35. A Battle of Wits Between Two Beauties
Why did you provoke her?
Qi Gu looked up at the Ninth Princess, who, despite her youthful appearance, was dressed in a fiery red riding outfit, with upturned eyes and an air of arrogance.
She was the daughter of Lady Jiang, whose family were among the founding heroes who helped the Jin emperor conquer the country. Lady Jiang's father was the Earl of Pingning, so she naturally had the right to be arrogant and domineering.
The second princess, standing to the side, wore riding attire as green as jade. Qi Gu recognized that it was made of fish-tooth silk, a type of silk that only Sichuan embroiderers could weave.
Its movements are ethereal and graceful, like flowing water; even when still, it glows softly. Seemingly understated and unassuming, it is actually incredibly luxurious, with every inch of it worth its weight in gold.
The second princess possessed a refined and elegant demeanor, like a rare orchid in a secluded valley, which further accentuated the graceful and noble air of the person in question.
Looking at myself, dressed in simple clothes, holding a hoe in one hand, and with muddy feet, I was truly like a sparrow meeting a phoenix.
The second young master gently covered his delicate nose. "Ninth sister, let's leave it at that. This is the imperial land that Her Majesty the Empress guards closely. If someone tells Her Majesty that you caused trouble here, you will probably be punished. Let's leave first."
Qi Gu glanced at her. If she hadn't lived an extra life, she wouldn't have understood that what she seemed to be mediating the dispute was actually fueling the fire and smearing her mother.
Since she was afraid that the Ninth Princess would make a mistake, she should have pointed out the Ninth Princess's mistake instead of using the Empress's power to force the Ninth Princess to bow down. Otherwise, even if the Ninth Princess admitted her mistake, it would be because of the Empress's authority, rather than because she truly believed that she was wrong.
If this continues, the straightforward Ninth Princess will only feel that the Empress is controlling and restricting her in every way, and will harbor resentment towards the Empress.
More importantly, the Second Princess used this to make people feel that the Empress was too harsh, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the Ninth Princess, Consort Jiang, and the Pingning Marquis's Mansion towards the Empress.
The second princess was smarter than Madam Guo.
“Ninth Princess, I do not know what wrong I have done.” Qi Gu stood up straight and looked at the Ninth Princess directly.
"You lowly commoner, how dare you be so arrogant and bossy in front of me and my elder sister, ordering around the palace maids? Who gave you the guts? Kneel down and kowtow to admit your mistake!" The Ninth Princess lashed out, furious that such a lowly commoner dared to look her in the eye.
She had never seen a woman in the palace with such a strong back, and she couldn't stand that someone was more self-righteous than her!
Sun Shan was an honest man. Although he entered the palace as the Grand Granary Manager, his position involved dealing with fields and grains, and he was not highly regarded in the palace.
He wasn't the kind of person who specialized in such matters. He had never befriended any nobles in the capital, let alone the princesses in the palace. When he encountered a nobleman making trouble for the first time, he was at a loss for what to do.
He thought that he had invited Mr. Li and his daughter here today, which was why this had happened. He felt he should apologize to the Ninth Princess on behalf of Aunt Qi.
Qi Gu shook her head at him, rested her hands on her hoe, and looked at the princess's arrogant face. She said, "I only saw the princess fall and asked her maid to help her up."
Li Qiao, cowering behind the Second Princess and the Ninth Princess, looked at Qi Gu's current appearance and remembered the day she came to find her and told her that she knew about her hiring someone to kill her. She had been in the same posture then.
She glanced at Qi Gu and the hoe in front of her. Why did she carry that broken hoe with her everywhere she went? Hoes aren't allowed here, sir.
Li Qiao felt guilty in front of Qi Gu, but seeing her standing before the Second Princess and the Ninth Princess with neither arrogance nor servility, a hint of envy appeared in her eyes.
