9 I'm not a princess

◎May the princess have a safe journey to the capital.◎

On a dark and windy night, the sound of snoring from the house next door was deafening.

In the courtyard, a tall figure stood under the moonlight. Behind him, Sima Hong's subordinate knelt on one knee. "My lord, I am late. Please forgive me. Is my lord feeling alright?"

"It's alright. Have all those people on the mountain been cleared out?"

"Reporting to my lord, everything has been cleaned up, but..."

"Just what?"

"But the Prince of Yan's daughter has not been found."

"Keep searching."

"yes."

Sima Hong coughed a few times, and A Feng hurriedly said, "My lord, you should go to the guesthouse to recuperate. You have been infected with miasma and have been dealing with the remnants of the Prince of Yan for a long time. This remote and impoverished place is not good for your recovery."

Sima Hong waved his hand, his injury was not serious, "I seem to have seen Shen Wei and others in this village today?"

Ah Feng said, "That's right. It's quite a coincidence. Shen Wei and the others were ordered to find the princess, but they didn't expect that the eldest princess was in this Li Family Village."

“Is that so…” Sima Hong stood in the dim moonlight, his eyes unfathomable. “You should go back first and take care of the rest of the matter. I will stay here for the time being.”

The next day, Qi Gu got up, picked up her hoe, and prepared to go out.

"Aunt Qi, your father will make you something to eat. Have breakfast before you go."

Qi Gu forced a smile. "No, no need, Father. I'll go to Li Qiao's, oh no, I'll go to the princess's house. She'll definitely treat me to something good." With that, she dashed out of her courtyard.

Upon arriving at Li Qiao's house, where tall guards stood watch outside, Qi Gu said obsequiously, "Gentlemen, I wish to see the princess. May I ask to inform her?"

Qi Gu noticed that the tall soldier stared at her face for a few more seconds, but she didn't mind. In her previous life, it was he who came to take her back to the palace.

However, Shen Wei was actually Madam Guo's man, and she only gradually learned about this after returning to the capital.

Now that I think about it, maybe my mother never wanted me to return to the palace in the first place. Otherwise, why would she have let Madam Guo's people come to pick me up?

Thinking of her mother, Qi Gu felt a little lost, even though her relationship with her mother was not good in the years after she returned to the palace.

Upon returning to the palace, she discovered that the mother she remembered was completely different from the Empress in the palace.

During the years she was away from home, she missed her mother very much. Her father had just started a rebellion and his future was uncertain. Her mother had to take them to hide and move around, not only taking care of them, but also taking care of her elderly parents.

Her mother had arranged everything perfectly. She could never forget that summer when she was six years old. Her mother carried her younger brother on her back, held her hand, waded across streams, and climbed high mountains. She didn't know how long they had walked when she saw a big hole in her mother's shoe, revealing her big toe with a thick layer of skin worn through.

However, the Queen Mother did not cry out in pain. She held her hand tightly, carrying her four-year-old brother on her back. The weight of her brother bent her back, just like a fruit tree in the field bearing large fruit, but the branches could not bear the weight and bent over.

The mother's once delicate face became even more resolute, and her steps never faltered. Sweat dripped from her forehead, but her eyes remained focused solely on the road ahead.

"Qi Gu, hold your mother's hand tightly."

"Aunt Qi, hang in there a little longer, you'll see your father soon."

"Aunt Qi, stand up, we'll be there soon." Her voice was already very tired, but her hand was still tightly holding hers.

Later, after walking for a day and a night, they finally found their father, who was not yet the emperor.

Deep in the mountains of Yu County, she spent a brief period of peace with her mother and younger brother.

But happy days are so short-lived.

My father's base camp was discovered by the Prince of Yan at the time. My father was pursued all the way by the Prince of Yan's men. My father abandoned them and fled for his life alone!

Behind them were enemies riding fast horses. Once again, the mother carried her younger brother on her back and took his hand, just like that summer when they went to find their father.

This time, however, they were not so lucky. The enemies on horseback were too fast, running desperately through the grass that was taller than a person. For the first time, a look of fear appeared on the usually calm mother's face.

