CHAPTER 1506: 319, BETROTHAL (THIRD WATCH OF THE NIGHT)_3

Watching Yin Xing silently lowering her head without speaking, Shui Xian felt anxious for her. When both of them were in the General Mansion, Yin Xing’s father and stepmother were wary of the General Mansion and Princess Anle, so they didn’t dare to visit and ask her for Silver, but now that they had come to Lin Yuan’s side, those two would come to ask every two to three days.

To think that, ever since Yin Xing was sold to the General Mansion at the age of six, they hadn’t visited this daughter for seven or eight years!

"What can I do?"

There was a hint of helplessness and pain in Yin Xing’s voice: "That’s my biological father, my little sister, and my little brother. When my mother died, she told me to take good care of them."

"But they never gave you a chance to take care of them!"

Shui Xian angrily said: "Right after your mother’s death, didn’t your father marry the widow from the village? And it was that widow’s instigation that led to you being sold! She has a daughter of her own, why didn’t she sell her own girl, but sold you instead?"

Yin Xing bit her lip tightly, suddenly remembering her mother who died in childbirth while giving birth to her brother. If her mother were still alive, she definitely wouldn’t have agreed for her father to sell her.

However, precisely because of this, she couldn’t let her father sell her two younger sisters as well.

"It’s okay, Shui Xian, my father said that with this Silver, he will quickly find husbands for my two sisters, so they won’t be sold anymore. I—I’ll go give the Silver to my father right now; he’s waiting for me at the back door! Shui Xian, I will definitely repay you, I really will."

Watching the stubborn Yin Xing, Shui Xian had no other options but waved her hand to hurry her along.

However, although she always berated Yin Xing for being stubborn, Shui Xian knew well, how could children bear to watch their parents suffer?

"Blame her cruel father and stepmother! Humph!" Shui Xian snorted and then turned to leave.

Xiao Linshuang’s month-long stay in the Book Pavilion to read books had finally come to an end. Before leaving the palace, the little girl specially went to say goodbye to the Emperor.

The Emperor, seeing this little girl’s bright, sparkling eyes, was particularly fond of her and ended up keeping her to talk a bit longer.

"Do you know how many people in the Capital City are breaking their heads trying to follow Zhen Xiuming to learn medicine? How come you, this little girl, managed to catch his eye?"

Xiao Linshuang blinked, tilted her head and thought for a while. Her crisp voice echoed particularly clearly in the side hall of the Imperial Study Room: "Your Majesty, I guess, maybe it is because I am fated with my master."

"Oh?" The Emperor thought this girl would boast about being more clever or something like that, but she unexpectedly mentioned destiny, which really piqued the Emperor’s interest.

Xiao Linshuang nodded earnestly, the two small braids on her head swaying adorably: "Yes, fated. My teeth marks are still on master’s leg. My master said if it wasn’t for my fierce little wolf cub teeth, he wouldn’t have kept me by his side! See, isn’t that fate?"

Hahahahaha, the Emperor laughed heartily, it was the first time he had heard that becoming an apprentice was related to biting. What made him even happier was that this little girl dared to bite Zhen Xiuming’s leg! Wasn’t she afraid of being poisoned mute by that old fellow?

But no matter what, the old Emperor indeed understood one thing, that Zhen Xiuming really liked this cute and clever little girl, otherwise, he wouldn’t have allowed her to bite his leg.

Flipping through the notes Xiao Linshuang had written down over the past month, the old Emperor’s Dragon mood rejoiced, he couldn’t help but praise: "You are not only smart but also very diligent. At such a young age, you can actually settle down to read books in the Book Pavilion, and it seems you have read quite a lot. Very good, very good, just this alone makes you stronger than those fellows in the Capital City clamoring to become apprentices!"

Xiao Linshuang giggled, revealing a row of bright, shiny little teeth, making the old Emperor smile: "It’s just a pity, had you been born a boy, with your cleverness and wisdom, you definitely would have become a top scholar!"

Xiao Linshuang raised an eyebrow: "Although I can’t become a top scholar, my little brother can! My cousin can too!"

The old Emperor laughed heartily, obviously not taking this little girl’s words to heart.

"But," Xiao Linshuang said very earnestly, "Your Majesty, I have a suggestion, why can’t we allow women to take the imperial examinations as well? I think if women could study, there would definitely be many female top scholars! Look at my elder sister, she would definitely do better than Young Master Ma if she were to take the exams!"

Young Master Ma?