New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

Upon hearing that Tang Jing had made fun of them, Zhao Yingluo and Yan Xier were both amused and exasperated.

Zhao Yingluo was born into the Song Dynasty imperial family and was taught about propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame. As the principal wife, she was required to obey the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. There was no reason for her to force herself to sleep with her husband who was unwilling to have sex with her.

What about Yan Xier? She and Tang Qian are in love, and if no one is around, they might do some shameful things. But she hasn't officially married into the family yet, so it's not proper for her to be married. If a virgin gets pregnant out of wedlock, wouldn't she be laughed at for the rest of her life?

However, Tang Jing's words seem to make sense.

If the two of them don't take the initiative, does Tang Qian really not intend to break the ice? Does he really want to wait until after the Battle of Guangling is over before making the final push?

If the Jin army doesn't come for ten years, won't the two of them have to wait another ten years?

"Why don't you go? After all, you two are a real married couple who share the same bed."

Zhao Yingluo gave a bitter smile: "No matter what, I came later. My husband still loves you, Xi'er."

"Didn't we agree to be as close as sisters, without any distinction between us? Why do you sound like you're treating yourself as an outsider?"

While it is true that I met Tang Qian first, it is an indisputable fact that Zhao Yingluo is Tang Qian's legal wife.

"If we continue to be so modest, and Ye Qingmiao gains the upper hand, that would be very bad."

The thought that if Ye Qingmiao, that unreliable woman, were to give birth to the eldest grandson of the Tang family, and that child were to inherit his mother's temperament...

Zhao Yingluo shook her head violently, trying to shake that unimaginable scene out of her mind.

"No, we can't just sit here and wait to die. Tonight, Xi'er, you and your husband will share a room. I don't believe he can resist. Once you've consummated your marriage, we'll have your three uncles officiate the wedding. Then it will be perfectly legitimate."

Yan Xier's face turned red to the roots of her ears, but she did not object to it, clearly accepting Zhao Yingluo's suggestion with a mix of reluctance and acceptance.

“Madam is right. Now is not the time for you two to refuse each other. Getting the son-in-law to settle down is the most important thing.”

Yan Xier raised her head and glared at Xiao Li, who had interrupted, without noticing the fleeting sadness on Zhao Yingluo's face opposite her.

"You're everywhere. If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."

"Is the young mistress inside? She requests your presence."

Chun Tao's voice came from the corridor outside the door. Zhao Yingluo immediately stood up and smiled at Yan Xier: "Then it's settled. We'll switch rooms tonight."

He then called to Rong'er, turned around, and went out the door.

After the three people outside left through the moon gate, Xiao Li muttered softly, "They are all daughters-in-law of the Tang family, but it seems that Madam only summoned Yingluo. It's really unfair."

“No matter what, Yingluo is the legitimate young mistress of the Tang family, and also a princess of the Song Dynasty, and the legitimate heir of the Zhao family. It’s only right that Tang Qian’s mother likes her.” Yan Xi’er pulled Xiao Li over to sit down. “Don’t say these things in front of Yingluo and Rong’er. The four of us should stick together.”

“I know, this is the Song Dynasty, and we have no relatives or friends here, so of course we have to be careful.” Xiao Li pouted. “It’s only because the son-in-law treats the princess well, otherwise we really wouldn’t know what to do.”

A smile slowly appeared on Yan Xier's lips: "Isn't that enough?"

As Yu Youwei once said, "Priceless treasures are easy to find, but a true lover is hard to come by." Tang Qian's care for her was meticulous. If she were still in Youzhou now, she would probably have become a tool for her father's marriage alliance, marrying someone she didn't like at all. How could she then experience what mutual love is?

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhao Yingluo, forcing a smile, sat opposite Qiu Linghua. Although she appeared no different from usual, how could her mother-in-law escape the look of loneliness in her eyes?

"What's wrong? Did Qian'er bully you? If he dares to bully you, tell the Empress to beat him up."

Zhao Yingluo hurriedly waved her hand in denial: "No, no, my husband treats Yingluo very well."

Qiu Linghua sighed softly. How could she, as his mother, not see that her son favored Yan Xier? Since Tang Qian couldn't be absolutely fair, only she, as his mother, could help him balance the relationship between the two.

Taking Zhao Yingluo's slender hand, Qiu Linghua reassured her: "No matter what, you are still my Tang family's daughter-in-law. If Qian'er does anything wrong, please be more tolerant. I can see that he likes you too."

"Yingluo had already prepared herself to die. Now that she has been able to return to the Song Dynasty, it is all thanks to her husband. She really dares not ask for anything more."

Qiu Linghua felt sorry for this Song Dynasty princess. How much courage did it take for a sixteen-year-old girl to travel alone to the Jin Kingdom for a marriage alliance?

If it were me, I'm afraid I'd have to find a tree and hang myself before even leaving the city.

"By the way, the reason I called you over today is to have you see if you still want to keep Qian'er's old things. Otherwise, you can take them all back. They're taking up too much space here with your mother."

"My husband's old belongings? Shouldn't they be in Tokyo? How did they end up here?"

“I brought these things from Tokyo when I went south two years ago. At that time, I felt that we would never be able to go back. Qian’er cherished these things, so I couldn’t bear to throw them away.”

As they spoke, Qiu Linghua led Zhao Yingluo into a small cubicle, where several wooden crates were indeed piled up.

Upon seeing a white mask placed in the corner, Zhao Yingluo's gaze never left it. Qiu Linghua thought her daughter-in-law was possessed, as she stood there motionless, unresponsive even when Qiu Linghua pushed her.

Just as Qiu Linghua was about to go out to call for help, Zhao Yingluo finally recovered from her shock. With trembling hands, she picked up the white mask with a strange pattern on it. She took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed her excitement: "This is also my husband's thing?"

"Yes, he made it by hand. I don't know what he drew, but he said it was the only one in the entire Tokyo. In the end, he only wore it for one night on Qixi Festival."

"Which year's Qixi Festival? The Qixi Festival of the seventh year of Xuanhe?"

"That's right, it was the seventh year of Xuanhe." Qiu Linghua remembered it very clearly. That year, Tang Qian had been fed an excessive amount of Wushi Powder and had to stay at home for more than half a year. His health only improved in the summer. It was at that time that he made this mask and went out to play for a night on Qixi Festival.

"You haven't seen this mask before, have you?"