48. Xiongnu language

I've come to say goodbye.

Inside Yuhua Palace, the eunuch Xue Bing stood at the palace gate holding an umbrella. Seeing the princess running back, he hurried forward to greet her.

"Oh dear, Your Highness, you've gotten wet in the rain." The umbrella was already held over Qi Gu's head.

Hongyan looked at the obsequious Xue Bing and didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Servants in the palace all had to curry favor with their masters. Since he had been assigned to the princess's Yuhua Palace, who wouldn't want to be favored? If he really didn't want to compete for favor, then there was something fishy going on.

As long as they are sincere towards the princess and not have ulterior motives, she thinks it's a good thing. This way, the princess can quickly win people's hearts and gain a foothold in the palace, and the Empress can rest assured.

Honghu became wary and pointed at Xue Bing's head, "Why are you being so helpful for no reason? Have you gotten into trouble?"

Xue Bing laughed so hard his eyes were almost closed. "Sister, what are you saying? How could I dare? I was just worried that the princess would get sick from the rain. That would be a dereliction of duty on our part as servants."

Seeing that the three of them were each thinking their own thoughts, Qi Gu didn't care and quickly stepped forward. Xue Bing saw that the princess didn't seem to mind, so he felt that he had made the right decision to wait here all day.

"By the way, Your Highness, not long after you left, the First Prince ordered many things to be carried to our Yuhua Palace," Xue Bing said, as if seeking credit. "Also, Princess Jiaolu has been waiting for quite some time."

Qi Gu then turned to look at him. Was Li Qiao coming to find her?

"Did the Princess say what it was about?" she asked.

Upon hearing Qi Gu address this Princess Jiaolu as the Eldest Princess, Xue Bing hurriedly flattered her, saying, "That's not true. We've been waiting for quite a while, determined to see what the princess looks like. Your Highness, rest assured, we've invited the Eldest Princess to the main hall for tea and refreshments."

Qi Gu arrived at the main hall and saw Li Qiao with two palace maids behind her, preparing to leave.

Upon seeing her, the three stopped in their tracks. Li Qiao spoke first, "You're finally back?"

Xue Bing hurriedly ordered people to bring in fresh tea and snacks. After drinking the hot tea, Qi Gu said to the people behind her, "You may all leave now. I want to have a word with the Princess."

Seeing her behavior, Li Qiao realized she truly had royal blood and was acting very recklessly in the palace. However, she followed her example and dismissed Hongyu and Hongshu.

Qi Gu didn't beat around the bush with Li Qiao; they were old acquaintances, so there was no need for that. She asked, "Speak, what do you want to see me about?"

"Aunt Qi, Aunt Qi, I really envy you. Even after coming to Changyang Palace, you can still live as freely and unrestrainedly as you did in Lijia Village."

Qi Gu thought to herself that she was able to be as comfortable as a fish in water as she was now because she had learned a profound lesson in her previous life; the price of freedom was not light.

“Li Qiao, no matter what, I owe you an apology. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have come to the capital, to the palace, and would have been sent to the Xiongnu for a marriage alliance.” Qi Gu’s eyes were full of apology. “Whether you believe it or not, I never thought you would be sent for a marriage alliance. If I had known, I would have advised you not to come to the capital.”

Li Qiao chuckled, "It's not like you're saying I wouldn't come to the capital if you persuaded me."

The two smiled at each other. Qi Gu thought of how Li Qiao was extremely proud of being able to enter the palace as a princess just a few months ago. Now, she had only been in Changyang Palace for a short time, and her eyes had dimmed like an extinguished lamp.

Then Li Qiao said, "Actually, I know that even if it weren't for me, even if you had come back in the first place, the Empress would not have let you go on the marriage alliance."

"I know." In her past life, even without Li Qiao, she still didn't go to a political marriage.

“Aunt Qi, do you know that I was really envious of you when we were in Lijia Village?”

Qi Gu didn't understand what she had to envy. In Lijia Village, she only had her father. In this Changyang Palace, her mother was not just a mother, her father was not just a father, her brother was not just a brother, and even she was not just herself.

They all have their own responsibilities, and then they take responsibility for themselves. If their responsibilities conflict with their own, they must first take responsibility for themselves.

"Uncle Shi is very good to you. I mean, he lets you do whatever you want in Lijia Village. You don't know, but once, I saw Uncle Shi lying listlessly on the edge of a field, looking at the data you mentioned being recorded in the sky and earth. I don't know how to describe the way Uncle Shi looked at you. It was the look of a father looking at his child, with love, pride, and appreciation..."

Li Qiao was lost in memories, so at that time, she thought that if she were Qi Gu, would people also look at her with those kinds of eyes?

After that, she often touched the jade pendant that Qi Gu didn't want. She was at odds with Qi Gu, but she also hoped to become Qi Gu. Unexpectedly, the jade pendant really made her a "Qi Gu" for a short period of time.

Unfortunately, the truth cannot be hidden, and the falsehood cannot be made true. Even if she impersonated someone else, so what? The Empress saw through her at first glance. She thought that she deserved her fate.

Qi Gu hadn't expected that Li Qiao had such a thing on her mind. She asked curiously, "Really? You really saw my father looking at me like that?" She was quite excited.

Li Qiao rolled her eyes at the sky and said, "Are you trying to annoy me?"

