Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

The carriage came to a steady stop in front of a brand-new mansion at the east end of Zhuque Street.

As soon as Jiang Sese got out of the car, she saw the three-bay gate with animal-head carvings. A pair of majestic stone lions stood in front of the gate, and a gilded plaque hung above the lintel with five large characters written by the emperor himself: "Chenjia Princess's Residence".

Hongdou and Fuyun were already waiting at the door. As soon as the carriage came to a stop, they quickly came forward and helped Jiang Sese up on either side.

Hongdou's eyes were slightly red; she had been worried sick these past few days: "The young lady is finally back."

Although Hongdou was also shocked by Jiang Sese's change of identity, now was clearly not the time to be curious.

If the girl's transformation from an orphan to the adopted daughter of the Duke of Dingguo could be attributed to the eldest son, then how did she become Princess Jiachen?

Although Hongdou had never met Emperor Jingyuan, she had heard that the current emperor was not someone who was easy to please, let alone to receive such extraordinary favor. Even for the sake of the eldest son, if he wanted to elevate the young lady, bestowing upon her the title of county princess would have been more than enough.

The princess has an annual stipend of 800 shi (a unit of grain), as well as a mansion and servants bestowed by the emperor. She is equivalent to a member of the imperial family, and only the legitimate daughters of many princes in the court can receive such a title. The girl was granted this title out of thin air. When the civil and military officials of the court find out, I wonder what kind of uproar will they cause.

Fu Yun remained as composed and efficient as ever. She simply breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward, and whispered, "It's good that the princess is safe."

Xie Jue escorted Jiang Sese to the princess's residence and then told her to go inside and rest first, as he needed to visit the Chu family.

On the way, Xie Jue had already told Jiang Sese that Xie Yihua was behind the rumors and Wang Da's affair.

Jiang Sese guessed that he was going to find Xie Yihua.

Jiang Sese glanced at Xie Jue and nodded.

In the novel, her character was destined to die.

If only one of her and Xie Yihua can live, then Xie Yihua should die.

As for whether the world will collapse, who cares.

If we're going to collapse, we might as well all collapse together.

It's true that if I hold back, I'll only get angrier; if I back down, I'll only feel like I've lost out!

Jiang Sese waved to Xie Jue and then entered the Princess's residence.

Stepping through the main gate, you are greeted by a ceremonial gate, with the outer reception hall and the duty rooms of the stewards and male servants on either side.

Further in, passing through the carved and hanging flower gate, is the second gate. The boundary between the inner and outer residences is clearly defined here—no outsider is allowed to step through this gate, and no man may enter without being summoned.

Passing through the hanging flower gate leads to the inner courtyard.

The main hall in the central section spans five bays and is furnished with elegance and solemnity; it was where she received guests and her female relatives. The main bedroom building is located behind the main hall, complete with a warm pavilion, dressing room, and small study.

The east wing housed the maids' quarters, a small kitchen, and storerooms. The west wing, on the other hand, was a garden with pavilions, sheds, flower-viewing pavilions, and a small stage scattered throughout.

Hongdou reported the arrangements to the servants in the mansion.

In addition to the residence, Emperor Jingyuan also bestowed upon the inner quarters two head maids, four personal maids, eight second-class maids, more than ten cleaning maids, and several cooks and seamstresses. The outer quarters were staffed with a chief steward, gatekeepers, coachmen, grooms, servants, guards, and servants of more than ten men. However, all male servants were restricted to the main gate, ceremonial gate, stables, and the outer perimeter of the garden; without a summons from their master, they were strictly forbidden from crossing the two hanging flower gates.

Jiang Sese nodded and told Hongdou to write down everyone's names so they could meet each other another day.

Just as Jiang Sese arrived at the Princess's residence, Fu Wenzhao, who had received the news, also rushed over.

Fu Wenzhao paused noticeably as he stepped through the ceremonial gate, looked up at the carved hanging flower gate, and then at the orderly and solemn layout of the inner courtyard before entering the main hall under the guidance of the nanny.

Jiang Sese was already waiting in the hall. When she saw Fu Wenzhao come in, she smiled and went up to him, calling him "Brother".

"Se Se!" Fu Wenzhao's eyes lit up, and he almost pounced on her, instinctively reaching out to grab her shoulder. However, his fingertips were only inches away from her clothes when Fu Wenzhao, regaining his senses, abruptly pulled his hand back as if burned, clenching it into a fist behind his back.

Jiang Sese looked at Fu Wenzhao in surprise.

Fu Wenzhao paused for a moment, then said, "Sese, Father is pacing around at home, he just can't believe it. But... thankfully you're safe and sound."

Upon learning that Jiang Sese had been bestowed the title of Princess Chenjia, Fu Chong's first reaction was disbelief.

Even Fu Wenzhao found it absurd.

But it was Consort Hui who delivered the message.

Consort Hui would never make baseless accusations.

But the two still didn't believe it, so Fu Chong finally sent Fu Wenzhao to come and see if this Princess Chenjia was really Sese. Maybe it was just a coincidence of names.

But to my surprise, it really was terrifying.

Jiang Sese gave an awkward laugh: "Actually, I didn't expect things to take such a turn for the better. I thought I was doomed!"

It's a low-probability event to win big by taking a small gamble.

She didn't tell Xie Jue because she didn't want him to worry about her.

But that doesn't mean she wasn't afraid.

Jiang Sese never expected that Emperor Jingyuan would so easily bestow upon her the title of Princess Dangdang. In fact, the best outcome she could hope for was that Emperor Jingyuan would spare her life out of consideration for Consort Chen.

Fu Wenzhao looked intently at Jiang Sese and said slowly, "The Princess's residence is secondary. Sese, His Majesty has given you the title of Chenjia."

In the entire capital, who doesn't know who the character "宸" (Chen) can only evoke?

He paused, his gaze revealing a seriousness she rarely saw on Fu Wenzhao's face.

"SeSe, do you know the origin of the character 'Chen'?"

Jiang Sese said, "I know. 'Chen' is the abode of the North Star and is a title for the emperor. But in this dynasty, this character has only one meaning."

Fu Wenzhao looked at her: "Consort Chen."

Jiang Sese nodded.

Fu Wenzhao finally voiced his question: "Sese, you and Consort Chen, are you...?"

Fu Wenzhao was no stranger to Jiang Sese, and her relationship with Consort Chen could hardly be concealed after Emperor Jingyuan bestowed upon her the title of Princess Chenjia.

Sooner or later, people will find out.

Jiang Sese replied, "Consort Chen is my mother."

Fu Wenzhao was initially startled, thinking Jiang Sese was a princess, but then realized something was amiss and asked in astonishment, "You were born before Consort Chen entered the palace...?"

There have long been rumors that Consort Chen was married before entering the palace.

But most people just treat it as a rumor.

I never expected the rumor to be true.

Consort Chen was not only married, but she also had children.

This child is actually SeSe.

Even Fu Wenzhao was so shocked by this news that he was speechless for a long time.

It was difficult to evaluate His Majesty the Emperor before, and it's even more difficult now.