Song Chaoyu thought the same way. No matter when or what happened, she believed in the Crown Princess.
If the Crown Princess were truly such a scheming person, she would not have ended up so miserably with the Crown Prince in the previous life.
This matter could be put aside for now.
As long as there was no doubt in their hearts, no one could sow discord between them.
—
The carriage traveled quickly from the capital to Qin Prefecture.
Even without Mu Changxi saying anything, Song Chaoyu could sense his urgency.
Although there was now Qiu Qing in the palace, and the Noble Consort's condition seemed to have stabilized.
However, everyone knew how potent the 'Imperial Cold Poison' was, and how could they afford to be careless?
Under their swift journey, they arrived in Qin Prefecture earlier than scheduled.
This was Song Chaoyu's first time in Qin Prefecture. As soon as she entered its territory, she noticed that Qin Prefecture was different from other prefectures.
The national strength of the Great Yue Dynasty was still considerable at this time, so most regions, as long as they were not too impoverished, were relatively prosperous.
Even between prefectures, there were many traveling commoners. Among them, villagers from the surrounding villages were particularly numerous. Moreover, the surrounding farmlands were mostly thriving, and the common people of the Great Yue Dynasty lived in peace and contentment, indicating that the current emperor was still diligently governing.
However, upon reaching Qin Prefecture, the situation was clearly different.
Qin Prefecture was mountainous. As soon as they entered its borders, Song Chaoyu could feel the terrain becoming suddenly steep. The number of people around also began to decrease. Although Qin Prefecture also had official roads built by the Great Yue Dynasty, due to the need to build them in treacherous locations, they were not easy to travel on.
In addition, in the areas where Qin Prefecture bordered other prefectures, Song Chaoyu clearly saw traces left behind from the war between the former Little Qin Kingdom and the Great Yue Dynasty.
These traces all spoke of the events that had occurred there, and to this day, they seemed to be telling visitors about Qin Prefecture's past.
Before arriving in Qin Prefecture, Song Chaoyu and Mu Changxi had already met Qiu Qing's junior sister, Dong Shuang.
Dong Shuang appeared much younger than Qiu Qing, but despite her youth, she seemed even more composed than Qiu Qing.
She was not one to talk much, and even more silent and cold than Qiu Qing when she first came to Song Chaoyu's side.
However, she was efficient in her work and appeared to be a very diligent and hardworking person.
And most importantly, Qiu Qing had told Song Chaoyu that Dong Shuang was once from the Little Qin Kingdom.
However, she was not of royal blood, and it seemed her family had been oppressed by the royalty. Therefore, she had no feelings for the Little Qin Kingdom and now fully considered herself a person of the Great Yue Dynasty.
Upon entering the territory of Qin Prefecture, Mu Changxi ordered everyone to stop and rest.
It was an abandoned village, likely because the ravages of war had once afflicted this place, as evidenced by the scorch marks of fire everywhere in the village.
The village, abandoned for a long time, had no place to accommodate people.
It was only as heavy rain was approaching that they stopped, found a place with higher terrain in the village, and set up their tents, which served as a shelter from the wind and rain.
Song Chaoyu noticed that since they arrived at the ruins of the village, Dong Shuang seemed to have become exceptionally silent.
She would also stare into space from time to time, clearly recalling past events.
So, during lunchtime, Song Chaoyu sat in front of Dong Shuang, who was busy tending the fire, and asked, "Dong Shuang, are you alright?"
Song Chaoyu had been very kind to Dong Shuang throughout the journey, and Dong Shuang naturally knew this.
She just smiled a little sheepishly at Song Chaoyu and said, "Your Highness, I am fine. I was just reminded of my childhood, and felt a bit emotional."
She knew Song Chaoyu was concerned about her, and Qiu Qing had already instructed her beforehand.
So, at this moment, she naturally began to tell her story.
She looked around and sighed, "Did my senior sister not tell Your Highness? Actually, I was born in this very village."
This time, it was Song Chaoyu's turn to be surprised. "So this is your hometown? I really didn't know. Tell me about it? Your hometown, and your childhood?"
When it came to the past, Dong Shuang seemed less reserved and cautious.
Dong Shuang was a child born amidst years of turmoil.
The Little Qin Kingdom was not large in area. It faced the sea on one side and was surrounded by the Great Yue Dynasty on the other three sides. Therefore, the common people of the Little Qin Kingdom did not have much hostility towards the Great Yue Dynasty.
The Little Qin Kingdom was mountainous. Apart from cultivating medicinal herbs and hunting, there was almost nothing for the common people to do to make a living.
Therefore, trade and exchange with the Great Yue Dynasty was something the common people had to do.
They used the superior medicinal herbs cultivated in the Little Qin Kingdom to exchange for other resources from the Great Yue Dynasty, including seeds. Then, they reclaimed some land suitable for farming, and only then could they barely maintain their food supply.
This village, before it was abandoned, was called "Xiao Yin Village."
Being located on the border, the village's terrain was considered very flat for the Little Qin Kingdom, making it suitable for farming.
Dong Shuang was born into an ordinary farming family in Xiao Yin Village.
Her father and mother had a small house in the village and had reclaimed a few acres of land. The family's life was passing by.
Dong Shuang was her parents' first child. Although she was a girl, she was deeply loved by her parents and had enjoyed family happiness with them in Xiao Yin Village for many years.
But soon, things began to change—
At first, there were rumors that the royal family no longer wanted to pay tribute to the Great Yue Dynasty. They had received support from Penglai and might be able to fight a war with the Great Yue Dynasty.
If this were to happen, perhaps they could even get the Great Yue Dynasty to cede a prefecture to their Little Qin Kingdom. Wouldn't that be better?
In fact, this idea was ridiculed among the common people.
The Little Qin Kingdom was so small, and they relied on the Great Yue Dynasty for their daily needs.
The Emperor of the Great Yue Dynasty was also compassionate towards them and often reduced their tribute. Now, they actually wanted to betray the Great Yue Dynasty; wasn't that a fool's dream?
But the Tan clan, the royal family of the Little Qin Kingdom, did not think so!
Moreover, to contend with the Great Yue Dynasty, they increased the tax burden on the common people, making their lives even more miserable.
Dong Shuang's parents were no exception. They had only cultivated a few acres of land, and most of it was still in the stages of reclamation and nurturing. The harvests in the early years were bound to be poor.
Now, with the increased tax burden, their family's life became even more impoverished.
In Dong Shuang's memory, her parents prayed every day, hoping that there would be no war.