Chapter 7

In early summer, the sun shines brighter and the weather gradually warms up. The green leaves that were fresh and tender in spring have now grown larger and darker in color.

Ever since the last forced marriage and escape from marriage incident caused an uproar in the city, Chu Miaomiao has been under house arrest and is even prohibited from participating in normal social activities within the official family circle in Pingzhou City.

In order to temper her temper, the Princess of Chu assigned her either homework such as memorizing and practicing calligraphy, or tasks such as knitting and needlework, which kept her so busy that she didn't have much energy to continue.

During this period of time, Chu Miaomiao heard that the capital had sent people to Pingzhou.

Chu He grinded her ink while gossiping, "I wonder who's coming, but it seems like the prince is taking it very seriously. I heard he threw a huge banquet at Zuiyun Tower yesterday to welcome the people from the capital." Then she trailed off and muttered, "The princess, the crown prince, and even the second young master were all there, but we had no part in it."

"Isn't this enough? Talk less and grind more ink. I haven't finished copying Mencius's meeting with King Hui of Liang even once, even after twenty copies."

Chu Miaomiao is now worried about copying books, and the King of Chu is racking his brains to deal with the envoys from the capital.

The capital sent a Ministry of Revenue inspector, a principal, and four clerks to Pingzhou City, saying that there were some problems with Pingzhou's taxes in the past two years, so all counties within Pingzhou were required to report their tax situations, and the court ordered them to check them one by one.

When this was said, the King of Chu became a little suspicious.

Could it be that the imperial court was using the tax inspection as a warning? It was saying that they knew something but didn't want to cause any trouble just yet, so they wanted to keep quiet for a while?

The saint of today always does things unexpectedly, and he stays in the local area all year round, so it is difficult to accurately guess the saint's intentions.

The King of Chu sighed inwardly.

He blamed himself for looking down on the ailing Crown Prince, who lived in seclusion, and choosing to support the Rui Wang faction. However, he hadn't anticipated the Rui Wang's death after forcing the emperor to abdicate. Following the late emperor's death, the Crown Prince ascended the throne and launched a major purge. It became increasingly difficult for him to establish his own influence within the court. Gradually, it became increasingly difficult for him to grasp the dynamics of the central government.

Therefore, the King of Chu had no choice but to shamelessly entertain the Revenue Inspector. After three rounds of drinks, the Inspector finally revealed the true purpose of his visit.

"Before leaving, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince specifically instructed that taxes must be strictly checked."

The inspector's face was flushed from drinking, and his speech was a little unclear.

"Pingzhou's biggest problem is mining taxes. The amount is somewhat different from previous years."

The King of Chu felt a pang in his heart when he heard this.

"His Royal Highness suspects there may be collusion between officials and businessmen, so he will go to Pingzhou after Censor Liu finishes his investigation in the southwest border."

The King of Chu was nervous, but he still had a smile on his face.

"Those of us who have been staying in the countryside for a long time are not allowed to enter the capital unless summoned by the Saint. We don't know what's new in the capital."

"What's new?" The inspector rolled his eyes, then smiled. "There is one thing. Now that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has reached the age of twenty, the Saint is considering arranging a marriage for him. Now, all the officials with daughters in the capital are keeping a close eye on the Crown Prince."

Hearing this, the King of Chu's heart couldn't help but become more excited. The sage was interested in selecting a concubine for the crown prince, and their family just happened to have a daughter who was just the right age for marriage.

Under the guidance of the King of Chu, the prefect of Pingzhou and officials from various prefectures and counties provided the envoys from the capital with good food and drink, providing whatever they needed. After two months of continuous investigation in Pingzhou, the Ministry of Revenue indeed discovered some problems and ordered the prefectures, counties and prefectures to rectify the situation.

The King of Chu, who secretly embezzled the state's mineral resources, was able to clear himself of all charges. The officials in charge of the mines were punished, and their salaries were fined and they were required to pay off their debts. The officials of the entire Pingzhou were also fined two years' salary.

There was also Liu Yushi who came to inspect in disguise. He quietly recorded some officials' violations of the law and waited to return to Beijing to report and await the court's punishment.

Although the King of Chu was not affected by this turmoil, the entire Pingzhou was severely damaged. Moreover, the conditions for rebellion were not yet ripe, so the King of Chu had no choice but to stay calm for the time being.

By the time the people from the capital were sent away, it was already late summer and early autumn.

Not long after, the Chu Palace received another imperial edict from the capital, requiring the King of Chu and the Crown Prince to go to the capital to report on their work at the end of the year.

The King of Chu, who was smiling, suddenly turned gloomy after settling the angel.

"Going to the capital to report on your work?" The King of Chu sneered, "I think it's a disguised form of house arrest!"

Chu Xinxiu also became worried: "If we don't go to the capital, it will be disobeying the imperial order."

The King of Chu pondered for a long time and said, "Just say that I'm ill and not fit for a long journey. Let Canglang take Miaomiao to the capital!"

So the entire Chu Palace was busy preparing for the prince and princess to come to Beijing.

The Princess of Chu's original plan to re-select a marriage for her daughter was forced to shelve. However, the King of Chu assured the Princess that Miaomiao had a good chance of becoming the Crown Princess this time, and told her to be at ease.

