Little Sizi came to my house and became the family's darling, and Li Shimin got anxious.

The princes took their leave one after another.

The Lizheng Hall quickly became quiet.

But on the other side, none of the princesses left.

They all surrounded Li Lizhi, their eyes fixed intently on the Polaroid camera, like a group of cats staring at a fish tank, none of them willing to move.

Li Lizhi truly lived up to her title as the eldest princess of the Tang Dynasty; she was intelligent, insightful, and possessed exceptional comprehension.

In just half an hour, she had figured out how to use the Polaroid camera completely by herself.

"Come on, stand still, look here." She held up a Polaroid camera and pointed it at Princess Qinghe.

With a "click," a photographic sheet slowly emerged.

Qinghe took it and stared wide-eyed as he looked at his gradually clearer image on it.

"Sister, this...this is so similar!"

"Right?" Li Lizhi smiled happily. "Yuzhang, come on over, let's take a picture."

Princess Yuzhang walked over and put her head next to Li Lizhi.

Just as Li Lizhi was about to press the button, Yuzhang suddenly said, "Sister, wait a minute, isn't it better to take the picture this way? Qinghe, take the Polaroid camera and take the picture from the left."

Qinghe, holding his phone, looked a little confused: "The left side? Is there a difference?"

Li Lizhi chuckled: "Of course! Didn't you notice that Yuzhang only shows her left profile in photos? She thinks her left profile is prettier."

Yu Zhang was exposed, but he wasn't angry at all. Instead, he hid behind Li Lizhi and kept tilting his head back, trying to make his face look smaller.

Seeing her like this, Li Lizhi also leaned back.

Qinghe, holding up her phone, sighed helplessly, "Your faces are already small enough. Any further and all I'll see in my camera are your foreheads!"

After a burst of laughter and commotion, the photo was finally taken.

Three heads huddled together, looking at the photos and chattering away.

"Is my sideburns a little messy?"

"The older sister's eyebrows and eyes are the most beautiful in the photos."

"Next time I'll smile even sweeter."

"Sister! We want to film too!"

Princess Gaoyang, along with Lanling and two younger sisters, rushed over and surrounded Li Lizhi.

"Great!" Li Lizhi was in a particularly good mood. "How about we take a group photo together?"

"Yes, yes!" the little princesses exclaimed, jumping up and down.

Seeing how enthusiastic they were, Li Yin immediately volunteered.

"Let me take the photos for you."

The princesses were naturally delighted and nodded repeatedly.

Li Lizhi immediately transformed into a mini-director, methodically arranging the positions.

"Come on, everyone, sit down. Si Zi is the youngest, so he will stand at the front; Qing He, Yu Zhang, and I will stand behind you and protect you in the middle."

As instructed, everyone stood still, and just as filming was about to begin, Si Zi, who had been standing obediently in the front row, suddenly raised her little face and interrupted in a childish voice.

"Ladies, after you take the picture, remember to say 'cheese'!"

"Hmm?" Li Lizhi looked at the little dumpling with a puzzled expression. "Why did you say 'cheese'?"

The little princess blinked her big eyes and shook her head: "I don't know, Auntie taught me."

Li Lizhi looked at Li Yinxun.

Li Yinxun explained with a smile, "When you say 'cheese,' the corners of your mouth naturally turn up, and your facial muscles relax, making your expression look more natural and better in photos."

Everyone then nodded in sudden realization and silently remembered this little photo-taking tip.

"Hurry up, stop agonizing," Li Yinxun said, raising her Polaroid camera and striking a serious pose. "You're all so beautiful, you'll look good no matter how you're photographed! Get ready!"

"One, hunger, mountain..."

"One, two, three, cheese!"

Li Yinxun quickly pressed the shutter button.

The princesses swarmed around to look at the photograph in Li Yinxun's hand.

In the photo, everyone is smiling happily. The little princess even imitated Li Yinxun's usual pose for photos, making a V-sign with her chubby little hands, which was incredibly cute.

"It's so lively!"

Li Shimin's voice came from behind.

When everyone turned around, they realized that Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun had been standing there for some time.

"I've come to the right place." Li Shimin walked in with a smile, took Empress Zhangsun's hand, and said, "Guanyinbi, how about we take a picture with our daughters too?"

The princesses were naturally happy to oblige and quickly made way for them.

Li Shimin sat in the middle holding the baby, Empress Zhangsun sat next to him holding Chengyang, Gaoyang and Lanling stood obediently next to them, and Li Lizhi, Qinghe, Yuzhang and a few other older children stood in the back row.

Li Yinxun held up the Polaroid camera, her palms slightly sweaty.

Taking a family portrait for the emperor and empress—what an exciting experience!

"Sis, brother-in-law, I'm starting filming."

"Father!" the little princess in his arms called out, looking up. "Call me 'cheese'!"

Li Shimin already knew the process from watching them film, and nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to Sizi."

"One, two, three, cheese!"

The Polaroid camera ejects the photographic paper.

Li Yinxun, holding the still-warm photographic paper, jogged over and handed it to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin took the photo, looked at himself and his wife and daughters in it, and smiled so broadly that his eyes disappeared from his grin.

"Great, really great! This Polaroid camera is a good thing."

After speaking, he handed the photo to Empress Zhangsun, who was standing beside him.

Empress Zhangsun looked on, her eyes filled with a gentle smile.

The little girl slid off Li Shimin's lap, clung to Empress Zhangsun's arm, and stood on tiptoe to look at the photos.

She looked at the photos, then at her parents and sisters in front of her, tilted her head, and felt that something was missing.

Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she turned to look at Li Yinxun.

"Auntie! Take a picture with us!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin nodded and said, "Yes, Xiao Xun, come over here too, let's take a picture together."

"Huh? Me?" Li Yinxun pointed to herself.

"Come on over!" Empress Zhangsun smiled and waved to her.

Li Yinxun was a little excited. If this were filmed, who would believe it if word got out?

She pulled out her phone: "Um... brother-in-law, sister, if we're taking a group photo, the Polaroid photos will come out too small. How about we use our phones? I'll take them home and develop them, they'll be clear. We can each get a photo, okay?"

Although he didn't understand why they needed to wash them, Li Shimin immediately agreed when he heard that each person could have one.

"Okay, we'll do it your way."

Li Yinxun quickly handed the phone to Zhang Anan and briefly taught him how to operate it.

Then he ran to the front and squatted down in front of Empress Zhangsun and Princess Chengyang.

Zhang Anan nervously held up his phone, pointing it at the crowd.

"One, two, three, cheese—"

The shutter clicked, and a precious group photo that transcends time and space was born.

Zhang Anan took the phone and handed it to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin looked at the clear group photo and was extremely satisfied.

He looked at his phone, remembering that Empress Zhangsun had also taken out her phone from inside the palace. His eyes suddenly turned a little resentful and drifted toward Li Yinxun, who was admiring the photos.

Li Yinxun was completely oblivious, her mind entirely focused on the photo.

Empress Zhangsun looked at the photo with great joy and handed her phone to Li Lizhi.

"Lizhi, take this and go play with your sisters."

"Thank you, Mother!" Li Lizhi happily accepted it, and the princesses swarmed around her again.

Li Shimin beckoned to Li Yinxun.

"Xiao Xun, come with me."