"You are living on the salary of the imperial court, and you are protecting the common people of the Chen Kingdom. Nowadays, there are internal and external troubles, but you are doing nothing in the school grounds, how unbecoming it is!" Song Ran stood on the school training platform with a long tassel in his hand, Looking back and forth at the soldiers below.
The total number of this army is more than 100,000, and those who can stand under it are all elites. Today, Song Ran suddenly came to check it out with interest, but he didn't want to see a look of idleness.
Song Yuan walked slowly and lazily onto the stage, holding her waist with one hand and covering her yawning mouth with the other.
Song Yuan leaned close to her sister and smiled in her ear, "Last night, your sister-in-law tormented me all night long. Just when Xiao Wang wanted to go back to sleep, he heard someone come to report. My dear princess sister has been practicing hard all morning."
Song Ran glanced at her brother. Ever since my brother married that unruly sister-in-law, he has become more and more shameless. That day on the tower, her brother probably said the most calm and decent words in his life.
"Brother, I am still a girl who has not yet left the government. Is there anything wrong with such rude words?"
"How about you find someone good to show me?" Song Yuan raised her eyebrows, her eyes full of smiles.
"Brother, I'm afraid I won't be able to train soldiers now that I'm married. Why don't I let my sister take over my brother's responsibilities?" Song Ran glanced sideways at her brother, then patted the dust on her clothes and said lightly.
Song Ran was used to the pressure of marriage at home. Ever since she canceled her marriage to the Tan family, no one had dared to come to propose marriage, which made her mother and concubine extremely anxious.
Her reputation for toughness also spread. Which prestigious and powerful family would want to marry such a fierce woman? Besides, in the border area, there weren’t many young masters from aristocratic families.
"Okay, the soldiers have been practicing in the field for the past few days and are exhausted. Let them take a rest today and practice again tomorrow." After that, he waved his hand and asked the adjutant to go down and lead the soldiers away.
"There is someone coming from the palace. My mother-in-law ordered me to take you back to receive the order together." Song Yuan changed her previous lazy demeanor, her voice became lowered, and her eyes raised her eyebrows.
He carefully observed Song Ran's expression, and he could feel her eyes dimming instantly.
"My mother and concubine were still talking about it a few days ago. It was the Empress Dowager's sixtieth birthday. Logically, all the female relatives of the royal family need to send people to the capital to celebrate their birthdays. Other families have received the imperial edict a few days ago, but our Nanjun Prince's Palace has not received it. . The imperial edict came today, why does brother look like this?" Song Ran tried to suppress the anxiety and uneasiness in her heart.
"The father-in-law who delivered the order said that the emperor has ordered you to accept the order together."
His body was shivering in the wind and sand. The hand that was originally holding the long-tasseled gun felt increasingly crowded, and a "clucking" sound could be heard between the fingers.
The worry in Song Ran's heart gradually emerged between her brows. She frowned tightly, her eyes were lifeless, and she was dazed, but she still said stubbornly: "In the early years, I was fostered in the palace of the Empress Dowager, and now she It’s the old man’s sixtieth birthday, so I will go there with my mother and concubine.”
"After entering the capital, I'm afraid your marriage will really be out of your control." Song Yuan's expression was solemn, her brows furrowed, and her thin lips trembled.
In the past few years, I have been anxious to get Song Ran married as soon as possible because I was afraid that the imperial court would take action against the Nanjun Prince's Palace. The most likely thing is to make a fuss about Song Ran's marriage.
Thinking on the bright side, if she just marries to the capital, Nanjun Wangfu will always be content with her duties, and there will be no worries about her life. Thinking about the worst, if the emperor wants to accept Song Ran into the palace, Song Ran's character is definitely not a peaceful person, not to mention accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger, and the lives of the nine tribes will be affected if he is not careful.
"By God's blessing, the emperor issued an edict: Princess Anyang of the Nanjun Prince's Palace has been extremely intelligent and outstanding in appearance since she was a child. She is now in the age of hairpin and has not yet been married. In order to commiserate with the Empress Dowager, I follow the Empress Dowager's decree and grant her marriage to King Xuan is Princess Xuan, and we will choose a date to get married after the Queen Mother’s sixtieth birthday. I appreciate this!”
Song Ran's heart trembled, and her kneeling body fell back.
"Princess Anyang, you still haven't accepted the edict?" Eunuch An handed over the imperial edict with both hands, but Song Ran didn't take it for a long time.
Seeing this, King Nanjun reached out to support Song Ran who was kneeling next to her and helped her take the imperial edict from Eunuch An. Princess Nanjun winked at the nanny beside her, who had prepared the reward for her father-in-law according to the rules early in the morning.
"Princess Nanjun, don't worry. The Queen Mother has already prepared a dowry for the princess. When she comes to Beijing this time, the Queen Mother has prepared a palace for the princess and the princess in Yongshou Palace, and the princess will get married from Yongshou Palace. And so on. His favor is far inferior to that of other princesses." Eunuch An was a veteran of three dynasties. He had worked as an errand for the Empress Dowager since he was a child, and he was already a man of talent. His ability to adapt to the changing circumstances has always been excellent, otherwise he would not have been favored by the Empress Dowager.
"Thank you, Mr. An. You must be tired from traveling and traveling here this time. Please go to the inner room to rest."
The Princess and the Empress Dowager share the same maternal clan. She was sent to the palace at an early age and grew up under the Empress Dowager's knees, so she was naturally familiar with Eunuch An. When the person fades away, he will secretly inquire about it.