The princess remained silent, but just watched coldly as the King of Chu performed in front of her.

She resented the King of Chu for being such a coward and not daring to come to the capital, saying that he was in poor health and couldn't come, but instead made Canglang, who had been frail and sick since childhood, bear the hardship of traveling. Didn't she know what he was thinking?

Isn’t it just that she wants to kill her son to make way for that little bitch born by that bitch?

That's her only son!

"You don't have to worry about Canglang. I will send a doctor to accompany him and take good care of Canglang. With Miaomiao and the Crown Princess accompanying us, there will be no problem!"

Princess Chu sneered repeatedly: "Chu Gou, I tell you clearly today, if anything happens to Canglang, I will only settle the score with you!"

The King of Chu was shocked, and then left the princess's yard angrily.

Crazy woman!

She was just relying on her family background to flaunt her power in front of him! Did she really think Chu Gou was afraid of her family's influence? Once he accomplished his great cause, let's see how she could still use her family background to act so arrogantly in front of him!

Ever since she learned she was going to the capital, Chu Miaomiao felt a surge of joy in her heart. As long as she left Pingzhou City, who would be able to control her?

Freedom is just ahead.

Chu He, who was packing her luggage, couldn't quite understand the happiness of her princess.

"Princess, we came to the capital this time to select a concubine for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The prince and princess even asked you to perform well. How come you are not worried at all?"

"What are you worried about?" Chu Miaomiao hummed a light tune while counting her silver. "With my reputation in Pingzhou, I can't even become a concubine, let alone a princess. What's more, I'm a princess, so there's no way I can become someone's concubine. Don't worry, let's just treat it as a trip to the capital for fun."

After hearing this, Chu He felt much more relaxed: "That's good too. I've never left Pingzhou City in my life."

"Me too." Chu Miaomiao imagined her future life in the capital and smiled with satisfaction.

Chu Miaomiao and Chu He were tidying up in their own yard, while Chu Canglang and his wife, who were also packing up on the other side, welcomed the Princess of Chu.

Princess Chu glanced at the Crown Prince's wife indifferently, and took her son's hand affectionately, telling him to take care of his health on the way, not to travel too much, and it would be okay to rest for a few more days. His health should be the most important thing.

After rambling on for a long time, Princess Chu finally looked at Yu Rongxue and said, "The Crown Prince's wife must also always pay attention to the Crown Prince's health and not let him overwork himself."

Yu Rongxue nodded repeatedly.

Chu Canglang smiled faintly and comforted his mother, "Don't worry too much, mother. I feel fine these days. This time I go to the capital and see some different places, maybe it will feel better."

The princess looked at her sick son with eyes full of pity.

"You are my only son, how can I not worry about you? Fortunately, a doctor is accompanying us on this journey, so I feel more at ease."

"The capital is the foot of the emperor, a place of great talent and beauty. Perhaps I can encounter some opportunity and meet a more skilled doctor to completely cure this frail body."

These words really hit the heart of the princess, and she quickly asked Lianyue to bring a small box over and hand it to Chu Canglang.

"It's a long journey to the city, and living there will probably be expensive. Take this money with you. If you need more, write back. In short, don't treat yourself badly."

Chu Canglang was not polite and took it with a smile: "Thank you, mother."

After the princess left, Yu Rongxue looked at Chu Canglang in confusion: "We already have a lot of gold and silver, why are we accepting so much money from mother?"

Chu Canglang handed the box to Yu Rongxue and asked her to keep it safe. "Miaomiao has always been a spendthrift, how can we not prepare some extra for her? But you have to keep it a secret from Miaomiao."

After saying that, Chu Canglang blinked and made a gesture of silence, which made Yu Rongxue smile.

In late autumn, the red maples are burning.

Chu Canglang and his entourage, who were fully prepared, said goodbye to their families and headed to the capital with a long convoy.

Although Chu Canglang was not his favorite child, nor his ideal heir, he was the child he had raised since childhood. The King of Chu was also quite sad about this separation.

There were tears in the eyes of Princess Chu. She held Chu Canglang in her arms and hugged him again and again before letting him get on the carriage.

The person who was most happy about the departure of Chu Canglang and his sister was Chu Xinxiu.

Firstly, it was still unknown what the frail prince would be like after arriving in the capital after such a bumpy journey. Perhaps he would be the one to be crowned the prince soon. Secondly, Chu Miaomiao, who had always been at odds with him, had finally left. With one less person to bother him, how could he not be happy?

In the large carriage in the middle, Chu Canglang and his wife sat with Chu Miaomiao.

Chu Miaomiao looked at the scenery on both sides of the road, her face full of boredom, but Chu Canglang saw disappointment and loneliness in her eyes.

When they parted just now, her mother only gave her a brief hug, and the rest of her words were telling her to take good care of her brother and not to cause trouble for him.

"Miao Miao." Chu Canglang called.

"Hmm?" Chu Miaomiao turned around and responded with forced energy.

"Come over here, brother."

Chu Miaomiao obediently moved over, thinking that her brother had something to say, but unexpectedly he opened his arms and hugged her.

She heard her brother's gentle voice ringing in her ears, and every soft word fell into her heart.

"Don't be sad, Miaomiao, your brother will always be by your side."