Xie Yuzhang had cried in the arms of the Duchess of the State of Xun, and since she was worried about her maternal grandmother, she went along with her out of the palace to the Duke of Xun’s residence.

When grandmother and granddaughter met, there was another round of sorrowful weeping. After much effort to coax her grandmother into taking her medicine and going to sleep, Xie Yuzhang finally met her maternal uncle — the Duke of the State of Xun, Yang Changyuan — who had just returned from the palace.

The change in the number of her personal troops was something Yang Changyuan told her in his study, with his own mouth.

“Thank you, Uncle.” Xie Yuzhang let out a long breath of relief. This was good news indeed.

Yang Changyuan’s brow carried a trace of gloom, and he waved his hand. “What is there to thank me for? It is your uncle who is incompetent. Ah…”

“The affairs of the state are as they are. Uncle must not blame himself.” Xie Yuzhang comforted him.

Yang Changyuan felt that this niece of his was somehow different, as though she had suddenly grown up. A small warmth stirred in his heart, and he told her everything that had been said in his audience with the Emperor that day.

“All the people who ought to be assigned to you will be. In the past, when imperial princes and princesses established their own households, there was no shortage of families trying to stuff in their younger sons who hadn’t qualified for hereditary grace appointments — sons who just wanted to attach themselves to a noble and coast through life until they died.” He said, “Your situation is different. I spoke with His Majesty, and we must find you people who can actually get things done.”

For a princess officially establishing her own household, there was a proper staff of household retainers required. A household steward, a deputy steward, a secretary, a registrar… and so on. A full complement came to twenty or thirty people. These individuals would manage the affairs of the princess’s household, oversee her assets, and handle her miscellaneous matters on her behalf. Naturally, the more capable they were, the better.

But to leave one’s family behind and give one’s whole life over to the frontier beyond the passes… who among those truly capable would be willing to go?

“Let fate decide,” Xie Yuzhang said. “There is no use forcing it.”

She truly has grown up, Yang Changyuan thought, astonished.

Xie Yuzhang returned to the palace and, after a moment’s thought, went directly to Hanliang Hall to see the Emperor.

The Emperor had cried twice that day, and his eyes were still tinged with red.

“Uncle is worried about me and naturally wishes to secure more and prepare more on my behalf.” Xie Yuzhang said, “Father Emperor need not be troubled. I have thought it over — I only need more personal troops; the rest of the entourage can be kept to a minimum.”

She had firmly secured the matter of the troops first.

“Zhuzhu is so considerate. Your mother, if she knew below the earth, would surely be comforted.” The Emperor had been thoroughly worn down by his brother-in-law’s tearful pleading for money and men on his daughter’s behalf, and he was deeply moved to find his daughter so thoughtful. He called out the pet name he had not used for his daughter in a very long time.

“Zhuzhu need not worry. Today I have already summoned the officials of the Court of the Imperial Clan and the Court of State Ceremonial and given them their instructions. You will not be treated shabbily.” The Emperor father vowed solemnly.

Xie Yuzhang broke into a bright smile. “Father Emperor loves this child most dearly. How could you ever treat this child shabbily?”

That smile filled the Emperor with a tide of conflicting emotions. He felt that his daughter had grown up overnight, and could not help but feel both ashamed and pained.

Xie Yuzhang could see the emotions in the Emperor’s eyes.

She sighed inwardly. In her past life she had done nothing but weep and wail, and later the Emperor had always found excuses to avoid her. In her grief and misery, she had never once inquired about her dowry or her escort. Even when Uncle had gone to plead on her behalf, he had not managed to secure those extra three hundred soldiers.

The Emperor’s attitude naturally influenced those below him who carried out the work. As for material wealth and goods — well, whether from the treasury or the private imperial stores, the Emperor was not lacking in money, so she had not truly been treated too shabbily in that regard.

The problems had all been with the people.

“Father Emperor, please tell them that before the list of attendants is finalized, you must allow this child to personally review it.” Xie Yuzhang said.

