High-class Spring Joy

The shopkeeper added that he felt increasingly moved, unsure whether he was moved by the story itself or by all the people in it who shouldn't have died:

"And then the winter jasmine became the most beloved flower in our small town. This story is so well-known that even a three-year-old in our town could tell the two young ladies the tale. It is precisely because of this that the flower has a profound significance. In truth, none of us know whether the story is true or not, but the winter jasmine is indeed real, growing firmly in this place. Legend has it that when the winter jasmine first bloomed in this small town, it was on a full moon night, just like the full moon night on the wedding night of the two young princesses. It seems that the winter jasmine is the incarnation of the two young princesses. That is what everyone here believes."

The boss spoke with a touch of emotion on his face, and Qinghe and Princess Jing'an beside him felt the same way.

Those two little princesses were truly innocent victims of a calamity, and the Women's Kingdom was even more innocent victims of a calamity. Perhaps it was because the Women's Kingdom died too tragically and perished too absolutely, or perhaps it was because Heaven took pity on the two little princesses' determination to fight to the death that it left behind such a plant, such a rare and beautiful flower, to commemorate some legends that people will never forget, and to make people forever remember that, at some point in time and in a distant space-time, there once existed a Women's Kingdom.

"That country must be very different from now!" Princess Jing'an said with emotion. "I really like this story, I really like this hairpin, and I especially like the winter flower. I'll take everything from your stall, wrap them all up and send them to Lanyue Inn."

Qinghe was also deeply moved, perhaps because she was pregnant. Now, when this matter was mentioned, she felt very sorry for the two little princesses in the story. Being born with disabilities is a kind of suffering in this world.

How can one make someone easily accept that they are a disabled princess of a fallen kingdom, watching their cautious subjects bite their tongues and commit suicide, one by one, to be buried with their fallen kingdom, and only let them live on? At that point, the only motivation for them to live would probably be revenge. Sometimes, knowing nothing might make people feel more at ease.

There are many things in this world that are roughly the same. If you see and understand some things completely, you will find that they are the least interesting and that the world is just like that.

Human joys and sorrows are not shared, and there is no such thing as true empathy in this world, let alone being able to personally experience someone's pain. Just as Princess Jing'an and Qinghe were lost in their own thoughts, the stall owner happily agreed and busily packed the hairpins and jewelry for Princess Jing'an.

"Okay, okay."

The shop owner answered repeatedly. Having run a small business for over ten years, he was flustered and overwhelmed today, not for any other reason than that this deal was the biggest business he had ever encountered.

Although this small northern city has more people than Mohan City, it is still not considered a large city in this cold place, and it is naturally not as lively as Bianjing City.

In this place, running a small business is barely enough to make ends meet, and all they ask for is to support their families. They never ask for more. If Xiao Chen is lucky, he might have a lot of business there, but if he is unlucky, he might end up with nothing. After all, if the population is small, consumption will naturally be low, and ordinary people don't buy hairpins every day.

The best business he'd ever had was selling just a few items, but this young lady came out and wanted to buy everything from the stall. How could he not be excited?

The shopkeeper, frantically tidying up, gave Qinghe and Chu Jingxian a hurried yet excited smile, afraid they might change their minds and not buy anything because of his flustered efforts. He quickly explained:

"I'm sorry to have made you two ladies laugh. It's rare to have such a big business in our small town, so I was a little flustered. But there's nothing wrong with my hairpin. Although my hairpin and other jewelry aren't very valuable, they were all handmade by my wife. This straw woven item is even less valuable, but it was also made by my young son. If you two ladies like it, I'll give you the straw woven items next to it for free. It's just that my stall hasn't been open for two days, and I felt a little guilty when I went back to see my wife and son. So my wife and son are very understanding and never say anything. But since I'm the head of the family, I should also bear the expectations of my wife and son. Now that this business has been done, I can relax a lot, and my wife can relax a lot too. We have enough money to take my wife to see an eye doctor, so I'm especially excited. Please don't be offended by my small town background and lack of worldly experience. I hope you two ladies won't find me vulgar."

As the vendor spoke, a sheepish smile appeared on his face. Every word he uttered was sincere, revealing both his genuine embarrassment and his lack of business. It had been a long time since he had made a sale; his embarrassment was also a genuine expression of his distress.

Feeling ashamed to face his wife and son was not only embarrassing, but also real. It seemed that at this moment, the two of them clearly felt that the joys and sorrows of ordinary people were all tied to money. Qinghe could understand this very well, after all, he was once a poor man who was sold into the Marquis's mansion for two or three taels of silver.

