Chapter 42: Tatar side

Edited By: Mim

Old Princess Consort missed the tea cup; it fell down, and the maids squatted down to pick it up. However, because of their shaking hands, they threw the broken pieces to the ground several times, making a harsh sound.

“Old Princess Consort, please be forgiving, and Princess Consort, please be forgiving.” The maid did not care about the pieces on the ground and knelt down to apologize with a plop.

At this juncture, how could the Princess Consort care about this? She waved her hand irritably and motioned for someone to pull the maid out. She said anxiously, “Mother, what can we do? Tatars are here again.”

Tatars are here again.

This is almost the curse of Madam Zhao. Madam Zhao and the large troops of the Marquis Changxing Mansion separated, and she gave birth to a daughter alone, and even Chu Jinyao was replaced because of the Tatars.

And now they are heading south again.

The Old Princess Consort found that Madam Zhao’s face was really bad and couldn’t help asking, “Madam Zhao, are you okay?”

Madam Zhao’s face was waxy white, and she nodded in a daze: “I’m okay.”

But despite saying this, looking at her face, who can really take this statement seriously?

The Old Princess Consort had guessed the reason. She sighed and said, “Don’t be afraid. This is different from the past. Since the news of the border can be delivered to us, then that means our soldiers can fight them and are prepared for it. It’s better than the last time we were caught off guard.”

Madam Zhao reluctantly replied, “Yes.”

The Princess Consort quietly pulled the sleeve of the Old Princess Consort, and the Old Princess Consort said in a strange way, “What’s the matter?”

“Mother, you can’t say that.” The Princess Consort said vaguely, “His Royal Highness… is in Datong.”

Datong has always been the front line against Tatar, with no eyes on the arrows and swords. Weren’t there countless casualties in that battle? But this time, their Crown Prince, the Crown Prince of the country, and the hope of the rejuvenation of all the officials of the dynasty, was stranded on the front lines.

The face of the Old Princess Consort also deteriorated rapidly, and she and the Princess Consort looked at each other, and they were speechless.

“This…”

The female relatives sat down worriedly for a while. At the time when Tatar committed the crime, Chu Jinyao and Chu Jinmiao were just born. They didn’t understand the cruelty of that year, let alone the ladies younger than Chu Jinyao. Because of this, the wives sat in one place, frowning, and the young ladies didn’t really understand what the elders were worried about.

The County Princess Lin Baozhu said unconsciously, “The Tatars are here; won’t it be enough if we fight back?”

The Princess Consort smiled bitterly: “How can it be so simple?”

Chu Jinyao whispered, “The situation on the front line may not be that bad. Didn’t they just say that the Crown Prince is still on the front line? With the Crown Prince there, the border defence should not be that fragile.”

The County Princess glanced at Chu Jinyao and turned her head amused.

The Old Princess Consort also shook her head and said, “You are young, and you don’t know anything. The Tatar cavalry is exceptionally powerful; even the elite of the army cannot compare to the horseshoes of the Tatar. Their next move is like paper, vulnerable. It is precisely because the Crown Prince is in Datong that we are so worried.”

The more the Old Princess Consort thought about it, the more angry she became. She couldn’t help but hit the table and say, “If the Crown Prince had listened to others and come to Taiyuan earlier, how could there be any trouble? But the Crown Prince is very temperamental and refuses to come. That’s not enough; he is stuck on the front line, and we don’t have time to prepare in advance.”

Chu Jinyao almost opened her mouth in shock: “What were we going to prepare?”

The Princess Consort touched the jade bracelet on her hand without saying a word, but Madam Zhao turned her head back and scolded: “Jinyao, the elders are talking; how can you interrupt? Please apologize to the Princess Consort.”

Now Chu Jinyao was really sure. The Princess Consort just said that if the Crown Prince had come to Taiyuan according to their thoughts, then they could already prepare to flee south with the Crown Prince.

