The Story of a Destitute Noblewoman Farming

"This is a letter from General He to the princess. Please take a look first." Lu Linlang took the envelope. Guan Ling thought that He Yue might help his brother and mother collect the bodies, so she immediately opened the letter and read it.

He Yue said in the letter that he had brought the army back to retrieve the emperor's body. The Tatars saw that the capital had become a deserted city, and because the emperor had died for his country, the Tatar prince ordered his men to retreat. Now the Tatars have retreated to the border, waiting for an opportunity to attack.

He Yue brought the remains of the emperor, the empress dowager, and the princesses and concubines back to the northwest. Before the emperor died, he instructed the eunuchs around him and left a will. He also asked the eunuchs to convey a message to He Yue, saying that there was no need for him to be buried with great ceremony. After the Tatars were driven out of Daqi, he wanted to move the tomb to the border to guard the land of Daqi for his ancestors.

At the same time, the will had fallen into He Yue's hands. The will said that the regent had ulterior motives, put the people in danger, colluded with the Tatars, and killed the people of Daqi. The regent's lineage and all the royal descendants who followed the regent were not allowed to proclaim themselves emperor without authorization, otherwise they would be killed by everyone in the world.

Daqi was the kingdom conquered by Taizu and the founding princess. Taizu once said that princesses also had the right of inheritance, so the emperor announced that the next emperor of Daqi would be Princess Yong'an, and everyone had to respect the princess.

He Yue also reminded Guan Ling that she should not reveal her identity unless necessary. He planned to hold a funeral for the emperor in the northwest. If the regent knew about this will, he would definitely find ways to harm the princess. When the time is right, he will come to personally welcome the princess back to the court to ascend the throne.

After reading the letter, Guan Ling was filled with relief and shock. Fortunately, General He brought back the bodies of his brother and mother, so they were not bullied by the Tatars after their death. However, she was also surprised that her brother would pass the throne to her.

She had heard about her brother's story about the founding princess a long time ago, but that was many years ago and not many people remembered it. Her brother allowed her to ascend the throne, perhaps because the regent had won everyone over to his side. Her brother was unwilling to hand over the country to traitors, and the royal family members loyal to her brother had been killed openly or secretly by the regent under various pretexts. Now all those left were people who supported the regent.

Guan Ling never thought that she could take on such a heavy responsibility. Her brother the emperor has left, but in this world, can she really shoulder this burden?

If it were before, she might have been blindly confident, but the people of this world did not live the life she imagined. Their wishes were simple, they just wanted to have enough food and warm clothes. However, one person's wish was easy to satisfy, but could she fulfill the wishes of ten thousand, one hundred thousand, or even tens of millions of people?

"Cousin, look, I want you to help me." Guan Ling finally made a decision. If she didn't take up the burden of this world, how could the Regent be able to take it up? I'm afraid that half of the country would have to be handed over to others.

If she refused, there might be others who would rise up in rebellion. Then, the war would be endless and the people would suffer. So she couldn't back down.

Lu Linlang saw that her aura changed instantly, and she took the letter more seriously.

Lu Linlang took the letter and read it bit by bit, not daring to miss a single word. After finishing the letter, he finally understood the emperor's intention. It turned out that before the emperor died for his country, he had already thought of a way out for Daqi.

He is only a teenager this year, but he has the integrity of a king. He also left a will to let the princess succeed to the throne. General He wants to announce to the world that he will hold a funeral for the emperor. First, he wants to publicize the emperor's integrity to the people of the world, second, to allow the princess to ascend the throne legitimately in the future, and third, to make the regent desperate. If he sends people to make trouble, it will further prove that he is a traitor and everyone can kill him.

Killing three birds with one stone, Lu Linlang admired General He's wit.

"Princess, the Emperor has taken great pains for you. I wonder what your plans are. Will you follow the Emperor's will?"

"Yes, I will inherit the throne and make Daqi firmly in the hands of the people of Daqi. The Tatars will never dare to violate the border again, and all the people in the regent's line will pay the price." Her eyes became more determined. This was not just the hatred between the two of them, but also the hatred between the people of Daqi and the regent. As a princess, she had to take responsibility.

"My daughter pays homage to the Emperor."

"Cousin, I can't reveal myself yet, so I will follow General He's instructions and remain anonymous. I will only come forward when General He is ready. Right now, I want to learn martial arts and literature. I want to learn how to be a qualified emperor."

"Yes, I will remember this, Princess. It is now a period of national mourning. County Magistrate Zhao requires everyone to observe national mourning. You can also mourn for the emperor and the empress dowager openly." Lu Linlang had just asked someone to prepare mourning clothes. If their whole family mourned together, the princess would not be too conspicuous.

Guan Ling's emotions stabilized, and Lu Linlang left. There were still too many things to do, and she didn't have time to feel sad. She felt that her accumulation this year was not rich enough. If she wanted to support the princess, a few farms would not be enough.

She wanted to turn the entire Chongshui into the princess's granary, and she needed more financial support. Otherwise, with only the name but no actual financial resources, all the slogans would be in vain.

The news of the emperor's martyrdom spread throughout Daqi, and even the people were talking about it. They had not expected that the Tatar bandits would be so powerful and had reached the capital. They were even secretly afraid, wondering if the Tatars would attack here. If that happened, where could they escape to?

County Magistrate Zhao has already started organizing patrols. Villagers in villages bordering neighboring counties must all keep an eye on changes in the vicinity and report any news immediately, for fear of banditry and robbery.

Lu Linlang is also stepping up the channels for information transmission and arranging secret communication channels with General He. If the Regent fails to find the princess in the northwest, he will definitely send someone to investigate, so no one can be aware of it.

Guan Ling worked even harder. She got up before dawn to practice martial arts and started reading at dawn. She planned to read all the books in Lu Linlang's house and often went to ask Yun Yi and Master Li for advice. Everyone was shocked by her hard work and even advised her to take a good rest.

But Guan Ling was burdened with a heavy responsibility and she couldn't sleep. Every time she fell asleep, she dreamed of the face of her brother and stepmother before they passed away.

This was not a solution for her. If she continued like this, her body would collapse. Lu Linlang had no choice but to ask Yunxi to help her drink a calming soup so that she could have a good night's sleep.

He Yue really announced the emperor's will to the world, and also found evidence that the regent was colluding with the Tatars. Many officials had left to save their lives, but now, the regent was a collaborator, which made some of them unable to tolerate the regent's behavior.

Lu Linlang received the news that many officials in Changzhou condemned what the regent had done and even demanded that the princess be welcomed back to the throne. The emperor died for his country and saved the face of Daqi, so they, the ministers, could not be traitors.