind the desk. The empress, wearing a dress with a dragon pattern on it, raised her eyes and looked down at him. She said calmly, "Stand up and take a seat."

"Thank you, Queen Mother!"

According to custom, one can only sit on the side of the imperial chair as a sign of respect.

"What are you doing in Xuanzheng Hall?"

Princess Qi Yang handed the scroll to Li Huaizhong and said with a smile, "My dear mother, I held a poetry gathering a few days ago and got a very good poem. I would like to appreciate it with you."

Li Huaizhong walked to the imperial desk and opened the book.
The poem on the scroll was the second poem written by Song Lingyi that day. It was copied on this scroll with neater handwriting.

The empress looked over, her face calm, with a hint of surprise in her eyes: "Who wrote this poem?"

"My Queen, it was written by the fifth daughter of the Song family. Her grandfather was the previous Junior Supervisor of the Taifu Temple, Song Wei." Princess Qi Yang said with a smile.

The empress pondered for a moment, and looked at Princess Qi Yang with a half-smile and the majesty of a superior.

If the Song family was a prominent family, or if Song Lingyi's father was an official, Princess Qi Yang would not have to report her grandfather's official position. It can be seen that Princess Qi Yang had a purpose for this trip.

"Looking at the frustration throughout this article, I thought it was written by one of your talented scholars."

"Miss Song Wu is truly a talented person. No one could surpass her at that poetry gathering."

Behind the imperial desk, the empress picked up the wolf-hair brush again, dipped the tip of the brush in some red ink, and began to scribble on the memorial. She took a break and said, "I remember that the ninth day of the first lunar month is your birthday."

Princess Qi Yang stood up and bowed: "Mother, your Majesty is so busy that you remembered my birthday. It is really a blessing for me."

The empress glanced at her meaningfully and said in a normal tone, "I heard that you rebuilt the princess's mansion a few days ago. I'll have to take a good look at it when I get there."

Princess Qi Yang's smile froze, and she said angrily, "What nonsense are those who are full of chatter in my mother's ears? When the princess's mansion was granted, there was a large barren slope in the backyard. At the beginning of the year, the war was tense, and the monthly salary was reduced by half. I didn't dare to spend money to deal with it. Fortunately, there was a great victory at the border recently. This is a great joy for the court and the people. I ordered people to plant flowers on the barren slope to add some joy."

"You have always been sensible. It's just a barren hillside. You can deal with it however you want. Why wait until there is a great victory at the border?"

Princess Qi Yang just smiled and said nothing. The carved wooden door opened and closed, and Eunuch Wei came in with a tray of freshly brewed tea, nodding his head and lowering his eyebrows: "Your Majesty, the Junior Secretary of the Honglu Temple is waiting outside the palace."

"Since Lord Zhao is here, I will take my leave first."

Outside the palace, the north wind blew, blowing up a few fallen leaves and hitting the window frames. Princess Qi Yang got on the sedan chair and left Xuanzheng Hall with a group of eunuchs and palace maids.

As the sedan chair went up to the palace, Princess Qi Yang no longer had the same warm smile as before.

"Why didn't Your Highness reprimand Yu Youzhi for his disrespect outside the Xuanzheng Palace?"

The person who spoke was Yinsha, a trusted palace maid beside Princess Qi Yang.

"What's the point of reprimanding him? As long as he remains in the emperor's favor, who in Chang'an will dare to compete with him? Just like the corruption case of Minister Lin, which implicated many people, as long as Yu Youzhi went to Xuanzheng Hall a few more times, the empress would always lift him up high and then put him down gently."

Yinsha was quite contemptuous: "Your Majesty is a wise emperor, but you made a mistake with Yu Youzhi, a male favorite who is not worthy of being on the stage."

Princess Qi Yang was silent, and the light in her eyes dimmed. This was just the emperor's balancing act. The blood of the Prince of Jin was orthodox and he held military power. Yu Youzhi had the support of the Huainan family and was favored by his mother, so he could check and balance the Prince of Jin's mansion. Even if the Prince of Jin caught the mistakes of Minister Lin, he could not shake the foundation of the Huainan family.

The two sides are in a stalemate and need someone to break the deadlock.
----

In Shili Village, the dusk dyes the distant sky a brilliant orange-red. The reeds and millet in the autumn countryside sway in the evening breeze. The wild persimmon trees on the distant hillside, with their red fruits like small fiery lanterns, become a bright touch of color in this vast countryside.

The marriage proposal farce became the talk of the village after-dinner conversation, and the villagers all laughed at Master Lin's embarrassed appearance at the time.

Er Gouzi came back from the private school and learned what had happened during this period. He rushed to the Song family's ancestral home.

After entering the courtyard, he ignored the swing that had been set up and said, "Sister Lingyi... I heard that your son-in-law is coming--"

Outside the house, two people were seen, one sitting and one standing. Song Lingyi gritted her teeth and pulled Lu Jing's arm hard to loosen up his muscles. To outsiders, they seemed very intimate.

"Woo woo woo" Er Gouzi looked sad and turned around and ran away.

Song Lingyi was left in the courtyard with a puzzled look on her face, muttering, "What's wrong with Er Gouzi? He's so startled and so weird."

She then nags Lu Jing: "Why are you trying so hard? You sprained your arm, and it's adding insult to injury. How long do you want to stay with me to recover?"

Lu Jing turned his head to look at the other side of the river. A black lacquered flat-top carriage shrouded in the afterglow was parked quietly by the river. There was no one around except for the two horses pulling the carriage, which were eating grass under their hooves.

He hid the emotion in his eyes and teased in a relaxed manner: "If I don't act strong, how can I save my wife? Oh——"

Song Lingyi's strength suddenly increased, and she said angrily: "I told you that this is a temporary solution. You really think you are Lu Lang. Don't think that you can take advantage of me just because you saved me. The ideal son-in-law in my mind is not someone like you!"

"Oh?" Lu Jing raised his eyebrows, "Then tell me, what kind do you like?"

Song Lingyi walked to the swing, sat down, and swung gently. She had never really thought about what her ideal husband would be like, but adolescent girls would all look forward to having such a man: "My ideal man is a peerless hero, and one day he will come to pick me up on a colorful cloud!"

Lu Jing couldn't help laughing: "What if you are a fairy yourself?"

"How can you talk like that? You were the one who asked the question!" Song Lingyi curled her lips and rolled her eyes at him.

Lu Jing stood up, straightened his clothes, and said leisurely: "Well, then Lu Lang looks forward to meeting the fairy again, and I also wish you to return to Beijing as soon as possible and find a good husband."

Song Lingyi braked and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Return to Beijing"

(End of this chapter)