It’s just that the Crown Prince is still on the front line, and the Huailing Prince’s Mansion is afraid of being blamed in the future, so that they dare not run away first; this was their so-called “preparation”.

Chu Jinyao burst into anger. The soldiers in front were still fighting death battles, but these pampered royal women had already thought of fleeing without a fight. Also, fighting is someone else’s business. They ran away quickly, and if the army were defeated, these people already had their family and lives safe. If the army wins, they would come back to be their princesses. Anyway, how can they fight when they have other important works such as watching flowers and birds, buying clothes, and making nails?

Chu Jinyao bowed her head angrily; the Princess Consort had no time to take care of Chu Jinyao’s rudeness and continued to say anxiously, “Mother, what should we do now?”

The Old Princess Consort thought for a long time and said, “Wait first, let the people below be alert, and don’t go out to cause trouble in the next few days. I think that although the Crown Prince is trapped in the border, there are so many people in the border, so the general soldiers will definitely arrange it. When the Crown Prince breaks through, it will not be too late for us to act.”

The Princess Consort nodded: “Mother is right.”

Datong is very close to the capital. After the Crown Prince breaks through the siege, he will not return to the capital from the perspective of safety or reputation. How ugly to return to the capital! Therefore, his greatest possibility is to withdraw south to Taiyuan and then go south along with the current.

The County Princess didn’t think there was anything to be scared of at all, but listening to her mother and grandmother say every word, she was also a little scared. She pulled the sleeve of the Princess Consort and asked, “Mother, are we going to run away?”

The Princess Consort sighed, hugged Lin Baozhu, and said, ” Baozhu, don’t be afraid. It is a man’s thing to call and kill. No matter what happens, you are always the County Princess.”

Chu Jinyao almost started to ridicule that she was the County Princess and enjoyed the support of the people. Do they remember the mission of the royal family? But Chu Jinyao’s sanity soon came back, telling these pampered nobles who were confined to their boudoirs for life was of no use. Integrity can only be used to restrain oneself but not to make demands of others.

When the Princess Consort said so, the ladies of the Chu family were also a little panicked. The Third Young Lady and Chu Jinmiao whispered, “When will the Crown Prince come over? Are we going to escape with the Crown Prince?”

Madam Zhao raised her voice and shouted, “Shut up; you are not allowed to say these frustrating words. There is still a war ahead; why are you talking about this?”

Obviously, everyone is tacitly aware of these, but they are not allowed to speak out. The Third Young Lady got shouted at, hence she was unhappy. She lowered her head and thought about the way forward.

Until now, no matter how fascinating it is, how can she save her life on her own?

After Madam Zhao’s scolding, the Chu family women did not dare to speak blatantly, but they kept whispering and were discussing this matter with people around them. Even Linglong whispered, “Fifth Young Lady, what about those things in the yard?”

How about that? Chu Jinyao hadn’t thought about this yet. She had been thinking about the Crown Prince; would he really come?

Although the Crown Prince’s reputation outside was not very good, after all, he dared to shoot the maidservant in public. This is too fierce in the eyes of the young ladies who ask to see a doctor even for small wound due to an embroidery needle. But in Chu Jinyao’s heart, she always felt that the prince was a very wise man; even if he acted cruelly, he did not hide his true nature. But if he really flees without a fight and comes to Taiyuan to take the female stream to the south… Chu Jinyao can’t tell what she will think in her heart; she just feels that she will look down on him very much.

It was originally a happy guest event, but unexpectedly, such news came suddenly. The female relatives gathered here; the more they thought about it, the more scared they became. In the end, Madam Zhao couldn’t help standing up and saying goodbye: “Old ancestor, Princess Consort, it’s getting late; we have to go back.”

The Old Princess Consort immediately asked them to stay: “How can this happen? There may be chaos outside. How can you go on the road with so many ladies? Why don’t you take the children to stay first? After a few days, the situation will become clear, and we will organize the event together.”

It was said they were planning together, but in fact, they were fleeing together.

