Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 131 The Main Force Heads to Beijing

Before even reaching their destination, Jiuque could see a large group of people gathered there from afar. The campsites stretched out in a continuous line, yet although they were gathered in one place, they remained clearly separated from one another.

Seemingly sensing Jiu Que's curiosity, Bai Yi Chun explained to her with a smile.

"Lord Ying probably doesn't know the unique characteristics of our area. Our hometown is too remote, but because of the high temperature, the fruits grow well, and we also have some precious medicinal herbs, so we have to pay tribute to the imperial court every year. However, our population is not large, and each prefecture and county can only send a limited number of people. Although no daring thieves dare to steal the tribute along the way, the journey is long and there is bound to be some mistakes. Therefore, the people from the surrounding prefectures and counties choose a specific time each time they pay tribute so that they can gather in one place and look out for each other."

"Lord Ying, please don't mind how noisy we are."

In the end, Bai Yichun even made a joke. Of course, she knew that this rare female official who was easy to get along with wouldn't feel offended. However, in the past, when she went to the capital, she had offended many people because of her rude words. In fact, Bai Yichun didn't think there was anything wrong with what she said, but those officials always felt that they were offended.

This is a problem that comes from having too much free time!

People eat grains and speak from all directions; they're bound to say the wrong thing sometimes. Why are those people so petty? They get angry over just a few words. And not only are they angry, but they won't show it on their faces; they have to sabotage things behind your back!
She had indeed encountered such officials when she went to the capital to offer tribute before. On the surface, they were all smiles, seemingly not angry at all, but behind her back, they would accuse her tribute of being of poor quality, and she would be scolded for no reason.

This infuriated Bai Yichun, who wanted nothing more than to rush up and beat the officer up. However, how could a mere general from a remote region like her possibly catch the eye of an officer? She couldn't even get close to his door and could only return home sullenly. Although her superior didn't blame her for it, Bai Yichun held a grudge for a long time.

Sure enough, Jiu Que even showed a curious expression.

"I've never seen a tribute procession before. So, do you all know each other in the camp? And which provinces and counties do you come from?"

Bai Yichun secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then put on a big smile, put her arm around Jiu Que's shoulder, and led her towards the camp.

"Come on, come on, this is easy! I'll show you around. You know what? Even though we're all from small towns, everyone's so welcoming. Especially after hearing about what you did in Qianzhou, everyone's been really looking forward to it. Even though they didn't go into Qianzhou city, they're definitely hoping I'll go back and tell them about it. I'm even thinking of telling them about the grand occasion when we left..."

"No need, no need, these are all trivial matters. General Baiyi, please get down to business. It's too shameful to discuss this in front of me..."

"What's there to be shy about? This is a good thing. Have you done anything to wrong the people? Since you haven't done anything wrong, and you're a great benefactor to the people of Qianzhou City, there's no need to think so much. Besides, we'd like to ask you to tell us about the situation in the capital. We haven't been to the capital for a whole year. We wonder if anything has changed. We country bumpkins are always worried about offending some minister if we don't understand the situation when we go to the capital. You don't know what those officials in the capital are like. They're really no good. They can block our way with just a few words, or increase the amount of tribute. You know, we've traveled thousands of miles to bring all this stuff to the capital. It's okay if our prefectures and counties send medicinal herbs as tribute, but some prefectures and counties send fruit. That stuff spoils in ten days or so. But our place has a hot climate, and we have fruit all year round. We have to send tribute every year, and to ensure that the quantity and quality are top-notch when it arrives in the capital, we have to bring ten times the amount of fruit as tribute before we set off. It's exhausting..." "So this is how hard the journey has been. You've all really suffered..."

"Hey, I'm used to this. Come, let me introduce you to this is Registrar Cheng from Sifang City. They're sending us a rare spice as tribute. It's said that it's commonly used in the palace for cooking, but because it's so expensive, few people use it. However, since you're with us, you'll definitely be using it along the way. The highest quality spice will naturally be presented to His Majesty, but the average quality is edible too. Let me tell you, the spice he brought, if you sprinkle some on roasted meat, the flavor is absolutely amazing..."

Jiu Que didn't have any other hobbies, except for eating. Upon hearing this, his mouth watered.

He greeted Registrar Cheng very sincerely and shook Baiyi Chun's hand firmly.

"Then I'll wait. To be honest, I have a real passion for food. I was locked up in Qianzhou for so many days, and I was craving food terribly. I happen to have a few recipes here, so we can work on them together..."

The registrar, Cheng, was a very kind man. Upon hearing this, a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes, and he smiled.

"Of course! I also have a good appetite. In this world, if we're talking about having the most spices, then it has to be our Four Directions City. Come, come, let's take a look at the spices we brought. I guarantee you'll see many you've never seen before!"

Since the other party was so enthusiastic, Jiu Que also went over to take a look and found that the carriage was full of food, some of which he had never seen before. He immediately became very interested in today's meal.

All the teams stationed at the camp, regardless of which one, treated Jiu Que with great respect. This was partly due to his performance in Qianzhou during his time there, and partly because he was, after all, an official sent by the imperial court, or at least a high-ranking official from the capital. Those of them serving as officials in the provinces were most afraid of high-ranking officials causing trouble behind their backs.

Therefore, the atmosphere between the two sides was quite harmonious for a time. And indeed, they got along very well afterward. After all, Jiu Que and his group only wanted to reach the capital safely and report their mission properly to His Majesty. Bai Yi Chun and his group had the same goal. Driven by this shared objective, everyone was able to get along very well.

Jiu Que, on the other hand, got to taste the roasted meat made with special spices. It was incredibly fragrant, and she ate it for three days straight without getting tired of it. She thought that His Majesty would probably reward her upon her return, so she might ask him to bestow some spices upon her so that the children in her family could also try them. Although she had already exchanged some ordinary spices with Registrar Wei, everyone wanted to try the good stuff.

She had thought the group was large enough, but after walking with the main force for about five days, she unexpectedly encountered another huge crowd. These people were carrying large carts of goods, moving house like they were moving house; it was quite a scene.

(End of this chapter)