There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 447 Belated Pampering

"Oh! Yes, yes! Princess Zoya! This sand sparrow... looking closely, it really does have the air of that princess, silently protecting and bringing hope, how wonderful!"

The embroidery shop lady liked it more and more as she looked at it, and quickly said...

"I'll buy this embroidery pattern! No, could you please draw a few more variations? I'll have the embroiderers use them on handkerchiefs, sachets, and even the edges of dresses; they're sure to sell well!"

Thus, embroidered items bearing the imagery of stars and sandpipers protecting new seedlings began to quietly flow into upper-middle-class families in the city.

The noble ladies may not have known the deeper meaning behind it, but they found the design novel and auspicious, and thus all chose it.

These patterns subtly permeate and reinforce the connection between "Zoya" and "hope," "protection," and "new life."

******

Evening

slum alleyway

A group of children chased and played in the open space.

An older child, playing the king, arrogantly declared, "I am the king! All the jewels are mine!"

Another child immediately jumped out, spreading his arms wide: "I am a sand sparrow! I protect the little seedlings!" He pointed to a thin child in the corner who was playing the role of a little sapling.

"Go Sand Sparrow! Go Sand Sparrow!" the other children cheered.

The child playing the king protested: "I command you, get out of here! Or I'll have the golden camel trample you flat!"

"The golden camel is here! The golden camel is here!" Children jumped around, pretending to be clumsy camels, deliberately bumping into the "sparrows."

The children were laughing and playing.

Just then, an old woman selling steamed buns with a basket on her shoulder passed by and chuckled, scolding, "A bunch of mischievous monkeys! Trying to act like adults again! Be careful the patrolmen don't hear you!"

The child playing the role of a sparrow exclaimed, "Grandma, let's sing a new song! It's so beautiful!"

Before the old woman could answer, the children began to sing at once, in a cacophony of voices and rhythms. It was a new rhyme that Gu Ziying had compiled and that the young maids, including Wanbai, had taught to the children of the marketplace:

"A golden camel, fat and strong, carries jewels into the government granary."

"The granaries are full, but the people are starving; the sand weeps and the wind sings."

"Green eyes, princess arrives, stars guide the way to Tear Valley."

"Searching and searching, searching for Mercury, the sandpiper spreads its wings to protect the seedlings."

"Not greedy for treasure, not striving for greatness, only seeking a wider path in life."

"Make room for more, make room for more, hoping for a brighter future with flowers blooming in the blue sky."

The nursery rhyme is childlike and simple in melody, sung repeatedly, yet it conveys the greed of the golden camel, the suffering of the people, and Zoya's pursuit and hope.

The expression is clear and straightforward, yet imbued with the innocent anticipation unique to children, which makes it all the more powerful and touching.

The old woman listened, her smile slowly fading. She sighed, shook her head, and walked away with her basket. But the melody of the folk song seemed to still echo in her ears.

She knew that what these children sang were the unspoken sentiments of countless adults.

******

夜晚

A corner of a quiet little tavern

A down-on-his-luck storyteller, drawn by a few copper coins and a pot of wine, began recounting, to a few scattered drinkers, Gu Ziying's altered version of "The Story of Princess's Tears Valley's Porridge Distribution."

He added many details: how the princess personally cleaned and applied medicine to the old herdsman's festering sores (artistic embellishment).

How to take off your coat and wrap it around a frozen child in the cold wind (exaggerated slightly)

And how did they disregard all advice and persistently search in the valley of despair, ultimately moving heaven and earth (symbolically) to discover that sliver of life?

"...The princess's bright blue eyes gazed at the tiny specks of damp sand, as if she saw a sky full of stars fallen to earth! Tears welled in her eyes, yet she smiled, saying to the emaciated villagers around her: 'Look, the stars haven't abandoned us, and the earth isn't completely dead. As long as we don't give up searching, hope, like the dampness beneath this sand, will always quietly emerge from the most desperate places!'"

The patrons listened intently, and a half-drunk craftsman muttered, "It sounds so real... But if it's true, this princess... is actually a good person."

"What's the use of being a good person?" another drinker sighed. "Without power or influence, how can you fight against a king and a golden camel?"

The storyteller struck the gavel.

"Gentlemen, who can say for sure what will happen in this world? Throughout history, how many heroes have risen from humble beginnings? The will of the people is the greatest force! That's all for today's story. To find out what happens next... let's see when the sky over the Kingdom of Boyu truly clears up!"

The story has ended, but Princess Zoya's image, amidst the hazy intoxication and sighs of the drinkers, has gained a touch of legend and humanity.

Pottery jars, embroidery patterns, nursery rhymes, stories… The invisible net woven by Gu Ziying and Ye Bingli unfolds gently yet firmly through the most ordinary channels of the marketplace.

Princess Zoya is no longer just a vague figure in court rumors, but is gradually becoming a rising star with flesh and blood, compassion and action, and even a touch of divine radiance.

Her image, like drops of clear water falling into sand, slowly but steadily seeps in, nourishing the long-parched soil of the people's hearts in the Kingdom of Boyu.

Zoya's rapidly rising reputation, the undercurrents of unrest among the common people, the ambiguous attitude within the aristocratic circles, the wait-and-see attitude of the business community, and the silent yet mountain-like pressure from the old prince...

All of this made King Ardan feel threatened like never before.

He couldn't let Zoya continue to win people's hearts, but he also dared not take drastic measures while the aftermath of the miracle was still ongoing and the old prince's attitude remained unclear.

So a large procession of court attendants, carrying magnificent gift boxes, arrived at the secluded palace where Zoya resided.

The one leading the group was a favored chief steward of the king, his face plastered with a formulaic smile.

"By His Majesty the King's decree, Princess Zoya Savar is hereby bestowed upon her!"

The steward loudly proclaimed and opened the gift box.

Instantly, the glittering jewels illuminated almost the entire simple, somewhat shabby palace.

Inside is:

A set of exquisitely beautiful gold headdresses inlaid with countless colored gemstones;

More than a dozen bolts of the finest silks and satins from the East, shimmering and radiant;

A whole box full of gold and silver ingots;

There were also eight beautiful and well-trained young maids standing at their sides.

"His Majesty said..."

The steward spoke respectfully, but his eyes held a scrutinizing gaze.

"The princess was recently at the observatory, deeply concerned about the affairs of state. This has greatly comforted me. Therefore, I have bestowed upon her these jewelry, clothing, gold and silver, and additional maids to honor her status and soothe her anxieties. I hope the princess will rest in peace, remain steadfast in her duties, and refrain from worrying about foreign affairs, lest she cause unnecessary trouble."

The meaning couldn't be clearer: I'll give you wealth and honor, and superficial prestige, but you'd better stay in the palace and stop showing your face in public to win people's hearts!

Inside and outside the palace, other members of the royal family and servants who had come upon hearing the news gazed at the dazzling rewards from afar, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

There is envy

Jealousy

There is also much to think about.

Zoya stood inside the hall, looking at those dazzling yet cold things.

She may have longed for fine clothes and jewelry in her childhood, but after witnessing real suffering, these things only made her feel incredibly ironic and a little sad.

As for those maids... were they there to serve, or to keep watch?