Madam Zhao said, “How can this happen? Our Old Lady is still in the Marquis Mansion, and Marquis is also there. How can we live outside by ourselves? The news came just now; presumably the Tatars are still far away from us. It should be fine for us to go back during this time.”

“This…” The Old Princess Consort thought for a while and found that this was indeed the truth. Marquis Changxing was still in the Marquis Mansion. How could Madam Zhao and the young ladies live in another place?

The Old Princess Consort could only say, “Well then, take some people with you, and be careful on the road. I will send a few more guards to follow you, so it’s safer.”

“How can this happen? There are so many people in the palace; you keep them to protect the Princess Consort and the County Princess!” Madam Zhao refused.

The Old Princess Consort insisted, and even the Princess Consort said: “Marquis Madam, just accept it. Wait until you are safely sent to Taiyuan, and then let them come back.”

The Marquis family had no choice but to say goodbye to the Old Princess Consort and the Princess Consort in a hurry and hurriedly set foot on the carriage back home with their daughters. When entering the palace, they had a sedan chair and pomp, but when they left, they were in a hurry. The entire Huailing Palace was shrouded in the fear of an impending powerful enemy.

After the Chu clan left, the Princess Consort hurriedly bid farewell and took the County Princess away. The Old Princess Consort knew well that the Princess Consort was going back to pack up. After all, she was the Princess and she had the most belongings.

Lanze, the maidservant in the Old Princess Consort’s house, exchanged a cup of hot tea and asked anxiously, “Old ancestor, what can I do?”

The Old Princess Consort slowly leaned her back on the pillow and said leisurely, “You do whatever you want. Even if the Tatars really come, you will have to live your life as usual. If there is such a day, you can go with the Princess Consort.”

Lanze vaguely heard something wrong: “Old ancestor, what you said…”

“I’m old.” The Old Princess Consort closed her eyes, as if recalling the scene when she was young. “I remember that the Old Prince hated the Tatars very much. He would practice with swords and spears every morning. He often told me that he would completely drive the Tatars out of the country so that they would not dare to invade my Datong. It’s just a pity. He died early; neither he nor I were lucky enough to see this day.”

“But fortunately, he died early. Otherwise, thirteen years ago, I saw us being driven out of the palace like a bereaved dog, running around, and we would have definitely died.” The Old Princess Consort opened her eyes, and her no longer clear eyes flashed a little light: “I’m old and can’t run. This time, I won’t leave. I will stay here and stay with him.”

Lanze was heartbroken: “Old Princess Consort…”

“Don’t say it; I have decided.” The Old Princess Consort made this decision, as if letting go of the burden, and the whole person was much lighter. “If it really messes up in the future, I am afraid that the carriage will not be able to hold too much, and the opportunity should be left to the young ones; when the time comes, you will go with the Princess Consort. I know you have served me intimately these years. As long as I say this, the Princess Consort will not refuse.”

Lanze kneeled beside the Old Princess Consort’s legs, sobbing silently.

The Old Princess Consort thought of the scene just now and sighed: “The Princess Consort is used to people respecting her, and even Baozhu has developed an arrogant temper. In my opinion, I am afraid that the Princess Consort is secretly happy to be able to run with the Prince.”

“How could this happen?”

The Old Princess Consort shook her head without saying, “No parents want to let their children be harmed. The Princess Consort’s life has been going smoothly since she was in her boudoir. She has been habitually flattered after marrying, and her heart is very high. It is really hard on parents. She wants to promote Baozhu to the Crown Princess position. At that position, in the final analysis, she is not afraid of Baozhu’s arrogant temper and being bullied after getting married. It is just that, after all, it is the Crown Prince. Empress Wenxiao has passed away, and the Prince is not close to the Emperor. This marriage, if the Prince does not nod, I am afraid that no matter how many things others say, it will not be possible. Originally, we thought that the Crown Prince would come to Taiyuan to recover from his illness so that he could stay in the palace and let Baozhu and the Crown Prince have a relationship. But who could guess that the Crown Prince is not willing to come over?”

