Chapter 1604 – Collecting Nan Sheng, Killing An Huan (Eighteen)
Whether it was Jiang Ji or the five million dried fish in the livestream, they all held the ingrained impression that no matter how broke the royal family was, they would never skimp on saving face. After all, the royal image must not be tarnished. Even if it means inflating themselves, the envoy from Xichang taught them otherwise.
Not to mention what their intentions were, since they came as envoys of a nation, Jiang Ji couldn’t afford to be neglectful. Before meeting anyone, she had to wash and change. She couldn’t go out looking like a ragged fisherwoman from some village!
Jiang Ji closed the main livestream view to freshen up, and the dried fish could only huddle in the sub-livestream with the Empress of the Mountain Spirit, chat, and snoop around for “enemy intel.” They were loyal fans of the “gaslighting CP,” and they absolutely wouldn’t allow some unknown third party to barge into the mix!
Naturally, the Empress of the Mountain Spirit thought the same.
He had no affection for the two imperial heirs.
Though they were down and out, they still carried themselves with an air of superiority typical of aristocrats.
People who liked them might say they maintained their pride even after falling from grace, that they hadn’t dishonored their royal identity.
But to those who didn’t like them, they just seemed pretentious, even worse than the common people of Wanzhou. What right did they have to act like those worthy of royalty?
“You all can leave. You’re not needed here.”
The second prince of Xichang glanced around at the decor of the room and then at his entourage, feeling both displeased and a bit self-conscious. The servants and guards they brought were too shabby and unrefined; each one was dirty and disheveled, and probably even the most ordinary refugees looked cleaner than them.
Some guards looked even worse, with their battered straw sandals worn thin and dirty feet showing through, their image a far cry from what a Xichang envoy should project. Instead of adding shine to the heirs’ faces, they exposed their shortcomings, leaving them blushing and embarrassed in front of their future wives, making them seem insignificant.
The servants numbly acknowledged the order, while the Empress of the Mountain Spirit scoffed indifferently in his heart.
“The streamer is quite the good person.” The Empress of the Mountain Spirit and several other guards were arranged in a resting area for servants, where they were even given fresh clothes, hot water, and food. Not even knowing how long it had been since he last ate, the Empress caught a whiff of food and his stomach began to rumble loudly. His hands seemed to have a mind of their own as he quickly devoured a large bowl of rice, wiping everything clean from the table, and still felt hungry afterwards. “I’m starving!”
Meanwhile, the Xichang prince and the princess were treated like honored guests.
The house maid came in with several maidservants, carrying trays piled high with neatly folded women’s garments and headpieces.
Although they weren’t made to royal specifications, only noble-born girls of high families would be qualified to don them.
The princess appeared cold as ice, yet her eyes kept darting to the trays, revealing obvious desire and determination.
When she was born, the Xichang royal family hadn’t been in such dire straits. She enjoyed seven or eight years of luxurious living, with the finest in food, clothing, and housing. As the most pampered princess, her father would spend tens of thousands of taels in silver just to celebrate her birthday.
Whatever she wanted, her father gave it to her.
However, these good times didn’t last long. Several years ago, the Xichang country fell into chaos, with various forces slaying one another, and people rising in rebellion at every turn. The famous “lords” increased in number. The Xichang royal family was overthrown in an instant. The entire family, along with loyal ministers, fled for their lives as their living conditions worsened to the point of starving and resorting to eating tree bark.
No one knew that to gather the funds for sending these twenty-some people on an official visit, the old ministers had to scrape together their coffin money, and the father even painfully sold off unbearing concubines into brothels to earn some money. Thinking of how hard her parents were living and then glancing at the luxurious clothes and jewelry presented by the maids, the princess felt a mix of emotions boiling inside.
She had already reached the age of marriageable girls, and it was about time to prepare for matchmaking, but how could the royal family even think of rising again? Who could she marry? Was she supposed to wed one of those rebellious lords claiming to be “hegemons” in Xichang just to gain a bit of silver and silk?
By chance, she heard of her father’s plans through her mother, and her thoughts began to turn lively.
She also wanted a marriage alliance!
The Empress of Xichang said, “You’re a woman; that Liu Xi is also a woman. How can you compare to your two brothers?”
“Daughter has heard that Liu Xi has no children and not even a single person to serve her. Who knows if she’s ill or just has a peculiar habit?” the princess said. “In these chaotic times of the sixteen nations, isn’t there still a pair of siblings capturing the emperor’s affections? To take it a step further, even if Liu Xi has no peculiar habits, I would gladly marry one of her most capable ministers, and in the future, we could support my two brothers.”
Unable to make a decision, the Empress informed her husband of her daughter’s words.
When the Xichang Emperor heard this, he thought his daughter made some sense.
It wouldn’t be enough just to send his son as a secondary consort; after all, without heirs, his status remained unstable. If a minister married the princess and became his son-in-law, whispering sweet nothings in bed, it would mean having a weighty ally. Even before an heir was born, his son would gain some backbone.
Moreover, the daughter and son were slightly more than ordinary siblings together; now that was the good omen of a dragon and phoenix together, carrying even greater significance. To outsiders, the Xichang Emperor’s decision to send his children away for wealth and military resources seemed absurd, but little did they know this opportunity had been seized by this brother and sister.
The king of Xichang was fond of women, and not all the concubines in the palace came from aristocratic backgrounds; most were selected from the common folk. So, a good number were born from humble origins, and they were all eyeing this opportunity. It’s unknown what genes this royal family carried; regardless of gender, everyone was strikingly handsome. The Xichang Emperor had sent several younger princesses away to exchange for silver and provisions.
As the only legitimate daughter, she was of noble birth with a pure bloodline and could never be reduced to such a degrading situation.
Her thoughts turned, and scenes from the past flashed in her mind.
The princess took a deep breath, gently spread her arms, and raised her chin slightly as several maidservants moved in to help her change and bathe.
This scene reminded her of the gilded days of the past.
No matter what, this trip had to succeed!
A similar situation unfolded for the prince, but his expression remained more indifferent, occasionally revealing a hint of humiliation.
Both of them took over an hour and a half to bathe and change, while Jiang Ji could wash herself in two or three minutes.
She was already dressed and back in the main livestream, eating sunflower seeds while letting the maidservants style her hair, listening to the house maid and servants report on the reactions of those “heavenly favored ones.”
After hearing the accounts, Jiang Ji’s expression was beyond words.
“Did they let their imagination run wild or what?”
