The whole family is reborn, and their five-year-old child becomes the darling of the entire capital.

“My Shanshan hasn’t even been made a county princess yet, so why should this child from the Mu family be made a county princess? It was the same with Jiaojiao before. It was clearly agreed that she would be made empress, but in the end, her rank was still demoted. Now Shanshan has nothing. What qualifications does a little girl who just returned to the capital and grew up somewhere have…” Princess Lanyue’s voice lowered as she spoke, and she looked at the Empress Dowager somewhat weakly.

She and the Empress Dowager grew up together and were as close as sisters. Most of the time, she didn't think much before she spoke.

The Empress Dowager naturally knew that she was just a bit foolish and presumptuous, so she ignored what she had said earlier and continued, "Master Huiji said that he had calculated the fate of this girl from the Mu family. It is closely related to the fate of the Yue Kingdom. You should know the weight of these words."

Princess Lanyue curled her lip. "Now, in the eyes of outsiders, the Mu family is second only to the emperor. Even an orphan girl brought back from the countryside has a title. Doesn't that make them even more lawless?"

“What you said makes sense. But the Sha clan still needs the Mu and An families. In the meantime, it’s only right to give them some benefits.”

"Then can we bestow the title of Princess upon Shanshan?" Lanyue looked at the Empress Dowager expectantly.

"Let's discuss this matter another day," the Empress Dowager said, which could be considered a tactful refusal.

He tapped her forehead and said, "You really should read more books."

-

"Sister Shanshan, slow down, Xixi can't catch up." Xiaoyuxi saw Yan Shanshan running far ahead and hurriedly chased after her, unknowingly running into the woods behind the mountain.

"Ugh." Yan Shanshan tripped over a tree branch and fell to the ground. She sat there in a daze for a long time before she came to her senses. She looked at Xiao Yuxi, who had just run up to her breathlessly, and grinned. "You run really slowly."

"No, that's not true. Xixi is still little. When she eats more and grows up, she won't be so slow." Xiao Yuxi retorted softly.

“When you grow up, I’ll only get bigger, and you’ll always be shorter than me.” Yan Shanshan is extremely confident in her height.

She was the tallest among the girls from prominent families of her age. Even now that this shorty has grown to her age, he is still not as tall as her. That's how confident she is!

“But Second Sister said that as long as Xixi eats well, she will grow very, very tall. Everyone in the Mu family is very tall, so Xixi will grow very tall too.” Little Yu Xi stood on tiptoe and stretched out her short arms as much as she could to show her height.

Yan Shanshan smiled dismissively, quite proudly, "It's just that you believe what those people say; they just want to trick you into eating. It's just that you're young and still believe these things. I'm all grown up now; I won't be fooled by such clumsy tricks."

"But...but Xixi is eating very seriously, and Second Sister wouldn't lie." Little Yu Xi puffed out her cheeks and argued earnestly.

"Why not? Let me tell you, they're always two-faced. Like those concubines in our household, every time Father is away, they make sarcastic remarks about Mother. But as soon as Father appears, they instantly pretend that Mother slapped them or pushed them to the ground. Father will believe them and then beat Mother. Adults are the best at lying."

Yan Shanshan sat on the ground, angrily pulling at the grass.

Xiao Yuxi thought about the scene described in her words and couldn't help but shudder.

"You mean your father hit your mother? Does he hit you?" She had been hit before, and it hurt a lot. The marks on her body hadn't faded yet when a new one appeared.

"Me?" Yan Shanshan was a little surprised. "Of course not, my brother has been beaten before. But I'm useful to him!"

Seeing that Xiao Yuxi didn't understand, he quickly explained, "In the future, he can use me to form marriage alliances with other aristocratic families to solidify his position."

"Can a marriage alliance solidify one's position?" Xiao Yuxi didn't understand, but she remembered hearing her father and mother say that they wanted to sell her to a wealthy family as a wife. Is this also a way to solidify one's position? What kind of position are they trying to solidify? Is it so they can raise two extra pigs?

"Of course, how could you not know anything? The Mu family is raising you, they're definitely going to marry you off, to some noble family or a minister's family, so that they can form a powerful alliance and solidify their position. Just like the marriage between the An family and the Mu family, the military strength of the entire Half Moon Kingdom is combined. That's why the Emperor is wary..." Yan Shanshan suddenly covered her mouth with both hands, realizing that she had spoken too quickly and without thinking, saying things she shouldn't have.

These were all things she overheard her parents talking at home. She blurted them out without thinking. Luckily, she was the only one there, otherwise she would have been beheaded.

Xiao Yuxi retorted softly, sounding somewhat aggrieved, "No way! Grandmother and Aunt both love Xixi. They don't want to marry Xixi off. Xixi promised to stay home with them forever."

“My father likes me very much too. He’s already started looking for sons from other prominent families and is helping me find a match.”

In the village where Xiaoyuxi used to live, most girls were sold by their families around the age of ten. Some families, lacking rice, sold them even younger, some as young as five or six. The cheaper ones received half a bag of rice, while the more expensive ones received cotton quilts and padded jackets. If someone was lucky enough to catch the eye of a wealthy man, they might even receive gold!

So Xiao Yuxi didn't really understand the meaning behind her words; she just thought it was nothing special.

Yan Shanshan stood up, leaning against a tree. She looked around at the crooked trees in confusion, completely unable to tell which side she had come from.

Moreover, she had just complained that the maid was being too strict with her, so she made her stay in the courtyard.

"Little Xixi, do you know where we came from?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuxi blinked and decisively pointed behind her, "Here."

She's never changed this gesture!

Yan Shanshan couldn't help but praise, "Not bad! You can still remember!" As she spoke, she held out her hand for Xiao Yuxi to hold.

I couldn't help but think to myself: That's right, she's such a good older sister today. She even knows that it's hard to walk in the woods, so she's holding my hand as we walk.

Xiao Yuxi walked slowly and steadily, each step firm and steady.

After all, she had been chopping firewood in the mountains since she was a child.

Instead, Yan Shanshan held Xiao Yuxi's hand tightly, swaying every few steps, and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, we'll go back soon."

"Don't be afraid, Xixi." Little Yu Xi walked ahead earnestly to lead the way for her older sister, carefully supporting her.

"Mmm, I know you're scared, so we'll walk slower. You'll cry if you fall." Yan Shanshan, who had just tripped and fallen again, had tears in her eyes and stubbornly bit her lip.