Royal Palace

The Empress Dowager learned that Shen Rou had saved the Emperor and was named Princess Furong by the Emperor. She was puzzled when she heard the nanny report that Shangguan Yunting's guards had been following Shen Rou.

"Mammy, what does the Princess of Furong look like? How old is she?"

"In reply to the Queen Mother, Princess Furong is very beautiful and will be fifteen in just over two months."

The Queen Mother murmured to herself, "Fifteen is the most beautiful age. Could it be that Old Nine has taken a fancy to this girl? Otherwise, why would he send guards back to the capital to protect her?"

"Queen Dowager, Prince Mu probably doesn't like Princess Furong. After all, every girl Prince Mu knows is a lady from a wealthy family. Last year, Princess Furong was only thirteen years old and still a child. Prince Mu definitely doesn't like her."

"No, I won't feel at ease if I don't find out clearly. What if Lao Jiu falls in love with her and I don't agree? This girl from the countryside, who personally sent her father to the execution ground, is too cruel. Such a person is not easy to deal with. Lao Jiu has been in the military camp for many years and it is easy for her to deceive him."

The Queen Mother could not wait to come to the main hall. When the Emperor saw her coming, he quickly bowed and saluted, "Mother, why are you here?"

"I came here to ask you something?"

"What's the matter?"

"Why is the Furong County Lady, whom you personally appointed, accompanied by Old Nine's guards? What is their relationship? Please answer truthfully."

"Mother, it was Old Nine who asked Princess Furong to help her collect herbs last year, so they knew each other. This time, she came to the capital to file a complaint with the emperor, and Old Nine learned of it and sent someone to help her. That's all."

"Is that really the case? You didn't lie to me, did you?"

"Mother, look at what you said. How dare I lie to you? Old Nine felt that she had done me a favor, and was worried that something might happen to her when she came to the capital, so he sent guards to help her."

The Queen Mother was still skeptical, "Your Majesty, please ask Old Nine to come back after the New Year. He's already 21 and it's time for him to get married. You already have sons your age, but he's still unengaged. Your Majesty, please choose a few suitable candidates for him."

"Mother, there are constant conflicts on the border between Northern Yan and Great Qi. There might be a war. Please ask Lao Jiu to come back. What if Northern Yan attacks Youzhou City? What should we do?"

"I will send the selected girl to Youzhou for him to see. If he likes her, we can get married in Youzhou."

"Mother, the war situation is tense. Sending the girl to the military camp at this time will only disrupt the morale of the troops. Do you understand?"

"Then what should we do? Should we just let Old Nine do whatever he wants?"

"Mother, why is the ninth son acting so recklessly to defend his country? Just because he hasn't gotten married yet doesn't mean he won't get married in the future. Don't worry."

"How can I not be anxious? He has a wild temper and has been in the military for many years. What if he is deceived by others and marries a random girl? That would be unacceptable."

The emperor thought to himself that no one knows a son better than his mother. The ninth prince has liked the girl for a long time and has been eagerly waiting for her to reach the age of 15. It is too late for you to stop her now.

"Mother, once Youzhou is stabilized, I will summon Lao Jiu back. It won't be too late for you to choose a princess for him then."

"How can Youzhou be peaceful?"

"I don't know either."

At this time, Chen Fu came over and said, "Your Majesty, this is the news from Prince Mu."

The emperor opened the letter and his face suddenly became serious. He ordered: "Summon all the ministers to the palace to discuss the matter."

"Old slave obeys the order."

The Queen Mother saw that the Emperor looked unhappy and asked hurriedly, "Your Majesty, how is Old Nine?"

"Mother, there's going to be a war in Youzhou. The Second Prince of Northern Yan is leading 200,000 troops to Youzhou."

"The people of Beiyan are just restless. There are still more than two months until the New Year, and they're still feeling restless."

The Emperor turned to the Empress Dowager and said, "Mother, this battle will not be a simple one. Northern Yan has mobilized such a large force, so they must have made thorough preparations. It seems that we need to make early deployments as well."