Without waiting for the Emperor to ask why, she let out a soft, mournful sigh and said, “I have heard that beyond the passes, the cold from autumn onward is enough to freeze a person to death, and at the edge of the grasslands lies nothing but desert. Several times each year there are migrations, following the water and grass. The palace maids by my side are all tender girls raised in the deep inner palace, and even the eunuchs include many who are lean and frail. How could they possibly endure such conditions? I absolutely must personally review the roster. Those who are especially frail — I will not let them come with me.”

“Zhuzhu is so kind-hearted.” The Emperor was moved, and added, “Tell them to take care when making selections, and to pick those who are strong and hardy.”

“This child will not leave it entirely to them — this child absolutely must have final say!” Xie Yuzhang recalled that it had been many years since she had last done something like “acting coy,” but when she now deployed this ultimate weapon, it still seemed to work at roughly seventy or eighty percent effectiveness, which was no small feat.

The Emperor had no choice but to agree.

Xie Yuzhang said at last, “I hear that beyond the passes, people eat mostly beef and mutton, with very little rice or wheat staples. The Hu people’s greatest wealth lies in their cattle, sheep, and horses. Once this child arrives there, will I also need to acquire cattle, horses, and flocks of sheep?”

The Emperor had lived a life of refined and exalted luxury, and at hearing this he could bear to listen no more. He covered his face and said, “Zhuzhu, please say no more.”

“Do let me speak — after all, this is the life I will be living. Knowing more in advance is surely better than stumbling in blind.” Xie Yuzhang smiled on nonetheless. “I hear that among the Hu people, coins are not much use, and even gold and silver are not widely circulated. Everything is done by barter. So what should this child use to exchange for cattle and sheep?”

The Emperor was close to tears again, and choked out, “Summon the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial!”

Since this was a marriage alliance rather than an ordinary wedding, it fell under the domain of foreign affairs. The arrangements for Xie Yuzhang’s dowry on this occasion were directed by the Court of State Ceremonial, with assistance from the Court of the Imperial Clan.

Xie Yuzhang, without waiting for the Court of State Ceremonial officials to arrive, had already obtained the Emperor’s promises.

By the time the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial hurried to Hanliang Hall, what he received was the Emperor’s order to add an additional forty thousand jin of sugar and ten thousand jin of tea to Princess Baohua’s dowry.

This far exceeded the budget.

“Inform the Chief Ministers that the Princess is not marrying down. She is forging a peace alliance for the sake of the nation, and as such she is to be treated generously.” The Emperor said irritably. “If the Chief Ministers refuse to authorize it, it will come from Our private stores!”

Princess Baohua covered her face and wept. “Your subject-daughter cannot remain at Father Emperor’s side to attend to him, and yet Father Emperor bestows such abundance upon her. This daughter is overcome with shame…”

The Emperor found himself in the position of having to comfort the princess. What a headache.

After considerable effort the Princess finally stopped crying. As she was leaving Hanliang Hall, she caught sight of a young eunuch standing in attendance outside and suddenly remembered something. She casually pointed to one of the young eunuchs and said to him, “Do you know Fuchun? Have him come see me at Zhaoxia Palace.”

The young eunuch bowed in assent. Once the Princess had departed, he turned and went to find Fuchun with the message.

In Yuyao Palace, Noble Consort Chen stared with wide eyes. “Forty thousand jin of sugar? Ten thousand jin of tea? She actually dared to ask for that? And His Majesty truly agreed?”

The eunuch who had come to pass along this news nodded vigorously. “His Majesty said that if the Chief Ministers do not agree, it will come from His Majesty’s own private stores.”

Noble Consort Chen sucked in a sharp breath. This girl — she had underestimated her.

She rewarded the eunuch who had brought the news, then paced back and forth several times before calling out to the head palace maid at her side. “Go through my stores and find something suitable — we are going to give Baohua a generous wedding gift!”

When Fuchun received the message that Xie Yuzhang had passed along through a fellow eunuch, his face turned the color of ash.

The night before, word had spread from the great banquet that Princess Baohua would be sent to forge a marriage alliance with Mobei — it had come down on Fuchun like a bucket of ice water. The noble patron he had worked so hard to attach himself to was gone, just like that.

Worse still was when a fellow eunuch in his quarters curled his lips into a false smile and said, “Oh, Fuchun, looks like you’ll be making a long journey.”

