The New Year's Banquet was only three days away. She just had to grit her teeth and get through them. After that lecture from her handsome imperial father, Jiang Yingcheng held her nose and returned to the Academy, which she hadn't visited in ages.
-with a whole, whole lot of pastries.
The moment she said goodbye to Eunuch Changshun, Jiang Yingcheng dashed inside excitedly. "Seventh Prince! Eighth Prince! Little brother! Look what Chengcheng brought-"
"-you... huh?!!"
Her cheerful voice instantly turned startled. Looking utterly dumbfounded, Jiang Yingcheng backed up a few steps, glanced at the wooden door on which she had carved those big, crooked characters, then walked inside again.
Then she backed out again.
After she repeated this three times, Jiang Xingran, who was sitting inside, finally couldn't take it anymore and stood up.
He went over and took the food box from the little girl, tucked it under one arm, then used his free hand to take hers and lead her inside.
"Why are you being so silly?"
They were all sitting in their usual seats. She could see them just by looking up, yet she insisted on going back and forth several times.
"Huh," Jiang Yingcheng protested, her face full of indignation. "But, but-"
[Who are all these people?!]
Today, the Academy was crammed with people she had never seen before. The moment she stepped inside, they all turned in unison to stare at her. Even if they were all children around her age, that sight was still terrifying!
Standing where the little girl had stood, Jiang Xingran glanced back, helplessness in his eyes as well.
These were all princes and princesses who had accompanied their countries' sovereigns to the capital for the banquet. The little girl's recent "most favored" incident had caused such a stir that