Rebirth of a Lost Nation: Princess, Please Respect Yourself

Concubine Xian and Jiang Lige and their entourage set out three days after Ning Yunxiao. When they returned to the capital, it was already the season when lotus flowers were in full bloom.

As soon as the team entered the suburbs of Beijing, royal family members came out of the city to welcome them, accompanied by the imperial concubines' guards, making it a very grand occasion.

Inspired by the lively atmosphere of the capital, Jiang Lige's slightly tired mood due to the journey was slightly relieved. He opened the curtain of the car and saw a few children jumping on the street holding windmills and reciting popular nursery rhymes.

Jiang Lige looked around for a long time but didn't see Ning Yunxiao. Instead, he saw Ning Luyang riding on a tall horse, looking at him with a smile.

As soon as her white hands loosened, the curtain fell, blocking out the outside gaze. Jiang Lige retracted his head, his face full of bad luck.

Song Yue was quick. Within a short time of entering the city, he had already found out the situation clearly and teased Jiang Lige with a smile.

"Princess, please stop looking. The prince has been stuck in the military camp since returning to the capital and hasn't come out. I think something big must have happened."

"The Five Cities Military Department is only responsible for patrolling the city. When did they need to be stationed in the barracks?" Jiang Lige was a little indignant. "I think the Wang family has bad intentions and is just afraid that the prince will get involved."

Song Yue agreed, "That's right, the Wang family is full of bad guys."

After the master and servant denounced the Wang family, the Dowager Concubine's entourage entered the palace. Emperor Shengwu held a banquet in the Shoukang Palace of the Virtuous Dowager Concubine to welcome her. As a sign of respect, Empress Dowager Jiang was also invited.

Since it was someone else's family dinner, Jiang Lige had no right to join in the fun, so as not to disturb the family happiness.

Therefore, he went into the palace to pay his respects to Emperor Shengwu and Empress Dowager Jiang, and then returned to his own Qingge Cottage.

During the time Jiang Lige was away from Beijing, Feng Quan had been taking care of Qingge Cottage alone. When he returned today, it seemed to be in better order than before.

"Fengquan has worked hard these days."

Fengquan smiled and brewed a pot of tea and presented it to him. "These are what I should do. Princess, saving the villagers of Fengle Village from disaster is truly a noble act."

"It's all thanks to the prince." Jiang Lige took a sip of tea and asked, "By the way, what happened to those corrupt officials after they were escorted back to the capital?"

"Wherever they went, they were like rats crossing the street, everyone was shouting for them to be beaten. The truth was revealed a few days ago. His Majesty was worried that this would affect the Empress Dowager's good mood for returning to the capital, so he had them all executed yesterday."

"In this way, we can repay the suffering of the villagers."

Feng Quan instructed the palace servants to arrange meals, and then took out a stack of account books from the inner room.

"Everything the princess arranged before leaving the capital has been taken care of. All the furnishings for the shop have been prepared as the princess instructed, and preparations for the opening are already underway. However, since this is our first time in business, I took the initiative to hire a shopkeeper with a good reputation in the capital."

"You've done a great job. Thank you for your hard work." Jiang Lige took the account book and flipped through it. He then asked, "What about Ning Luyang and Jiang Chuchu? Are there any movements?"

"The Second Princess has been very well behaved lately. Apart from her occasional secret meetings with the Eighth Master, there seems to be nothing wrong with her. From what I can see, the relationship between the two is growing stronger day by day."

Jiang Lige was calm, "Where's Ning Luyang?"

"The Eighth Master has been spending a lot of time outside the palace lately. He even bought a house in Pinghuai Hutong, west of the city. It's a remote area, full of poor people, which doesn't suit his status as a prince. Oh, and he's always sending food to the house next door, which is quite strange."

Pinghuai Hutong?

When Jiang Lige heard the name of this place, he roughly knew what Ning Luyang's plan was.

In his previous life, Ning Luyang had done the same thing. He bought a house next to an orphanage and would occasionally send small favors to the orphanage, using the lowest possible cost to make those poor orphans regard him as their benefactor. In the end...

At a young age, they were all trained to become demons who kill without blinking an eye, and willingly became weapons in his pursuit of power.

The person responsible for raising these children for him was Yaoguang, an orphan girl from Pinghuai Hutong.

It was also in the second year of their marriage that his favorite concubine, Lady Yaoguang, was born.

Thinking of this, Jiang Lige raised his lips with interest, "In that case, let's go out of the palace again tomorrow."

……

Empress Dowager Jiang knew that Jiang Lige was leaving the palace on official business, so she did not stop her the next day. She readily arranged everything for her and let the group leave the palace.

After all, this is Sheng Ling's country. The capital seems to be so prosperous at all times. There are many shops on the streets, the hawking sounds are endless, and it is very lively.

Jiang Lige, his master and his two servants abandoned their carriage and walked out of the palace. They talked and laughed as they walked, and it was rare for them to be so happy.

The shop that Jiang Lige had originally taken a fancy to was located in the center of Tianzhengfang. The master and servant arrived there in a short while.

Before they even entered the shop, they saw a group of people outside the shop watching the fun, and surrounded inside were the shopkeeper Lang Tianquan hired by Fengquan and the employees left behind by the original owner.

It looked like the two groups had just started fighting. Several skinny girls were pushed to the ground, crying, and the remaining girls were arguing angrily with the shopkeeper Lang.

"Bah!" A woman in a blue linen shirt angrily threw the copper coins. "You think you can get rid of us with just a few coins? You have no shame!"

The woman in green cloth was obviously more timid. "Boss, that's not what I meant. Our boss hasn't said he doesn't want women, has he? Don't worry, boss, we work very efficiently. You will definitely find us useful if you keep us."

"Oh, Boss." Shopkeeper Lang sneered, looking incredibly arrogant. "Let me tell you something, since the boss has given me the shop to run, I have the final say here. We don't want any women in this shop!"

"Why not women?"

Shopkeeper Lang snorted and clasped his hands together in sarcasm.

"What can you do? All you do are easy jobs like serving tea and water! You can't handle cargo handling or guarding the store. Instead of occupying the toilet without doing anything, why not give the position to someone who can work? That would be worthy of the monthly salary your previous boss gave you for nothing!"

"Who says we can't do it? Before..."

"I told you you can't do it, and you can't. How can a mere woman compare herself to a man? You girls should stay home, take care of your husbands and children, and stay out of the public eye. That's not violating moral principles."

"Then why don't you men stay home and do the laundry and cooking?" The woman in blue put her hands on her hips and cursed, "Bah! I'm really fed up with you all looking down on women. What? Your mother isn't a woman!"

"Shrew! How vulgar!" Shopkeeper Lang's face flushed red from being scolded. "What are you still standing there for? Get these crazy women out of here!"