Chapter 38 Lu Xiangfu's Cousin Qiong Shuang
Lu Qiong stamped her feet and said anxiously, "How come I've only been back for two days and all I hear is scolding!"
"What am I scolding you for?" Jiang Xue said with a smile.
"What else could it be? Either I'm skinny or I'm dark. My older brother is even worse. He said I looked like a clay figurine that had been stepped on and crushed."
"Shouldn't I scold you?" Empress Lu stretched out her hand and pretended to pat her niece's head, saying, "Look all over the capital for girls who are as outrageous as you. You ran away without telling your parents and grandfather, and even went out to venture into the underworld. You really have no manners."
Lu Qiongshuang looked at Jiang Xue aggrievedly, his eyes full of requests for help.
"Don't look at me," Jiang Xue covered her mouth and laughed a few times, saying, "You even hid it from me. I'm already very good that I didn't remind my mother to punish you and beat you."
"That's right," Empress Lu pretended to be angry, "Why not go find Shu Pei and ask someone to give her a few beatings. Only when she's injured will she be more at peace at home."
"If I had known I would not have come back!" Lu Qiongshuang shouted, "I came back for my cousin's wedding! But she not only refused to accept my kindness, but also instigated my aunt to beat me!"
"Could it be that if I don't get married, you will never come back?" Jiang Xue reached out and poked her forehead, saying, "You coaxed me and kept secrets from me, and even wanted me to accept your kindness. After wandering around in the martial arts world for a year, you have actually learned to cheat?"
Empress Lu looked at the two laughing and joking, feeling very happy. She turned to the maidservant and said, "Xingxiang, go prepare some tea, fruit and fruits in the pavilion in front. When they have had enough fun, they will start to complain about being thirsty and hungry."
Xingxiang said softly, "Your Majesty, it's ready."
Queen Lu nodded and said to Jiang Xue and Lu Qiongshuang, "Stop playing around. I'm a little tired after standing for so long. Let's go to the pavilion in front and take a rest."
Lu Qiongshuang immediately walked obediently to the queen's side to support her.
The three of them sat in the pavilion, and heard Lu Qiongshuang exclaiming, "Wow, I haven't had such exquisite snacks in a long time! Aunt loves Qiongshuang the most!"
After saying that, he picked up a piece of white jade square cake and started eating.
Empress Lu scolded, "You make it sound as if the Prime Minister's Mansion is making you suffer!"
"That's right," Lu Qiongshuang said vaguely while chewing, "My mother also said that she would starve me for three days to teach me a lesson."
Jiang Xue poured a cup of tea and pushed it towards her, saying, "Lady, lady! Don't forget your table manners. Drink some water quickly, or you'll choke."
Lu Qiongshuang chuckled, picked up the teacup and drank it down with a gulp.
"Luckily, my grandfather was at home. He loved me and just let me go back to my room and reflect on my mistakes. He didn't let my mother really starve me."
"If you're not hungry, why do you eat like this?" Jiang Xue laughed.
"It's just that I haven't had good food for a long time..." Lu Qiongshuang pursed her lips and said, "Cousin, you don't know that although life away from home is free, it's also really hard."
Jiang Xue asked her, "I told you to back off, but you dared to run out without saying a word."
Lu Qiongshuang said cunningly: "Just don't run away now."
Seeing that the two of them were chatting intimately, Empress Lu simply said, "I am a little tired, so I will go back and take a nap first. You two sisters don't have to rush back, just walk around in this palace and have dinner together in Yi'an Palace."
Jiang Xue and Lu Qiongshuang nodded obediently and both stood up and bowed.
After Queen Lu left, Jiang Xue turned around and glanced at Lu Qiongshuang and asked, "Tell me, where have you been these past two years?"
Lu Qiongshuang grinned and said mysteriously, "I have been to many places. Cousin, do you want to hear about how many strange stories there are in the south and north of the Yangtze River, and how many customs and practices are completely different from those in Ji State?"
Jiang Xue glanced at her and said deliberately indifferently: "I don't want to."
Lu Qiongshuang became anxious and pulled Jiang Xue's sleeve and started acting coquettishly.
Jiang Xue pretended to be angry and said, "I'm so proud of myself for being your best sister. You suddenly ran away that year without telling me anything. I really thought you went to study in the East China Sea, and I was secretly sad for a long time."
"Of course I can't tell you about this!" Lu Qiongshuang said angrily, "If I were discovered, I would definitely not be able to leave. Besides, you were depressed and listless at the time, and your lively personality became so quiet. I wanted to go to the palace to see you several times, but my aunt stopped me."
Jiang Xue was speechless.
She pretended to be relaxed and said, "You ran away from home without telling me, but now it's my fault?"
Lu Qiongshuang curled her lips and said, "Didn't my cousin marry herself without telling me?"
"You don't even know where you ran off to, how can I tell you?" Jiang Xue raised her hand and slapped her on the forehead.
Lu Qiongshuang felt pain and pretended to cry out several times, making faces and grimacing which made Jiang Xue laugh out loud.
