Chapter 716 Rongqing County Main Competition
Princess Rongqing stayed in Kunning Palace for a short while before leaving.
The Empress seemed to sense something was amiss, and frowned slightly, saying, "It seems Rongqing came to Kunning Palace specifically to see you."
Cheng Wanwan couldn't help but admire the Empress's keen insight; no wonder she could manage such a vast harem so well.
She shook her head and said, "This is also the first time I have met Princess Rongqing. I had never even heard of such a princess in the capital before."
Generally speaking, a princess is the daughter of a prince. Princess Rongqing calls the Empress "sister-in-law," which means she is the Emperor's cousin.
Before the late emperor passed away, all the princes were assigned to their fiefdoms and were never allowed to return to the capital. How could a princess be left in the capital?
"It's normal that you haven't heard of her. Strictly speaking, she's not really a member of the royal family," the Empress explained. "The struggle for the throne back then should have been heard of by the common people; it was incredibly fierce. At that time, Princess Duanmin was only five or six years old..."
At this point, the Empress paused for a moment and said, "Princess Duanmin is the Empress Dowager's youngest daughter, and the Emperor and Prince Qin's younger sister. Such a young child was also caught up in the struggle... The former Crown Prince was so ruthless that he actually captured Duanmin as a hostage, trying to force the Emperor to surrender... In the chaos, Princess Duanmin disappeared."
"The Empress Dowager, accompanied by a troop of imperial guards, searched far and wide for Princess Duanmin. They finally found her in a village on the outskirts of the capital. Princess Duanmin had been rescued by a farming family, but she was traumatized and only wanted the farmer's daughter to stay with her. So, the Empress Dowager brought the farmer's daughter into the palace. During this time, the Emperor successfully ascended the throne, and everything seemed to be going well. However, disaster struck… The former Crown Prince's old subordinates infiltrated the palace and attacked again. This time, Duanmin was not so lucky and died by the sword… And the farmer's daughter, trying to save Duanmin, was also stabbed in the chest…"
"It's quite a coincidence that after the farmer's daughter's injury healed, the shape of the scar was exactly the same as the birthmark on Duanmin's chest. The Empress Dowager transferred all her maternal love for Duanmin to the farmer's daughter and even wanted to make her a princess... After the Emperor's repeated intervention, both sides compromised, and in the end, the farmer's daughter became a county princess, which is the Rongqing County Princess that Sui Shuren just saw."
Cheng Wanwan was extremely surprised.
She had thought that Princess Rongqing was the Prince of Qin's cousin, but it seems that the two are not related by blood.
Could Princess Rongqing's hostility towards her be because of the Prince of Qin?
She asked, "If that's the case, Princess Rongqing should be thirty years old. I wonder which powerful family in the capital she married?"
The Empress shook her head and said, "More than ten years ago, the Empress Dowager carefully selected a husband for Rongqing. On the second day after the imperial decree was issued to grant the marriage, the man had a scandal with a courtesan. The Empress Dowager was furious, and Rongqing was devastated because of this. She never wanted to get married again and has been dragging it out until now. She spends her days in the Buddhist hall with the Empress Dowager chanting sutras and rarely goes out. Therefore, few people in the capital mention her."
Cheng Wanwan became increasingly certain that Rong Qing was so hostile towards her because of the Prince of Qin.
However, even the Empress couldn't see through Rongqing's intentions, so as an outsider, she couldn't say much. She would just deal with whatever came her way.
The Empress smiled and said, "Why would I tell you about the past?"
After the two talked for a while, the Empress changed her self-reference from "this palace" to "I," which shows that the relationship between the two had become much closer.
"Sixth Prince enjoys hunting and there are competitions at every hunting party. You should keep your distance from him then," the Queen said. "You're probably not good at riding, so why don't you choose a gentle horse from my estate..."
"I appreciate Your Majesty's kindness," Cheng Wanwan said. "However, I am familiar with the horses at home, and I am afraid they will not adapt well to other horses."
The Queen nodded in understanding.
After finishing her meal at Kunning Palace, Cheng Wanwan returned home.
She made thorough preparations for this trip to Linxi, firstly with a convenient cycling outfit, secondly with a warm inner garment, and finally with a handy bow and arrow.
She can only ride a horse, not shoot, but that doesn't stop her from pretending, just in case she actually catches some prey.
On the day of the hunting festival, the capital city was bathed in sunshine. The winter sun shone down, dispelling the winter chill and warming people.
Cheng Wanwan took Yan Hong by carriage to Linxi, a suburb of Beijing.
Yan Hong used to be a palace maid, with thin arms and legs, but after staying in Dahe Village for several years and doing farm work from time to time, she has developed strength. In addition, Wang Yongcheng organizes martial arts classes for the villagers every morning in Dahe Village, and Yan Hong will go to audit the classes whenever she has time. Although she has not learned any martial arts skills, she still has no problem riding a horse.
The two arrived at the venue a little earlier than the agreed time.
By this time, quite a few people had arrived, all of them powerful and influential figures from the capital, both men and women, and none of them were of ordinary status.
Her appearance surprised many people.
"Sui Shuren actually came to the hunting party too."
"It seems that Lady Sui has already entered the circle of the capital by being invited by the King of Qin."
"In my impression, Su Shu-ren is a person who speaks out for the people, and I always felt that she was out of place in such a place of entertainment."
"..."
Cheng Wanwan heard many people talking about her and smiled.
She was someone who had suddenly entered this circle, so it was normal for her to be talked about. Just as she was about to go over and greet everyone, she heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from behind her.
She turned her head and saw a magnificent Akhal-Teke horse slowly approaching, and the person on the horse was none other than Princess Rongqing.
Princess Rongqing, dressed in a dashing riding outfit, exuded a heroic spirit. She pulled on the reins, her gaze falling on Cheng Wanwan, and a smile appeared on her face: "Sui Shuren, your outfit is really beautiful."
She curtsied slightly and said, "Greetings, Princess Rongqing."
“There’s no need for formalities outside the palace,” Rongqing said after a pause. “Sui Shuren is dressed so smartly; she must look quite good riding a horse. How about we have a contest?”
Cheng Wanwan lowered her eyes.
She knew that Princess Rongqing would cause trouble.
She spoke calmly, "This humble woman has only just learned to ride a horse and dares not compete with the princess."
“Sui Shuren, don’t be so modest.” Rong Qing’s lips curved into a smile. “Sui Shuren is from Dahe Village. I’ve heard that people who grow up in the village can ride oxen from a young age. Water buffaloes look taller and bigger than horses, so riding one shouldn’t be a problem for you…”
The onlookers exchanged glances, wondering if Princess Rongqing was deliberately trying to embarrass Sui Shuren.
Princess Rongqing spends most of her time in the palace accompanying the Empress Dowager in Buddhist rituals, while Consort Sui is far away in Huzhou. No matter what, it's impossible for her to offend Princess Rongqing.
Perhaps Princess Rongqing simply wanted to have a competition?
Cheng Wanwan slowly raised her eyes: "The water buffalo in the village is the villagers' partner, while the Akhal-Teke horse is an indispensable mount for marching and fighting. Comparing the two together, I don't know whether it is an insult to the water buffalo or an affront to the Akhal-Teke horse."
Princess Rongqing's smile widened: "So, Consort Sui is unwilling to compete with me?"
Just then, a large, gray mass suddenly rushed straight toward them.
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