Xuan Xunchuan was meeting Rong Ning for the first time, but he knew that she was involved in one of his father's few crushing defeats, and he had also heard about her warning to the people of Dajing when he handed over Princess Zhaoqing.
Unlike the Great Jing Dynasty, the Southern Dynasty had extremely strict rules for the upbringing of women. This princess was able to break through worldly constraints at a young age and command a military force, which shows that she was no ordinary person.
He cannot be underestimated or neglected; all manners of etiquette must be observed!
If you keep going north along the Muyang River, you will reach Qingcheng.
Gyeongseong was formerly a fortress of the Southern Dynasty, and now it has become an important city in the south of Daejeong.
Now that the two countries have opened border markets, trade is frequent, and Qingcheng is just as bustling and prosperous as Kangyecheng.
The delegation rested here for one night and continued their journey the next day.
After traveling for nearly half a month, they finally arrived at the capital city of Dajing.
Standing beneath the majestic walls of Dajing City, Rong Ning gazed at them, her eyes welling with tears...
She's finally... going to see her older sister!
A year later, she was finally going to see her older sister!
The delegation settled in at the post station and the head of the delegation presented the letter of credence to the Emperor of Dajing. The next step was a new round of consultations between the two countries. Rong Ning was not good at this, so it was not her business.
Throughout the year, Rong Ning tirelessly planted spies in Da Jing, and the results were not too bad. However, the Empress of Da Jing was a ruthless character who guarded the palace like an iron barrel, and Rong Ning could not get any information at all.
Since she was now in the capital of Dajing, those spies could not act rashly, lest all their previous efforts be in vain. So she calmed down and stayed quietly for two days before sending a letter of invitation to the Empress of Dajing in the name of Princess Ningding of the Southern Dynasty, requesting that the Empress allow her and her sister to meet.
Given her status, she took the initiative to ask to see her own sister, and Empress Dajing had no reason to refuse. The next day, the palace sent someone to fetch her to the palace.
The palace servants led her directly to the Empress's Zhiyue Palace. There were only a few people there, and Rong Ning immediately spotted her elder sister, who was sitting below the Empress, gazing intently in the direction Rong Ning had entered.
If it weren't for so many people watching, Rong Ning really wanted to rush over and hug her older sister.
Composing herself, she greeted the Empress of Dajing, "Rong Ning greets Your Majesty the Empress!"
"I've always heard you praise this younger sister. Seeing her today, I can see she truly has an extraordinary presence. Consort Xian, you are so lucky!" The Empress's voice was soft and gentle, and her gaze towards Rong Ning was also tender. "Princess Ningding, come here and sit next to Consort Xian. She thinks of you day and night. Now that she has finally come, you must give Consort Xian a good look."
The Empress is truly a good person...
Rong Ning didn't refuse. She gave the gifts she had prepared to the various concubines, then happily sat down next to Rong Yang, hugged her arm, and called out in a pitiful voice, "Sister..."
“A-Ning…” Rong Yang held her hand, which was rougher than before, and her eyes gradually welled up with tears. “You’ve grown taller and stronger than before. Even your older sister can’t compare to you!”
"What are you saying, sister? In my eyes, you will always be the best. No one can compare to you, including myself!"
Her voice was quite loud, and all the seated concubines heard it and burst out laughing.
"Consort Xian...your sister has such a sweet tongue!"
"Yes... If I had a younger sister like that, I would think about her every day. No wonder Consort Xian can't let go of her."
The Empress's smile deepened. "I know you sisters are very close. It's not easy for you to meet, so you must have a lot to say. That's why I asked His Majesty to let Princess Ningding stay in the palace for two days. She will stay at Consort Xian's Minghua Palace so you sisters can catch up."
Upon hearing this, Rong Yang was overjoyed and quickly pulled Rong Ning to express her gratitude, saying, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace!"
"Hey~ We're all sisters, no need to be so polite!" The Empress winked at Rong Yang. "Hurry up and take Princess Ningding for a stroll around the palace. It's May, and the flowers in the Imperial Garden are in full bloom."
"Then I will take my leave with my sister!"
Go ahead~
The Empress raised her hand, signaling them to leave.
The two did not go to the Imperial Garden, but went directly back to Rongyang's Minghua Palace.
"Sister, Her Majesty the Empress is so kind!"
"Hmm~ Her Majesty the Empress is the best person ever. She has been very kind to me and has never let me suffer any injustice."
Rong Yang pulled her to sit down and pinched her cheek. "Why are you so dark again?"
"Sister, I'm always on the move in the army these days, so my life is a bit rough. I haven't taken good care of myself. Next time I come to see you, I'll definitely be fairer!"
Upon hearing this, Rong Yang playfully punched him, "Is that what I meant? I was just worried about you! Didn't you marry Xie Chong? Why didn't he take good care of you?"
Wow! A huge pot was dumped on Xie Chong's head.
“Sister~” Rong Ning explained, “My marriage to Xie Chong was very rushed, and I didn’t have much affection for him. I was often in the military, so we rarely saw each other. How could he take care of me?”
"You..." Rong Yang said angrily, "If you don't like Xie Chong, why marry him? With your current status, Father Emperor won't force you to marry someone you don't like!"
"But sister, making Xie Chong my husband has really solved a lot of trouble for me. You know me, I'm cold and aloof, how could I really like a man?"
Wouldn't it be better to stay where we are now, and hire a prince consort who will unconditionally support whatever I do?
Rong Yang was speechless after hearing this!
"Sister..."
As before, Rong Ning habitually rested her head on Rong Yang's shoulder. "Since you came to Da Jing, the only thing I've wanted to do is bring you back. I'm willing to do a lot and sacrifice a lot for this, so it's no big deal to recruit a consort I don't love."
“A-Ning…”
Rong Yang felt a lump in her throat. "I'm actually doing quite well here. The Empress is kind and the Emperor is benevolent."
"I know, elder sister..."
Rong Ning hugged her, "But I also know that no matter how good it is, it's still not the same!"
In the Great Jing Imperial Harem, no matter how good the emperor and empress were, or how favored she was, she was still all alone, with no one to rely on.
Rong Ning didn't want her older sister to live like this for the rest of her life.
......
After spending two days with Rong Yang in the Great Jing Palace, Rong Ning left the palace. After all, she was a princess of the Southern Dynasty and held an official position, so it was inappropriate for her to stay in the palace indefinitely.
However, the Empress of Dajing would hold a small banquet every two days to invite her to the palace. In total, during her half-month stay in Dajing, Rong Ning saw her elder sister quite often.
In the last two days, the chief envoy of the Southern Dynasty showed Rong Ning the details of the consultations between the two countries. Rong Ning read them carefully and found that the focus was on the trade between the two countries.
The Southern Dynasty and Dajingda also reached an agreement to exchange 10,000 bolts of fine silk for 3,000 high-quality warhorses!
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