New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

The brother and sister, along with the three young mistresses, went up to the city wall. Sure enough, they saw a middle-aged man with graying hair and beard, smiling and in good spirits, on a warhorse by the moat outside the city. Who else could it be but their father, Tang Huan?

Seeing that her father, who had been captured by the Jurchens, was still alive, Tang Jing couldn't contain her excitement. She pressed her hands against the city wall, then turned around and grabbed Tang Qian's arm, shaking it violently. Her pleading voice was tinged with tears: "It really is Father outside. Please find a way to save him, brother. I beg you, you must save Father."

"You always call me Tang Qian, why are you calling me 'brother' now?" Turning to look at his younger sister, who was less than a cup of tea younger than him, Tang Qian reached out and patted her hand to calm her down. "I just said, let's find out the situation first."

Tang Jing tried to force herself to calm down, but the person outside was her own father. Her father was trapped in the enemy camp, how could she, as his daughter, not worry?

In terms of public affairs, when Tang Huan was an official, he also did some things against his conscience in order to weigh the pros and cons.

Being an honest official is difficult; being too upright and incorruptible makes one's career path extremely challenging. Tang Huan was able to survive in this complex and corrupt officialdom only by making those officials with real power feel that they were on his side.

However, when faced with matters of principle, Tang Huan never abandoned his principles. The saying "sacrificing minor details for upholding righteousness" perfectly encapsulates Tang Huan's life.

Regardless of how the world judges him, Tang Huan enjoyed considerable prestige during his tenure as the prefect of Guangling, to the point that even now, people in Yangzhou still remember him fondly.

Now, when she walks around Guangling City, people always call her Miss Tang. Tang Jing knows that it is the respect that comes from the reputation left by her father.

Privately, Tang Huan was strict with Tang Qian, but he doted on his daughter Tang Jing. Whether in her childhood or after going to the capital, Tang Jing was never mistreated. To her, her father Tang Huan was like a big umbrella that sheltered her. With his protection, she could feel carefree.

After learning that Tang Huan had been captured by the Jurchens, Qiu Linghua, as the matriarch of the family, had to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the Tang family and showed exceptional strength. Tang Jing, on the other hand, felt as if her world had collapsed. She had had countless nightmares in which she always saw her bloodied and mangled father walking away from her, and no matter how she called out to him, he would not hear her until he disappeared into the darkness.

Having always thought she was separated from her father by death, Tang Jing's restraint in not rushing out of the city when she saw him jumping and playing happily before her was already quite remarkable.

Feeling her sister's body trembling slightly, Tang Qian gave Zhao Yingluo a look. Zhao Yingluo immediately understood and, along with Ye Qingmiao, stepped forward, each standing on one side, helping Tang Jing back a few steps away from the city wall.

Tang Qian poked his head out and shouted towards the outside of the city: "Wanyan Zonghan, you actually used my father as a hostage to threaten me into submission. This is not the behavior of a gentleman. If you have the guts, let's fight a real battle. If I win, you withdraw from the Great Jin. If you win, you can take my life. Why use such an unfair trick to make yourself a laughingstock in the eyes of the world?"

Just as Wanyan Zonghan was about to retort to Tang Qian's trash talk, Tang Huan, who was beside him, reached out to stop him.

Signaling to the other party that he would handle the matter, Tang Huan stepped forward and said, "Qian'er, it must have been half a year since we last met in Youzhou. I wonder if your mother is well?"

"I am sorry to trouble you, Father. Mother is in good health. However, I was worried that she might be overwhelmed with joy and sorrow upon seeing you today, so I did not bring her over."

The father and son exchanged questions and answers across the city wall. To outsiders, there was nothing strange about it, but Tang Qian heard clearly what Tang Huan was trying to convey.

When Tang Huan and his son met at the temple outside Youzhou, Tang Huan expressed his willingness to die for his country. Mentioning Youzhou at this time was to show Tang Qian that his presence outside Guangling was not to persuade him to surrender, but simply to see his family one last time before he could leave in peace.

Thinking of this, Tang Qian turned around and beckoned his three wives to his side: "Father, please look, these are my three wives: Princess Shunde of the Great Song Dynasty, the Seventh Princess of the Great Jin Dynasty, and the Second Miss Ye of Guangling. They are all pregnant now, and I can be considered to have carried on the Tang family line."

Although she was trying her best to control her emotions, Zhao Yingluo could still sense an indescribable sadness in her husband's tone. In a flash, she guessed what her father-in-law was planning to do next.

Reaching out, Zhao Yingluo gently squeezed Tang Qian's hand, then bowed to Tang Huan below the city wall, saying, "Daughter-in-law Zhao Yingluo greets father-in-law."

"Very well." Tang Huan laughed heartily, his face full of nonchalance: "It is a blessing for the Tang family that Your Highness has taken a liking to my son. According to the etiquette of the Great Song Dynasty, I dare not accept such a great gift. However, there are no rulers and subjects here now, only family. I will accept the princess's bow."

"Yan Xi'er greets Father-in-law."

Following the sound, Tang Huan saw his other daughter-in-law.

"Thank you for taking care of my son in Youzhou back then, Seventh Princess. If you ever suffer any injustice in the future, just go to your mother-in-law and she will stand up for you."

"Ye Qingmiao greets Father-in-law."

"Qingmiao, you little rascal, you really have become the daughter-in-law of the Tang family. Fate is truly a wonderful thing. But in the future, don't use your cleverness on your own family, lest you cause trouble in the Tang family. Haha."

Listening to Tang Huan's conversation with his family on the city wall, which sounded like they were making their final arrangements, even if Wanyan Zonghan was slow to realize that something was wrong.

He strode forward to Tang Huan's side, his long sword already drawn, instantly pressed against the man's neck, his eyes filled with ruthlessness: "It seems you don't intend to persuade him to surrender, but rather you're determined to die."

Faced with Wanyan Zonghan's bloodshot eyes, Tang Huan only responded with a cold laugh: "Grand Marshal, is it too late that you only realize this now? It is already an unexpected joy to be able to see your son and daughter before you die, not to mention that you have learned that the Tang family has an heir. I really have to thank your emperor for giving me this opportunity to depart in peace."

"You scoundrel, you really don't know what's good for you. Wouldn't it be better to be alive, reunited with your family, and enjoy the life of playing with your children? Why did you have to make things like this, leaving both sides unable to back down?"

"To seek peace with the Jurchens is like asking a tiger for its skin. Do you think I would fall for that?"