New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

Mingyuefang, the Qiu family mansion.

The news that Tang Qian had entered the city with the new emperor was like a pebble thrown into a lake, instantly making the once peaceful mansion lively.

The group of peers clamored to go to the city gate to greet their cousin, but when they thought of the scene of kneeling to welcome the emperor and bowing to Tang Qian, they all pulled back the steps they had already taken.

Although Uncle Tang Huan has been an official in the capital for more than five years, and because they grew up together, they have a good relationship. But this is too much of a bargain, and Tang Qian must not be allowed to take it.

Five young masters of the Shen family waited expectantly at the door, while two cousins ​​and their wives chatted with Tang Jing in the side room about their cousin who had returned safely after a trip to Da Jin. Meanwhile, the three maternal uncles and Tang Qian's biological mother sat in the hall waiting.

The Qiu family came from a merchant family. Although they had a son-in-law who was a third-rank official, they were still not qualified to accompany the city officials to meet the emperor. In addition, Tang Huan had become a prisoner and was practically dead. Without any support in the court, the head of the family, Qiu Lingshan, dared not approach the emperor on his own.

They originally thought that the emperor's entry into the city was just a formality and that Tang Qian would soon return to meet his elders. However, after waiting for more than half an hour, the boy was still nowhere to be seen on the street outside the mansion. The cousins ​​guarding the gate were getting impatient.

"When Tang Qian comes back later, we must give him a hard time."

“Brother, you’ve always enjoyed teasing your cousin since you were little, but that’s no longer possible. He has the princess backing him up and has become the Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant. He’s now a member of the imperial family, so I don’t know if that kid will still be able to play with us brothers.”

Even if he becomes a prince, he still needs to call us brothers, right?

As the group was chatting, the sound of horses' hooves came from the end of the long street. Two carriages stopped outside the Qiu family's gate, and the curtains were lifted at the same time. The first person to get out of the front carriage was a handsome young man in a blue robe, while the first people to peek out from the slightly larger carriage behind were two pretty young girls.

Rong'er and Xiao Li jumped off the carriage from the side. Rong'er set up the stools, and Xiao Li came around from the other side. Then she called out to the carriage, and two more radiant women walked out of the carriage and stood outside the gate of the Qiu family mansion with Tang Qian's help.

Although they didn't know which one of them was the princess, the five Qiu brothers, led by the eldest son Qiu Xin, immediately clasped their hands in greeting to the newcomer: "This humble subject greets Your Highness the Princess."

Dressed in white casual clothes, Zhao Yingluo immediately gestured for everyone to dispense with formalities, while she herself curtsied and said, "Yingluo greets my brothers."

"We absolutely cannot accept Your Highness's courtesy."

The brothers were exchanging greetings with the princess when they saw Tang Qian holding the delicate hand of another young woman and introducing her to them with a smile: "Brothers, this is my other confidante, Miss Yan Xi."

Faced with Yan Xi's graceful bow, these people completely forgot to return the greeting. Instead, they lingered on the three people in front of them for a long time, looking utterly astonished.

According to the laws of the Song Dynasty, a prince consort is not allowed to take concubines. Yet, the cousin brought his concubine, whom he kept outside, home right in front of the princess. Zhao Yingluo even acted as if it were perfectly natural, and the two of them rode in the same carriage, looking like sisters. What on earth is going on?

It was the eldest brother, Qiu Xin, who was the first to regain his composure at the critical moment. He also felt that it was a bit too impolite to speak here, so he immediately had the courtyard gate opened and gestured to Tang Qian: "Father and Aunt are waiting for Your Highness and Cousin in the hall. Let's go home first."

Led by her cousin, Zhao Yingluo and Yan Xier followed Tang Qian through several corridors and finally arrived at a side hall in the backyard. Inside, as expected, three middle-aged men and a woman who was already bursting into tears were sitting upright.

Tang Qian strode forward, first leading the two women to pay their respects to his three maternal uncles, and then knelt directly in front of his mother, Qiu Linghua.

With her husband kneeling, Zhao Yingluo and Yan Xier behind him naturally dared not be negligent. Qiu Linghua was so frightened that he immediately stood up and took two steps forward, saying that he was unworthy of such an honor, and reached out to help the two girls behind him up.

The three elder brothers in the hall might not know the identities of these two women, but she had heard Tang Xiaoqi say that Zhao Yingluo was a princess of the Song Dynasty, and the other was also a princess of the Jin Dynasty. Although they were both her daughters-in-law, Qiu Linghua dared not accept such a grand gesture from them.

After exchanging greetings with their elders, the head of the Qiu family had to stand up and bow to Zhao Yingluo with his two brothers. Only then did the formalities come to an end. Qiu Linghua, holding one of her brothers' hands, walked towards the courtyard where she was temporarily staying: "I'll go settle things first. Qian'er, you stay here. Your uncles have some questions for you."

After watching the three women—mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, and their respective maids—leave, Qiu Lingshan gestured for Tang Qian to sit down and then called in Qiu Xin and the others who were waiting outside.

"Qian'er has returned from Youzhou, so he naturally knows the situation in the Central Plains. Tell me in detail, how is the war going?"

With such a pointed question at the outset, Tang Qian's expression turned slightly grave: "To be honest with my three uncles, the Jin army has already occupied a large area of ​​our Song Dynasty's northern territory, and their southward advance is a foregone conclusion."

Tang Qian's concise words caused everyone present to change their expressions. No longer caring about seniority, Third Cousin Qiu Miao asked the second question: "So, does that mean Guangling City is also about to fall?"

This issue concerns the lives of over a hundred members of the Qiu family. The second uncle, Qiu Linghai, merely glared at his son without uttering a word of reprimand. Instead, he turned his concerned gaze to Tang Qian, awaiting his final answer.

"It is inevitable that the enemy will be at the gates, but as long as the people of the city are united in their hatred of the enemy, I can guarantee that Guangling City will not fall."

"That's easy to say, but how can we unite the people in the city?" Qiu Yao snorted coldly, then shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Although Shen Yun, the prefect of Guangling, governs the prefecture fairly well, he is not a military general and does not understand military operations at all. The vice prefect, Lu Qian, is a good-for-nothing who only knows how to embezzle the local militia's pay. The other officials are only good at flattering. I'm afraid that before the Jin army even arrives, these people will have already disappeared. Asking them to defend the city is just wishful thinking."

"Therefore, we can only rely on ourselves in this matter and cannot depend on others."

Qiu Lingshan sighed softly: "If your father were still alive, with his former prestige as the prefect of Guangling, he might have been able to rally the people of the city to resist the Jin army. Unfortunately, your father is now missing, and finding a replacement is easier said than done."

Ultimately, they couldn't stay in Guangling City any longer. But while ordinary people could leave at any time, how could the Qiu family, with their vast fortune, just give it up?