Seeing Song Ran's expression when receiving the order, Eunuch An guessed most of it.
"The current situation is already the best result after the Queen Mother's hard work. The princess still persuaded the princess to calm down and get married."
When the princess returned to the hall, Song Ran was already slumped on the ground, her face pale.
"Quickly, help the princess up."
Song Ran rubbed her eyes, only to feel that her vision was blurry, her mother and concubine's voice was distant, and the surroundings were chaotic. She was in a trance, and her consciousness gradually became blurred. This imperial edict, like thunder and lightning, penetrated the inner boat and almost drowned her.
The entire Nanjun Palace was in chaos.
The princess has been unable to eat for days. Song Ran, on the other hand, kept her grievances in her heart and did not cry or make trouble. As his mother-in-law, Princess Nanjun understands her very well and feels very distressed. However, no matter how distressed, it doesn't help.
"Prince Xuan is a free and easy man. Although he is a prince and has the emperor's trust, he is by no means a rebellious person. If you marry him, I will not treat you badly."
"Mother and concubine, my daughter knows. Don't worry, this is a marriage granted by the emperor, and my daughter will never engage in it hastily like last time. Since it cannot be changed, my daughter must obey the will. She will never embarrass her father, the princess, and the concubine."
Song Ran sat obediently on the edge of the bed and rested her head on the princess's arms. The princess stroked her long black hair and sighed several times.
Everyone knows that Chen Chaobai, the king of Daoxuan, has a gentle and free-spirited personality and does not like government affairs. Although he was born to the concubine of the late emperor who died young, he was raised by the empress since childhood. He is like a brother to the current emperor and has his trust. However, Song Ran knew that Chen Chaobai was treacherous and not as indifferent to power as he seemed on the surface.
When she was eight years old, she saw with her own eyes that Chen Chaobai lured the then third prince, now King Lian, into a secret room. When the palace people found out, King Lian was already pale. Later, she heard that although he was not crazy, he was often confused. Shen Naotao annoyed the late emperor and he withdrew from the competition for the reserve position.
When she was ten years old, Song Ran disguised herself as a man during a hunt at the ranch and entered the hunt without receiving the holy permission. After being discovered by Chen Chaobai, he did not expose it, but used the matter as a threat until Song Ran and his father were stationed in Nanjun.
Song Ran was not a meddlesome person. Since she did not report Chen Chaobai's deception of King Lian at that time, she would never mention it in the future. What's more, the secret room is a royal forbidden area. If she, a princess, accidentally steps into it, if the late emperor finds out about it, the entire family will undoubtedly be implicated. She's not that stupid.
King Xuan has always been shunned by women. Despite the emperor's persuasion, he still has no wife and concubines. Now, the sudden agreement to marry Qi into the palace must be due to Nanjun's influence. Song Ran's scalp went numb when she thought of this. Not marrying is disobeying the decree. If Chen Chaobai has other intentions in the future and seizes power and positions, he will undoubtedly put Nanjun in a dilemma.
The more Song Ran thought about it, the more she felt out of breath. She felt like her throat was being strangled, making her unable to move.
She sat in front of the tea table and flipped through the military book in her hand. In the past, she read military books and understood the art of war. In order to go into battle to kill the enemy, she fought wits and courage with the enemy. Now she is worried about how to compete with Chen Chaobai. Now that the marriage is a foregone conclusion, she must gain a head start in Prince Xuan's palace in the future instead of being threatened by him at every turn.
"Princess, are you still going out tonight?" Hong Hao lit a candle aside, placed it on the coffee table, and sorted out the scattered books.
When she went out to help the princess with shopping today, she was secretly stuffed with paper. She knew what the intention was, and when she saw that the princess had no plans to go out that night, she couldn't help but ask.
Song Ran opened the note and burned it on a candle. If this note falls into the hands of someone with intentions, it may be used to slander the Prince of Nanjun as being a collaborator with the enemy.
Song Ran glanced at the red lotus and scolded: "You have been with me since you were a child, so you know the seriousness of this matter. Apart from the fact that I am already engaged, if this note falls into the hands of others, the consequences will be disastrous."
"Yes, this servant lacked consideration. Please punish me, Princess." Hong Hao hurriedly knelt down to accept the punishment.
Seeing that the princess was worried all day long, she thought it would be best if General Mu could meet the princess and make her happy before going to Beijing, so she promised General Mu to bring the note to the princess. I didn't want to, but I still didn't think carefully. This move almost caused a disaster.
Song Ran didn't really want to punish Hongli, but just hoped that she would act carefully in the future.
"The day after tomorrow, we will set off for Beijing. The capital is different from Nanjun. You also know that it is a dragon's pond and a tiger's den. If you are not careful, your body will be gone. Once you enter the capital, you must not be so careless again."
"Red Lotus, I understand."
It's a long night, and the candles are burning out. Song Ran was leaning in front of the window, looking at the mottled tree shadows, and there was a figure she was familiar with in the tree shadows. After today, we may never see each other again, so why should we see each other again today?
Song Ran was heartbroken and closed the window.
When she first met Mu Ling, the two armies were confronting each other.
Mu Ling was wearing armor, holding a spear, and riding a strong horse. Within a few rounds, a general from Chen State was knocked off his horse by him. Mu Ling's horse accelerated suddenly, and young Song Ran's heart tightened. The next second, he saw a leap, but the horse did not trample the soldier's body.
The young general Mu Ling waved his whip vigorously and looked into the wind. The yellow sand blew against Song Ran's young face, and she was hiding behind her brother, causing ripples in her heart.