Lanze comforted: “Don’t worry about it, Old Princess Consort. The County Princess is lively and lovely, and the Crown Prince will love her when he sees her.”

Juniors love to listen to these words, but she couldn’t deceive herself and others. The Old Princess Consort sighed: “It’s a pity that the Crown Prince refused to withdraw from the border, and the companionship was delayed again and again. Originally, the ladies from the Chu family came over today, and I deliberately mentioned this matter, but it was disturbed by the Tatars. Baozhu’s temperament is too arrogant, and she refuses to calm down to study. It’s okay to have elders like us taking care of her. What will she do when I die? I can only find two obedient ladies to come over and study with her. Little things can make her aware of the warmth and coldness of human feelings, and the most important thing is to learn and deal with others.”

“The County Princess’s fate is good. With you and the Princess Consort, the County Princess doesn’t need to learn this.” A maid serving by the side quickly pleased her.

The Old Princess Consort snorted coldly, “I think the Princess Consort and the Prince were deceived by your rhetorical words! You servants are really harmful. In life, even princesses depend on the face of that person. She is the County Princess; doesn’t she need to learn how to behave for people with different surnames? You can just flatter the Princess Consort with these words. When you come to me, you dare to say such things?”

The talking maid hurriedly kneeled down and banged her head: “It’s this slave that is not good. This crime deserves ten thousand deaths; please forgive me!”

The Old Princess Consort didn’t speak with her face. Lanze quietly kicked the maid on the ground and motioned to her to go out quickly. After the people left, Lanze waved a fan while saying, “Old Princess Consort, don’t be angry. The younger generations don’t know anything. Don’t they have to rely on you? Only when you watch, everyone in the palace can support them to move forward. ”

The Old Princess Consort sighed: “I’m old; can I still harass them for a few more years? But now, the Princess Consort is dreaming of the Crown Princess’s position and can hardly listen to my words. It is a good thing to be a Crown Princess, but our family should also think about this possibility.”

Lanze waved a fan and said, “It won’t be impossible. Didn’t the Crown Prince specially give the eldest young lady from the Marquis family a dowry gift? It can be seen that the Prince has a good idea of Taiyuan’s influence. We have a strong family background. Even with the Marquis’s help, the Prince could not afford such a strong help. Now the Prince has no maternal clan; in this case, the wife’s clan is particularly important. The Prince gave gifts to the Marquis’s house with the meaning of…”

The Old Princess Consort was amused: “If he wants to test, he is testing the Marquis Changxing Mansion. How can he test our house through the Marquis Mansion?”

“That’s why you are wrong. What kind of family is our palace, and what kind of family is Marquis Changxing? Since the Crown Prince has the heart to win over the Chu family, how can the Crown Prince refuse the dignity of the Huailing Palace? Straightforward, and with a strong background like the Royal Mansion, the Crown Prince would be stupid to refuse.”

The meaning was the same as the little maid. But the little maid’s words provoked the old lady, while Lanze’s words made the Old Princess Consort feel comfortable. The Old Princess Consort laughed from ear to ear and nodded. “You are reasonable. After the war is over, Baozhu’s affairs will need to be planned. It seems that she can no longer be left to play and should study. ”

“You mean…”

“After the wind outside calms down, let a few ladies from the Chu family come and study with Baozhu. She is too noisy, almost like a boy.”

When Lanze heard this, her mind moved slightly, and she asked without a look: “Five young ladies came today, Old Princess Consort, who do you like in your heart?”

“I think that the fifth young lady in their family is pretty good.” The Old Princess Consort was tired of talking, and she was served by the maid while lying on the luohan bed. Lanze took down the small kang table, knelt down on the pedals, and gently fanned the old princess.

The Old Princess Consort said: “After Baozhu and the others went out, what the little ladies said in the Xiaohua Hall, Qiubo relayed it to me. Poor and humble, not like other sisters. The poor love the rich and are ashamed to mention their poor relatives; this kind of disposition is very bad. If you find a playmate for Baozhu, family background is second, and good disposition is the most important thing.”

