New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

"Your Majesty, I am sorry for the late arrival of your humble servant."

"Save the Emperor?" Zhao Yupan and Zhao Fujin exchanged a glance, both seeing a deep fog of confusion in each other's eyes. "Didn't Commander Wang defect to that Youzhou army commander?"

The Song Dynasty, which had fallen to the Jin, no longer existed. Wang Jian had no choice but to surrender to the Jin in order to save his life, so it was not considered treason. Even princesses and ministers in the court had become the Jin's dogs.

“Your Highness, I am Princess Shunde’s bodyguard. I am naturally responsible for protecting Princess Shunde for the rest of my life. How could I possibly serve the Jin Kingdom?” Wang Jian stood up and gestured to Zhao Yupan and the group of women, “Your Highness, this way please. Princess Shunde is waiting for you in the backyard.”

"Yingluo is indeed here?" Zhao Yupan suddenly realized that when Zhao Yingluo came to visit them yesterday, she hadn't been lying at all. She had promised to rescue her sisters from their prison, and she had actually kept her word.

Although she still couldn't quite believe it was all true, Zhao Yupan followed Wang Jian through two corridors to a quiet courtyard. Zhao Yingluo, who was tidying up the rooms, immediately came out to greet them. Although her face was beaming with smiles, her eyes were filled with tears: "Eldest sister, my sisters, you have all suffered on this journey. Please forgive me for not being able to come out of the mansion to greet you. This is Youzhou after all. Although we are no longer in danger, we still cannot be too ostentatious."

"Yingluo, is it really you?"

Zhao Yingluo's words stunned everyone on the spot. It was the eldest princess who reacted first and immediately stepped forward to grab the eighth princess's hand. It was as if Zhao Yingluo was an illusory existence, and as soon as she let go, the other party would disappear like a bubble. She used almost all her strength and dared not relax for even a moment.

Sensing the fear hidden beneath her outwardly composed eldest sister's exterior, Zhao Yingluo did not withdraw her hand, which had already been pinched red. Instead, she maintained her radiant smile and nodded vigorously: "It really is me, eldest sister. My fellow sisters, you are all safe now."

This time, Zhao Yingluo spoke very directly, and everyone present understood that they were not sent to any command post at all, but were rescued from their cage.

The next moment, all the princesses surrounded her, filled with lingering fear and gratitude after surviving the ordeal. Facing their savior, they couldn't utter a single word of thanks. Zhao Saiyue was the most direct. She knelt down on both knees before Zhao Yingluo and said, "I have no way to repay the life-saving grace of my eighth sister. Please accept my bow."

Seeing that all the sisters were about to kowtow to her like Zhao Saiyue, Zhao Yingluo hurriedly pulled up her nineteenth sister: "Don't thank me, everyone. I don't have that much ability. If it weren't for my husband's help, I'm afraid that if I went to see the commander of the Youzhou army, I would not only fail to save you sisters, but I might also get myself into trouble."

Having arrived in such a safe environment, Zhao Yupan calmed herself down and finally regained some of her ability to think: "I heard you say that your husband is a citizen of our Great Song Dynasty. How come he has such extraordinary abilities in Youzhou that he was able to rescue all of us? Who exactly is he?"

The eldest princess's question immediately brought two blushes to Zhao Yingluo's cheeks, whether from shyness or self-deprecation, she said: "His reputation in the capital was quite famous back then. The eldest princess and her married sisters should have heard of him."

Upon hearing that the Eighth Princess's husband was actually the eldest son of Tang Huan, the Vice Minister of Revenue, Zhao Fujin immediately reacted: "I have heard my husband mention this person before..." However, remembering that her husband Cai Tao's description of him was not a single good word, she swallowed the rest of her sentence.

“I know my husband has a terrible reputation in Tokyo, but that doesn’t stop me from relying on him for everything. He is my everything, and also the savior of all my sisters. So now we must follow his lead, otherwise we will hardly survive.”

Although still somewhat confused and unable to understand how Tang Qian, who was considered a good-for-nothing in Dongjing City, could turn the world upside down in Youzhou, Zhao Yupan still reminded everyone: "We must listen to our Eighth Princess in everything."

As they spoke, the group arrived at the study under Zhao Yingluo's guidance. Tang Qian was sitting at his desk, sketching and drawing. When he saw the princesses approaching, he immediately stood up and went out to greet them.

This time, all eleven women, including the eldest princess, knelt down and buried their heads deep in their hands.

Faced with such a grand gesture from his sisters-in-law, Tang Qian naturally dared not accept it. He immediately reached out to help them up, saying, "You are all Yingluo's sisters, and naturally, you are my family. It is only right that we help each other out. How could my wife and I stand idly by while you are all in trouble?"

"That being said, we all know that rescuing so many people at once is no easy feat. My brother-in-law has done us a great favor, so it is only right that we receive a few kowtows."

Looking at the room full of Song princesses, Tang Qian sighed silently. According to the "Records of Song Captives" written by Jin scholar Ke Gong, apart from the four young girls led by Zhao Saiyue who were not recorded in detail, the fates of the others were all quite tragic, including his wife Zhao Yingluo, whom he had already married.

Tang Qian felt that it was a worthwhile deal to temporarily save so many people by using the trick of forging the Imperial Seal of the State.

If Wanyan Xun could forge it, so could he. Moreover, the design he sent to the other party already had flaws, which was a backup plan left by Tang Qian.

"Although we are now safe in this courtyard, this place is still under the influence of the Jin people. It would be best to discard the etiquette and customs of the Song royal family that we can discard first."

“Brother-in-law is absolutely right. From this moment on, we are no longer princesses, but ordinary people in Youzhou City. In this courtyard, we can all be servants. Although we have never done the work of serving others before, we will definitely learn it carefully.”

Tang Qian and Zhao Yingluo exchanged a smile: "Don't worry, sisters. As long as Yingluo and I have something to eat, we will make sure you don't go hungry. We may not be able to live the life of luxury we used to have, but your safety is guaranteed. At least until something happens to me, you don't need to worry about this at all."

Tang Qian's guarantee was like a large umbrella that sheltered them from all the wind, frost, rain, and snow.