5. I am a princess
She was like a happy duck.
Qi Gu had just finished plowing two acres of land. She sat by the edge of the field, took out a water jug and a chipped bowl from her basket, and poured herself a drink.
Not far away, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard.
A group of seven or eight tall, strong men, riding sturdy horses, galloped towards them from afar.
The horse galloped away, leaving a cloud of dust that landed in Qi Gu's water bowl. Qi Gu couldn't bear it.
She stood up and cursed, "Damn it, are you running so fast to be reincarnated? So what if you have a horse to ride!"
The person riding away on horseback couldn't hear her cursing at all.
Qi Gu stood on the edge of the field, watching the group of people walk away. No, these were not ordinary people; they looked more like soldiers.
Qi Gu slapped her forehead. This was almost the time when the palace had come to find her in her past life. She had been so busy that she had forgotten such an important matter!
She immediately put the chipped earthen bowl back into her basket, shouldered her hoe, and hurried towards the village.
The day she was reborn, she made up her mind that she would never be that damn princess again in this life.
The palace is the largest and smallest place in the world. It can hold all the gold and silver treasures in the world, but it cannot hold a simple-minded princess with strong limbs.
Unfortunately, she was the kind of person the palace couldn't tolerate; forcing herself into the palace would only harm herself and others.
In her past life, the last thing Sima Xiuyuan said to her was "Release the arrow."
The arrow pierced her chest, shattering her last remaining hope; her love and faith vanished into thin air.
That day, she thought she was dead. When she opened her eyes again, she was eight years old again. At that time, she had been in Lijia Village with her adoptive father for a year.
She was so happy that she rushed into her father's arms and burst into tears, which startled him. He was at a loss for what to do and tried to comfort her. He promised to buy her osmanthus cake, and only then did she feel that something was real.
Looking up, she saw her adoptive father's handsome and gentle face, much younger than when she last saw him in her previous life. Without the slightest hesitation, Qi Gu decided to stay in Lijia Village for the rest of her life to accompany her adoptive father until his death.
In her past life, because of her foolishness and self-righteousness, she made too many mistakes and let down her only true father. After being reborn, she secretly vowed to treat her father even better.
As for those things in the palace, they are no longer her concern!
Life in the village was simple and poor, but happy, without many conspiracies and intrigues.
Eight years passed in the blink of an eye, and she leisurely forgot that the palace staff had come to ask the princess to return to the palace.
However, this time she was no longer that princess.
After experiencing all that, she finally understood that her mother, who was behind the scenes, was absolutely right; her brain was as dull as a donkey's.
Don't they realize that the palace hasn't come looking for her for so many years? Three years have passed since the world was at peace, and only now do they remember to bring back this princess? What good could possibly come of that?
Back then, she happily returned to the palace. After returning, she even followed Sima Hong around like a puppy. That man must have been extremely annoyed by her, otherwise, why would he have watched her suffer at the last moment...
Forget it, all of that is no longer relevant to her now. She is just an ordinary farmer who makes a living by farming.
Qi Gu quickened her pace as she walked towards the village, wanting to see these people "take the princess away" with her own eyes.
As soon as she reached the village entrance, she saw a large crowd gathered there.
Standing on the outermost edge of the crowd was an acquaintance. She went up to Gouwa, who was standing on tiptoe, craning his neck, and holding a sugarcane in his hand. "Gouwa, what are these people doing?"
Gouwa turned around and saw that it was her, and said, "She said she was looking for a jade pendant that some noble person had lost."
Qi Gu asked knowingly, "Our village is a poor, remote place, how could we have something so valuable?"
Gouwa, with a sugarcane stalk in his mouth, spat out the bits of sugarcane and said, "Who knows?" Then he asked Qi Gu, "Want some?"
Qi Gu glanced disdainfully at the sugarcane covered in Gouwa's drool, then looked at the basket behind him. "Give me a new one."
Gouwa turned the basket towards her, letting her choose one.
Qi Gu was a full head taller than Gouwa. With a stretch of her long arm, she hooked a sugarcane and quickly selected a thick and straight one.
As the two were munching on sugarcane, they heard Shen Wei, who was standing in the crowd, say to the village head, "Village head, have you ever seen this jade pendant?"
The village head of Lijia Village had gray hair, a thin build, and dark brown skin. He was highly respected by the villagers because he led them to hide in the deep mountains during the war.
He leaned closer to examine the painting, then shook his head: "Your Excellency, I have never seen it before."
“This, this jade pendant isn’t mine… um…” A hoarse voice from the crowd uttered a muffled sentence.
The burly soldier looked in the direction of the sound. Li Zhong's mouth was covered, and the one covering his mouth was none other than his father, Li Xiu.
Qi Gu recognized the man leading the group at a glance. His name was Shen Wei, and in her previous life, he was the one who led the men to bring her back to the palace.
Shen Wei naturally heard Li Zhong's words, walked up to Li Zhong, looked at the teenage boy in front of him, then looked at the hand covering his mouth, and then looked at the owner of the hand.
Li Xiu, who usually had his head held high, was so frightened by this look that he withdrew his hand, bowed his head, and chuckled awkwardly, "Sir, the child is ignorant, don't listen to his nonsense."
"Whether it's nonsense or not, I can judge for myself." Turning to Li Zhong, he asked, "You just said you've seen this jade pendant?"
Li Zhong's mouth was covered by his father, and now seeing this tall official standing above him, he glanced at his father, but his father dared not speak.
Li felt uneasy and dared not answer.
Shen Wei said, "Not reporting what you know is a serious crime and could land you in jail. However, if you provide clues, you might be able to get a reward." His tone was both threatening and enticing.
