Before the Second Prince could think any further, Princess Jiahe ran over, bowed, and said:
"Second Prince, you're finally here.
If you'd arrived a few days later, this little body of mine would have given out."
The Second Prince had been utterly exhausted, but Song Yaoyao's words made him laugh:
"Thank you for your hard work, Princess Jiahe."
Anyone else who gained power would have clung to it with a death grip, but Princess Jiahe was the exact opposite. She couldn't wait to hand it over.
Since when had the power everyone coveted become so unwelcome?
Only Princess Jiahe would act like this!
Song Yaoyao waved her hands:
"It was no trouble, no trouble!
You must be exhausted from the journey. Get some proper rest first, and I'll hold the fort for another half day.
But let's be clear: just half a day. Not a quarter of an hour more.
You absolutely have to take over first thing tomorrow morning."
Song Yaoyao had originally wanted to hand everything over to the Second Prince right away, but seeing how exhausted his party looked stirred what conscience she had, prompting her to let them rest first.
The Second Prince nodded, his smile widening:
"All right, I understand."
None of the princes used the royal "Wang" before Song Yaoyao. They all simply said "I."
Song Yaoyao was about to have someone show them to their rooms when the Second Prince said:
"Commandery Princess, I also have a secret imperial edict from my father for you."
"What? A secret imperial edict?"
"Yes."
The Second Prince took the secret imperial edict from inside his robe and handed it to Song Yaoyao.
Song Yaoyao accepted it and skimmed through ten lines at a glance.
The gist of the secret imperial edict was that the situation in