When Emperor Jingming heard Yin Ning's refusal, he glanced at her and, seeing no trace of reluctance on her face, dropped the matter. Instead, he turned to her and said, "Among all my children, you are the only one who has never lived in my former Crown Prince's residence. Since that is the case, I bestow upon you my former Crown Prince's residence as your future mansion outside the palace."
Hearing this, the smile on Yin Ning's face instantly deepened. "Thank you for your gracious gift, Imperial Father. I knew you doted on me the most, knowing how I envied my brothers and sisters for having lived in your former residence!" she said brightly.
Yin Ning had never minded currying favor with Emperor Jingming; after all, a few kind words could bring enormous benefits—only a fool would refuse. And the reason she was so delighted about the bestowed Crown Prince's residence was that she knew its special significance to Emperor Jingming.
Since the founding of the Great Jing Dynasty, every crown prince would move out of the palace into his own residence after turning eighteen. Emperor Jingming himself had done so, having been crown prince for a full twenty-two years from the age of seventeen. It wasn't until he was thirty-nine—the year the late emperor passed away and Yin Ning was born—that he finally ascended the throne. Thus, Emperor Jingming had spent nearly half his life in that residence.
Yin Ning recalled how her half-brother, when he was about to move out and establish his own mansion, had tried to claim that residence as his own under the pretext of saving state funds, only to be directly refused by Emperor Jingming.
At that moment, Yin Ning silently thanked Liu Sanqi for appearing on the Sky Canopy yet again. Compared to Emperor Jingming's path to the throne, her own journey seemed far smoother. After all, Emperor Jingming had not only endured a twenty-two-year wait as crown prince but had also personally tested drugs for Emperor Jingjian, his immortality-obsessed predecessor, to demonstrate filial piety.
Everyone knew how often Emperor Jingming had "voluntarily" tested drugs for his father, which was why, even in the eighteen years since his ascension, no new children had been born in the palace apart from Yin Ning, and the courtiers remained silent, never raising any objections. It was an open secret that the drug testing had damaged Emperor Jingming's health, making it difficult for him to have more heirs.
Thinking of this, Yin Ning felt even more fortunate that her father was the sane Emperor Jingming. Had it been the mad Emperor Jingjian, she doubted she could have endured as Emperor Jingming had. She would have been the first to raise a flag and rebel against the Yin family.
Since Emperor Jingming made no effort to conceal his decision to bestow his former residence on Yin Ning, by the next afternoon, even the slowest courtiers had heard the news. They once again realized the importance Emperor Jingming placed on Yin Ning and understood that, after him, she would be the one ruling over them.
As it was the New Year holiday, civil and military officials were not required to attend court. During their visits to relatives and friends, their conversations never strayed far from Yin Ning. Anyone connected to Yin Ning became a hot commodity in the capital.
Unable to enter the palace to see Yin Ning, everyone tried to find indirect ways to connect with her. On the day after the Sky Canopy appeared, Xu Yexian, Yin Ning's maternal grandfather, opened his gate early in the morning only to find a line of carriages from visitors stretching beyond the street corner, the end nowhere in sight. He immediately slammed the gate shut with a bang. Packing a few changes of clothes and dragging his old friend Meng Kechuan, who was staying with him, he slipped out the back door and headed straight to the nearby Huguo Temple, where they spent a quiet New Year in the rear courtyard.
The first assignment the Ministry of Works received after the New Year was to renovate Emperor Jingming's former residence according to Yin Ning's wishes. Though uninhabited for eighteen years, it had always been well-maintained—after all, it was the current emperor's former residence; who would dare neglect it? But now that it had a new owner, the layout had to be adjusted accordingly.
Various factions within the Ministry of Works fought fiercely over this task. Ultimately, after intense negotiations, they reached a grudgingly acceptable compromise. Naturally, when the Ministry of Works officials appeared before Yin Ning, they were all harmony and politeness, requiring no effort from her to mediate their disputes.
Yin Ning understood that she would not be living in the residence for twenty-two years like her father, but she was uncertain how long she would stay. So she naturally wanted her future home to meet her satisfaction. After learning her preferences, the Ministry of Works immediately set to work with the utmost diligence, not daring to slack off. As if fearing she might think they were neglectful, they sent someone to the palace every four days to report on the renovation progress.
Initially, Yin Ning hadn't been particularly concerned, but after their repeated reports, she grew curious. So, after informing Empress Xu and Emperor Jingming, she took her attendants and left the palace to visit her future mansion.
When the Ministry of Works official on duty saw Yin Ning arrive unexpectedly, he was overjoyed but managed to keep his composure, carefully introducing the newly reopened residence. After touring the grounds, Yin Ning found that her suggestions had been fully implemented, with some aspects even exceeding her expectations.
She knew they were trying to please her, but she didn't belittle them or make things difficult. Instead, she gave credit where it was due. Seeing her reaction, the accompanying Ministry of Works official felt reassured. Throughout the renovation, their greatest fear had been mishandling the project and becoming the laughingstock of other departments.
However, as Yin Ning was about to leave, a small incident occurred. Her teacher, Shi Qingyuan, suddenly sought her out.
Yin Ning was naturally surprised to see Shi Qingyuan. When she learned that Shi Qingyuan had first gone to the palace only to find her absent, and thus came here on Empress Xu's advice, Yin Ning grew even more curious. At Shi Qingyuan's hint, Yin Ning dismissed the accompanying Ministry of Works personnel, keeping only her trusted confidants nearby.
Once she was sure the surroundings were safe, Shi Qingyuan whispered that Xiao He, the dead-soldier girl Liu Sanqi had mentioned on the Sky Canopy, was currently waiting in her carriage outside. Upon hearing this, a look of obvious surprise appeared on Yin Ning's face.
"I knew you would be interested in this little girl. You have no idea how startled I was last night when I returned to my room and turned around to find her standing by my vanity table, staring at me intently. I almost fainted," Shi Qingyuan said. She had always considered herself rather calm, but she had indeed been frightened by Xiao He's sudden appearance. Moreover, she had believed her residence was well-guarded, with many retainers and sturdy maidservants, but none had detected Xiao He's intrusion into her bedroom.
After learning that Xiao He wished to pledge allegiance to Yin Ning, Shi Qingyuan decided to ask Yin Ning's opinion after careful consideration. "That child claims to be only eight years old. I don't know if it's because of her past experiences, but her eyes are very different from ordinary children's. And she's quite headstrong—she said that if she couldn't see you today, it meant you weren't meant for each other."
Yin Ning laughed upon hearing this. "Is this the attitude she should have when seeking my patronage? It sounds more like she's trying to be my little ancestor."
"Do you want to see her? If not, I can find a safe place for her to settle down," Shi Qingyuan offered.
Shi Qingyuan herself was conflicted about Xiao He. On one hand, she felt the child was no ordinary person; on the other, Xiao He seemed dangerously difficult to control. If she hadn't known that Yin Ning herself was highly skilled in martial arts, she would never have entertained Xiao He's request.
Yin Ning could see Shi Qingyuan's hesitation. With a smile, she said, "Since my teacher has gone to the trouble of bringing her to me, how could I refuse you? That would be ungrateful for your judgment."
Yin Ning believed that Shi Qingyuan would only take the risk of bringing Xiao He to her if she truly saw potential worth investing in. Hearing the trust in Yin Ning's words, Shi Qingyuan couldn't help but smile. At this point, Shi Qingyuan's friendship affinity with Yin Ning had already reached the maximum of one hundred, so Yin Ning didn't hear the 007 system's notification of an increase in affinity.