Chapter 40 Why should she suffer this?
Nothing happened that night.
At dawn, Tianyao opened her eyes, lifted the carriage curtain, and looked outside.
Um?
Is it raining?
The rain was light; no wonder she didn't hear it.
However, even light rain can affect the speed of travel, as the dirt road becomes particularly muddy and difficult to walk on when it rains.
"Your Highness, shall we depart now?"
Xiao Yelan, wearing a black raincoat, rode on horseback and asked.
Tianyao didn't answer. She looked at the Imperial Guards except for Xiao Yelan. None of them were wearing raincoats and were getting soaked in the rain.
They definitely didn't have raincoats, otherwise they would have worn them.
Tianyao withdrew her gaze from the Imperial Guards and spoke softly to Xiao Yelan.
"Let's set off. Let's find a place to take shelter from the rain and continue our journey once it stops."
Xiao Yelan was taken aback.
Is she worried that the Imperial Guards will get sick from the rain?
She's so soft-hearted!
However, he liked it because it was very humane.
He snapped out of his daze, nodded, and replied.
"Yes, sir!"
"Let's go!"
After Xiao Yelan finished speaking, he gave a solemn order to the imperial guards around him.
At a command, three thousand imperial guards rode forward on horseback, their momentum overwhelming.
Compared to the commotion of the three thousand imperial guards marching, the fine drizzle was utterly insignificant.
Unfortunately, they found no shelter from the rain until nightfall, and all the imperial guards except Xiao Yelan were soaked to the bone.
And the rain was still falling, still a fine drizzle.
But the fine drizzle made Tianyao, Xiao Yelan, and the Imperial Guards suffer terribly.
Tianyao rolled up the car window and looked at the Imperial Guards who, disregarding the dirt, plopped down on the muddy ground. For the first time, she felt regret.
If it weren't for her insistence on going to her fiefdom, the Imperial Guards wouldn't have had to suffer like this.
She lowered the carriage curtain and looked inside. Her shoes were covered in mud; they were the shoes she wore when she got off the carriage to relieve herself.
Isn't she just asking for trouble? Why would she give up the good life in the capital and go to her fiefdom to live a hard life?
Just so she wouldn't have to choose a husband, just so she wouldn't want to have another husband, just so she could have fewer worries.
But isn't this situation frustrating?
It's just as frustrating.
And it has implicated so many people.
There were still more than ten days' journey to reach her fiefdom, which meant that she, Xiao Yelan, all the guards and maids of the princess's mansion, and the imperial guards would have to endure more than ten days of hardship before they could reach her fiefdom.
She knew nothing about the current state of her fiefdom; all she knew was that it was a vast wasteland, sparsely populated, and in need of reclamation.
Once they reach their fiefdom, they will have to endure another ten days or so of suffering before they can return to the capital.
It's heartbreaking to even think about it.
It's all Tianheng's fault for choosing such a son-in-law for her!
Tianyao grew angrier the more she thought about it. Why did Tianheng, in a moment of impulse, issue such an order, forcing her and others to suffer so much?
I feel resentful, unconvinced, angry, furious, wanting to hit someone, and wronged...
A torrent of emotions erupted within Tianyao's chest.
Tomorrow... tomorrow, she's going back to the capital, not to her fiefdom.
She didn't want to suffer like this anymore, and she didn't want anyone else to be implicated and suffer the same fate.
"Xiao Yelan".
Thinking of this, Tianyao suddenly lifted the carriage curtain and shouted angrily.
?
Xiao Yelan leaned against a tree, munching on a slightly damp and soggy pancake, and looked up at Tian Yao in the distance.
"Come here."
Seeing that he was leaning against the tree, motionless and showing no intention of coming over, Tianyao called out again.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yelan raised an eyebrow.
Oh, so the princess called him to come over. He thought the princess wanted to eat roast meat again.
I wanted to explain that it was raining and I couldn't grill the meat.
