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Chapter 781

The Second Princess clenched her fists and said angrily, "I never thought he was so despicable and shameless. It's a pity that my father was so kind to him in the beginning!"

Jiang Yuebai thought of her lovely eldest daughter. Nine years had passed, and she still felt sad. "This is also the fault of the mother. If I had insisted on not allowing the eldest prince to play with you, none of this would have happened."

The second princess couldn't help but think of the agreement between her father and Bater, and tears burst out again. Her father must have never expected Bater to be such a person!
What is even more terrifying is that when Bater asked his father for this agreement, was his motive pure? Did he really like her, or did he just want to find a guarantee for himself?

The second eldest princess took out a wolf tooth gold necklace from her inner pocket, held it tightly in her hand, and asked angrily, "Why didn't mother kill him to avenge my sister?"

Jiang Yuebai was a little sad. "Because of his bloodline. He is a pure descendant of Genghis Khan's Golden Family, and he has an unshakable appeal to the tribes on the grassland. He is indeed very capable. He has managed the grassland in an orderly manner over the years, greatly curbed the conflict between the Mongolians and the Han people, and created a peaceful and stable development environment for the Ming Dynasty."

The Second Princess was silent for a long time, bit her lip, raised her eyes, and looked at Jiang Yuebai, "So mother hopes that I can marry him, and then let our child inherit the Khan throne as a descendant of the Golden Family, right?"

Jiang Yuebai looked back at the Second Princess, sat up straight, and looked deep, "Yes, I also hope that you can make Bater sign a document to marry only you, so that he will not have other offspring. After you give birth to two sons for him, kill him with your own hands to avenge your sister."

"Is there no other way?" the second princess asked in a low voice.

"There is another way to settle for the next best thing. Kill Bater and nominate Bater's younger brother, Yesizha and Princess Taiping's son, Uritu, as Khan. But Uritu is a bastard, so it's hard to say whether he can be recognized by the grassland tribes. There is a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children everywhere."

Now that she knows that Bater is the murderer of her sister, it is even more difficult for the second princess to accept marrying him.

But when she thought about avenging her sister, she felt that she should do it.

But after giving birth to two sons for Bater, could she still kill him?
And that means there will be no chance of being with the person she likes.

The second princess lowered her eyes and said nothing. She said with some regret, "Mother, I want to be quiet for a while."

Jiang Yuebai held the Second Princess's hand and said, "You don't have to go. You can wait a few more years and let another princess go."

The second princess pondered this in her heart.

If she didn't go, according to age order, the next one would be Concubine Xie's daughter, but she was the daughter of a criminal and an enemy of Bater, so it would definitely not be appropriate. Next would be her biological sister, the Fifth Princess, who was two years younger than her, and Concubine Rui's Seventh Princess. Next would be her biological sister, the Tenth Princess, who was four years younger than her.
In order to stabilize Bater, I'm afraid I'll have to send the Fifth Princess. But the Fifth Princess is lively and innocent. I'm afraid she won't be able to kill him, and she might even reveal her intentions in advance.

Only then did she understand why her mother had tacitly agreed to the ten-year agreement between her and Battelle a few days ago.

Her mother gave her enough time to make her own decision. Whether she married or not, her mother would cover for her.

She remembered what Bater had said to her about responsibility. Her mother did not kill the eldest prince or Bater out of responsibility for the sake of the overall situation. Bater could not leave the grassland out of responsibility for the sake of the overall situation.

What about her? What are her responsibilities and overall situation?

She didn't dare think about it.

Her heart ached when she thought of the man she admired.

Jiang Yuebai suddenly asked, "Daughter, who is the person you like in your heart? Mother can help you. There is also a way to hide it from Bater."

The second eldest princess hesitated for a moment, her fingernails digging into her palms. She suppressed her emotions and replied calmly, "My daughter doesn't have anyone she likes."

If there is no result, don't start.

At the end of May, the second eldest princess was very silent for a long time after returning from the grassland. She stayed in her own princess mansion and didn't go anywhere. Even when the queen mother called her back to the palace for dinner, she didn't go. When her second brother, third brother, and fourth brother called her for dinner, to watch a play, or to travel around the mountains and rivers, she didn't go either.

She shut herself off, pondering the most important decision of her life.

Are you willing to sacrifice your life's happiness for the country and revenge?

By June, Han Ziqian was finally fully prepared. This time he planned to visit the legendary Greece, Italy, and Spain.
When he set sail, on the seventh day after leaving Tianjin Port, he found a strange boy working in the bottom warehouse who looked very much like the Third Prince. He caught the boy and interrogated him alone, only to find out that it was the Second Princess who stole the Queen Mother's makeup bag and secretly disguised herself as a man and boarded the ship.

