As the woman watched the shop assistant load charcoal into her bamboo basket, she chatted with the shopkeeper, her face filled with envy and admiration.
"Who would have thought a peasant girl could become a County Princess? I even bought cold noodles from her back when she was just running a street stall."
The shopkeeper jotted down a few words in his ledger while looking at his abacus.
"Isn't that the truth? Everyone knows the Song family girl who ran the stall is highly skilled in martial arts and great at business. I used to go there all the time to buy cold noodles and iced plum rock sugar tea. I heard she was made a Lady of the County before, and now, not long after, she's become a County Princess. She's really made something of herself."
Standing behind the woman, Fushun's mind went blank. "Shopkeeper, is the Song family girl you're talking about the one from Song Family Village? The one with three younger siblings?"
The shopkeeper looked at the unfamiliar face of Fushun. "You must be from out of town, right? It's the Song family girl who beat the Shuobei traitors to death, named Song Jinzhao."
The woman pointed out the door and said excitedly, "Just a little while ago, the county magistrate took his men, beating gongs and drums, and hurried toward the Song family home. They brought a lot of things with them too. Didn't you see?"
It felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck Fushun right on the head, leaving him numb all over as if he had been electrocuted.
His master had become a County Princess! Those yamen runners just now were heading to Song Family Village?
"Ah—" Fushun blinked furiously in disbelief, unable to suppress his emotions as he let out a loud shout, startling the shopkeeper, the assistant, and the customers buying charcoal.
"What's wrong with this guy?" The woman shrank back toward the shopkeeper in horror, thinking he had gone mad.
After his excited shout, Fushun immediately turned and ran outside. He had to hurry back to Anyang Prefecture to tell the others the news.
Just as he was about to drive his cart away, he suddenly remembered he hadn't bought the charcoal yet, so he quickly darted back. "Shopkeeper, I need one hundred coins' worth of charcoal. Please pack it up for me quickly."
The three of them looked at the grin on his face, which looked as if he had just struck it rich, and felt somewhat baffled. Weren't they just talking about the Song family girl being titled County Princess? Why was he so happy?
The shopkeeper took the money from Fushun and told the assistant to pack the charcoal. "Brother, do you know the Song family girl who was titled County Princess?"
Otherwise, there was no way to explain why he was so thrilled.
Fushun's smile stretched from ear to ear as he proudly showed off, "My master is the County Princess you're talking about."
The shopkeeper froze, carefully looking Fushun up and down. "Brother, did you come from Anyang Prefecture?"
Fushun nodded. "My master accompanied the Young Master to the capital for the spring imperial examinations, and asked me to come here to deliver New Year gifts to Old Man Song and Old Lady Song living in their hometown."
At this moment, Old Man Song and Old Lady Song were completely bewildered by the sudden arrival of Zhang Yuanzong.
It had only been a few months, why was the county magistrate here again?
Zhang Yuanzong cupped his hands in greeting toward Old Man Song with a face full of smiles, scaring him so much that he froze in place, unable to move.
"Congratulations, Master Song. The Linghui Lady of the County has been granted the title of County Princess by His Majesty."
Before the others could react, the village chief who had tagged along felt his mind explode.
His legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground, his soul seemingly having left his body.
Aren't County Princesses all imperial relatives? How did the Jinzhao girl get such a title?
Old Man Song looked at Song Mancang, who was sitting on the ground in a daze, and seemed to realize something. Was a County Princess much higher ranking than a Lady of the County?
Walking into the main hall, this time Zhang Yuanzong absolutely refused to sit in the seat of honor. He pushed Old Man Song into the main chair and then sat himself down in a lower seat.
After an unprecedented round of flattery, the Song family members standing in the room finally understood just how much weight Song Jinzhao's title of County Princess carried.
A title that only imperial relatives could receive had now been awarded to Jinzhao, a girl born of commoners.
The Emperor had even gifted her a County Princess Manor in the capital. How high must this position be? It reached the heavens!
The congratulatory gifts Zhang Yuanzong brought this time were double what he brought last time, and his mouth never stopped praising her, as if he wanted to use every good word in the world on Song Jinzhao.