Just then, Princess Jing'an looked at the vendor's excited and anxious expression as he looked, as if he was afraid of messing it up. For some reason, she was deeply moved and thought that it was not easy to find a big business deal in such a place. Perhaps it would be better to settle the bill with him immediately and let him pack up and go home as soon as possible?

"Alright, you've had it tough too. This place is quite a distance from Lanyue Inn. How much is all of this in total? I'll pay you all at once."

To everyone's surprise, the shopkeeper grinned, scratched the back of his head, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "We'll play what you two ladies said. You don't need drinks anymore, because a young master already paid for them. He just said it was only for the two ladies."

Hearing the boss's words, Qinghe and Princess Jing'an exchanged a glance and both saw the doubt and confusion in each other's eyes.

"Did that young master leave his name? Or do you remember what he looked like? What were his distinguishing features?"

Qinghe looked at him, unable to think of anyone in particular, but after thinking about it, she realized that there were many possibilities, such as the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince who had just been rejected by Princess Jing'an, the Fourth Prince, or even His Highness the Crown Prince. After all, it was normal for Princess Jing'an to be the most favored princess in the palace.

"That young master didn't say his name. Well, all I know is that he's very handsome. As for other features, there aren't any particularly noticeable ones."

The boss's words really made no difference. Putting aside His Highness the Crown Prince, and just considering the other princes, none of them were unhandsome; they were just handsome in their own way.

Not to mention the princes, even the ministers who came with them this time were all of exceptional talent and outstanding appearance, including many handsome young men. According to the boss, the range was quite large.

Then something even stranger happened. Wherever Qinghe and Princess Jing'an went, whenever they finished shopping or eating and needed to pay for a performance, the shopkeeper would invariably say that someone had already paid. It was said that this was a routine given by Young Master Wei, referring to a handsome young man. Princess Jing'an and Qinghe were quite helpless, thinking that this might be the work of a somewhat narcissistic man, otherwise why would he refer to himself as a somewhat handsome young man?

Princess Jing'an naturally accepted this without hesitation. It was nothing to her, as she had been pampered since childhood. Qinghe didn't think much of it afterward, and felt that it was perfectly normal for the princes to vie to feed Princess Jing'an and for the princess to pay for it.

The two decided not to worry about it anymore. Qinghe thought that even if she needed to pay the bill later, she was now someone who could afford to pay. With that confidence, she probably wouldn't be afraid of those things anymore.

Qinghe was initially hesitant, wondering if someone had deliberately done this. But then she thought about it and realized who was next to her. This was the most favored princess in the entire Song Kingdom. Even without a prince, the emperor would still dote on her.

It was so cold in Mohan, and there were so few people. I finally arrived in a small northern town that had the characteristics of a northern town, but also had a different local atmosphere. The people were friendly and lively, and the temperature was much better than in Mohan.

Qinghe and Princess Jing'an were like birds released from their cages in the mountains and forests. Their joy, freedom, and excitement were undisguised. They ate, drank, strolled, and played, and their happiness was so great that even their daily companions would be surprised to see their princess like this.

Meanwhile, the emperor of Song Kingdom also left the inn. As the ruler of a country, he should naturally take a good look at the people's conditions in this small northern town.

They had only taken a few steps when a disguised eunuch came to report: "Your Majesty, your prediction was correct; indeed, someone has already made their move."

The emperor wasn't surprised at all. After decades of strategizing, he was always surprised by this one thing. He just tilted his head slightly, while the eunuch beside him had already reacted: "It's the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince. His Highness the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince haven't made any further moves. According to the news, they seem to be resting at an inn, saying they are tired."

"My sons are all quite different. But if you ask what's different about them, then there's something in common: they all like my position and want to be the next me. There's nothing wrong with that, but I absolutely cannot easily hand over what I have to an incompetent person. If they really want to take it, let them use their own methods, but it must not be someone incompetent; they should fight for it themselves."

The emperor spoke in a calm, even voice, as if he were simply recounting what he had eaten that day. For the royal family, even kinship had to take a backseat to power and the supreme position.

The struggle for power and profit, the bloodshed—this is something that happens in every royal family, and it's a tradition. The emperor himself rose to power through such struggles. He wasn't someone who lived off his wife, nor was he someone who advocated for legitimate succession. He valued his sons based on their abilities. Rather than those who were unambitious and utterly mediocre, he preferred those who were ambitious and capable.

Since struggle is inevitable and contention is bound to happen, let them fight for it. Let them use all their abilities and talents to strengthen themselves. They may want the throne or the emperor's position. Who doesn't want the emperor's position?

