The group had to go to the government office the next morning, so after eating, they didn't stay long and all returned to Tai'an Prefecture.
Although Han Zhongyu was somewhat disappointed that Xie Yushu didn't seem to care about him much, he still took care of Xie Yushu's schedule for the next few days like a fairy godmother.
Thinking of the grievances Xie Yushu had suffered in the past, Han Zhongyu immediately sent someone to Yonghe County to deliver a message that the first-rank princess was returning to her hometown to visit relatives, and ordered the officials below to prepare to receive her and accompany her.
This doesn't count as abusing power for personal gain; a first-rank princess can indeed have such a grand procession when she travels.
But it exceeded Xie Yushu's expectations.
She just wanted to go back and see the original owner's parents and family in a normal way.
Han Zhongyu wanted to publicly support her and show them that knowing Xie Yushu was the greatest luck of their lives.
It's to let them know the gap between them and Xie Yushu.
This will also prevent some people from being blind and acting like they're not outsiders just because they know Xie Yushu, thus offending her.
Whether someone is an outsider or not depends on Xie Yushu's mood, not on their assumptions.
Then, Xie Yushu rested for a day and prepared to go to Tai'an Prefecture to meet up with Xie Tianqi and the others, and return to Xie Family Village together. Unexpectedly, as soon as she left the manor, she saw Han Zhongyu riding a tall horse, with ten guards on both sides and eight constables holding gongs and signs.
The first ones are Liu Nan and Liu Bei.
Xie Yushu was somewhat taken aback.
"Is it really necessary to make this so widely known?"
Han Zhongyu nodded very seriously.
“It’s necessary. This is your first time returning to your hometown as a princess. You must have the proper pomp and circumstance. This is the dignity a princess should have.”
This is also to instill in them the proper respect for the princess of the imperial court, lest some fool offend you. In that case, with fellow villagers, not punishing them would be insufficient to uphold the law, but punishing them would be difficult because they are all acquaintances, and you might not be able to bring yourself to do it.
Xie Yushu, recalling the unpleasant things that had happened in the past, readily agreed.
Only Xie Yushu returned from this trip. Nan Xingchunyu accompanied her, but Chu Jinyu and Xiao Haitang were not brought along. Xuan Yuanche wanted to join in the fun, but Xie Yushu stopped him.
With his delicate and pampered nature, finding food and accommodation would be a huge problem for him.
While Xie Yushu and her entourage were returning to their hometown, He Zinian, the new magistrate of Yonghe County, was also extremely busy after receiving the letter.
The news was too sudden. He had no idea what he could prepare in a single day. That was a first-rank princess! If she hadn't returned to her hometown, he, a mere seventh-rank county magistrate with no background, would probably never have seen her in his entire life.
So they arranged a banquet overnight and found several well-known female relatives of officials to accompany Xie Yushu.
At the same time, someone was sent to Xiejia Village to inform the village chief to prepare to welcome the First-Rank Princess back to her hometown.
The village chief and clan head of Xie Family Village is now Xie Baotian. The constables from the county ran and shouted all the way, making a great fuss. When they arrived at Xie Baotian's house, not only Xie Baotian knew, but everyone in the surrounding villages knew that Xie Family Village had produced a first-rank princess.
When Xie Baotian heard that Xie Yushu had been granted the title of First-Rank Princess, he was so excited that his face turned red. He immediately had Madam Lu give the messenger a string of copper coins so that the messenger could buy some wine.
The villagers were initially incredulous, but then they accepted it with equanimity. It wasn't impossible for Xie Yushu to go from being an abandoned woman to a village lady, and then from a village lady to a county princess.
Anyway, the better she does, the more the villagers benefit. Now every family's children can go to school, and the medicinal herbs in the fields are growing well. When people go out and say that she is from Xiejia Village, other villages are extremely envious.
Because the village has a clan school where local children can study for free, young women from other villages are eager to marry into Xiejia Village, hoping that their children can study and have a bright future.
Moreover, Xie Yushu promised to buy back the medicinal herbs at the market price. They had also inquired at the town market and found that the price of medicinal herbs was the same as in normal years. So, they figured that those of them who grew medicinal herbs would make a small profit this year, and at the very least, they could earn three or four times as much as those who grew corn.
These are all changes brought about by Xie Yushu, so when the people of Xiejia Village heard that Xie Yushu was going back to the village, they welcomed her from the bottom of their hearts.
So the village immediately sprang into action. The men rushed to clean the ancestral hall and prepare offerings, while the young men went home, grabbed brooms, and swept the entire route from the village entrance to the Xie family ancestral hall, a distance of two miles.
Each household kept their chickens, ducks, geese, and dogs in the yard, just in case the young men had just swept the road and the poultry left droppings on it.
Xie Tianlin even drove a donkey cart directly to town and bought a lot of firecrackers.
Even the flowers in front of each house have been trimmed into the most beautiful shape.
With everything packed and ready, Xie Yushu and her group finally arrived at their destination on the morning of the third day.
Since she arrived in Yonghe County first, Han Zhongyu had already explained the process to her beforehand. Knowing that the county magistrate would be hosting the banquet in his official capacity, she wore the formal attire of a first-rank princess beforehand, and wore the same outfit when she returned to the village.
By the time they reached this point, the group had grown more than tenfold, including not only the magistrate and constables of Yonghe County, but also a large group of villagers from various villages who came to watch the spectacle.
Upon arriving at the village entrance, Xie Yushu saw the entire village standing there to greet her. She immediately lifted the curtain and stepped off the carriage.
The moment Madam Lu saw Xie Yushu, she was in a daze. Was that bright, elegant, and noble woman really her daughter?
Aside from her face, which was still the same face, Lu suddenly felt that Xie Yushu was somewhat unfamiliar.
Recalling Xie Yushu's childhood, she was timid and shy, always trying to endure whatever came her way. But the woman before her was dignified and radiant; there was no trace of her childhood self. She almost didn't recognize her!
Xie Baotian shared similar thoughts with the Lu family.
The others stared blankly at Xie Yushu.
It wasn't until Liu Nan struck the gong that everyone remembered to pay their respects to Xie Yushu, and immediately a crowd of people knelt down in front of her.
"This humble subject greets the Princess, the Governor, and the Magistrate."
"Get up, all of you!"
After everyone got up, Xie Baotian's family was still in a daze. Xie Yushu went forward to help Lu Shi and Lu Shi and said to everyone...
"Grandma, Mom, Dad, and Uncle, don't just stand there like that. We're home now. I missed you all so much! Didn't you miss me?"
Then, seeing so many fellow villagers around him, he asked Nanxing to distribute the candy and fruit from the car to everyone, to create a lively and festive atmosphere.
Anyway, Aunt Su had anticipated this situation and specially packed several baskets of these snacks to appease the onlookers.
Seeing that Xie Yushu was still the same as always and had not become distant from them because of her higher status, Madam Lu finally felt a bit of the feeling of having her own daughter again.
However, she still doubted whether she could have given birth to such an outstanding daughter.
Others, unaware of Lu's thoughts, saw Xie Yushu reach the village entrance and began setting off firecrackers from a distance.
Firecrackers continued all the way to the ancestral hall. The adults around were relatively well-behaved, but the children, having received candy, laughed and played, chasing each other. Xie Yushu's journey home was filled with laughter and joy, a truly lively scene.
Everywhere was in harmony; Xiejia Village had never seen such a scene before.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
