Chapter 13 Meeting Him The daughter of the King of Chu, Jiang Congyan, respectfully bows.

Chapter 13: Meeting Him - Jiang Congyan, Daughter of the King of Chu, Pays Her Respects

Jiang Congyan suddenly raised her eyes, her pupils contracting.

Unable to control the surge of emotion, she blinked hard to force back the tears that threatened to fall.

He would rather give up his revenge and sink into despair for over a decade than let the Zhang family openly rebel against Daliang. Yet now, he was willing to go to great lengths for her.

In his heart, not even the nation and its people could compare to his only daughter.

"No, it can't be," Jiang Congyan shook her head tearfully, her voice hoarse and almost incoherent, "You know, just like you, I can't!"

"If I really escape, it will drag Liangzhou into an irredeemable situation."

At that time, Liangzhou would be equivalent to openly rebelling against Daliang, while also having to bear the wrath of Tuo Baxiao.

Jiang Huai's expression became sorrowful, his eyes glistened with tears as he looked at his daughter, filled with complex emotions—guilt, affection, self-reproach, but above all, admiration and pride.

His daughter, like her royal ancestor, was a person of great righteousness.

"Father, perhaps marrying Tuo Baxiao isn't entirely a bad thing."

...

Outside the pavilion, Ruo Lan, Si Zi, and the young boy waited together by the door.

The pavilion was surrounded by water on three sides, with a width of fifteen feet. Except for the eastern exit, there was no way to approach it. Due to the distance, even hiding by the shore would not allow one to overhear the conversation inside the pavilion, making it extremely secretive. Moreover, the pavilion's unique structure provided excellent soundproofing, so even standing at the door, one couldn't hear what was happening inside.

The lady had been inside for a long time and still hadn't come out. Si Zi was growing anxious: "Ruo Lan, what do you think the lady is talking about with the lord inside? Can the lord help her?"

But the lord was so drunk, could he really understand what others were saying?

Ruo Lan shook her head, her hands folded, standing quietly by the door and gazing up at the clear blue sky.

This palace held many memories from her earlier years. Back then, the lady and the lord were not like this. Back then, there was joyful laughter in the palace.

She still remembered the lady saying, "Ruo Lan, you're just as old as me, don't be so serious all the time. Do you want to climb up here? The view from the tree is great, you can see so far!"

She quickly dodged the hand reaching for her, her face tearful, "Lady, please spare me, I can't climb up, and I'm afraid of heights."

Later, the lady said, "Ruo Lan, I think I might like Jiang Huai a little, not just as a friend, but in a different way! Oh, I can't quite explain it."

"Ruo Lan, I'm pregnant! This feeling is so peculiar!"

"Ruo Lan, I feel like the current situation is dire."

"Ruo Lan, I entrust these two children to you, please take good care of them."

...

The lady's final image was forever etched in her heart. As for the master... if heaven has mercy, let him blaze fiercely once.

Just as Si Zi was about to start pacing, the door finally opened from within.

Ruo Lan immediately glanced at her face. Although she had tidied up, she noticed that the lady's eyes were much redder than before, as if she had been crying.

Jiang Congyan casually instructed the young boy, "Bring the lord a cup of sobering tea, he's still drunk."

The three of them walked back, occasionally passing by servants. Jiang Congyan looked downcast, quickly drawing the attention of the observant.

She had lingered too long at the Lishui Courtyard today and needed a plausible excuse, such as going to her father to weep and create a fuss, only to end up with nothing.

Before leaving the pavilion, Jiang Congyan asked Jiang Huai one final question—In your eyes, what was my mother like?

She had never met her mother in this lifetime, only seeing a portrait from her grandmother, showing her at about eight or nine.

When she was eight or nine, her grandmother pointed to that portrait and said, "You are the spitting image of your mother."

As she grew older, her grandmother never again said she looked like her mother, because her grandmother herself had never seen her daughter as an adult.