Wanting something is not a sin. In this world, there is nothing wrong with wanting something. Wanting something, liking something, and wanting to get it are all human nature, and everyone has them to some extent. It's just that the objects of desire may be different. But how to win something and how to obtain it depends on each person's performance and ability. In this process, it is also best for him to observe himself and see which of his sons is the most ambitious and talented.

Only a prince chosen in this way can give him the confidence to entrust the entire country and its people to him.

Only when an ambitious and capable prince becomes emperor can he safeguard the country, protect the people, and put his mind at ease.

The crown prince was the rightful heir, but he has always performed unremarkably, neither striving for the throne nor falling behind, giving the impression of being mediocre. He might be fine as an ordinary prince, but as for becoming emperor, he seems to lack the necessary qualities.

The peace talks between the two countries have come to a good end, especially after the alliance was strengthened. The conflict between the two countries and the Tibetan Empire has also come to a relatively peaceful conclusion. The Tibetan Empire recently restored the ceasefire agreement between the two countries.

The Tibetan Kingdom's desire for peace? The emperor knew immediately that the purpose of this peace negotiation had finally been achieved. It was difficult in some ways, and not so difficult in others. The difficulty lay in the length of the negotiations and the immense effort invested; it almost didn't reach an agreement and could have created another nation. Yet, it was also simple in another way. The turning point in all of this negotiation occurred with a young girl. She unintentionally saved someone, which influenced the entire negotiation process and, consequently, the situation across the continent, at least sparing them and the Tibetan Kingdom three years of war.

Such an impact is considerable, and it's something that probably no one could easily have imagined.

Now that this matter is settled, the emperor's burden is naturally lighter, and he has the mind to ponder other things. A eunuch serving nearby asked:

"Judging from the current situation, the Third Prince is indeed ambitious, and it can be described as having lofty aspirations. However, the Fifth Prince seems to have some ideas as well."

The emperor smiled faintly, speaking in a light tone as if he had merely witnessed something on the street, rather than concerning the imperial throne and the entire nation's well-being.

"Let them go. The third prince has ambition, but lacks ability, especially in terms of shrewdness. He's as naive as a blank sheet of paper, and his arrogant nature means he'll likely ruin the throne. The fifth prince seems better than the third, but unfortunately, she's also impatient. Princess Mingrong only received a reward a few days ago, and within three days, they couldn't resist taking action, and using such a clumsy method. She doesn't seem like a reliable person. What I'm more curious about now are the Crown Prince and the fourth prince. What methods will they use to win over our newly emerged Princess Mingrong?"

Yes, this situation was destined to happen from the moment Qinghe was named the eldest princess by the emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom.

Even the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, as well as everyone else who deeply care about the situation, can basically react quickly. This is why the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince suddenly became very attentive, and specifically chose to do so when Qinghe was present.

As for Qinghe and Princess Jing'an, they may or may not have realized it, but at least when they were having fun in the small northern town, they naturally forgot all about it.

Qinghe and Princess Jing'an went to the most famous restaurant in the area for a meal. They ordered a large table full of dishes according to the menu. However, when they finished their meal and went to pay for the food, they were told that someone else had already paid.

Whether before or after, it seems that from the moment they stepped out of the inn, for every expense, the answer was always that someone had paid in advance, and all they knew was that this person was a man, who was somewhat handsome.

Qinghe and Princess Jing'an had already finished their sightseeing when they finally noticed these odd things.

As they walked, the seventh man accidentally dropped a folding fan in front of Qinghe. Princess Jing'an finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Qinghe, you'd better be prepared. These are just a few of the young masters we brought along; most are ministers, and even my brothers are already showering you with attention. Imagine what it will be like when you return to Bianjing. Your status and power are vastly different now, and power and birth correspond to many things. Your marriage now concerns many things. As a princess, perhaps I should think of the country, and..." The common people might think that we should try our best to persuade you to marry one of my brothers or something, but I want to put aside these identities. I am still your close friend, your good friend. I only have one wish: that you choose the person you want to marry, considering everything for your lifelong happiness. Find someone reliable, someone who can give you a sense of security, someone who can protect you. You can marry anyone, as long as he can protect you. Your first half of life has been so difficult. It's truly remarkable that a young girl has worked so hard to get to where she is today. Many people may never experience your hardships, and they may never witness your ups and downs.

Qinghe and Princess Jing'an were not fools. Even if they didn't realize it at first, they came to their senses after encountering these strange things in the northern town.

At least for Qinghe and Princess Jing'an, the two of them were somewhat unwilling to talk about these things, but under such circumstances, they had no choice but to bring them up, even if they didn't want to.

Qinghe now understood that this was probably what the Third Young Master really wanted to tell her that night.

Perhaps she really should make a choice about her marriage.