"Hehe, of course I know my father is very good to me. The greatest luck in my life is meeting my father." No, it's two lifetimes.

"So now you know how lucky you are. Although you were separated from His Majesty and the Empress during the war, you still met Uncle Shi who was kind to you. Aunt Qi, Aunt Qi, Heaven has truly been kind to you," Li Qiao sighed softly.

Qi Gu thought to herself that she was quite lucky. "Li Qiao, I know I have no right to say anything to you, but the road ahead to the Xiongnu is dangerous. Li Qiao, you must live well. Maybe in the future, you can return to the Great Jin. At that time, the two of us old sisters can drink and chat together again."

"Your expectations of me are so low?" Li Qiao's eyes reddened. In fact, she came today to say goodbye to Qi Gu. The marriage alliance with the Xiongnu was beyond redemption. In a few days, she would set off with Helande and the others to the Xiongnu: "I came today to say goodbye to you. I will be leaving soon."

Li Qiao stood up and knelt down in front of Qi Gu. "Qi Gu, I don't know what will happen to me in the future... Please take care of my parents in my hometown for me."

Qi Gu helped her up, saying, "As long as they don't kill or set fires, I'll take care of their affairs."

Li Qiao chuckled and wiped away her tears. "That's good. I'm relieved. Aunt Qi, actually, I'm quite happy that you can return to Changyang Palace and we can meet again."

“Li Qiao, you…” Qi Gu’s heart ached, not knowing how to comfort Li Qiao. She said she hoped she would come back, but she knew in her heart that it was too difficult, too difficult, for a princess who had been married off to a distant land for political reasons to return…

"Alright, I know what you're thinking. I never blame you. Besides, I brought this all on myself." Li Qiao straightened her clothes, looked up, and said, "Aunt Qi, I'm leaving."

Li Qiao turned around and walked towards the outside of the hall. "Wait!" Qi Gu blocked her way.

"Although I know that saying all this won't help you much, I still want to say it, Li Qiao. My father told me that no matter who you are, if you want to live a good life, you must have your own means of support. So my father taught me to farm. He told me that there is a paradise where both men and women can study, and women can do what men can do. Moreover, they all have equal opportunities to 'work,' and women can even become officials. I didn't know what 'work' was. My father said that work is about realizing your own value, making yourself feel that life is good and fulfilling, and earning money to buy what you want. So my father taught me to farm. He said that farming is also a kind of 'work.' I think you can treat going to the Xiongnu for a marriage alliance as your 'work.' You should do it wholeheartedly, and maybe you can achieve something because of it in the future."

Li Qiao listened to Qi Gu's long, rambling speech, her small eyes filled with great confusion. "You've been babbling on and on, but I still don't understand what 'work' means."

Qi Gu scratched her head, not quite understanding either. She then put it in a simpler way, "Don't think of a marriage alliance as a marriage to someone else. Think of it as... farming, that's right, farming. Fertilizing, watering, weeding, planting in spring and harvesting in autumn. One day, when you look back, it might be the time of a bountiful harvest."

“But marriage alliances and farming are completely different,” Li Qiao still didn’t understand.

"Oh dear! Li Qiao, you're so silly!" Qi Gu grabbed her hand. "Then let's start by learning the Xiongnu language, starting tomorrow, not today. You and all your maids who came with you will start by learning the Xiongnu language!"

“But…among the artisans in my dowry, there will be some who understand the Xiongnu language.” Li Qiao didn’t think it was necessary to learn the Xiongnu language.

"It's better to know it yourself than to be someone else's expert. If you go there, what if those craftsmen bribe the translator and mislead you? Do you know that?"

Qi Gu's round eyes darted around, "And then..."

Li Qiao had a bad feeling. "What are you saying?"

"Besides, if you go to the Xiongnu, people will insult you but you won't understand, and if you insult others but they won't understand, how frustrating would that be? Just like when we argue in Lijia Village, it's only interesting if there's a back-and-forth exchange."

Li Qiao finally understood. "Li Qigu, you're really mean." In Changyang Palace now, she's probably the only one who dares to call Qigu "Li Qigu".

"However, what you said is quite right. I will take your suggestion to learn the Xiongnu language." Her eyes became lively, like Li Qiao who had confronted Qi Gu in Li Family Village, rather than the eldest princess Li Qiao who was about to be married off.

Qi Gu thought that the Great Jin and the Xiongnu would inevitably go to war in the future. The Great Jin chose to make peace with the Xiongnu now because the war had just ended and the people needed time to recuperate. Once the Great Jin recovered, if the Xiongnu dared to invade again, the Great Jin would not shake hands with the Xiongnu again.

At that time, Li Qiao's situation will be very awkward. She can understand the Xiongnu language, so perhaps she will still have a glimmer of hope to survive.

Qi Gu had no idea what kind of changes her words would bring to Li Qiao.

On this day, Qi Gu didn't feel any different from usual. She just watched Li Qiao leave with Hong Yu and Hong Shu, and she saw a long-lost spirit in her.

Only after Li Qiao's departing figure could no longer be seen did Qi Gu call Xue Bing over and say, "Go and inform the Empress Dowager that I have something to ask to see her, and see if she has time."

Xue Bing couldn't hide his joy. Today the princess had ordered him to run errands, so he could be treated as a confidant from now on!

[Author's Note]

I caught some bugs