Prince Bogu, a Tatar prince in the city, was secretly searching for Tao Wanniang and her companions. However, he had no name and could not explain his purpose. Furthermore, Ling Yunzhou, who had learned of this, was intentionally obstructing his search, so he had no way to conduct a large-scale search.
"Since it was discovered at the Star-Picking Tower, then keep an eye on it at the restaurant every day!" Finally, Bo Gu said to his subordinates in a fit of exasperation, "I don't believe that if we catch the person in the capital and I want to take him away, the Emperor of Great Yue will refuse me!"
After Bo Gu arrived in the capital, he obtained the remaining antidote. After taking the antidote, he even consulted the imperial physician, who confirmed that he was not poisoned at all! Therefore, he had been completely tricked by that woman!
"Your Highness, we can't keep searching. The Emperor of Dayue has said that after the fifteenth, he should take the Princess of Dayue back to Tatar!"
Bo Gu was furious, but it felt more like punching cotton. That woman was incredibly cunning. If she fell into his hands, he would make her beg for mercy on her knees! "If she has the guts, then she should never show her face again!" Bo Gu said angrily. "Call everyone over and prepare for the marriage to the princess."
Tao Wanniang was busy figuring out what to plant on the estate, while Ling Yunzhou was having a major headache because of the Princess.
The matter is settled; the eldest princess must marry into the Tatar family, and no matter how much she protests, it cannot be changed.
"Your Majesty, do you hate me that much? I am your own sister!" After receiving no response from Lingyunzhou, the eldest princess ran to the palace to cry to Zhao Zhe.
“Elder sister, you’re getting on in years. You’ve enjoyed the glory of being a princess for so many years. Shouldn’t you do something for the country?” Zhao Zhe had been teased by the eldest princess several times, and he couldn’t come up with anything new.
"The country, the nation, that's yours, not mine!" the eldest princess roared. "The Emperor could have chosen some women from the imperial clan, why did he have to make me go?"
"Royal sister, have you forgotten everything the Grand Tutor taught you since childhood? Have you forgotten the teachings of Father and Mother? You were born into the royal family, bearing the heavy responsibility of protecting the country. You've truly wasted all these years as a princess." Zhao Zhe angrily rebuked, "You've driven yourself mad for Ling Yunzhou. If you had married Ling Yunzhou earlier, none of this would have happened!"
"Ha, why did the Tatars know the Princess was unmarried as soon as they arrived? Didn't Your Majesty ever think about that?" the Princess said sarcastically. "There must be someone, someone who doesn't like me!"
Zhao Zhe frowned and glared at the eldest princess; there were many people who disliked her.
"But it cannot be denied that you are my own sister, born of the same mother, and are the most honorable eldest princess! I have also heard that you actually threatened Lingyunzhou, and that you went to the Tatars to become an enemy of my Great Yue. Royal sister, do you know what nonsense you have said?"
"Ling Yunzhou is truly a good dog you raised!" The eldest princess smiled bitterly. "Your Majesty, how ruthless you are! You have someone in your heart, yet you still open up the harem and do what an emperor should do; when you are discovered, you push that person to Youzhou. I must be crazy. Ling Yunzhou has betrayed me and delayed my life. Why should I treat him calmly?"
"Now you've betrayed me too. You all just wait. When I get to Tatars, I'll make you pay the price," the princess said fiercely.
Zhao Zhe narrowed his eyes. If this was the kind of princess he knew... he felt a surge of anger.
“Sister, if the Tatars send troops, I think your situation will be even more difficult,” Zhao Zhe said. “I have a great general like Lingyunzhou, and my uncle is guarding Youzhou. I believe that the country you have abandoned will be protected by someone!”
The eldest princess angrily smashed some things in the imperial study, but she also realized that no matter what she said, she couldn't change the fact that she had to go for a political marriage.
"Royal sister, if you disobey me, I won't hesitate to make you obediently get into the bridal sedan chair." Zhao Zhe's calm words already carried a hint of threat.
The princess's face stiffened. The days when she could neither speak nor write made her expression change drastically, and she felt a chill run down her spine. Her younger brother was the Emperor of Great Yue. In this ruthless imperial family, what brotherly affection was there?
"Guards, escort the Princess back to her residence. With the wedding imminent, Your Highness should stay here and await your marriage. Do not leave the residence against your will!" Zhao Zhe's intention was, of course, to confine the Princess to her quarters.
The eldest princess was heartbroken and despondent, her smile fading as she was finally escorted back to her residence by the guards, utterly exhausted. Zhao Zhe, meanwhile, was relentlessly persistent, refusing to allow the eldest princess to marry into the royal family; was he suggesting his youngest princess go instead?
Tao Wanniang had already experienced the hustle and bustle of the capital city on the Lantern Festival, so she naturally didn't want to miss it. However, when she thought that the Tatars might still be looking for her in secret, she held back.
The hustle and bustle outside was irrelevant to her. Tao Wanniang, Xiao Qiao'er, Gao Cuiniang, Zhang Liang, Yang Bai, and the two children were roasting a whole lamb at home.
The sizzling, oily lamb, sprinkled with salt and pepper and cumin, and brushed with your own homemade barbecue sauce, smells so good it's sure to waft all the way to the next door.
“It’s good not to go out and join the crowds. At least you can’t get this kind of cooking from Sister Tao anywhere else,” Zhang Liang said with emotion. “Yang Bai, isn’t it delicious? Sister Tao’s roasted lamb is something most people can’t get.”
Yang Bai nodded vigorously. Although Tao Wanniang was on her way to Youzhou when he arrived, his job as a servant was really easy.
"Brother Zhang, boss, you are both great people. I, Yang Bai, can work here for the rest of my life," Yang Bai said passionately, taking a big bite of mutton.
Tao Wanniang smiled and said, "If nothing had changed, you probably could have continued doing this."
Outside, firecrackers were going off, and colorful fireworks could be seen in the sky. Year after year, the flowers were similar, so the Lantern Festival was not a special day for her.
"Bang bang bang!" The door was knocked on, and it was Wang Fugui's voice from next door.
"Manager Tao, are you roasting mutton again in your house?"
"That dog's nose!" Tao Wanniang couldn't help but laugh. Zhang Liang had already gotten up to answer the door.
Wang Fugui and his wife arrived, drawn by the aroma of the roasted meat.
"Here it is, would you like a bowl of mutton soup first?" Tao Wan's mother was not surprised and pointed to the steaming mutton soup in the pot next to her.
"Manager Tao, I apologize for coming again. It's just that the fragrance wafts over the wall. Others might feel embarrassed, but we two are quite shameless!" Madam Wang said with a smile.
"It's nothing, we're just neighbors." Tao Wan's mother ladled a bowl of mutton soup for each of them. "Isn't today the Lantern Festival? Why didn't you go out to play?"
“It happens every year, I’m already tired of it,” Wang Fugui said, taking a sip of mutton soup, looking very satisfied. “Manager Tao, your mutton soup is still the best.”
“On such a cold day, a sip of this is just what I need. When it gets warmer, I’ll have some barbecue at home a few more times, and I’d like to invite you two to come and have a taste!” Tao Wanniang said.
"Barbecue at home?" Wang Fugui asked in surprise. "In the yard like this?"
“Yes, no one said we can only cook on the stove, right…” Tao Wanniang started talking to the group about family barbecue. With her introduction and the others’ amazement, she had quite a rich experience on this Lantern Festival!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com