Fuchun shuddered from head to toe.

He had been visiting Zhaoxia Palace quite frequently of late, and it was common knowledge that Princess Baohua looked upon him with favor. Now, every time Fuchun thought of the Princess’s warmth and friendliness toward him, his scalp crawled.

Princess Baohua… surely she wouldn’t take him along too?

She wouldn’t. She wouldn’t. Fuchun reassured himself — he was not one of Zhaoxia Palace’s people. He was a man of the Emperor’s Zichen Hall.

Even so, that very day he had used money to swap shifts with someone else. Sure enough, Princess Baohua had entered and exited Hanliang Hall more than once today, and thankfully he had kept out of sight.

But he could never have predicted that even a monk cannot escape his own temple. Princess Baohua had called him out by name and told him to go see her at Zhaoxia Palace.

It was over. Everything was over. There was no escaping this.

And yet a princess had summoned him. Even a princess who was about to be sent away in marriage to a distant land was not someone Fuchun dared to defy. In a state of utter desolation, moving like a walking corpse, he made his way to Zhaoxia Palace.

Xie Yuzhang had given Lin Fei a task — to organize the roster of Zhaoxia Palace’s palace staff — so when Fuchun arrived, he did not find Lin Fei. In the main hall, on the daybed, there was only Xie Yuzhang.

“You’ve come?” Xie Yuzhang put down the scroll she had been reading.

Fuchun had intended to pay his respects when he saw Xie Yuzhang, but in his heart-full of grief, he stumbled forward and threw himself down, sobbing uncontrollably. “Your Highness… Your Highness…”

Please, won’t you spare this servant?

“All right, all right. You look absolutely dreadful when you cry,” Xie Yuzhang said with distaste.

Fuchun cried even louder.

Xie Yuzhang sighed in resignation and said, “Stop crying.” She took out a small box and said, “Take this.”

Fuchun, tears and snot streaming down his face, reached out in a daze and accepted it.

“Open it and have a look,” Xie Yuzhang said.

Fuchun wiped his nose on his sleeve and opened the box. The golden gleam that hit his eyes made him see stars — six small gold fish bars lay inside!

Fuchun’s eyes went wide. “This is…?”

Each small gold fish bar was three liang of gold. Six bars meant eighteen liang of gold!

Xie Yuzhang propped her cheek on her hand. “I had originally said that whenever you needed anything, you could come find me at Zhaoxia Palace. Who could have known I would suddenly be sent away in marriage. So be it — take this, and live well from now on.”

Fuchun was stunned speechless, and after a long pause, finally managed to stammer, “Your High… Your Highness is not taking this servant to the frontier?”

Xie Yuzhang burst out laughing. “What would I take you for? You’re not even one of Zhaoxia Palace’s people.”

In an instant, Fuchun’s entire being came back to life. He looked down at the gold in the box, then looked up at Xie Yuzhang’s smiling face, and the moment of joy vanished just as quickly as it had come.

Princess Baohua — what a truly kind-hearted noble lady! But why, why did someone so good have such a bitter fate?

First she lost her mother, and then her father was sending her away to a distant marriage. Rumor had it the Khan was an old man — a man old enough to be the Princess’s grandfather!

Fuchun’s emotions churned in all directions. He was sorrowful and wretched.

There was even a moment when he nearly blurted out that he would go along with Xie Yuzhang.

Thankfully, he was after all a person who had witnessed the stark contrast in human warmth before and after his godfather’s death, and he was long past the age when one could let one’s head get hot and go charging off on impulse.

Under Xie Yuzhang’s gaze of amused curiosity, Fuchun’s mouth opened and closed, and in the end, it all hardened into a single wail: “My Princess~~!”

“This servant will set up a longevity tablet for you, and pray for your blessings three times a day~~!”

Any phrase that might have led the princess to change her mind and drag him along to the frontier — such as “this servant cannot bear to be parted from Your Highness” — was not uttered. Not a single one.

What a smooth and slippery character he is, Xie Yuzhang thought. No wonder he was able to rise to prominence later.

Just as she was thinking this, Yuyao Palace sent someone over with gifts, saying they were wedding presents for Princess Baohua.

In her past life, nothing had come this early.