The cruel little princess

With Shen Zijin thanking the heaven and the Buddha with gratitude, they finally entered the capital before sunset!

Thanks to Princess Fukang, the Qinglong Kingdom delegation, which should have arrived earlier, actually arrived only one day earlier than the Bailong Kingdom delegation!

When Shen Zijin saw the officials from the Ministry of Rites coming to meet him, he just wanted to dismount immediately and thank them for saving him from danger!

After the handover was completed, Shen Duanfang brought Shen Zijin to bid farewell to Princess Fukang.

Princess Fukang sat quietly in the carriage, watching Shen Zijin bow to her calmly. Her delicate hands couldn't help but tap the carriage board twice, as if to express some emotion.

The maidservant beside them heard the sound and came forward and asked in a low voice: "Princess, what do you want?" The voice was so soft that only the two of them could hear it.

Princess Fukang didn't answer, but simply extended her delicate and smooth hand and nodded slightly in Shen Zijin's direction. The maid looked up at Princess Fukang with some surprise, as if she didn't quite understand her intention. Princess Fukang then winked at the maid, suggesting that she follow her instructions.

The maid immediately understood what Princess Fukang meant, and a flash of surprise crossed her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. She stood up, walked towards Shen Zijin and Shen Duanfang, and blocked their way.

"General Shen, thanks to the care of you and General Shen along the way, our group was able to arrive in the capital so smoothly. Now that General Shen's mission has been completed, he is naturally eager to return home, but our princess hopes to thank General Shen in person. Please move aside, General Shen!" The maid stretched out her hand and made a "please" gesture.

This attitude shows that if you don't go there, you can't go home.

Shen Zijin said with some confusion: "No need to thank me, we are going back to the capital anyway. Taking you with me is just a matter of convenience, no need to thank me!" The implication was: I just want to go home quickly, taking you with me is just a matter of convenience, no need to thank me.

However, the maidservant resolutely stopped the horse and refused to budge. Seeing this, Shen Duanfang said to his son, "Go and see if the princess has any other requests."

Shen Zijin looked at the sky helplessly and sighed inwardly. Could it be that no matter when or where, he could not escape the fate of being ordered around like a slave?

He walked towards the carriage helplessly, bowed through the shark-toothed gauze curtain, and said, "Princess Fukang, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Princess Fukang raised her eyes and looked at the man standing outside. He was a dashing figure, standing tall and straight like a pine tree. His brows were sharp, his eyes were brilliant, and his demeanor was dazzling. He was truly a rare and elegant gentleman!

She sighed quietly inwardly, coughed softly, and tried to calm the surging emotions within her. She told herself that as long as she wanted something, it would never escape her control. She had no choice but to be sent here for marriage! But Shen Zijin, you must not be an exception!

"Come forward!" Princess Fukang dismissed the maids on her left and right and gave Shen Zijin her habitual instructions.

Shen Zijin thought that Princess Fukang was going to make another unreasonable request, so she took two steps forward and approached the carriage curtain, bowing her head and listening attentively.

"Shen Zijin, do you know why this princess came to your Jinlong Kingdom?" Princess Fukang raised her proud chin and stared at Shen Zijin with sharp eyes.

Shen Zijin was slightly stunned, and couldn't help but wonder. What's going on? What are you doing here? Aren't you here to sue for peace? And send you here for marriage?! Who are you putting on such a big show for? If it weren't for the fact that you're a princess after all, I wouldn't bother to pay attention to you!

Although he couldn't stop complaining in his heart, he knew that etiquette was important and he couldn't give her any reason to complain before the emperor. So, he replied respectfully, "Princess, please forgive my ignorance. I don't know why you've come. But I believe you must have something important to discuss. If you need anything, please let me know."

Shen Zijin pretended not to understand what she meant.

"This princess has come to your Kingdom of Jinlong... to marry a foreign princess!" Princess Fukang gritted her teeth, her face flushed red, her heart filled with anger and resentment. She felt she couldn't resist fate, feeling incredibly frustrated and annoyed. Simultaneously, she was also irritated by Shen Zijin's lack of understanding of her romantic life, so she couldn't help but growl softly.