Li Zhong glanced at his father, and seeing that his father was too frightened to speak, he closed his eyes and said, "Sir, sir, this jade pendant is with my elder sister."
Upon hearing this, Li Xiu felt her legs go weak and her whole body collapsed. "Sir, it wasn't us! It has nothing to do with us!"
Li Xiu, who used to be very wealthy and famous, cried and wailed, "This jade pendant, yes, my daughter found it. But she thought it looked nice, so she wore it. Please forgive me, sir, we will return it to you."
Shen Wei withdrew his leg with a look of disgust, nodded to the person behind him, and became a little more polite to Li Xiu on the ground, "Sir, please take us to see the jade pendant."
Li Zhong helped his father up, and the two of them stumbled and led a group of people toward his home.
Standing outside the crowd, Qi Gu watched the play while chewing sugarcane, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Li Qiao, the fortune I'm giving you is now up to you to see if you can accept it.
"Hey, what are you thinking about? You're grinning like a weasel. What mischief have you been up to now?" Gouwa noticed Qi Gu's sly smile and asked curiously.
Qi Gu slapped Gouwa on the head. Gouwa felt his head buzzing. Qi Gu, who was as strong as an ox, didn't hold back and it really hurt.
"No respect for elders, call her elder sister."
"Tch~~ I'll just call you Aunt Li Qi." Gouwa, who considered himself only three years younger than Qi Gu, never called her "elder sister." "Aunt Li Qi, let's go to Li Qiao's house. Li Qiao's family is in big trouble now." He insisted on calling her by her name.
"That's not necessarily true." Aunt Qi crossed her arms and followed behind Gouwa. Gouwa would definitely be scared to death in a moment.
Hopefully, Li Qiao won't let down what she's always told her; otherwise, she won't be able to handle the immense wealth, and then she can't be blamed.
Qi Gu followed the crowd to Li Xiu's house.
Li Zhong's legs were still weak. He turned around and looked at the official behind him, holding back his urge to urinate, and shouted in the courtyard, "Sister! Come out quickly!"
Inside the house, Li Qiao heard her younger brother's voice and came out of the house.
A dozen tall, sturdy men stood in the small courtyard. Li Qiao had never felt her yard so crowded before.
He saw his father and younger brother standing among a group of people, looking small, pitiful, and helpless.
Looking at her elder brother and younger brother, Li Qiao wondered if her father and younger brother had caused a great disaster. She was filled with fear and apprehension.
Shen Wei looked at the girl in front of him, who was about fifteen or sixteen years old. She had an ordinary appearance and nothing special about her. However, he noticed that she was dressed in plain clothes, but there was a jade pendant hanging at her waist.
He took out the painting, looked at it, and then looked at the jade pendant on Li Qiao's waist.
Li Qiao noticed the menacing gaze of the soldiers scrutinizing her waist.
She lowered her head slightly, and on her waist was the jade pendant she had picked up from the riverbank.
Fear gripped her; could it be that there was something wrong with the jade pendant and these people were coming to arrest her? Her legs went weak, and she was about to kneel down and explain the origin of the jade pendant when...
Shen Wei slammed the portrait shut and knelt before her, saying, "Your subject pays respects to the Princess!"
A group of tall, burly men knelt in the courtyard in unison, startling Li Qiao so much that she took a step back.
Not only Li Qiao, but even the villagers of Lijia Village were stunned, and Li Qiao and his son Li Xiu were even more stunned!
Standing outside Li Qiao's courtyard, Qi Gu's eyes were full of admiration for her perfect plan, and she thought to herself, "It's done!"
Gouwa rubbed his eyes. "You must be mistaken. Li Qiao is a princess? What kind of princess is she? She's clearly a native of Lijia Village."
Qi Gu held up a finger to Gouwa's lips. Gouwa looked at her face, which was only a foot away from him. Her eyes were bright, like freshly washed water chestnuts, crisp and fresh. Gouwa's ears turned red.
Qi Gu didn't notice Gouwa's red ears. With a glance, she indicated that the menacing-looking soldiers were still in Li Qiao's yard.
"Shh, if those people inside hear this, do they even want to live? Li Qiao is a princess now, you can't talk nonsense."
Gouwa looked around the yard, and Li Xiu, overwhelmed with surprise and joy, fainted. Their yard was in such a mess that no one would notice him.
Li Qiao's small eyes widened as she cried out, "I'm a princess! I'm a princess now! Quack quack quack!" She laughed and cried at the same time, her voice like that of a happy duck.
Looking at the chickens and dogs jumping around in Li Qiao's yard, Qi Gu couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Gouwa's eyes lingered on Qi Gu. "Rather than saying Li Qiao is like a princess, it's more believable that you are one."
Qi Gu laughed. "Hmph, this kid has good taste. It's a pity she'll never become a princess in this lifetime. Otherwise, she could take Gouwa to the capital to eat and drink the finest food."
"What nonsense are you spouting? Be careful of Li Qiao, oh no, she's a princess now. Beware of being punished by the princess."
Seeing that things were going as she had expected, Qi Gu felt relieved and said to Gouwa, "I'm going home now. My dad is still waiting for me to eat at home."
Gouwa originally wanted to stay at Li Qiao's house to watch the excitement, but seeing that Qi Gu was leaving, he went home with her.
As the sun set, the two left Li Qiao's house, which was surrounded by villagers.
[Author's Note]
"Those eyes shone brightly, like freshly washed water chestnuts, crisp and refreshing. Gouwa's ears involuntarily turned red." Gouwa, you little devil, not calling me "sister" when I'm younger? You've got some wild thoughts! [doge emoji]
"For a moment, even chickens and dogs flew about in a frenzy." [Sunglasses] The author is so immersed in his artistic creation that he seems oblivious to the world around him, hahaha~
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