Lanze listened and said humorously, “I think the fifth young lady from the Chu family is also very good-looking.”

“Yes, this lady is very blessed. Although their family is not as good as our palace, they are also a well-known family in Taiyuan. We seek the Crown Princess position with their help. If they have the intention, they will leave the fifth young lady with us. This palace’s grandson is not bad either.”

“Huh? Old ancestor…”

The Old Princess Consort stretched out her hand to stop Lanze’s unspoken words: “This is still nothing; don’t say it; it will ruin the reputation of the lady. If it doesn’t happen, then the family won’t even be able to be in-laws in the future. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. After she comes, they can slowly see each other; whether it is to make a pair with the son of the second child or to marry to Yuaner, we are not in a hurry. This is time for these juniors to choose by themselves.”

The Old Princess Consort was talking about making Chu Jinyao her granddaughter-in-law, and on the other hand, the Princess Consort was also talking about it.

“Baozhu, look, which of the Chu family ladies today suits you?”

The County Princess looked up for a moment and asked, “Whoever I like, can I keep her to play with me?”

“What accompany you to play? It is to accompany you to study!” The Princess Consort corrected her daughter’s words and then continued to ask, “Is there a candidate that you like?”

“I think that person in purple clothes today is not bad.” After the County Princess finished speaking, she added, “It’s the one who was changed at birth.”

“She,” the Princess Consort said indifferently, “I remember she was ranked fifth; she seems to be called Chu Jinyao. You actually like her?”

“Right.”

“It’s not bad; it’s just…” The Princess Consort wanted to say something and finally said, seemingly pointedly, “She is so… dazzling.”

The County Princess blinked and didn’t understand the connection. When the Princess Consort saw her daughter’s behaviour, she sighed worriedly.

Mother and grandmother have completely different thoughts. The Princess Consort wanted her daughter to be the Crown Princess anyhow. She even thought that after a few days, the Tatars would come over, and they would flee with the Crown Prince; maybe they would have the opportunity to let Baozhu and the Crown Prince know each other. Normally, courtesy is strict, and the female family and the stranger male can hardly see each other, but in an emergency, obviously they couldn’t take care of so many regulations. They are the palace, the most noble family in Shanxi, and they will inevitably be the closest to the Crown Prince on the road in the future. In this way, if you see the truth in adversity, the Crown Prince might have some pity for Baozhu.

If things go well and Baozhu has beautiful companions around her, it is not a good thing, but a big bad thing!

The Princess Consort is already a married woman, and she naturally thinks of the doorways of the inner house, but when Lin Baozhu is not yet married, how can she think of the way of wives and concubines? The Princess Consort reminded her several times but finally annihilated the words between her lips. Forget it; my daughter is still young, so why make her worry about these things? No matter what the difficulties are, can’t she settle for her daughter as a mother?

Therefore, who the Princess Consort likes more is actually the fourth lady of the Chu family, Chu Jinmiao.

Chu Jinmiao is weak and talented. She coughs after walking two steps. The Princess Consort is very relieved that there are such people who accompany Baozhu to study. With people with good knowledge like Chu Jinmiao urging her, Baozhu will definitely be able to make progress, and looking at Chu Jinmiao’s body, she doesn’t have to worry about her thinking. Even if she becomes a dowry maid in the future, she is afraid that Chu Jinmiao can’t seduce a man; even if she can, she won’t have a long life.

This is very good. Companion students should be normal students. How can she overwhelm her daughter’s demeanour? On the contrary, Chu Jinyao almost trampled on all the taboos of the Princess Consort.

The Princess Consort didn’t know, but what she thought was completely different from her mother-in-law.

The Princess Consort hugged Lin Baozhu; her eyes flickered, and whispered, “Mother’s dear. Don’t worry, you were born to enjoy the blessings in this world. You don’t have to worry about anything. Your own mother will take care of you.”