The Queen Mother nodded worriedly, "If the war breaks out, the people will suffer again. I hope that Lao Jiu can repel the enemy as soon as possible and protect the territory of Da Qi."

"Your Majesty, Youzhou only has 100,000 soldiers and horses. You must quickly dispatch troops there, otherwise it will be difficult for Lao Jiu to resist Bei Yan."

The emperor pondered for a moment and ordered, "Chen Fu, immediately convey my order and order the Ministry of War to expedite the deployment of troops to support Youzhou and ensure the supply of food and supplies."

Chen Fu took the order and left. The emperor then said to the empress dowager, "Mother, please return to the palace first. I need to discuss state affairs with the ministers."

Meanwhile, in the imperial court, the ministers were urgently discussing countermeasures. For a moment, the atmosphere in the palace was tense, as everyone realized that the impending war would be a severe test.

Shen Rou didn't know what the Queen Mother was thinking. She was waiting for news from Wang Jian in the inn. After Xue Ying died and her revenge was avenged, it would be time for her to return to Yunzhou.

Wang Jian came to the inn to find her, "County Lady Furong, news came from the Ministry of Justice's jail last night that Xue Ying was seriously injured and died. Congratulations on your great revenge."

Shen Rou sighed deeply and felt relaxed all over, as if the resentment that had been weighing on her chest had finally dissipated.

I have been troubled by hatred for more than a year, and today I finally got my revenge. I feel full of strength and relaxation, as if my Ren and Du meridians have been opened.

At this moment, she felt like the protagonist in a martial arts novel, having opened up her Ren and Du meridians.

"Liu Qi, are they back?"

"County Lady Furong, Liu Qi and Song Hua have returned directly from Shoushan to the military camp to report."

"Are you in such a hurry?"

"You have avenged your great hatred, and it is time for us to return."

"I'll treat you to lunch today. After lunch, you can leave. Please prepare a horse for me. I'm going back to Yunzhou too."

"I won't eat. Do you have a letter? Let's take it back to the master."

"Have."

Shen Rou took out two letters from the space and handed them to Wang Jian. After he took the letter, he said, "County Lady Furong, we will send the horses right away."

Shen Rou always felt that they were in a hurry to leave, and hurriedly asked: "Is there something wrong in the military camp?"

"No, our mission is complete, and it's time to go back and report."

"Is there really something going on in the barracks? I always feel like you guys are in a hurry."

"Thank you, Princess Furong, for your concern. The barracks are truly fine."

"It's okay."

Wang Jian thought that Lady Furong’s perception was quite accurate. The military camp was about to go to war, and the master had ordered no one to tell Lady Furong, fearing that she would worry.

Shen Rou left the inn and got on her horse. Grandma Jiang and her two grandchildren just happened to find the inn and saw Shen Rou. They hurriedly shouted, "Cousin..."

Shen Rou left without looking back.

When they entered the inn, the waiter immediately said disdainfully, "Where did you come from, beggar? Get out now! You're disturbing our guests' meal."

"We are not beggars. The girl who just rode away is my cousin."

"Who are you kidding? How could you be the relatives of Furong County Master?"

"We are really the relatives of that girl just now. Do you think she became the county lady?"

"I'm telling you that you're liars. Princess Furong was personally conferred the title of Princess by the Emperor, and you didn't even know that she's your relative. Get out now and don't disturb our guests from having dinner."

The three of them were driven out of the inn by the waiter. They asked in disbelief, "Grandma, was my cousin personally appointed as the Princess of the County by the Emperor?"

"How could a little girl like her be personally appointed as a county lady by the emperor? The waiter must have made a mistake."

"Hurry up and find a job to earn money. Only with money can we survive. We can earn enough money to go back to our hometown. This capital is a place where people are eaten without leaving any bones. It has destroyed our entire family."

Jiang Yu and Jiang Xi thought about their dead parents, grandfather, and uncle who raised them, and now even eating became a problem, and they burst into tears.

Old Lady Jiang roared, "Cry, cry, cry, all you do is cry. I won't care about you anymore if you keep crying."

The two children were so frightened that their crying stopped abruptly, and they sobbed behind Old Lady Jiang with a wronged look on their faces.

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