Emperor Hong had been furious when he learned that the Qi Emperor and the Crown Prince had once used my family as leverage to force me to marry the Crown Prince. He vowed to make Qi Kingdom pay, raising the import tariffs on Qi Kingdom goods by thirty percent and restricting salt transportation to Qi Kingdom. After Nanrui restricted salt, Qi Kingdom had to buy expensive salt from Xiliang and resell it, causing widespread public discontent. Because of me, the relationship between Nanrui and Qi Kingdom had become extremely tense. If we met the Qi Kingdom’s Crown Prince in Xiliang this time, it would naturally be a confrontation between enemies.
My status was now established, and this trip to Xiliang represented the entire Nanrui. No matter how much they hated me, they would have to maintain appearances and would not choose to harm me at this time. Although I explained these reasons to Emperor Hong, he was still worried until Jiang Yunqiao spoke up for me, and he reluctantly agreed, nagging me to be careful.
Although I told myself to be wary of him, I still instinctively liked him, just as I couldn’t help but like Jiang Yunqiao. It was truly contradictory.
Although Emperor Hong agreed, he stuffed a large group of palace experts to accompany us and ordered General Shen to escort me, ensuring my safety.
I didn’t know if it was my imagination, but Emperor Hong seemed to be deliberately matchmaking me with General Shen. Before departure, he even subtly hinted that General Shen was still unmarried, with excellent character and appearance, and would be the perfect companion for starting a family and traveling.
Jiang Yunqiao, seeing my helplessness, winked and suggested I bring my little sister along.
Thinking about it, I realized there was some truth to it. My little sister and General Shen might bicker, but they had never truly fallen out, and they didn’t seem to avoid each other. Instead, they seemed to become more familiar with each other.
My little sister was lively and loved traveling. She was delighted to go to Xiliang, and General Shen didn’t seem to object. And so, the plan was set.
