It would take at least half a month to get from Langyuan City to Yuanding Imperial City even if you ride a fast horse. Princess Qingling could have gone back slowly more than a month in advance, but because she wanted to take Zhang Yan's classes a few more times, she squeezed the time to the tightest possible limit.
The palace lord usually travels in a carriage, accompanied by a guard of honor. Even marginal princesses like Princess Qingling who have no official title still have these pomps. There are even etiquette officers who specifically regulate the words and deeds of the princesses, including the royal guard of honor when traveling. This is what is called majesty.
But this time, Princess Qingling was dressed in warrior attire, riding a fast horse alone, and her equestrian skills were not bad. With the help of a special saddle, she could barely do the 800-mile journey without resting and only changing horses midway. Hurry way. I rested for three nights along the way. When riding a dusty horse into the city gate, the guard almost didn't recognize Her Royal Highness the Princess. Fortunately, he caught the golden token thrown by the other party, otherwise he would have raised the red flag in his hand to ask for the heavy token on the city gate. The crossbow hit and shot.
Don't worry about the courage and power of the guards in Yuanding Imperial City. Not to mention the princess, not even the prince can ride into the city without special circumstances. Being caught or punished is a minor offense, even being shot to death by random arrows will not be a problem.
He rode his horse all the way, but at least he slowed down and shouted to get out of the way. He arrived at the entrance of the palace smoothly and didn't bump into anyone.
...
"Mother! The child is back!"
After entering the palace, Princess Qingling immediately went to the harem to find her biological mother Hua Rong Zhaoyi.
"Ling'er! You, you are back! Mom is worried to death!"
A unique courtyard in the harem is Hua Rong Zhaoyi's residence. It is relatively quiet here, and it is very close to the "Beiguang Garden" with prosperous flowers and plants. The terrain is relatively high and there is no tide. The place was even renovated the year before last. Looks new.
Huarong Zhaoyi is young, just in her early forties, and is the youngest daughter of the Chen family of Nanyuan Kingdom. She was sent to the palace by Chen Yao, the head of the Chen family, and caught the emperor's eye, and was included in the harem as Zhaoyi.
The Chen family is the second largest military family in the Nanyuan Army. Although there has been some inactivity in the past few decades, the intricate relationship is still there, and no one dares to underestimate it.
But the Chen family was unlucky. In other words, Hua Rong Zhaoyi has bad luck. Although she has a good appearance and a good family, she is also liked by the emperor. Unfortunately, she had an accident when she gave birth to Princess Qingling. Although Princess Qingling's life was saved in the end, there was no possibility of having another child. And this meant a complete loss of status in the royal family. If it weren't for the emperor's favor and her family background being really tough, Hua Rong Zhaoyi's fate would probably be miserable.
And the Chen family's misfortunes don't stop there.
Hua Rong Zhaoyi’s daughter, Princess Qingling, was actually gifted with the ability to practice martial arts, and was the only princess in her age group who could practice martial arts.
Practicing martial arts is a good thing, but if she is the only martial arts princess in a similar age group, it will not be a good thing.
Because he has to be singled out for this marriage competition with Huayue Shangguo. The timing was all just a coincidence.
So after Princess Qingling was born and her talent in martial arts was tested, the title was changed to "Qingling" which is not a formal princess title.
As an emperor, coolness is the basic quality. In order for the royal family not to lose an officially titled princess, they had no choice but to offend Princess Qingling, who was just born at that time.
Even though no one was optimistic about Princess Qingling, the royal family of Nanyuan Kingdom did not let her go. They spent a lot of resources on her since childhood, and then sent her to the Martial Arts Academy in Yuanding Imperial City. But when the news about Huayue Shangguo's opponent came back, Princess Qingling's situation fell to the bottom. Especially in Yuanding Imperial City, even in places like the Martial Arts Academy, "very negative" comments began to appear, and even taunts and ridicules began to appear, such as "What's the point of working so hard? You will still lose in the end. It will become another shame for Nanyuan Kingdom".
This negative and negative environment almost caused Princess Qingling to collapse directly. That's why Hua Rong Zhaoyi found Xiao Shu, who was a judge at the Wushu Academy in Langyuan City, through her natal family connections, and transferred Princess Qingling to Langyuan City to continue her training. Being far away from Yuanding Imperial City, there are far fewer rumors.
At least let the children have a chance to fight. If you lose in the end, you should have no regrets. This is what the Chen family and Hua Rong Zhaoyi have always thought.
"My child's fault. But there is a reason why my child came back so late. This time my child encountered a great opportunity in Langyuan City..." Princess Qingling smiled and pulled her mother back to the house. Here, I just told my mother about my surprise experience in the past two months.
The guards and maids outside retreated, leaving room for the mother and daughter to talk privately.
Hua Rong Zhaoyi didn't listen carefully at first. She was even more heartbroken about her daughter's bumpy journey and the sunburn marks on her face. But as she listened, she had to open her mouth slightly in shock and her eyes widened.
"Ling'er! Don't lie to your mother and concubine. Have you really met such a strange person? Are you still confident that you can surpass the princess of Huayue Kingdom?!" Hua Rong Zhaoyi held her daughter's hand tightly. Although she is not a warrior, she knows how difficult it is to win a battle beyond a certain level. And the target is still a person from Huayue Shangguo.
In all these years, has Nanyuan Kingdom ever won? Not to mention leapfrogging, at the same level, you can lose simply.
So after Hua Rong Zhaoyi got excited, she quickly poured a bucket of cold water on herself. Difficult, too difficult. But his face still maintained a look of surprise. He patted the back of his daughter's hand and followed her mood, showing that she was very happy. In her opinion, this may be the last time she and her daughter will be together. So why be so pessimistic? How good is it to be happy?
"Mother, I know you are following me. I have been traveling abroad for these years, and I have learned a lot about reading people's faces. I know that my mother doesn't believe it. But, there are very few people like Mr. Zhang in the world. , it is human nature for the mother and concubine not to believe it. But the child, please rest assured, mother and concubine, the child will definitely win this time! From now on, I will get the "Ruyi Order" and stay by my mother's side for the rest of my life, so that the mother and concubine will not be alone!"
The so-called "Ruyi Order" was set by the late emperor to encourage the princesses of Nanyuan Kingdom to fight hard instead of giving up on themselves. As long as you win the battle, you will be rewarded with a Ruyi Ling. From now on, "everything will go as you wish", and any request that is not excessive can be met. This is equivalent to giving the winning princess the greatest freedom.
Hua Rong Zhaoyi hugged her daughter's shoulders. He smiled and said: "It doesn't matter what my mother-in-law thinks, what matters is you. If you have confidence, then give it a try. Even if you lose, you must show the integrity of my Nanyuan Kingdom. If you really win, , then you are the first princess of Nanyuan Kingdom!"
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