Seeing her smile, Lu Qiongshuang hurriedly said, "Since you smile, that means you forgive me. Please tell me what kind of person your brother-in-law is."
Jiang Xue's eyes were slightly tired, and she said, "Let's go sit and chat in Changle Palace. It's getting colder now, so don't sit in the Imperial Garden and eat the wind."
Lu Qiongshuang was a little surprised.
My cousin seems to be much thinner than she was two years ago, and she looks listless.
Is it because the wedding is more harmful to the body?
Lu Qiongshuang quickly suppressed this strange thought, smiled and nodded, "Okay."
The two chatted in Changle Palace for an entire afternoon, and Jiang Xue asked Lu Qiongshuang to talk about his experiences outside in the past two years.
Jiang Xue was fascinated by what she heard. Lu Qiongshuang was talking excitedly at the beginning, but her mouth became increasingly dry as she spoke later, and she kept asking Fu Dong to bring her tea.
Lu Qiongshuang was really tired of talking, she collapsed on the bed and said, "Can we talk again next time?"
Jiang Xue shook her head and asked, "Go on, what exactly is going on with that Wu Master you worshipped in the East China Sea?"
Lu Qiongshuang wailed, pointed at his throat, and said, "My throat is about to smoke!"
Jiang Xue smiled and said to Fu Dong, "Go get some taro seeds and make some tea for Miss Lu to moisten her throat."
Lu Qiongshuang drank tea and said to Jiang Xue, "Cousin, you have been asking me questions all afternoon. Why don't you tell me about my brother-in-law who is the top scholar?"
Jiang Xue said, "Because your story is more bizarre, Prince Consort...there is nothing much to say. You must have heard everything you need to know."
Lu Qiongshuang shook her head and asked, "Does my cousin love him?"
Jiang Xue looked at her with amusement and said, "This 'lady', don't you feel ashamed to blurt out such a statement?"
Lu Qiongshuang said seriously: "Cousin, I am asking you sincerely, did you marry him because you loved him?"
Jiang Xue shook her head.
Lu Qiongshuang exclaimed: "Then why get married!"
"After all, he is the top scholar of the dynasty. He can't be too bad, right?" Jiang Xue said, "My father wants him to be his consort, and I won't object."
She took Lu Qiongshuang's hand and said, "Since you are in the royal family, you need to be more sensible sometimes."
Lu Qiongshuang pulled her hands out and waved them repeatedly: "I don't want it! If my family wants to arrange a marriage for me, I will definitely run again!"
Jiang Xue said, "You have to be able to run away. Do you think the people in the Prime Minister's Mansion are vegetarians? You can run away again and again?"
Lu Qiongshuang laughed and whispered, "My martial arts skills are pretty good now, cousin, don't disbelieve me. If I want to run, it won't be a problem for me to climb over a wall or a tree."
Jiang Xue looked at her innocent expression and couldn't help but feel envious.
When she was a child, Qiong Shuang was very clingy. She stuck to Jiang Yu like a follower and couldn't be pulled away.
Jiang Xue was a bit proud when she was little. She loved to play but was afraid of pain. When a group of people sneaked out to play, she would often fall or get hurt and then cry loudly.
Qiong Shuang was always by her side, protecting her like a little man. He had a bunch of medicated wound medicine and safflower oil hidden from somewhere on his body, all of which could be used in case Jiang Xue got hurt.
When she grew up a little more, at the age of thirteen or fourteen, the king's uncle felt that his daughter was almost of marriageable age, but she looked less and less like a lady, so he gritted his teeth and locked her up in the prime minister's residence and did not allow her to go out.
She also hired a female teacher to give her lessons.
After being imprisoned for only two years, Lu Qiongshuang escaped.
Jiang Xue thought that she really had become a disciple and went to the East China Sea to study, but she didn't expect that she had actually run away from home and had been gone for a year or two.
She said that she not only traveled around Ji State, but also went to Gan State and Chu State, and finally boarded a ship to the East China Sea.
She said that she had suffered a lot along the way and had seen many people who were half-naked and hungry. When they were the hungriest, she had performed acrobatics on the streets and worked as waiters in restaurants.
She disguised herself as a man and ran away for almost a year. Finally, she met her master at the junction of Hebei and Gansu. She went to Donghai with her and concentrated on learning skills.
Jiang Xue was very envious when she heard about the mountains, rivers, lakes and seas.
She thought she was a very extraordinary princess, but no matter how she ran, she could not escape from Jijing City.
Jiang Xue reached out and stroked Qiong Shuang's face, saying, "How about letting your cousin see your skills some other day?"
Lu Qiongshuang patted his chest confidently and said, "Of course that's good. Don't miss it if you pass by..."
Before Qiong Shuang finished speaking, she heard the voice of a palace maid outside the palace:
"His Royal Highness the Second Prince has arrived—"
Lu Qiongshuang immediately stopped talking, swallowed, and looked embarrassed.
Jiang Xue looked at her expression and smiled meaningfully.
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