The memory of Zhang Yiniang in her parents' hearts was forever fixed at the age of ten when she left Liangzhou.

After returning to Chang'an, no portraits were found in the Chu King's residence, so Jiang Congyan had to rely on Aunt Ruo Lan's descriptions to picture her mother.

Her question appeared to baffle him. Jiang Huai thought for a long time before carefully selecting his words, speaking with a tone of deep affection, "Your mother was the one who stood by me and supported me in my darkest and most challenging moments..."

Zhang Yiniang grew up in Liangzhou, where her parents spoiled her and never imposed strict discipline, letting her play freely with her two older brothers, as carefree as a fish. She should have been a tree thriving freely on the frontier, but she was compelled to come to Chang'an, where she became a flower with its branches trimmed, confined to the vase-like prison of the Chu King's residence.

Even so, she never bemoaned the passing seasons or took out her frustrations on Jiang Huai. Instead, she played with the little royal grandson, who had been raised with strict discipline, fluttering her wings within the confines of the Chu King's residence, helping Jiang Huai cope with the grief of losing his father and grandfather.

She was the sole ray of light in Jiang Huai's otherwise dreary life in the Chu King's residence.

He taught her to read and write, while she taught him various clever 'martial arts' and unusual crafts. She even expressed her desire to invent all sorts of ingenious weapons in the future, preferably ones that could effortlessly vanquish those barbarians with a mere flick, which was both amusing and frustrating.

Time flew by in those days filled with laughter and play. Later, as they matured and recognized their romantic feelings, they confessed their love to each other and became a genuine couple.

Those were the happiest days of Jiang Huai's life! It was the inner strength that kept him going whenever he was on the verge of collapse.

After hearing this, Jiang Congyan remained silent. There was nothing more to say at that moment. She simply bowed solemnly to her father and walked out of the pavilion.

After returning to her residence, Jiang Congyan gazed through the magnolia flowers by the window at the distant sky. The disappointment on her face vanished, and the moistness in her black eyes receded like the tide, revealing a rugged foundation beneath, becoming incredibly firm.

Since Tuo Baxiao wanted to marry her, she would marry him.

As she had said, perhaps this was not a bad thing.

This world did not offer women the opportunity to enter the court. The only way to get close to power was through marriage.

Tuo Baxiao was the king of the northern frontier. By marrying him, she could directly enter the game of power, allowing her to do more of what she wanted.

Jiang Congyan asked Ruo Lan to fetch a smooth, flat wooden board carved with patterns and personally wrote a formal letter of visit—

Jiang Congyan, daughter of the King of Chu, respectfully pays her respects.

Visiting on the sixth day of the third month.

After the ink dried, Jiang Congyan handed the letter to Ruo Lan, "Deliver this letter to Tuo Baxiao."

"Are you going to see him?" Ruo Lan glanced at it, not understanding what her lady meant. Because of what happened that night, her impression of Tuo Baxiao wasn't good—he was too frivolous.

"Don't worry, I have my own plan."

On the other side, after receiving Jiang Congyan's letter, Tuo Baxiao was first surprised, then filled with anticipation.

He had been thinking about her constantly, but he had been busy these past two days. There were many things to discuss regarding the alliance with Liang State, and he hadn't had time to find her. Moreover, the Emperor of Liang had already decreed that she would be his, so he had restrained himself. Now, hearing that she was coming to see him, he was naturally very happy and quickly arranged his schedule to make time for her.

He was very curious about what she would say.

The next day, Jiang Congyan prepared herself, bringing a cart of fine wine, along with some unique Liang State snacks, dried meat, and various delicacies and treasures, and rode to Fanglin Garden.

As soon as she stepped out of the carriage, the guards at the gate hurriedly went inside to report.

Jiang Congyan was led by a servant through the corridor, around the stone screen wall in front of the courtyard, and saw the person in the main hall.

The other person also noticed her and stood up, his deep eyes looking over.