Old Madam Zhou immediately snapped, “Shut up, and get on your knees! How dare you speak to the Crown Princess like that?”
Zhou Shihui pouted and said, “My mother is right. There are indeed rules everywhere in Chang’an. I feel suffocated to stay in Chang’an!”
Old Madam Zhou frowned and said, “Someone help her kneel down and admit her mistake!”
Qiao Jinniang said to Old Madam Zhou, “Grandma, don’t be angry. Cousin grew up among the folks, so she doesn’t know the rules just like me.
“I heard that the Empress Dowager’s Mammy Bai is very good at teaching etiquette. Although she was disrespectful to me last time, she must have already realized her mistake. How about I go to ask the Empress Dowager to let Mammy Bai teach her some court rules?”
What Zhou Shihui hated most was learning the rules. Before she went to the imperial palace yesterday, she just learned some court rules in a hurry, and she still couldn’t even salute properly.
Old Madam Zhou knew the grievances between the Empress Dowager and the Zhou family. If Mammy Bai really came to teach Zhou Shihui the rules, Zhou Shihui would only suffer.
But Qiao Jinniang’s suggestion was something the Zhou family couldn’t refuse.
Qiao Jinniang was not afraid of offending the Zhou family. From what she knew about Queen Zhou, she wouldn’t be annoyed just because Qiao Jinniang offended her mother if Qiao Jinniang was in the right.
Qiao Jinniang was already the crown princess, but Zhou Shihui didn’t respect her at all. If she didn’t teach her a good lesson, wouldn’t everyone be able to bully her in the future?
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Old Madam Zhou said.
Qiao Jinniang smiled. “Grandmother, you don’t need to be so polite. Miss Zhou is my cousin. Even if she said something improper to me, I will tolerate her. It’s getting late. I have to go back to the East Palace.”
Old Madam Zhou, Mrs. Zhou and the others all got up and sent Qiao Jinniang off.
After Qiao Jinniang left, Zhou Shihui began to pack her luggage.
“I don’t want to stay in Chang’an anymore. I’m going to find my mother. I’m going to find my senior brother.
“How is it possible for Senior Brother to like Fulu, that notorious dandy girl in Chang’an?!”
Mrs. Zhou tried to stop Zhou Shihui. “Your mother is gone. How can you find her?
“Just apologize to the Crown Princess. If Young Master Qiao really likes you, he will definitely marry you, because it is impossible for him and Princess Fulu to get married.
“Although the Crown Princess said that they have engaged, the two in the imperial palace will definitely not agree to this!”
“Why?” Zhou Shihui asked her aunt.
Mrs. Zhou said, “The Qiao family is at its peak now, and even our Zhou family can’t be compared to them. Back then, to avoid the royal family from suspecting the Queen, as her natal family, our family volunteered to give our military power to the Qiao family.
“But now the Qiao family’s daughter is the Crown Princess. Even if they’re known for loyalty for generations, their daughter has become the Crown Princess, so how can it be possible for their son to marry a princess?
“Besides, Fulu is the only daughter of Princess Shou’an. When the late emperor ascended the throne, there were princesses and county mistresses rebelling. His Majesty certainly doesn’t want to see the Qiao family become too powerful after their son marries a princess!
“There is also the Empress Dowager. The Crown Princess doesn’t get along with the Empress Dowager, and Li Lingling hates Qiao Jinniang’s guts. How could the Empress Dowager marry her only granddaughter to the Qiao family?”
Hearing this, Zhou Shihui slowly put down the luggage in her hands.
…
It was a good spring day, and Fulu led a group of dandy boys and girls to the Qujiang Banquet held by Junior Duke Rong, which was held for Samo’er.
Junior Duke Rong wanted to please the belle with this banquet.
Because of yesterday’s competition, everyone despised Princess Xiliang.
However, Junior Duke Rong had been protecting Samo’er, so the dandies didn’t dare to do anything to her, which made Samo’er change her opinion of Junior Duke Rong a little bit.
Fulu was annoyed to see a man of their Lu family sucking up to Princess Xiliang. “Hey, you are a junior duke of Datang. Can’t you have some backbones?”
“Humph, if you meet a foreign prince whose appearance is comparable to Samo’er, I’m afraid you will be more spineless than me.”
Fulu said, “Do you know how many of our ancestors died fighting against Xiliang? This Princess Xiliang just provoked our country yesterday. How can you still face the Crown Princess and the Qiao family?”
Junior Duke Rong retorted, “You are not a member of the Qiao family. You’re not in a position to lecture me.”
Fulu said, “I might be a member of the Qiao family in the future. Even if I am not, I am a princess of Datang. I just can’t bear to see you pleasing Princess Xiliang spinelessly!”
When Qiao Lu, disguised as a woman, came in with the token of the Duke Anyuan Mansion, he heard Fulu’s words.
Seeing Qiao Lu from a distance, Fulu came over and said, “Is it you? I haven’t seen you for a long time. Every time I ask your master about your whereabouts, your master refuses to tell me.”
Qiao Lu said in a female voice, “Thank you, Princess. Please allow me to salute you.”
Fulu grabbed Qiao Lu’s wrist and said, “You don’t need to salute me. I don’t want to stay here anymore. Come, let me take you to have fun in Chang’an. I bet your master never took you there.”
Qiao Lu blushed and nodded. “Okay, thank you, Princess.”
Fulu glanced at Qiao Lu’s hand and said in surprise, “Why is your hand so big? It also seems that you have grown a lot taller?”
He was almost a head taller than her, and he was obviously not as tall the last time she saw him.
Spring was good for an outing on horses. Seeing that Qiao Lu could ride a horse, Fulu rode out of Chang’an with him and went into the wild.
Fulu said to Qiao Lu, “There is a sea of flowers outside the city. The mountains and fields are covered with flower branches, and there is also a small clear lake there. I never took ugly people to that place lest the beautiful scenery is ruined.”
Qiao Lu followed Fulu to a manor outside the city. Looking over, there were indeed all kinds of wild flowers and red attractive wild fruits all over the mountains and fields.
Fulu ran to a small clear lake by the sea of flowers, took off her shoes and socks, sat by the small lake, and put her snow-white feet into the cool lake water.
On her ankle, there was an amulet hanging on a gold chain.
Qiao Lu’s face turned even redder when he saw it. Women in Chang’an never exposed their feet. He had been to the Southwest where women might expose their legs and arms, but the only thing that could not be exposed to men was their feet.
This was the first time Qiao Lu had seen a woman’s feet.
Seeing the “girl” in front of her stunned, Fulu urged, “What are you waiting for? Come beside me and soak your feet in. The water is very cool!”
Qiao Lu walked to Fulu and sat down beside her, took off his shoes and socks, and put his feet into the lake.
Fulu laughed and said, “How can a beautiful girl like you have such a big pair of feet? Don’t move. Let me compare…”
Seeing Fulu put her jade-like feet close to his own, Qiao Lu lunged to his feet and cupped his hands, saying, “Princess, I’m sorry. I deceived you. I shouldn’t have looked at your feet. If you mind, I can poke my own eyes.”
Fulu was surprised to find that the girl in front of her was speaking in a man’s voice that she was familiar with. Wasn’t it Qiao Lu’s voice?
She splashed some lake water on Qiao Lu’s face. The water washed Qiao Lu’s face clean and his true face was revealed.
The man in front of her had a red mole on his forehead. Wasn’t this Qiao Lu, the young master of the Duke Anyuan Mansion?