At this time, not long after departure, they could dock and leave the Second Princess at Fuzhou Port.

The second princess had no choice but to tell Han Ziqian half of the truth. She and Bater had been engaged since childhood and had a ten-year contract. But she fell in love with someone else and could not marry Bater for the time being. She wanted to travel around for a few years before making a decision.

Han Ziqian's eyebrows were indifferent, "It is normal in the world to love but not be able to get it."

"So I hope to be away for two or three years. When I come back, he will have married. Maybe then I will give up and peacefully marry someone I don't love." The second princess hugged her legs, looked at the deck, and said softly.

Han Ziqian thought of himself.

Did she give up after she got married? His heart had long been dead, but his love for her had not diminished in the slightest. In fact, after sailing on the sea and meeting all kinds of people, he felt her preciousness even more, and his love for her became even stronger.

He stood up, frowned and asked, "Are you going to keep disguising yourself as a man? And hide it from the Third Prince?"

Seeing that the Second Princess remained silent, Han Ziqian frowned.

"The voyage is very hard. You may not see the shore for a month, and you may not be able to take a bath for two months. You may not have vegetables to eat all year round, and you may have to eat raw fish. You may encounter storms, pirates, or large eddies, and be directly sucked into the belly of fish. You usually live in luxury, so you are not suitable to be on the sea."

"I have been practicing martial arts since I was a child, so I am not that fragile." The second princess had a calm expression and her eyes were as clear as the sea.

Han Ziqian stared at the similar eyebrows and expressions to Jiang Yuebai, and was somewhat surprised.

Leaving the palace to set up a household this year means the fourteenth year.

He couldn't help but sigh. Unconsciously, fourteen years had passed. He was already forty-six, with white hair on his temples.

time flies.

When she met Jiang Yuebai, she was about the same age. She was fearless and looked calm when she was found doing bad things.

Seeing Han Ziqian remained silent, the Second Princess couldn't help but ask anxiously, "Master Han, are you going to send me back?"

Master Han had a unique aura of majesty and aloofness that made the Second Princess feel in awe.

"Yes," Han Ziqian nodded, put his hands behind his back, and said seriously, "If you are discovered, it will be a serious crime that will result in the execution of all nine generations of your clan. We will send you back when we reach Quanzhou Port. Your mother will be very worried when she knows you are missing."

After saying this, she glanced at the Second Princess and simply said, "You have delicate skin, pierced ears, and a scent on your body. Your identity as a woman will soon be exposed. If something happens, no one can bear the consequences. It doesn't matter if I die. But the entire ship will be implicated and their entire clan will be exterminated. They and their families are all innocent. A princess means taking responsibility and caring for the people, not being willful."

The Han Shaofu in front of him was tall and sturdy, with a beard on his chin and bright eyes. At first glance, he was full of masculinity and majesty, unlike other eunuchs who were so feminine. If the Second Princess had not known that Han Shaofu was a eunuch, outsiders would not have been able to tell that Han Shaofu had been castrated just by his appearance.

The Second Princess turned her eyes away and frowned to the side. "I've heard the word responsibility so many times. I originally agreed that the princess should take responsibility, but the more you emphasize it, the more I want to break free. Master Han, isn't it tiring for you and the Queen Mother to live for responsibility like this? Why were you a Master before, but now you have changed your identity? Did you love someone you wanted to marry when you were young?"

The Second Princess was usually a quiet and polite person, but at this moment she asked a bunch of questions so forcefully. It was really surprising.

Facing her probing gaze, Han Ziqian was silent for a moment. He had to pull himself together and think about how to cover himself up.

"Your Highness, as long as you agree to return to the capital with the escort when you arrive at Fuzhou Port, I can answer all your questions truthfully without a single lie."

The second eldest princess smiled happily, "Okay. I promise you."

Many past events suddenly came to his mind, disorganized and making Han Ziqian feel a little melancholy.

He lowered his eyes and said slowly, "I was the top scholar in the imperial examination and served as a bachelor in the Imperial Academy. Later, I became your father's go teacher, so I was called Shaofu. Later, the Empress Dowager Xiaoci, your father's mother, passed away. She was worried about your father's safety, so she ordered me to castrate myself and become a eunuch to protect your father closely. This was the second question asked by Her Royal Highness the Princess.

Princess, your first question is, am I tired of living like this for my responsibilities? "

Han Ziqian sighed, "How can I not be tired? When I was young, I was the most unrestrained person. I didn't care about fame and fortune, power, and I didn't want to be bound by etiquette. Later I found that people found the true meaning of life because they had responsibilities. A person must leave something for this world to be called a real person. It is tiring and painful, but it is all worth it."

The second princess couldn't help but ask curiously, "But eunuchs are looked down upon, while university scholars are respected. Don't you feel uncomfortable at all?"

