The news of Dawei’s successful negotiation with Nanchu was sent urgently to Nanchu’s capital in eight hundred li.
Nanchu King received the good news and almost shed tears of joy. He grabbed Ye Xiang and said, "Xiaoqi is coming back to the Capital."
Ye Xiang cried out, "Your Majesty, you’re hurting me, your grip is too strong."
Nanchu King pinched Ye Xiang again, "Does it hurt? Is it really hurting? I’m not dreaming, am I?"
Ye Xiang glared back, "Your Majesty, why don’t you pinch yourself?"
Nanchu King asked again for confirmation, "Xiaoqi is really coming back to the Capital, right?"
"Yes." Ye Xiang said grumpily as he pulled his arm away.
Nanchu King happily let go, "Ye Xiang, Xiaoqi is returning to the Capital. How long do you think it will take her? We must prepare promptly to welcome her."
Ye Xiang rubbed his arm, reiterating, "Your Majesty, you hurt me just now."
Nanchu King chuckled and half-heartedly apologized, "Ye Xiang, sorry, I was too excited. How about you pinch me back?"
Ye Xiang responded with a cold huff, "Your humble servant doesn’t dare to."
Nanchu King immediately said, "It didn’t hurt that much. You won’t pinch back and say you don’t dare. Just be happy, Xiaoqi is coming home. Your daughter Guixue will come back too. It’s a good thing, so stop sulking."
Ye Xiang took a deep breath, "In my next life, I definitely don’t want to serve under you. After a lifetime of toiling, finally see the light of day only to get pinched by you. So painful."
Nanchu King laughed, "Let’s get through this life first before we talk about the next."
With no shame, he pulled Ye Xiang along, "Come, Ye Xiang, let’s discuss how to welcome Xiaoqi and whether we should abdicate the throne to her on the same day she returns to the capital..."
Ye Xiang bluntly said, "It should suffice to officially name her as the Princess. In my opinion, the Princess would probably prefer you to keep the crown a while longer. To convince her to accept your abdication, you will have to talk her into it."
"Really?" Nanchu King couldn’t believe it. "She is my daughter. She’s going to take the throne eventually. It’s better sooner than later."
Ye Xiang rolled his eyes, "What the Princess wants now is not the ascension ceremony, but her great wedding with Zhou Gu."
Nanchu King sighed, remembering the two letters he had received - one from Zhou Gu and the other from Su Rong. Su Rong’s message was simple, in a thin piece of paper, with a demand for hastening the marriage preparations. Zhou Gu’s letter was lengthy but amounted to the same demand - rush the great wedding.
Upon receiving the letters, he immediately summoned the Minister of Rites to inquire about the time needed to prepare for the Princess’s wedding. The Minister replied that it would take two years. Nanchu King immediately frowned and countered with six months.
The Minister of Rites was taken aback and quickly knelt down, insisting that even if the Ministry worked around the clock, they couldn’t pull off such a feat in half a year as this wasn’t any ordinary marriage, it was the Princess’s wedding which should follow all protocols.
Nanchu King probed further, "How soon can it be done? Two years is too long."
The Minister of Rites suggested nervously, "The quickest would be a year and a half."
Nanchu King disagreed, "Unacceptable. It’s still too long."
The Minister of Rites gritted his teeth, "Your Majesty, the shortest timeframe would be one year. If it’s any shorter, we would have to reduce..."
"No reductions." Nanchu King paced back and forth. "You have ten months. That’s the time I’m giving you."
The Minister of Rites almost gave up, "Your Majesty, could you please replace me?"
Nanchu King disagreed, "You’ve been in the Ministry for so many years, you’re the best fit. Just get it done according to the ten-month schedule. I will assign people to assist you."
The Minister was at a loss, "Some things, it isn’t about manpower. The Imperial Clothing Bureau needs at least half a year to make the wedding dress for the Princess, as well as the groom’s clothing, and all the items like linens, socks etc. Moreover, the Princess needs to establish her own residence..."
"Establish what residence? She will live in the Palace." Nanchu King, having just found his daughter, certainly won’t let her leave the Palace.
The Minister sighed heavily, "Your Majesty, I’m an old man..."
"Once this task is done, you can retire to enjoy your old age and play with your grandkids." Nanchu King promised. "You have ten months. Don’t waste any more time here, get to it!"
The Minister was speechless. Seeing Nanchu King’s resolve, he had to follow the order. As he was leaving, he asked unwillingly, "Your Majesty, why are you so anxious for the Princess to get married?"
Nanchu King couldn’t admit that the two rascals were eager to get married, so he just waved them off, "Settle the family matters first, then the official ones. Off you go!"
So, the Minister of Rites left.
Today, when Ye Xiang mentioned it again, Nanchu King was still somewhat unsettled and sighed, "Ah, when a daughter grows up, she doesn’t stay. Luckily she is marrying into our own family, otherwise, her rush to get married right after recognising her as my daughter would be utterly aggravating."
Seeing Nanchu King’s wearied demeanor, Ye Xiang immediately felt better. The place where he was pinched didn’t hurt anymore. Stroking his beard he said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Rites is already quite busy handling the Princess’s wedding. If you add the ceremony of your abdication for her ascension, it will definitely delay the wedding. She won’t be pleased when she finds out. It’s better to discuss this with her when she returns to the Capital. After all, the Princess will be back in the Capital very soon."
"Alright!" Now what mattered most to the Nanchu King was his daughter’s return.
From Xinqi City to Nanchu Capital, it’s a half-month journey by horse. However, because Shen Yi experienced a threat to her pregnancy on the battlefield and was recuperating, she had to travel by carriage and couldn’t go too fast to avoid bumps on the road due to Nanchu’s mountainous terrain. Hence, even though Su Rong, Zhou Gu and the others traveled light and day and night, it still took them a full twenty days to reach the Nanchu Capital.
On the day they arrived, Nanchu King led his ministers to welcome them at the City Gate. The Nanchu Capital’s citizens all came out to catch a glimpse of the Princess’s beauty. The euphoria of victory spread throughout the capital and even to the rest of Nanchu, attracting people from all parts of the country to the Capital to see the Princess on the day of her return.
Nanchu King ordered the Imperial Guard to secure the streets and isolate the large crowd for safety. All the tea houses and taverns were fully occupied.
Nanchu King stood outside the city, looking into the distance with anticipation. His heart was filled with excitement. He said to Ye Xiang, "Ye Xiang, do you see it? The people of the Capital all love my daughter. The prestige of the Princess is unprecedented." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
Ye Xiang nodded in agreement, "Rewriting the history of Nanchu, seeing today’s deserted streets, it’s evident - the Princess is destined to be beloved by the people in the future"
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