New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

"According to the reports from the spies, after the Jin army captured Youzhou, it did indeed head north to besiege Shengjing, the capital of Liao. However, some of its forces went west and are now stationed in several cities outside the pass. In addition, there is an elite force stationed in Youzhou, which can move south into our Song territory at any time. Brother Tang, what do you think the Jin army intends to do with this?"

Everyone here is intelligent, so there's no need to spell things out too clearly. Tang Huan had already fully understood the meaning behind the man surnamed Wang's words.

"Isn't my son in a rather dangerous situation?"

The man surnamed Wang shook his head, looking regretful and helpless: "Now we can only hope that the Jin Kingdom won't break the agreement between the two sides and do something that betrays its allies."

In the silence, Tang Huan's voice sounded somewhat helpless: "How is the Privy Council reacting?"

"Pretend not to know, and live a life of debauchery."

After instructing the steward to see the guests out, Tang Huan exchanged a few polite words with them, then turned and returned to the inner courtyard, where he pushed open the bedroom door.

"Have you packed your luggage? Take plenty of valuables with you. I'll see you out of the city first thing tomorrow morning."

Seeing that the Qiu mother and daughter were both standing there without making any move, Tang Huan couldn't help but frown: "What are you standing there for? Jing'er, hurry back to your room and get ready. Just travel light and keep things simple. You can buy anything in Yangzhou."

After being yelled at by her father, Tang Jing, who was initially quite unwilling, immediately stood up from the stool and ran out of her mother's room with her personal maid.

"Master, what's wrong..." In a flash, Madam Qiu realized something was amiss. For her usually stubborn husband to change his mind in such a short time, the guest who had just arrived must have brought some important news. "Could it be that Qian'er guessed right? Is the capital really not safe?"

“The situation isn’t that bad. There are still hundreds of thousands of imperial guards stationed in the capital, and the Emperor is also there. What trouble could possibly happen?” To avoid his wife worrying, Tang Huan offered a few words of comfort. “However, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Going back to Yangzhou would be a win-win situation.”

"No, what Qian'er said is indeed true. The Jurchens are about to attack Bianjing. Now that my son is in Youzhou, isn't that like sending a lamb to the slaughter?"

Thinking of Tang Qian's current predicament, Qiu immediately transformed into a tigress on the verge of madness, raining blows on Tang Huan's shoulders with her fists. "It's all your fault for being so blind and insisting that my son pursue an official career. Now look what's happened! He hasn't even achieved any merit, and he's about to lose his life in Youzhou. You owe my Qian!"

"Madam, please calm down." Knowing he was in the wrong, Tang Huan only dodged and did not fight back. "Most of the members of the delegation are sons of powerful and influential officials. If something really goes wrong, the court will not sit idly by. Besides, Qian'er had already made arrangements before setting off. She must be very confident and has prepared a clever way to escape. Why should we worry unnecessarily?"

"Ah."

Inside the post station outside Youzhou City, Tang Qian, half asleep and half awake, suddenly felt an itch in his nose. He sneezed several times before feeling a little better.

The glowing embers of the nearby charcoal fire dispelled the chill outside. Carefree Xiao Qi lay back in the haystack against the wall, closing her eyes to rest.

He rested his hands under his head, his right foot on his left knee, and a dry blade of grass in his mouth, looking relaxed and carefree, completely unaffected by the anxiety of being in danger. Tang Qian envied him for a long time because of his optimistic attitude.

With a sigh, Tang Qian, wide awake, began to review his gains and losses for the day.

Because of the control over iron ore resources, the tactic of using a charcoal stove to curry favor with the Jin Dynasty leadership was obviously not going to work. However, it wasn't a complete waste of his efforts. At least he learned that in this Youzhou city, the one with the power was not only Commander Wanyan Xun, but also that the little girl who had asked him to build the iron stove was definitely not an ordinary person.

If we can find an opportunity to establish a relationship with the other party, we might not be able to completely get out of the crisis, but we should be able to protect ourselves in a critical moment.

However, careful planning is still needed to figure out how to get closer to this prominent Jin Dynasty girl step by step.