This time, Zhang Yuanzong warmly greeted and checked on every single member of the Song family, staying for a full two hours before leaving.
No sooner had he left than the courtyard was packed with villagers.
They chattered endlessly, their voices noisier than a chicken coop.
The village chief, Song Mancang, excitedly grabbed Old Man Song's hands and shouted, "Open the ancestral hall! We must open the ancestral hall! Open it immediately, and we need to erect a monument too!"
Old Man Song was shaken until he felt dizzy, his whole being so immersed in excitement that he couldn't think straight.
Old Lady Song remembered Fushun who had just left and said in confusion, "Jinzhao was made a County Princess, so why didn't that steward who just left tell us?"
Song Mancang replied, "I'm guessing the news hadn't reached Anyang Prefecture yet when he came over."
Old Lady Song nodded in understanding; that must be the case.
In fact, just as Song Mancang thought, Chunxing received the news on the fourth day after Fushun left Anyang Prefecture.
Delivered along with the news was a handwritten letter from Song Jinzhao, instructing them to harvest the potatoes from the greenhouse and send three thousand two hundred catties to the capital.
...
After the sun came out, Duke Zhenguo, who was preparing to return from the Western Suburbs Encampment, saw that Xiao Rongyan refused to take a carriage and insisted on riding a horse. Helpless, he stepped forward to dissuade him: "Your Highness, the roads are slippery from the snow. It would be safer to take a carriage."
Although the Prince of Ying's riding skills were decent, he had never ridden on snowy roads. If he took a fall halfway, the unlucky ones would be the Duke and his son.
Xiao Rongyan refused, saying, "If it's dangerous, just have someone clear the path ahead. This Prince will ride a horse back."
If he didn't show himself outside, how could anyone see him? He had to let the commoners in the capital see his majestic and imposing appearance.
Unable to persuade him, Duke Zhenguo personally led men to clear the path ahead, having the others ride alongside Xiao Rongyan to protect him.
The snowy sky and ground blended into one color, and there wasn't a single soul on the road.
The two-meter-thick snow had melted a bit but was still over a meter deep. Riding his horse, Duke Zhenguo slowed down to let the warhorses walk more steadily.
They had traveled this road thousands of times. Even if they couldn't see the path, they could tell where they were by the trees alongside it.
Chilled by the wind, Xiao Rongyan shrank his head into his cloak, wondering if his Imperial Father had missed him after not seeing him for so many days.
The vast, white fields stretched as far as the eye could see. As they passed a fir forest, Xiao Rongyan saw several antlers poking out of the snow. Looking closer, he discovered it was a herd of five elk.
He immediately pulled the reins to stop and ordered the guard walking next to him, "Give me my bow and arrows."
The guard unhooked the bow and arrows from his horse and handed them to Xiao Rongyan. However, his first shot missed completely.
The startled herd of elk ran frantically into the distance, and Xiao Rongyan immediately spurred his horse to chase after them.
He had just been worrying about having nothing to give his Imperial Father, and now a gift had delivered itself right to his door.
Duke Zhenguo turned his head just in time to see Xiao Rongyan charging toward the fir forest on horseback, and he immediately shouted, "Your Highness, don't ride off recklessly!"
But how could Xiao Rongyan listen to Duke Zhenguo? He charged forward without even looking back.
Once he hunted a stag and gave it to his Imperial Father, his Imperial Father would surely be pleased.
Infuriated to the point of blowing his beard and glaring, Duke Zhenguo immediately turned his horse around to chase Xiao Rongyan back.
In the snow, the elk ran faster than the horses. Coupled with Xiao Rongyan's poor riding skills, not only did he fail to catch up, but the distance between them grew wider and wider.
Duke Zhenguo caught up with Xiao Rongyan and, furrowing his brows tightly, said to him, "Your Highness, stop chasing them. There are steep slopes in the forest, it's very dangerous."
Just as Xiao Rongyan heard this and was about to stop, he saw the herd of elk ahead slowing down to turn a corner.
"Let me take one more shot."
He dashed forward a few more steps, nocked an arrow, and drew the bowstring. He let the feathered arrow fly, but to his surprise, instead of hitting the most magnificent stag, it struck a young fawn.
