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

In the height of summer in Yangzhou, cicadas chirped incessantly, and the air was thick with moisture and heat.

The Sun family's exquisite but somewhat desolate mansion, which was deserted just a few months ago, is now bustling with visitors, who have practically worn out the threshold.

The news that Jiang Sese had been granted the title of Princess Chenjia caused a stir in the capital, and the ripples finally spread to Yangzhou, a thousand miles away, a few months later.

There is much speculation circulating.

However, the information that Princess Chenjia is the adopted daughter of the Duke of Dingguo and comes from the Sun family of Yangzhou Prefecture is undoubtedly true.

The news caused an instant uproar among the distant relatives of the Jiang and Sun families in Yangzhou.

After all, Jiang's father and Sun's wife weren't born from a stone; there were quite a few members of the Jiang and Sun families.

However, back then, Jiang Sese's adoptive father and his wife both passed away, and the family fell into poverty, leaving behind an orphan girl. Those relatives and clansmen avoided her like the plague, fearing they would be tainted by bad luck, and even more so, they thought there was nothing to gain from her.

That's why Jiang Sese disguised herself and went to the capital with her fellow villagers to seek refuge with Aunt Sun.

But now, the winds have suddenly shifted.

"Quickly! Double-check the gift list! This jade Guanyin statue cost the master a fortune to bring from Southeast Asia, so it must not be damaged!" A fat man dressed in fine silk and satin, with a shiny face, was directing the servants outside the door. This man was Sun Lu, a distant cousin of the Sun family, who had not shown up at the funeral of the Sun family.

"Make way! Make way! The sedan chair of the Sun family's aunt has arrived!" Another group of people carrying heavy gift boxes crowded around a small sedan chair and squeezed to the front of the door. The curtain of the sedan chair was lifted, and a middle-aged woman dressed in a flamboyant manner stepped out. She was a distant cousin of Aunt Sun who had not visited for many years, and her face was full of smiles.

"Oh my, isn't this Master Sun? You've come too? What a coincidence!"

"Sister-in-law? You've certainly made quite a grand entrance! I heard your son wants to donate money to become a student of the Imperial Academy? This matter will require the Princess's approval!"

"Same to you!"

Liu, from the sixth branch of the Sun family, was drying soy sauce vats in the courtyard when the neighbor's daughter-in-law burst in, shouting as soon as she stepped over the threshold, "Sister-in-law Liu! Sister-in-law Liu! Have you heard? The newly appointed Princess Chenjia from the capital, I heard she's your girl named Sese!"

Sun Shi and Aunt Sun were from the sixth branch of the Sun family. The sixth branch of the Sun family had one son and two daughters in this generation: the eldest son, Sun Chou, married Liu Shi; the second daughter, Sun Shi; and the third daughter, Aunt Sun, was abducted in her early years and later ended up in the Xie family.

Sun Chou also went there a few years ago.

Hearing her neighbor's shout, Liu was taken aback for a moment, then pointed at the door with a wooden spoon and laughed, "Stop teasing me! If that brat could become a princess, my soy sauce jar would grow lingzhi mushrooms! Go away, don't keep me from turning the soy sauce!"

"Oh dear! Why would I lie to you!" The neighbor's wife slapped her thigh anxiously. "It's all over the place! Even the people from the prefectural government have come out to confirm—it's your second aunt's daughter, the one who went to the capital to visit relatives, that Sese! It's absolutely true!"

The smile on Liu's face froze for a moment, and the wooden spoon slipped from her hand, hitting the edge of the soy sauce jar with a clang.

Sun's eyes widened, and she grabbed her neighbor's hand, her voice trembling: "Really? You're not kidding me? How can you joke about something like this—a princess?! That's a princess! That brat, how...how did she become a princess?!"

"I knew that girl was destined for greatness even when she was little!"

In less than half a day, the women from several branches of the Sun family spontaneously gathered in the main room of the eldest branch.

The main room was packed with people, all chatting and reminiscing about the past.

Madam Feng, from the second wife's family, had tears in her eyes: "I even held Sese when she was little! She was only this tall then—she was so beautiful and adorable, with big, bright eyes. I always said she wasn't an ordinary child; she'd amount to something great sooner or later!"

Not to be outdone, Zhu, from the third wife, interrupted, "Don't even mention it! You only hugged her once back then. I was much closer to her than you were; I even combed her hair!"

Everyone chimed in, eager to recount every single day Jiang Sese spent in Yangzhou.

When the conversation turned emotional, some people wiped their eyes with handkerchiefs, while others nodded in agreement, as if they had all helped raise that orphan girl. As for the fact that neither of the Jiang family members was willing to adopt the orphan girl when the couple passed away, naturally no one mentioned it.

While the women were lamenting the fickleness of fate in the front yard, the men were already setting up their abacuses in the back hall.

The eldest cousin of the Sun family counted on his fingers, his eyes gleaming: "Princess! This is truly a case of one person attaining enlightenment, and even their chickens and dogs ascending to heaven! If our Sun family can get on this side, what we want to do in the future will be just a matter of a word from you, Princess!"

The second branch's uncle stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly: "The princess must know many high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the capital. If our Sun family's business can expand to the capital, a simple favor could bring in enough profits to last several generations. Then, would we still need to compete with those small merchants in Yangzhou for a pittance?"

The third branch of the family was thrilled and immediately stood up: "That's right! The most important thing right now is to hurry to the capital to recognize our relatives. I heard that someone from the Jiang family has already prepared generous gifts; we can't let them beat us to it!"

The others all clapped their hands in agreement and immediately began discussing who should lead the team and what gifts should be prepared to win the princess's heart. They argued endlessly, each wanting to take this lucrative opportunity for themselves or their close relatives.

Compared to the commotion and excitement on the Sun's side, the atmosphere inside the Jiang Clan Ancestral Hall was equally excited, with the heads of each branch of the Jiang Clan gathering there immediately upon receiving the news.

"...This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! We must make the princess remember the Jiang family!"

"Yes! Prepare generous gifts immediately, and I will personally lead a delegation to the capital!"

"There were some minor misunderstandings back then, but we can't write two characters for 'Jiang' with the same stroke of the pen! Blood ties and family affection will always remain!"

Just as the argument was raging below, Old Master Jiang Qian, who had been sitting upright in the grand chair at the head of the table, coughed heavily.

The entire ancestral hall fell silent immediately.

Jiang Qian said, "Are you thinking that the princess's dislike for our Jiang family isn't deep enough?"