He had plenty of ways to win a girl's heart, but the key issue was how to see her again.

Looks like I'll have to try my luck in the city tomorrow.

Thinking of this, Tang Qian couldn't help but smile bitterly. Others who traveled to ancient times made money, copied poems, had three wives and four concubines, expanded their territories, and made a name for themselves. Why did he have to find ways to rely on women to survive? He would rather it was all just a dream, and that everyone would go back to their own lives after he woke up. Even if life was still miserable, it would be much better than facing the situation of losing his head at any time.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Tang Qian drifted off to sleep, and the next day, when the sun was high in the sky, he was still lying in his dilapidated room, staring at the hole in the roof through which a beam of warm winter sunlight shone.

Sighing at his ill-fated life, Tang Qian got up and tidied his clothes. Just as he was about to step out the door, the door frame, which couldn't be closed properly, was suddenly pushed open from the outside, almost hitting his nose.

Relying on his relatively agile movements, Tang Qian took several steps back before he could barely regain his footing. Before he could even start cursing, Xiao Qi darted in from outside: "Young Master, the girl who asked us to build the charcoal stove yesterday is here again. She says she wants us to go with her again because her master has something to ask you."

"Oh?" Tang Qian's eyes lit up. It seemed that the charcoal stove was indeed effective. He had been thinking about whether to visit the other party under the pretext of inquiring about its use, but he did not expect that the other party would come to find him first.

"It's like someone brings you a pillow when you're sleepy; it seems my luck isn't too bad after all."

"Young master, don't be too smug. What if they've come here to demand an explanation?"

Tang Qian couldn't help but glance at his lackey Tang Xiaoqi, who couldn't say anything nice: "If what you say is true, I'm afraid it will be the Youzhou city defense army that comes looking for us."

As the two walked out of the post station, they saw the girl named Xiao Li waving at them. Tang Qian didn't stand on ceremony and jumped into the carriage. Under the watchful eyes of his colleagues, they headed towards the south gate of Youzhou City.

Tang Qian, who had just sat down in the warm pavilion the day before, heard a faint sound of footsteps coming from the outer corridor. He immediately stood up and bowed slightly. A young girl walked in with her hands behind her back. She gestured for Tang Qian not to stand on ceremony and sat down in the main seat of the pavilion. The proud little maid Xiao Li stood respectfully beside her, looking serious and unsmiling.

Tang Qian thanked him first, then sat down in the chair behind him, and while adjusting his posture, he secretly glanced at the other person.

The girl looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. Her fair face, without any makeup, was rosy and she seemed much more energetic than yesterday. Her eyes were curved into crescent shapes, and she wore neatly styled double braids and short, practical clothing suitable for riding and archery. She looked like a petite, lovely, and lively girl.

Although the sight was quite pleasing to the eye, Tang Qian dared not have any wild thoughts. He simply glanced at the scene and then naturally looked away, not daring to overstep his bounds in the slightest.

"In the end, it is you Song people who know how to enjoy life. Even that small charcoal stove is amazing. It is indeed a good thing."

The girl was not being polite with Tang Qian; it was a heartfelt compliment.

In the past, the biggest hidden danger of using braziers for heating was that they could easily cause fires. However, such an extreme situation would certainly not happen in the bedrooms of these nobles, since servants would definitely watch over the braziers all night while the masters were sleeping.

The servants could control the fire, but they couldn't control the smoke that filled the air. This meant that when she woke up, the smell of charcoal lingered on her body, even after changing her clothes. The men could tolerate it, but as a girl, she couldn't stand the unpleasant odor emanating from her.

The charcoal stove that Tang Qian built effectively avoided this problem, which naturally made her feel much more refreshed. Xiao Li and the other sisters who served their master also got a good night's sleep, which was a rare treat.

Both master and servant were delighted, and it was only right that Tang Qian was invited to give a reward.

"I'm sure you all know why I invited you here today." The girl gave Xiao Li a wink, and the latter immediately understood, taking out the token that Tang Qian had seen yesterday, which allowed him to move freely in the Youzhou military supply depot.