"Yanhe, do you recognize her?"
Yuwen Yanhe shook his head.
Jin Kuan and Yuwen Yanhe had been playmates since childhood. He had seen all the women Yuwen Yanhe knew, and he didn’t remember such a person, so he didn’t care.
In this ancient society where official ranks dictated everything, a small official from the Tidu Yamen Government Office actually refused to give face to Yuwen Yanhe, a third-rank general—Yang Mengchen found this very hard to understand.
"The princess may not know, but Prince Duan once wanted to betroth Princess Duan’s own sister to General Yuwen when he was still a border guard captain," explained Sister Jin, seemingly catching Yang Mengchen’s bewilderment. "However, General Yuwen declined, and Cao Da probably wanted to use this incident to regain face for the Fan family (Princess Duan’s maiden home)."
So that’s how it was. Yang Mengchen suddenly realized that the wounded soldiers should be fine. Perhaps she should return to the mansion first and send someone to find Wende to handle the matter.
Yang Mengchen was about to instruct Mo Mei to drive away when Chu Dieyi suddenly appeared and stood in front of the Tidu Yamen Soldiers: "Let them go!" Yang Mengchen held her forehead—having lived again, Ah Lan still liked to draw her sword to aid the helpless.
"Who are you? How dare you obstruct our official duties? Are you trying to rebel?" Chu Dieyi rarely appeared in public, so naturally, Cao Da didn’t recognize her.
The onlooking crowd was equally astonished: This woman had guts, daring to confront the Tidu Yamen—an impressive feat!
Chu Dieyi spoke righteously, "Who I am is not important. What’s important is that you shouldn’t treat these soldiers who protect our country like this!"
"You’re rebelling! Come, arrest her and take her back to the yamen!" Cao Da shouted angrily. freēwēbnovel.com
Two soldiers from the Tidu Yamen immediately stepped forward, trying to capture Chu Dieyi, but she quickly took them down.
The crowd cheered loudly.
Cao Da, infuriated, ordered half of the soldiers to attack Chu Dieyi, determined to capture her and question her for her crimes—otherwise, where would his face be?
Some wounded soldiers broke free from their restraints and joined the fight, standing shoulder to shoulder with Chu Dieyi against the Tidu Yamen Soldiers.
Without waiting for Yang Mengchen’s commands, Hai Tang and Lv Luo leaped out of the carriage and rushed to Chu Dieyi’s side, skillfully taking down the soldiers without endangering their lives.
"Hai Tang, Lv Luo, what are you doing here?" Chu Dieyi asked in surprise.
As Hai Tang knocked a soldier flying, she responded, "The princess is over there."
Following Hai Tang’s gaze, Chu Dieyi saw Yang Mengchen walking over slowly with Mo Mei and Shan Cha, followed by three fierce beasts. Chu Dieyi’s eyes lit up as she ceased her movements and knelt down respectfully, "This humble wife pays respect to Princess Chen, may the Princess live for thousands and thousands of years!"
So it was the famous Princess Chen! Yuwen Yanhe was taken aback, then he and Jin Kuan dismounted their horses and bowed respectfully.
The crowd also kneeled to pay their respects.
Seeing those three majestic and powerful beasts, Cao Da’s face turned pale with fright as he heavily knelt down and cautiously paid his respects to Yang Mengchen.
The yamen officers hurriedly released the wounded soldiers, knelt, and repeatedly kowtowed in respect, as did the soldiers who had been lying on the ground.
"Everyone, rise," Yang Mengchen said as she helped Chu Dieyi up. She then turned to look at the frightened Cao Da and spoke indifferently, "This person is the wife of the General of Fu Country, bestowed by the Emperor himself with the first-grade title of Virtuous Lady. Mister Cao, are you sure you want to take Madam Shao into custody?"
Cao Da responded with trepidation, "I dare not, it’s a misunderstanding, I..."
"Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not, let’s not discuss it for now," Yang Mengchen interrupted Cao Da, her expression serene and voice clear and devoid of emotion. "I’m already aware of what happened here. It’s true the wounded soldiers were in the wrong to act violently, but the root cause is that the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue did not handle the matter properly, leading to this dispute. You should release these wounded soldiers and let them return with General Yuwen."
"Princess Chen has given an order, and I dare not disobey. However, if my superior asks, am I to report the truth?" Princess Chen commanded great favor from the Emperor, and even Prince Duan dared not offend her easily, let alone Cao Da.
Yang Mengchen raised an eyebrow and spoke coldly, "You go back and tell Director Cui of the Tidu Yamen that the people were released by my order. If he has any complaints, he’s welcome to seek me out in the Prince Mansion. I am always ready to receive Director Cui."
"I will obey the order," Cao Da sighed with relief as it seemed Prince Duan would not blame him.
Even though they were far away at the frontier, Princess Chen’s reputation for wisdom was well-known. Now, having helped them to escape the prison woe, the wounded soldiers were both respectful and grateful. They approached Yang Mengchen to say in unison, "Thank you, Princess Chen!"
"It was my duty. You need not be so formal," Yang Mengchen gestured for them to stand and added with a smile, "You should thank Madam Shao."
"Thank you, Madam Shao," the soldiers said, equally grateful for Madam Shao’s heroic righteousness.
Chu Dieyi waved her hands in dismissal.
"You two, come forward," Yang Mengchen instructed the two Ministry of War officials, looking down on the pair as they kneeled, "I have a message for the Minister of War."
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