"Oh, so you know about our Banana Deer Princess." The Ninth Princess looked at Li Qiao with a mocking gaze. "Elder sister, do you know why Father and Mother bestowed upon you the title of Banana Deer Princess?"
How could Li Qiao know that she had limited education, had only been in the capital for less than two months, that the Empress ignored her, and that Lady Guo disliked her?
Before she could answer, the Ninth Princess said, "There was a man named Zheng, or maybe he was from the state of Zheng. When he was chopping wood, he saw a deer run by, killed it, and hid it in a pit, covering it with banana leaves. But when he came back to look for it, the deer was gone. He thought it was a dream and told a passerby about it. The passerby found the deer. But when he got home, he dreamed of the road that had taken the deer. The next day, he found the passerby based on the clues in his dream. The two of them argued over the deer and ended up at the government office."
The Ninth Princess walked up to Li Qiao and called out, "Elder sister, do you know the origin of your title?" She emphasized the words "elder sister".
Li Qiao was startled by the Ninth Princess's direct gaze and took a step back. "I... I don't understand what Ninth Sister is saying."
"Who's your sister, you..."
“Second Princess, Ninth Princess.” Qi Gu stepped forward and interrupted the Ninth Princess. “I just heard a few days ago that the Emperor and Empress bestowed the title of ‘Princess Jiaolu’ upon the eldest princess who had been living among the common people. Along with the decree of bestowing the title of princess, the eldest princess was also to go to the Xiongnu for a marriage alliance on behalf of the Great Jin.”
As she spoke, she bowed deeply to Li Qiao, “Princess, you are a woman of great virtue and wisdom. You are willing to sacrifice yourself to marry into the Xiongnu and leave your homeland and family behind, so as to buy the Great Jin Dynasty a little time to breathe after the war has just ended. I have heard that you have been living among the common people for many years, without enjoying the honor of a princess, but you have to shoulder the heavy responsibility of bringing peace to the world. You have sacrificed yourself for the sake of the people and the world, and I admire you very much. Princess, you have sacrificed yourself for the Great Jin Dynasty and deserve the respect and gratitude of the people.”
Qi Gu spoke with great emotion and eloquence, and after hearing this, who would dare to laugh at Li Qiao?
Li Qiao stared blankly at Qi Gu, murmuring, "Li Qi Gu, you..."
The second princess felt as if she were soaked in poison, and wanted to poison this ignorant commoner girl in front of her immediately!
Even if the Ninth Princess was bold, she wouldn't dare to refute. If she dared to disrespect the First Princess who was about to be married off, and her father, empress, and mother found out, she would not be in a good position.
The second princess did not want to be taught a lesson by some nobody. If word got out about what happened today, would she still have the reputation she had worked so hard to maintain?
At this moment, she instead adopted the posture of an elder sister and said to the Ninth Princess, "Ninth sister, you mustn't be rude. Hurry up and apologize to your elder sister."
Li Qiao quickly replied, "No, no need."
The second princess then feigned reconciliation, saying, "We are sisters. Ninth Sister didn't mean it. Eldest Sister, please don't blame her."
Without even glancing at Li Qiao, he said to Qi Gu, "The matter between us sisters should naturally be resolved by us sisters. However... this young lady, you have committed insubordination. What is your punishment?"
Upon hearing this, the Ninth Princess's previously dim eyes lit up again. She looked at Qi Gu triumphantly, as if she had found a reasonable excuse to punish her. "That's right, you ignorant country bumpkin, daring to spout nonsense in the royal garden. You're being disrespectful to your superiors. What are our statuses, and what are yours!"
She lowered the whip in her right hand. "Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson, you ignorant lowly commoner, and see if you can still use your words to intimidate me!"
The whip lashed through the air, making a whooshing sound. Seeing the danger, Li Shi stepped in front of Qi Gu.
"Stop!" came a deep, stern rebuke.
At the same time, the Ninth Princess's hand was grasped by a strong hand.