Shen Zijin was completely bewildered, completely at a loss. He muttered to himself, "Of course I knew you were here for a marriage! I just pretended not to know to save your face! Why are you so angry with me? Besides, it wasn't me who decided to send you here for a marriage! If you want to blame someone, blame your father! What does it have to do with me?! Even if you wanted to resist, you shouldn't have taken your anger out on me! This is so confusing!"

Seeing him still feigning ignorance and acting as if he were not involved, Princess Fukang was furious. So, she stated her intentions directly: "You should know that now that I'm here, your emperor will certainly allow me to choose a suitable husband from among the sons of the powerful and influential people in the capital..."

At this point, Princess Fukang's face was slightly shy, but she no longer cared about anything else. She continued firmly, "I am attracted to you and hope you can ask the Emperor for your hand in marriage! I want to marry you and become your wife!"

"What?" Upon hearing this, Shen Zijin suddenly raised his head as if struck by lightning, widened his eyes, and looked at Princess Fukang in disbelief!

"I've taken such good care of the princess all the way from the border to the capital, but I never imagined she would be so ungrateful and repay kindness with hatred!" Shen Zijin clenched his fists tightly, trying to restrain himself from impulsively smashing his fists against the carriage. "I appreciate the princess's kindness! But our Shen family is of low status, and I'm afraid we're no match for her. Please find another man!"

Shen Zijin knew very well that he would easily lose his mind once he got angry. He had been guarding the border for many years, and countless brothers had sacrificed their lives for this, and even his father and himself almost lost their lives!

If his sister hadn't rescued him in time, they might have been reduced to dust! Now that they've finally achieved hard-earned peace, she's saying she wants to marry him?! How can he face his deceased brothers?!

In Shen Zijin's mind, Princess Fukang could marry anyone in the capital, except him! To him, Princess Fukang was no different from the murderer of his father! How could he marry her? How dare he marry her?

If I marry Princess Fukang, wouldn't that make me a heartless, ungrateful person, worse than pigs and dogs? No! Absolutely not! It's impossible!

After Shen Zijin finished speaking, he didn't care what Princess Fukang thought. He just raised his hand and bowed perfunctorily, saying, "If the princess has no other important matters, I, Shen, will take my leave!" After that, he turned around, mounted his horse and left.

"What's wrong?" Shen Duanfang was also a thick-skinned man. He didn't want to bother with Princess Fukang along the way, let alone discover her hidden thoughts about her own son!

Shen Duanfang asked casually when he saw his son riding towards him with a sullen look on his face.

"Dad, there are too many people here, let's go home and talk!" Shen Zijin replied in a low voice. After that, he rode away.

Seeing this, Shen Duanfang said no more and went home with his son in silence.

Princess Fukang's face darkened upon seeing this. She gritted her teeth and said bitterly, "Shen Zijin! You're so brave! It's your blessing that I've fallen for you! But you're so ungrateful! You even accuse me of ingratitude! Humph! Just wait and see!"

Princess Fukang raised her hand and slammed the table in the carriage, causing the porcelain cups and teacups on the table to roll around a few times before falling with a "bang" onto the tiger-skin blanket inside the carriage. Fortunately, the tiger-skin blanket was thick enough to prevent the cups from breaking.

"Let's go!" Princess Fukang's angry words came from the carriage.

The maids on both sides did not dare to say anything and asked the coachman to drive the carriage away quickly.

Upon seeing this, the officials from the Ministry of Rites immediately stepped forward to lead the way and took Princess Fukang and her group to the post station.

After arranging the Qinglong Kingdom's delegation, the officials of the Ministry of Rites breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from their foreheads. They all sighed inwardly, "No wonder General Shen was avoiding her like a ghost. Princess Fukang is really a troublemaker! I wonder how much suffering General Shen must have endured on this journey!"

But despite all the complaints, the necessary arrangements still had to be made, including everyone's dietary habits and so on. The officials of the Ministry of Rites did not leave the post station until everything was arranged properly.

The Minister of Rites returned to the palace to report to the emperor and report the progress.

The emperor waved his hand after hearing this and said, "It's no problem. Princess Fukang is said to be the favorite princess of Emperor Kaiyuan of Qinglong Kingdom. Naturally, she is a bit spoiled."