Chapter 1 Twin Sisters

"My lady, my lady!"

The little maid Baozhu hurried in and was about to continue talking but fell silent when she saw the person by the window.

The spring light came in through the window and gently sprinkled on the woman's body. She turned her head towards the sound, revealing a face that was rosy from the sun.

"What is it?"

Qingwu asked softly.

Baozhu finally came back to her senses and suppressed the surprise in her eyes and said, "My lady, the Madam has sent a message that the Master has suddenly received an order from the Emperor and will leave for Jingzhou tomorrow."

The "Madam" Baozhu mentioned was naturally Qingwu's mother. The parents of Qingwu's husband Song Yunhe had passed away a few years ago.

Qingwu was a little surprised. He had known for several months that his father would take over as the governor of Jingzhou, but wasn't he going to take office in the second half of the year?

"I heard that the envoy of Jingzhou died suddenly due to illness, so the Lord is taking up his post early."

After hearing the reason, Qing Wu nodded and said, "Then pack up and go back to the Xi family later."

She has a relatively good relationship with her father, so she will definitely go home to see him off this time.

Yuzhu, the maid who was embroidering nearby, immediately put down her needlework and stood up. After taking just two steps, she hesitated and asked, "Madam, do you want to wait for your husband to come back before going with him?"

Thinking of Song Yunhe, Qing Wu hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and replied: "No need, just send someone to tell him."

Qingwu didn't notice Yuzhu's expression. Yuzhu pursed her lips and sighed slightly.

My wife and husband have been married for three months, but they are still so unfamiliar with each other. What should I do?

* (Setting: Crown Prince's Concubine = Liang Di, Concubine is an informal title, Liang Di is the first person under the Crown Princess)

When Qingwu and her maid arrived at the Xi family's house, an extremely luxurious carriage was already parked in front of the main gate.

Looking at the sign on it, Baozhu exclaimed: "Mrs. Tong is back too."

Then she immediately covered her mouth and looked at Qingwu, but saw that Qingwu's expression did not change. He even corrected her address, "You should call me Liangdi now."

"Father is leaving for Jingzhou tomorrow, so it's normal for her to come back."

Qingwu noticed the gaze of her maid Baozhu, and she also knew the reason.

She and Xi Qingtong are twin sisters, but the families they married into are very different.

Xi Qingtong was supposed to be married to the prince as a concubine, but she ended up marrying her cousin Song Yunhe, whose family had fallen on hard times.

The crown prince will inherit the throne and rule the world in the future. His cousin Song Yunhe has lost both his parents and has just passed the palace examination. He can only be a second-class Jinshi at best.

Passing the imperial examination and becoming a Jinshi is certainly a great honor for the family, but in the capital, there are Jinshis everywhere, and most of them will only become minor officials of the fifth or sixth rank throughout their lives, which is really common.

When these two marriages were first arranged, many people sighed as the twin sisters had such a huge gap between them. But after sighing, they felt it was natural.

Who made Qingwu found later?

She was kidnapped by a kidnapper when she was three years old, and was not found until she was fourteen by the Xi family's manager who was out shopping.

When Qingwu returned to the capital, the fourteen-year-old twin sisters had already become famous in the capital for their talent and beauty, while she was just a wild girl who grew up with a female itinerant doctor.

She was forced by her mother, Madam Zheng, to learn etiquette for two or three years, and began to behave like a young lady, and only then did she become "Xi Qingwu".

Qingwu originally thought that she could become the wife of the Xi family in this way. She dressed up just as well as her twin sisters and attended the banquet with her mother's twin sister.

The ladies at the banquet all praised the Xi family for having two beautiful girls, but there was a hint of pity beneath their admiring looks. How could Qingwu, who had been making a living outside since childhood, not notice it?

The noble ladies in the capital looked at her as if they were looking at a piece of fine porcelain with a chip on it - no matter how beautiful the bottle was, it was still incomplete.

So, when he reached the age of marriage, none of the families of equal status were interested in Qingwu. His father Xi Jianan thought for a long time and chose Song Yunhe, the son of his cousin, as his husband.

His family was in decline, and he was the only one with some talent. So from then on, because of the power of the Xi family, they did not dare to bully Qingwu.

Qingwu also didn't like the many rules of the upper class, and after meeting her cousin from the Song family a few times, she agreed to the marriage and was quite satisfied with it. However, the two maids around her were always worried that she was depressed because of this.

She smiled, and without asking for their support, she lifted her skirt and jumped off the carriage lightly. She was a green wutong tree that had grown outside for more than ten years. Even though her branches and leaves had been trimmed, she was still the same green wutong tree.

However, once he stepped into the gate of Xi Mansion, Qingwu restrained his casualness and followed the servants to the main hall according to etiquette.

From a distance she saw a group of people crowded into the main hall. When she got closer she could see clearly that not only her mother, brothers and sisters, but also her two concubines had come.