It turned out to be Fu Lian, a palace maid serving the Empress. She was skilled in martial arts and had tremendous strength. It was said that she had fought on the battlefield with the Empress.
However, she was taciturn and always obeyed orders, so she was not as fearsome as Aunt Lu in Changxin Palace.
Lu Ao represents the Empress's decree, and behind Fu Lian is Lu Ao, with her hands neatly placed in front of her, her lips slightly downturned, and the two lines on her face making her look even more stern.
"Fu Lian, let go of the Ninth Princess. I suppose she won't make a move again, right?"
The Ninth Princess was the most resentful, but remembering the Empress and her mother, Consort Jiang's, instructions, she finally suppressed her temper and lowered her head, saying, "Yes."
Standing before the three princesses, Lu Ao first addressed Qi Gu and the other two in a kind manner: "The three princesses are young and ignorant, which has made things difficult for the Taicang magistrate. Please forgive the princesses' rudeness."
The magistrate of Taicang hurriedly waved his hand, "No, no, no, I wouldn't dare."
Qi Gu lowered her head, feeling a beam of light fall on her head.
"I suppose this must be Mr. Li and... Lady Qi."
Li Shi bowed respectfully, "Indeed." He had indeed been surprised by the two unruly princesses. He hadn't expected young girls in ancient times to be so fierce. Fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm.
The old woman in front of them was kind and gentle, and spoke politely. When she arrived, the three princesses became as respectful as kittens.
It seemed that Qi Gu's biological mother still cared about this daughter, which put Li Shi at ease.
Lu Ao's gaze lingered on Qi Gu's face for a while longer. Finally, she looked at her enough, nodded, and smiled, saying, "Your Majesty, please invite Mr. Li and Miss Qi Gu to the palace another day."
The usually serious and unapproachable Lu Ao had a few lines around her mouth that had faded a bit. Li Shi thought to himself, it seems that the mother and daughter are finally going to meet.
After Lu Ao finished speaking, she turned to look at the three princesses behind her.
She resumed her previous stern expression, "Her Majesty the Empress has divided the Shanglin Garden in two, one side as the Imperial Field and the other as a recreational area. Unauthorized persons are prohibited from entering the Imperial Field. Second Princess, you are well-versed in palace rules and have always respected your elders and cared for the younger ones. Yet today you allow your younger sister to insult your elder sister who has been living among the common people, showing no respect for elders. This is your first mistake. You also encouraged the Ninth Princess to trespass into the Imperial Field and then bullied others there, using imperial power to oppress others and disgracing the royal family. This is your second mistake."
These words were undeniably harsh. The Second Princess's fair face turned deathly pale. If word got out of this scolding, how could she ever face anyone again?
But when she thought of the Empress's cold eyes, the Second Princess knew that unless her mother became Empress one day, she would have no choice but to accept these charges this time!
Lu Ao then looked at the Ninth Princess, who had completely lost her previous imposing manner, and said, "Her Majesty the Empress said that this place concerns matters of vital importance to the people's livelihood, not a place for frivolous entertainment. As a princess, it is foolish to bully others and readily believe the slander of others!"
Finally, her gaze fell on Li Qiao. "Princess, the Empress has spared you from punishment because you are new to the palace and do not know the rules. However, you will have an extra hour of court etiquette lessons every day."
Li Qiao leaned weakly against Hong Yu and Hong Shu, as if she had escaped a disaster. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Qi Gu and looked at the disheveled Second Princess and Ninth Princess, and felt a rare moment of good mood.
Why did you provoke her? When the Empress recognizes her, you can pray she won't beat you with a hoe.
After reprimanding the three princesses, Madam Lu addressed everyone, saying, "Keep your mouths shut about what happened today. If word gets out and damages the princesses' reputations, you will all be punished in the torture chamber!"
The palace servants all knelt on the ground and said, "Yes!"
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