This is the case with the Crown Prince, as well as with dowry.

In the eyes of the Princess Consort, rather than choosing a companion to study, it is better to say that she is selecting someone who can help her daughter in the future, and if necessary, to give her as her daughter’s dowry maid.

In the heart of the Princess Consort, the name Chu Jinmiao had already been finalized. As for the other one, she still has to take a good look.
_____________________

On that day, Madam Zhao hurried back to Taiyuan with her family. Fortunately, it was just the word of war. There were no riots among the people, and the road was still peaceful. Halfway there, the Chu family was relieved when they met someone from the Marquis Changxing Mansion.

Once back to the mansion, Madam Zhao didn’t care to please Old Madam Chu; she went back to the house in a panic to clean up the details. At this time, the news of Tatar invasion had reached Marquis Changxing Mansion; the whole mansion was a mess, and no one cared about Madam Zhao’s rudeness.

Chu Jinyao was sitting in Chaoyun Courtyard. Just after taking a sip of water, she saw Linglong bend and tentatively ask, “Young lady, are we going to clean up the yard?”

Chu Jinyao looked up and saw the exquisite and ardent eyes, and Gong Momo, Dingxiang, and others were also staring at her.

Everyone felt that the Crown Prince would flee without a fight, and soon Taiyuan would be exposed to the iron hoof of the enemy.

Chu Jinyao put down the tea cup and looked at these people uprightly and carefully: “Do you really think that the Crown Prince will withdraw from the front line? Will the tragedy of thirteen years ago be repeated again?”

Sun Momo laughed when she heard this: “Otherwise? Even the generals who eat the royal food are not willing to die in vain. They are the Crown Prince, the son of the Emperor; how can we count on him to die for us ?”

Momo Sun’s words are not good; how can you say that about the Crown Prince? Momo Gong frowned secretly. Although she was disgusted, she did not refute: “Young lady, you can’t count on your luck at this time. Now you can pack your things earlier. When you escape in the future, you will have a little more time to survive.”

It’s a matter of life; no one is qualified to say anything about anyone else. Chu Jinyao couldn’t persuade these maids, but there was an almost stubborn insistence in her heart: “He won’t.”

“Young lady, what are you talking about?”

“He wouldn’t do this.” Chu Jinyao also knew she was ridiculous. She didn’t even know the Crown Prince, but she dared to praise him in front of everyone: “I believe the Crown Prince, he will not let the Tatars cross the border.”

Momo Gong thought that she was old; she had seen a lot of things, and she should have found it ridiculous to hear Chu Jinyao’s childish words, but when she looked up and saw Chu Jinyao’s eyes, she couldn’t answer for a while.

Chu Jinyao’s eyes were round and big, her eyelashes were long and thick, and she looked gratifyingly light. But now, those beautiful eyes were washed away of any joke and were full of solemnity; the light in the pupils was almost impossible to look at.

She said that the Crown Prince would not be like this.

The day after the battle report came, the city of Xuande was broken, and the Tatars raised their swords and straddled the horses to shout out their victory.

On the third day, the Prince personally led three thousand soldiers and went out to kill northward. After a few days of fighting, he finally regained Xuande with difficulty.

The fall of every city made the people of Shanxi panic all day long. Chu Jinyao stayed in Old Madam Chu’s room all day long. Her family was fully armed and planned to abandon the house and flee south if something went wrong.

However, news of victory continued one after another, and the news that the Prince regained the city gate also came like snowflakes.

The eight hundred expedited military reports saying that the chief of the cabinet urged the Crown Prince to withdraw from the border were already piled up like a hill, but there was still news of the Crown Prince fighting on the battlefield. The Datong General Army rarely defied the imperial order and refused to relinquish the Crown Prince’s military power.

Finally, after a long fight, news of the Yan army’s counterattack finally came from the front line.

The Crown Prince hurried thousands of miles, went deep into the hinterland, and burned the tooth tents of Tatar.