Chapter 126: The Eldest Princess's Inspection Tour of Yangcheng
"What? I disagree!" Jiang Sijin was like a cat with its fur standing on end.
Su Zhenzhen didn't expect her to react so strongly, so she patiently tried to persuade her again.
"It seems like you didn't lose anything from this, did you? Look, you can still show off your princess status in front of so many people. You actually benefited from it."
Jiang Sijin still disagreed. What a joke! If the princess's carriage were to tour Yangcheng and these treacherous officials didn't give her face, wouldn't she lose face?
Jiang Sijin values her pride above all else, which is why Su Zhenzhen is unsure whether she can agree.
If the news of the princess's inspection tour is released, and the governor of Yangcheng obediently accepts the imperial decree, then everything will be fine.
If the Prefect of Yangcheng were to mock her and disown the princess, Jiang Sijin's dignity would be trampled underfoot.
After all, this was a princess bestowed by Jiang Yichun, who had been dead for over twenty years.
Furthermore, the royal family largely avoids discussing Jiang Sijin's identity.
Jiang Sijin was still unwilling, so she would only show off her princess-like power in front of Huo Jiajun and his men.
These people recognized Jiang Yichun and were loyal to him, devoted to the emperor and the country.
The situation regarding the governor of Yangcheng is uncertain.
“I disagree. Since you just want a title to enter Yangcheng anyway, you might as well forge a princess identity.”
Seeing that Jiang Sijin was unmoved by reason, Su Zhenzhen changed tactics and began to use moral blackmail.
"If that's your attitude, then all this commotion has nothing to do with me. If you hadn't kept encouraging Hensheng to marry me, Song Anbang wouldn't have been able to take advantage of the situation. Do as you please, I'm going to find my dead body."
After saying that, Su Zhenzhen walked out, acting as if she really didn't care about anything.
"Wait!" After much hesitation, Jiang Sijin called out to the person.
After all, she couldn't save Hensheng on her own. Although people were unaware of her deal with Song Anbang, or perhaps they knew but didn't expose it, as a descendant of the Jiang family, she had caused Hensheng to fall into danger. Her ancestors in heaven would certainly not forgive her, which would be detrimental to her future development.
"I agree to your request. Let's make this clear beforehand: if the Prefect of Yangcheng doesn't cooperate, then don't even think about using any clever tactics; just launch a full-scale attack."
With Jiang Sijin's approval, Su Zhenzhen immediately began to create momentum. First, she sent people everywhere to spread the news that the eldest princess of the Jiang Dynasty was touring the world and would soon visit Yangcheng.
Meanwhile, he instructed Old Man Bai to lead his men to speed up the production of the vehicle frames, and then gathered all the necessary costumes and props using various methods.
Everyone in Yangcheng was stunned when they received the news. The eldest princess of the Jiang Dynasty? Which dynasty's eldest princess? The royal family has few descendants; in the last three dynasties, when did they have a princess? Surely they couldn't have bestowed the title upon a daughter of a collateral branch?
The county magistrate thought it unnecessary to pay attention, saying, "Sir, whatever she is, let's just pretend we know nothing about this."
Hu Wen shook his head. “According to the law of the Jiang Dynasty: If any member of the imperial family with a title travels through a region and officials do not kneel to greet him with the proper etiquette, he shall be punished as a traitor and the whole country shall condemn him. The current situation is unstable. If we ignore it, it may become an excuse for other forces to attack us.”
Although Yangcheng is small, even a small mosquito is still meat. The imperial court might use this as an excuse to send their people to take over, and nearby cities might also send troops to occupy it.
Three thousand defenders can hold out for a while, but not forever. Rather than begging and pleading all the way to the bank at that point, it's better not to let them find this weakness in the first place.
"Why don't we ask Marquis Enyi and see what he thinks?" the county magistrate suggested.
"What's the point of asking him? I'm the one in charge of Yangcheng. If something really happens to me, I'll be the first one to be attacked in the future."
Hu Wen already had a general idea in mind: "First, send someone to investigate and find out which dynasty's princess she is, and whether she has a princess's seal. If there is a sealed warrant, we will wait for her outside the city."
Believe it or not, Jiang Sijin actually does exist.
Although Emperor Chang did not want to acknowledge this daughter, Jiang Yichun treated this younger sister very well. After he ascended the throne, he not only put her name in the imperial genealogy, but also ordered skilled craftsmen to carve a princess seal to symbolize her status.
Hu Wen received the princess's order and, along with all the officials of Yangcheng, respectfully greeted her outside the city.
At the end of the official road, several riders cleared the way. Then, a magnificent carriage slowly approached. The carriage had no walls on the four sides, only a thin white silk veil hanging down. As it moved, the veil swayed gently like clouds and mist.
One could only vaguely see a young girl sitting behind the thin veil, the wind blowing the veil and outlining the girl's figure indistinctly.
Following the carriage on the right was an eunuch holding a whisk. This eunuch must have served in the palace for a long time, for he exuded the aura of a superior.
On the left side of the carriage, two maids dressed in sky blue walked side by side, their movements nimble and graceful, exuding an air of confidence and poise—clearly favored by the princess.
Actually, Su Zhenzhen and Chunzhi simply couldn't learn the manners of palace maids, so they decided to create their own style. After all, there were plenty of arrogant and domineering palace maids out there.
Li Da never expected that, more than twenty years later, he would be able to wear eunuch clothes again, hold a whisk, and make a grand appearance in front of people.
Jiang Sijin was also secretly pleased. She had never experienced this feeling of being the center of attention before, not even the person before her had ever ridden in a car.
The carriage stopped, and Li Dayi flicked his whisk, stepped forward, and lifted the gauze curtain.
Jiang Sijin calmly got up and, with Su Zhenzhen's help, walked downstairs.
The two worked together, taking light, graceful steps, and slowly walked to the kneeling officials.
Noticing the shadow falling ahead, Hu Wenqing cleared his throat and announced loudly, "This humble official, Hu Wen, Prefect of Yangcheng, respectfully welcomes the Princess's carriage."
Jiang Sijin gently raised her hand and softly uttered a single word.
"rise."
The officials, both high and low, who were kneeling, all stood up in unison.
Hu Wen bowed deeply, his posture extremely respectful.
"Yangcheng is such a small place, it is truly a blessing for us officials to have the princess visit us today. The county government office in the city has been cleaned up and we respectfully invite Your Highness to stay."
Whether it was her temperament or she was enjoying the performance, Jiang Sijin, with her delicate fingers raised, said coquettishly, "Lord Hu, please don't tell me that in this vast Yangcheng, only the county government office is habitable. What kind of status do I have? How could I possibly be confined to such a place for handling cases?"
Hu Wen maintained a respectful demeanor, saying, "It was my oversight. We officials do have several residences, and we would be grateful if the princess could personally select one for us to stay in."
"That's more like it." Jiang Sijin nodded in satisfaction and returned to the car with Su Zhenzhen's help.
And so, the carriage drove ahead, with a group of officials from Yangcheng walking behind.
The news of the Princess's arrival in Yangcheng soon reached Song Anbang's ears.
The man looked at him incredulously. "What did you say?"
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