Qi Gu held her mother's hand tightly. She thought this was the same as the previous escapes, unaware of how critical the situation was!

As she ran, she kept looking back and saw people riding big horses behind her, about to catch up with them.

She would never forget that her mother was pale, with her chapped lips pressed tightly together.

The mother stopped and looked back at her with a look of pain, reluctance, despair, and resolve.

Her mother said, "If you don't want to die, find a place to hide!" Then, the hand that had been holding her tightly suddenly let go.

She stood in the grass, looked at her hand that her mother had let go of, and then at her mother's back as she carried her younger brother, parting the grass in front of her and running erratically.

At that time, I didn't quite understand what it meant when my mother let go of my hand.

Her survival instinct made her lie down, crawling on the ground. Thorns pierced her palms and pressed against her knees when they stiffened. She covered her mouth to keep herself from making a sound.

She was lost in thought for a moment, while Shen Wei, looking at Qi Gu dressed in hemp clothes and carrying a hoe, thinking she was like the others in the village, there to curry favor with the princess.

Shen Wei waved his hand, "You can't just see the princess whenever you want. Go away, go away." He shooed her away.

Qi Gu said, "The princess and I have been fellow townsmen for over ten years and have a very good relationship. Please go and inform her that the princess will definitely see me if she hears it is me."

Shen Wei looked down at her with his nostrils flared and eyes downcast. After thinking for a moment, he finally said with a stern face, "Wait."

A short while later, Shen Wei returned and led her to Li Qiao's room.

Li Qiao's family is a wealthy household in the surrounding area. Their house is not small, and these past few days they have been receiving and sending off guests, making it quite lively.

Standing outside Li Qiao's house, Qi Gu thought to herself, "Li Qiao is indeed more like a princess than I am. In my past life, I was never as composed as Li Qiao."

Looking back, I realize I really didn't have the air of a princess; I left Li Family Village quietly.

Unlike Li Qiao, who not only hosted a feast for the entire village but also commanded Shen Wei and others with ease.

Therefore, the princess should be Li Qiao. The Empress Dowager would probably prefer a child like her rather than her timid and lacking-her-style daughter.

Qi Gu was greatly shocked when she entered Li Qiao's room. In just one day, Li Qiao's room was filled with gold and jade, and even the bed curtains were replaced with silk gauze that was more precious than gold.

Qi Gu put down the hoe, and with a loud thud, the sound of the hoe hitting the ground startled Li Qiao, who clutched her chest.

"This humble subject has come to pay homage to the princess." Qi Gu performed the traditional villager's bow.

Qi Gu knelt on the ground with her head down. "Hmph! You scared me to death, you rat Li Qiao! You even tried to send someone to kill her. If it weren't for her good fortune, she would have actually succeeded."

The palace maid behind Li Qiao, dressed in a deep red folding robe, stood up straight and said, "Princess, your status is different now. It's best to avoid contact with such country bumpkins."

Qi Gu looked up and remembered that these two palace maids were also Madam Guo's people. In both her previous and current lives, the two palace maids' arrogant attitude remained unchanged.

“What this elder sister says is true. It’s indeed better for people like us not to meet. I’ve come today to pay my respects to the princess. After all, the princess is like a golden phoenix that has flown out of our chicken coop, Li Family Village. After today, I don’t know if I’ll be able to come and kowtow to the princess again, right, princess?”

Qi Gu looked up at Li Qiao with a forced smile, revealing two rows of white teeth that looked sinister.

Seeing her forced smile, Li Qiao felt a surge of resentment. "That damned Qi Gu, she's got a lucky life. I'll never let her ruin her plans."

She turned to the two palace maids and said, "Sisters, please go out first. I have something to say to her privately."

The two palace maids were about to say something more, but Li Qiao shouted, "What! You don't listen to me at all?"

Qi Gu couldn't help but give Li Qiao a thumbs up in her heart, thinking of how timid she was in her previous life. She didn't dare to scold them loudly, let alone give them orders.

