Perhaps it has meaning.
If the Southern Dynasty can truly regain its former glory in the future, then everything Rong Yang did will be remembered by the world.
Her name will become a legend, passed down through generations.
However, if the Southern Dynasty ultimately cannot escape its predicament and remains suppressed by the Great Jing, then Rongyang will become the embodiment of the Southern Dynasty's groveling and begging, a symbol of shame.
No one will remember her.
History always judges people's merits and demerits mercilessly, and an insignificant princess sent for a political marriage in the long river of history can be criticized at will.
It's simply a matter of how later generations write it.
As soon as the marriage procession left Nanyang City, Rong Ning quickly took off the princess's court dress that she was wearing on the outside, revealing the clothes of the palace maids who were accompanying her. Then, she carefully dressed up her face using the disguise technique that her master had taught her.
In the blink of an eye, she went from a noble princess to an ordinary palace maid.
This disguised face is completely different from Rong Ning's original appearance, bearing no resemblance whatsoever.
Rong Yang witnessed her transformation firsthand and was so astonished he couldn't close his mouth, "A Ning...you..."
Rong Ning quickly made a shushing gesture, then winked playfully, "Shh...don't make a sound, I'm still me..."
In the past, she traveled around with her master. Because of the inconvenience of being a woman, they often had to dress as men.
Her mentor once told her that this was not their fault, but rather a limitation imposed by the larger environment, which could not be changed.
If we can't change the environment, then we can only change ourselves.
The emperor said that Rong Ning's identity must not be revealed, so she had to find a way to hide herself.
If you want to stay with your elder sister all the way, there is only one option: to become her personal maid.
So, she decided without hesitation to disguise herself in this way.
Ah Ying blended in among the many maids who accompanied her in the wedding procession, and was not conspicuous.
Up until this moment, no one noticed, or perhaps simply ignored, that Princess Ningding had not gotten off the carriage since she boarded it.
Rong Yang's eyes sparkled as she excitedly exclaimed, "A Ning...you're amazing!"
Rong Ning smiled and replied, "It's just a few tricks... If you're interested, I can teach you. After all, the journey is long, and we need to find something to pass the time."
Rong Yang immediately agreed, "Okay..."
However, before she could finish speaking, she suddenly seemed to remember something, turned her neck with difficulty, and then complained, "But before that, please take off my hair crown. It's so heavy! My neck is about to break!"
Rong Ning turned her head to look at the hair ornament on Rong Yang's head, her brows furrowing slightly.
She tried to untie the hair ornaments, but quickly realized they were far too complicated for her to handle. Left with no other option, she lifted the curtain and called A-Ye into the carriage.
Aye looked up at the unfamiliar face, somewhat puzzled, but dared not make a sound. She got into the carriage and saw the princess's court dress placed to the side, and understood.
"Ah Ye... help your sister take off her hair crown..." Rong Ning instructed.
A-Ye hesitated, "Your Highness... according to the rules, this crown cannot be removed."
"Rules, rules... rules are made by people, and I can take it just because I say so!" Rong Ning snorted.
“Okay…” A-Ye compromised.
Anyway, the princesses would be in the carriage the whole way, and if they had to get off, they would have to wear floor-length veils, so it wouldn't make a difference.
Moreover, they had to hurry to reach the North, and there was very little time to rest or linger along the way, so no one paid close attention to whether their princess's appearance was in accordance with the rules.
Fortunately, in order to highlight the prestige of the country, the Southern Dynasty built carriages that were large, wide and comfortable, so Rong Yang and Rong Ning could pass the time comfortably even if they were stuck in the carriages.
It's only March, but the further north you go, the colder it gets, and the more desolate the surrounding scenery becomes.
Rong Yang has never left Nanyang City more than a few times in her life, let alone the northern regions.
In the eyes of the people of the Southern Dynasties, the North was bitterly cold, and the Great Jing, which dominated the North, was an even more barbaric land. The Southern Dynasties had been established for hundreds of years and never paid any attention to the Great Jing.
The war between the two countries was initiated by the Southern Dynasty because it believed that the Great Jing Dynasty was unstable and its border defenses were weak during the transition of imperial power. However, it did not expect to be defeated by the Great Jing Dynasty.
Rong Yang was a young lady from a respectable family and hadn't paid much attention to these court affairs before, but now that she was stuck in the carriage traveling, she chatted with Rong Ning about these things.
As we talked, many things came to mind that I couldn't understand.
“Ah Ning, I remember you said that the Emperor of Da Jing was established amidst the infighting among the princes. But why didn’t the late emperor take advantage of the internal strife in Da Jing to launch a northern expedition? Instead, he waited until the Emperor of Da Jing ascended the throne before marching north with his army.”
Why?
Rong Ning had asked her master this question when the late emperor, encouraged by his court officials, decided to launch a northern expedition.
Her master answered all her questions in a very comprehensive way.
“Sister…the political situation in the Southern Dynasty and the Great Jing Dynasty is different. In the Southern Dynasty, civil officials are in power, and they are above military generals, who are suppressed to the point of having no status.”
At the time, some people in the court did propose to take advantage of the internal turmoil in the Great Jing Dynasty to launch a northern expedition, but before the voices could be heard, they were suppressed by the civil officials.
For a century, civil officials in the Southern Dynasties held power. They disliked war, believing it was a waste of resources and manpower.
Over time, although the Southern Dynasty had millions of soldiers, it had few proper generals. Generals with even a little military merit were squeezed out by civil officials and could not stand in the court.
Civil officials were reluctant to break this situation, so they were unwilling to start a war and give military officials an opportunity.
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