Han Ziqian shook his head calmly, "What I want to protect is the emperor and the country of Ming. What does it matter if I suffer this little injustice? Some things have to be done by someone."

Han Ziqian was talking about himself, but the Second Princess was thinking about her own life.

She asked anxiously, "What about the third question? Master Han, did you have someone you liked before? Are you regretful and sad that you can't be with her from now on?"

Han Ziqian felt that he needed a pot of wine to answer this question.

The Second Princess and Jiang Yuebai looked so similar that Han Ziqian was a little confused. He thought for a moment before answering:
"Yes. I have someone I love deeply in my heart. I am sorry that I cannot be with her. But seeing her getting married, having children, and living happily with many grandchildren, I am happy for her. As long as she is happy, that's all."

Since the day he first met her, she might have become his lifelong weakness. It was because of her that he began to be involved in the whirlpool of politics.

Suddenly, he felt that it was good to have a soft spot like Jiang Yuebai. Because of her, he had unknowingly become a more humane person.

The Second Princess was deeply moved by these plain yet affectionate words. Tears filled her eyes and she asked in a trembling voice, "Does the person you love know how you feel about her?"

Han Ziqian lowered his eyes and didn't look at the Second Princess. He said calmly, "She doesn't know. She is very happy. Why should I disturb her?"

After hearing these words, the second princess suddenly turned around and shed tears facing the cabin wall.

Han Ziqian took out a handkerchief from his pocket, handed it to her, closed the door and left in a hurry.

When the Second Princess saw the circled word "白" on the handkerchief, she was stunned.

Sister Lichun mentioned that Han Shaofu was her master, and that her calligraphy and writing were all taught by Han Shaofu. During that time, Han Shaofu was by the side of the queen mother to take care of the arrow wound.

Could it be? ? ?

Did he steal the Queen Mother's handkerchief?

She couldn't help but recall the look in Master Han's eyes when he held her and touched the giraffe when he first came back from his voyage to the West. Thinking about it now, it seemed particularly gentle.

Of course, later when he was telling his brother the emperor about his experiences, the look he gave his mother was distant and respectful.

She opened her eyes wide, an answer ready to come to her mind.

Is that so? Is that so?
But that question must never be asked. Asking it would be a sin.

She didn't dare to ask, because she knew it would be useless.

She subconsciously thought that Master Han would never tarnish her mother's reputation.

She washed the handkerchief and returned it to Han Ziqian.

Han Ziqian wiped his nose with the money and put it in his pocket, seeming not to care.

It confused her again.

If it was as she guessed, she would treasure the handkerchief very much. How could she be so careless?

The third prince, Prince Qin, knew about his sister's bravery in sneaking onto the ship, and he gave her a thumbs up and praised her.

"You're amazing. I never thought you, who are usually quiet and obedient, could be so fierce. When mother found out you were missing, she would probably go crazy. Second sister, you're really impressive!"

Facing the third brother's sarcastic ridicule, the second princess smiled lightly with the familiar formula, "Third brother, take care on your journey."

The Third Prince changed his smiling face and said, "Be careful on your way back. Don't worry, I will eat double the delicious food and eat your portion as well."

"Okay. Thank you, third brother." The second princess still smiled.

The Third Prince always felt that his sister was a little strange, but he couldn't tell what was wrong. He scratched his head and said, "You must not be so naughty and make mother worry in the future. I have done my best to show my filial piety. I will bring you something good when the time comes."

"Okay." The second princess responded.

Afterwards, Han Ziqian found local officials at Fuzhou Port and ordered them to arrange for the princess to be escorted back to Beijing. He also assigned two of the guards on the ship to her.

The officials in Fuzhou were stunned for a moment, as if they were facing a great enemy. This was a big pot falling from the sky. If the job was done well, there might not be a reward, but if it was not done well, it would be a serious crime punishable by death.

Two ships of soldiers were immediately arranged to escort the second princess back by sea.

Unexpectedly, on the way back, they encountered Japanese pirates who were beaten to a pulp by Meng Xin and fled everywhere. Almost half of the soldiers protecting her were killed or wounded, and the loss was heavy. The two guards left by Han Ziqian for her were seriously injured. Fuzhou Port was also attacked fiercely, but it was the fleet sent by Meng Xin that drove them away.

Because the second princess left a letter before she ran away from home, telling her mother that she wanted to follow Master Han's fleet to the West to see the world. Although Jiang Yuebai thought this behavior was ridiculous, he didn't worry too much.

Whether she went on the voyage or was sent back, she believed Han Ziqian would make all the arrangements.

Jiang Yuebai received a letter via carrier pigeon saying that the Second Princess had returned from the sea and had been attacked by Japanese pirates. He was extremely anxious and hated the Japanese pirates to the core.