The two palace maids looked at each other, and finally left.

After they left, Qi Gu stood up, patted the dust off her knees, and closed the door behind her.

Li Qiao disdainfully fanned away the dust that Qi Gu had kicked up, saying, "This princess hasn't told you to get up yet."

Qi Gu ignored it, but her eyes were drawn to a screen inlaid with gold. It was so dazzling that she couldn't help but step forward and reach out to feel it, but Li Qiao grabbed her hand.

"This thing is very valuable. If someone like you breaks it, you won't be able to afford to pay for it."

Qi Gu withdrew her hand, picked up her hoe, and approached Li Qiao step by step.

Li Qiao took two steps back. "Li, Li Qigu, what do you want to do!" She was afraid that Qigu would do something, but she was even more afraid of what she would say.

Qi Gu placed the hoe in front of her, rested her hands on the handle, and dropped her fake smile. "You're clever. Are you a princess?"

These past two days, Li Qiao has experienced what it's like to be a princess. Now, if anyone says she's not a princess, she'll fight them to the death.

To defend the fact that she was a princess, she puffed out her chest and declared, "I, of course I'm a princess!"

Qi Gu clapped her hands, "Good, very good, Li Qiao, I admire you. That's why I said you're suited to be a princess."

"Li Qigu, don't talk nonsense. What do you mean by 'suitable'? I am a princess!"

Qi Gu pointed to her own nose and said, "Then Princess, look at me, am I a princess?"

"How dare you! How could you possibly be a princess?" Li Qiao scolded in a low voice, afraid that people outside would hear their conversation.

She spoke with conviction, but she knew perfectly well where that jade pendant came from!

Li Qiao said, "Even if you expose me now, it's useless. You have nothing in your hands, so you can't prove that the jade pendant is yours at all."

She raised her chin. The jade pendant was lost by Li Qigu herself. She found it, so it was hers. She was the princess!

The room was so quiet that you could almost hear the dust rising. Qi Gu stared intently at Li Qiao without saying a word, which made Li Qiao feel uneasy.

That's terrifying! What kind of look is Li Qigu giving me? It's as if her eyes are filled with countless animal traps, and she is the prey about to step into one.

Qi Gu sneered. Prey? In her eyes, Li Qiao was nothing more than a stupid rat!

"That's right, Princess! I'm not a princess!"

Li Qiao was a little confused by Qi Gu. She looked at her and asked, "What do you mean?"

Qi Gu leaned close to Li Qiao's ear and said, "Does the princess know how prosperous the capital is? How many palaces there are in the imperial palace, with glazed tiles, crystal chandeliers, countless luxurious treasures, inexhaustible gold and silver, and luxurious carriages and horses? So much wealth and glory, one can enjoy it endlessly..."

Li Qiao was puzzled, "Li Qigu, what exactly do you want to say!" How come she never noticed before that this dead Qigu's eyes were so terrifying when she looked at people?

Qi Gu clicked her tongue, "Princess, there's no need to go to the trouble of sending someone to kill me."

She gave Li Qiao, who was clutching her chest, a deep look before hoisting the hoe back onto her shoulder.

She was dressed in cloth, with her trousers rolled up to her calves and straw sandals on her feet. Her exposed skin was dark from years of working in the fields.

She turned around without hesitation, the hoe almost hitting Li Qiao's head, and Li Qiao was about to curse.

Qi Gu pushed open the door and walked out, saying as she went, "I'm busy in the fields. I wish the princess a safe journey to the capital and that she enjoys lasting wealth and honor! I won't see the princess off; we'll never meet again."

He left Li Qiao with a silhouette carrying a hoe.

Li Qiao stood by the door. She knew, she knew everything, but why... why didn't she want to enter the palace...?

And her walking on the crisscrossing paths of Lijia Village became the most profound image in Li Qiao's memory.

[Author's Note]

My drafts are almost gone; I haven't written a single word in the last few days. I'm going to start working hard tomorrow! Hope everyone will add this to their favorites, comment, and support me! [heart emoji]