Although ordinary people have common sense, it is perfectly normal for a princess, who is of noble birth and has maids and guards to help her with her food, clothing, housing and transportation, not to know common sense.
Thinking about all this, Xiao Yelan handed the cake directly to a guard beside him, then raised his hand to tighten his hat before walking towards Tianyao.
"Your Highness, what is it?"
Xiao Yelan stopped in front of Tianyao's car window, his eyes gleaming, and asked.
"Tomorrow, we'll set off back to the capital."
Tianyao's eyes were intense as she uttered a few words.
Xiao Yelan's eyes widened suddenly. What?
Was he just hallucinating?
Didn't she just come from the capital?
Are we going back already?
I just came out, only two days ago.
"Your Highness, are you sure you want to return to the capital?"
After saying that, he frowned and asked, puzzled.
"Your Highness, why did you leave the capital? And where were you going?"
He was very curious, but along the way, even though he talked to the guards of the princess's residence, he couldn't get any information out of them.
Tianyao: "..."
How should I put it?
She and Xiao Yelan weren't close enough to discuss such things.
Seeing this, Xiao Yelan, being perceptive, stopped asking questions. As he turned to leave, he suddenly remembered the order His Majesty gave to Xie Mingyuan in the Inner Affairs Hall when he came to protect the princess.
Princess certainly didn't know about this order, since she had already left the capital at that time.
"By the way, Your Highness, His Majesty has changed the imperial edict to select a husband for you to select a male concubine."
"What?!"
Say it again!
Tianyao's eyes widened instantly. She reached out of the car window and grabbed Xiao Yelan's raincoat as he turned to leave, completely unconcerned about the fine rain soaking his arm.
Her heart was pounding.
If Tianheng changed the imperial edict from selecting a son-in-law to selecting a male concubine, then she would have even less reason to go to her fiefdom.
Although the fiefdom was hers, it was too remote, too poor, and too inconvenient. Although it could be developed, it would take time even with money.
She would rather stay in the capital than not stay in the capital.
How wonderful it is to be in the capital! The ground is paved with stone, so your shoes won't get dirty when it rains. There's also plenty of delicious food, beautiful women, and stunning scenery.
Xiao Yelan stopped and blinked when he saw Tianyao's nervous and concerned expression.
Could it be that Her Highness left the capital because she didn't want to choose a husband?
It's highly likely, otherwise Her Highness wouldn't care so much about what he said.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yelan turned around and patiently explained, word by word.
"On that day, His Majesty summoned both Xie Mingyuan and me, ordering me to protect the princess and ordering Xie Mingyuan to change the imperial edict from selecting a son-in-law to selecting a male concubine, and to change the time for selecting the male concubine to the day after the princess returned to the capital."
Upon hearing Xiao Yelan's words again, Tianyao's pounding heart slowly calmed down.
He compromised...
Very good.
She no longer needs to go to the fiefdom.
She didn't care about choosing male concubines, since they weren't recorded and she could let them leave the manor at any time. Even if they didn't leave, her princess manor could afford to support several male concubines.
A male concubine is a husband without a formal title. Without a title, there is no responsibility, and the relationship can be severed at any time, cleanly and decisively.
This is Tianyao's current favorite male-female relationship.
"Why didn't you say so sooner? Such a big thing should have been told to me immediately."
Tianyao was somewhat annoyed, and her tone was somewhat reproachful.
If Xiao Yelan had told her immediately upon seeing her, she would have definitely made up her mind to return to the capital then and there.
In that case, they would have returned to the capital long ago and wouldn't have had to travel in such a miserable state, soaked in the rain.
Xiao Yelan: "..."
How did this become his fault?
Little did he know how much Tianyao cared about choosing a husband!
Xiao Yelan silently complained in his heart, but dared not say it aloud.
However, I was happy inside.
This muddy road will take another two days to get back to the capital.
Back in the capital, the hard days of eating and sleeping outdoors came to an end.
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