[Dream of the Red Chamber] Tanchun’s Homecoming

Tanchun, "brilliant in talent and lofty in ambition," returns across the waves, and makes something of herself.

"Third Miss, now that you've come back..." Wang Xifeng trailed off.

"Pack your bags, sisters." Tanchun looked around at the women.

"The scenery in the South Seas is lovely. How about a group trip? Meals and lodging included, for life."

Day One.

Tanchun: "Sister Feng, give me the names of all the women in the family."

Xifeng: "What are you planning, Third Sister?"

Tanchun: "Getting passports."

Day Two.

Tanchun: "Sister Baochai, help me take inventory of the valuables in each household."

Baochai: "Are you going to...?"

Tanchun: "Pack them up and ship them. The weight limit is thirty jin."

Tanchun went to pay her respects at the Prince of Nanan's residence. There she met the person in question.

The Princess of Nanan, Zheng Wanning, who back then would rather have acknowledged Tanchun as her younger sister than marry, was reclining on a couch, eating lychees as her gaze roamed over Tanchun.

The Dowager Consort of Nanan said, "Thanks to Tanchun marrying in place of my Wanning, she can continue to stay in the capital... Ahem..."

Tanchun looked at the dashing older sister. "Continue terrorizing respectable young women in the capital?"

They exchanged a smile.

"Three years apart, and you've grown even more spirited, little sister," Zheng Wanning said with a laugh. "What a pity that some foreign barbarian gets to enjoy you."

Tanchun smiled without warmth. "If you want to try it yourself, I'm happy to give up my place."

"That won't do." Zheng Wanning stood up and straightened Tanchun's cloak. "I'm not interested in being a princess consort, but I am very interested in women who can become one."

Tanchun: ...What kind of lascivious talk is that?

The two spoke privately about the Maritime Silk Road, and the more they talked, the more they hit it off. Zheng Wanning offered to finance her, but Tanchun heard the unspoken meaning behind her words.

Still, she had no time to figure out what the princess meant.

The Jia family was on the verge of collapse, and she had only three days to make arrangements.

The early hours of Day Three.

Tanchun clapped her hands. "All right, everyone aboard! Remember, this is an official tribute mission, not an attempt to flee the country! Keep your faces natural!"

Also known as:

"Three Years as a Substitute Bride, and I Return a Princess Consort"

"The Princess Consort Takes Her Whole Family and Gets Out"

"Third Miss's Guide to Seeking Refuge Overseas"

"The 72 Hours Before the Jia Family Falls"

"Getting the Sisters Out Before the Family Is Raided"

"Third Miss's Daring Rescue"

"Princess Consort Tanchun: Finding a Way for My Sisters to Survive"

"They Fled Together on the Eve of the Family Raid"

Currently serializing: [Dream of the Red Chamber] The Female Consort

[Dream of the Red Chamber] "A Noble Girls' School, Seizing What You Want"

Xiangyun and a princess, Baochai and Daiyu, in a modern art school.

Author's page: Wuxia and Dream of the Red Chamber fan fiction (complete).

Theme: The power of women