They sat on both sides, and the woman sitting in the middle had the same face as Qingwu.

She wore her hair in a lacquered bun adorned with golden tung flowers, and her temples were decorated with dazzling golden tassels. She also wore a wide-sleeved tunic and a striped skirt covered with light crimson gauze. Her clothes were so elaborate that even her high heels were embroidered with gold thread and decorated with pearls.

No matter how you look at it, it has the style of "returning home in glory".

But it's also true that the Crown Prince's wife hasn't entered the palace yet, and as the only concubine in the Eastern Palace, she's the only one in the lead. How can she not be proud?

They were all laughing and talking so happily that no one noticed Qingwu coming outside. It was only when their half-sister Xi Qingmian called out "Sister Qingwu" in surprise that everyone's attention was drawn to Qingwu.

Even so, Madam Zheng still scolded her, "How dare you shout like that in front of Concubine Liang?"

Xi Qingmian immediately lowered her head and fell silent. Aunt Liu also immediately bent down and pleaded with Madam Zheng in a low voice, "The third lady is still young and naive. Madam, please forgive her."

Madam Zheng's brows relaxed slightly. She had no intention of making things difficult for her concubine's daughter. Concubine Liu was originally her maid, and she was the one who promoted her to concubine. She just didn't like people who were unruly.

But before Madam Zheng could say anything, Lady Xi Qingtong, who was sitting at the head of the table, said with a smile:

"Third sister is already thirteen years old, right? It's time for her to learn some good manners. Otherwise, how will she find a good family in the future? Second sister, don't you agree?"

She looked up at Qingwu and extended her hand to invite Qingwu to sit down. Two extremely similar beautiful faces appeared in everyone's eyes.

However, no one would mistake the two sisters. One was dressed in gorgeous clothes and dressed up formally, while the other was dressed in a plain skirt and without any makeup. There was still a big difference between them.

Qingwu looked at Liangdi's flawless smile and felt inexplicably annoyed.

She responded softly, bowed briefly, and called "Liang Di, Mother." She nodded to her sister and brother on the other side, then sat down at the bottom without responding to Liang Di's words.

Such an action is actually a bit rude. Liangdi is the superior and the others are inferior. Qingwu should respond to her.

However, thinking of the reason, Mrs. Zheng frowned and looked at the two sisters separately. In the end, she didn't say any words of reprimand, and of course she didn't smile at Qingwu.

It was because Qingwu was the elder sister, but after she was lost, Qingtong was the eldest daughter for fourteen years. After Qingwu came back, she was unwilling to change, and finally had to let Qingwu be the second and younger sister.

Seeing Qingwu's indifferent expression, Xi Qingtong felt a little unhappy. This was the first time she returned home after becoming Liangdi, so why did the twin sisters still have the same attitude?

Her feelings towards the twin sister were very complicated. When Qingwu didn't come back, she felt sorry for the abducted sister. After learning that Qingwu was coming back, she became worried that she would steal her parents' attention.

Later, when this sister who was used to living a wild life in the countryside was always scolded by her mother, she felt a little bit sorry for her. However, after taking such a sister to a flower banquet and being ridiculed, Xi Qingtong could hardly feel any sympathy.

Those who grew up outside are uneducated, don't understand poetry, don't know music, and only know a few words. How can they be your twin sister?

Xi Qingtong was unhappy, but suddenly thought of something and asked again, "Why didn't your brother-in-law come with you? Oh, is your brother-in-law treating you well? If not, you can tell me and I'll help you vent your anger."

Hearing this, Qingwu thought that this was really unpleasant and falsely polite. It was normal for someone to hope for marital discord after getting married, but it was just her lovely sister.

"My dear, he's out meeting friends and will be back soon. He has a gentle disposition and has done nothing wrong to me."

Qing Wu lowered her eyes as she answered, not noticing the darkening expression on the concubine sitting above her. She only heard her say, "The Crown Prince has been very kind to me. He asked me to bring many gifts when I returned this time. Jinzhu, why don't you quickly present them?"

At this point, the smile on Xi Qingtong's lips finally became a little more genuine. This was something that Eunuch Zhao had personally sent.

Looking at the gifts presented one by one, Mrs. Zheng's face was filled with joy. Being able to bring such valuable gifts back home, it seemed that her daughter was highly valued by the prince in the Eastern Palace.

"That's great, that's great."

Mrs. Zheng held Xi Qingtong's hand tightly and was sincerely happy for her.

Looking at the scene of deep love between mother and daughter, Qingwu couldn't help but feel a little sad in his heart.

Even if they are all biological children, they are still different.

ps: Qingwu is the name the heroine has called outside for ten years, and Qingwu is the name she used when she was a child in the Xi family. She and Qingtong are a pair, so both of them will appear in the text.