Chapter 215 King Xijiang
Fangzhou turned his head away, ignoring Qiuheng.
Qiu Heng leaned over and reached out to tickle her.
"Miss!" Fangzhou couldn't avoid it, so she tried her best to keep a straight face. "Unless you take me with you, I won't be angry."
"I really can't take you this time."
"You think I'm useless?" Fangzhou's eyes reddened. "Although I don't know anything else, at least I can make sure you have a meal you like."
Qiu Heng hesitated for a moment, but still didn't reveal her true intentions: "Xijiang is, after all, a foreign land, and its people are fierce. You know, I have martial arts skills, so protecting myself won't be a problem, but protecting another person will be difficult."
This reason convinced Fangzhou: "Miss, you must come back safely. I'll learn to make new desserts for you."
"good."
As they spoke, they arrived at the Kang Prince's residence. Princess Jiayi pulled Qiuheng aside and talked for a long time, presenting her with gift after gift. Even the Kang Prince's wife's amiable demeanor seemed more genuine than before.
Having returned to the Earl's mansion laden with gifts, Fangzhou began to worry about how to properly store them.
"Yesterday's imperial gift, today's gift from Prince Kang's residence, plus what came before, the storeroom is almost overflowing with stuff..."
Granny Yu stood silently gazing at the sky.
If she weren't from Lengxiangju, she would definitely be envious to the point of being twisted in jealousy.
The next day was still a fine day. Qiu Heng accompanied the old lady in the same carriage to the Prince of Fu's residence.
Princess Fu personally came out to greet her, exchanged a few pleasantries with the old lady, and then looked at Qiu Heng's face. She almost burst into tears after just one glance.
On the contrary, Princess Rongning greeted Qiuheng calmly.
"Please sit down, Madam. All of you have come to greet us."
There were many people standing in the hall. The three young men were the sons of the Princess Consort of Fu and the brothers of Princess Rongning.
The two young women with their hair styled in women's buns were Princess Rongning's two sisters-in-law.
As for the Prince of Fu's several illegitimate sons, the Princess Consort of Fu did not allow them to attend today's luncheon.
The sons and daughters-in-law greeted the old lady, and Princess Fu felt even more distressed watching the lively scene.
Rong Ning was the only girl in the entire Prince Fu's mansion. Why was the prince so heartless as to send Rong Ning to a marriage alliance for the sake of the Great Xia?
Everyone says that the prince is a man of noble character and wholeheartedly devoted to the country, but what use is such a good reputation to her? All she wants is for her daughter to be by her side.
Princess Kefu understood that no amount of reluctance would change anything, and she could only accept the reality that she and her daughter would soon be separated.
"Princess Suiyun—"
Qiu Heng smiled and said, "Your Highness, please call me Aheng."
“Alright, I’ll still call you Aheng…” Princess Fu’s voice trembled slightly. “You saved Rong Ning during last year’s autumn hunt, and I never expected that I would be sending Rong Ning off to get married this year.”
"This is probably fate between me and Princess Rongning."
“Yes, you two are destined to meet—” Princess Fu’s eyes reddened, and she took Qiu Heng’s hand. “Then I’ll have to ask you to take good care of Rong Ning.”
"I will."
Qiu Heng didn't say much, after all, she couldn't guarantee that she could bring Princess Rongning back safely.
They brought back another cartload of gifts prepared by the Princess Consort of Fu to the Earl's residence. More than ten days later, the wedding procession slowly left the capital like a long dragon, heading west.
Qiu Heng's carriage followed closely behind Princess Rong Ning's carriage, and she was the only passenger in the carriage.
The procession was large, and the carriages and horses moved very slowly. One month later, the carriages suddenly stopped.
One of Princess Rongning's personal maids fell ill.
After examining the maid, the accompanying imperial physician shook his head: "If she continues to travel, she may not recover fully."
Princess Rongning looked at the drowsy maid and made a decision: "When we arrive at the next town, Xi'er, you stay and take care of Qingxiu."
"Your Highness, this servant wishes to stay with you—"
Princess Rongning said coldly, "No need for further explanation."
After leaving two maids and a guard behind, Princess Rongning called out to Qiuheng, "Aheng, sit with me for a while."
Qiu Heng boarded Princess Rongning's carriage.
The carriage was spacious and comfortable. As Qiu Heng sat down, the maid who had stayed in the carriage to take care of Princess Rongning withdrew.
“Originally, I was supposed to have at least twenty maids accompanying me on my marriage alliance,” Princess Rongning suddenly said. “I only chose ten, and I specifically selected those who were strong and healthy, some even with martial arts training. But one of them fell ill before we even reached Xijiang. I should have brought fewer people…”
Qiu Heng patted Princess Rongning's arm comfortingly.
"Aheng, is it because you saved me before that the Emperor chose you to be my bride? I'm so sorry."
"Your Highness, please don't think that way." Having traveled together for so long and already getting to know each other, Qiu Heng said frankly, "It was Consort Yu who suggested it."
"Consort Yu?" Princess Rongning curled her lip slightly. "She's not a good person."
"So Your Highness need not feel burdened. I will just stay out of the limelight to avoid having to face her every day."
"Ah Heng, actually... I'm a little scared." Princess Rongning hugged her knees, her usual arrogance gone. "I've read through many unofficial histories and travelogues, and the more I read, the more uneasy I become. It's so different from Great Xia, the Western Jiang King—"
Princess Rongning was very reluctant to mention this person, but she couldn't avoid it: "He seems to be about forty years old, and I've heard he has three queens. I'm really afraid that if I vomit in front of him, it will cause trouble for the Great Xia..."
No, it won't.
Princess Rongning smiled wryly: "Aheng, you have more confidence in me than I do in myself."
Qiu Heng looked at the girl whose eyes were still bright and sighed in her heart.
Because she knows.
But she didn't know that Princess Rongning had initially been making every effort to adapt to life in Xijiang.
King Xijiang truly deserves to die.
"There's always a way out. Perhaps when the time comes, Your Highness will know what to do."
Princess Rongning nodded hesitantly: "I hope so."
As summer turned to autumn and the ground was covered with yellow leaves, the marriage procession finally arrived in Xijiang.
As dusk approached, the wind grew cold, and in the distance, flocks of sheep could be seen being driven, resembling drifting white clouds.
As Princess Rongning gazed upon the vast grassland, the pent-up frustration in her chest dissipated considerably.
This is ginger, it's not as bad as I thought.
The wedding procession stopped, and Princess Rongning, accompanied by two envoys, one civil and one military, as well as Qiu Heng, entered the Xijiang Palace.
King Xijiang sat upright on his throne, looking down at the person who entered with great majesty.
"Greetings, King Jiang." Xue Han and another envoy surnamed Zhao bowed to King Jiang.
Displeasure flashed in King Xijiang's eyes.
The Great Xia Kingdom needed something from the Jiang Kingdom, yet the envoy was still so arrogant and didn't take him seriously.
On second thought, so what if she's arrogant? She still sent a large amount of gold and silver to the princess of Great Xia from afar.
King Xijiang said indifferently that there was no need for formalities, and looked at Princess Rongning, who was wearing a veiled hat: "Is this Princess Rongning of your country?"
He knew that this woman was not the daughter of the Xia emperor. His spies infiltrated Xia had long known that the eldest of the Xia emperor's unmarried daughters was only eleven years old, and if he wanted to marry a princess of Xia, he would have to choose from the royal family.
That's better.
King Xijiang looked down at Princess Rongning and smiled silently.
(End of this chapter)
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