Chapter 58.1 â Her Little Princess
The Third Prince was in very high spirits for many days, and a lot of people went to see him off at the cityâs gates on the day of his departure. They were mostly people from the Third Princeâs family and people who were just there as decorations, but that didnât matter. The Third Prince still left in satisfaction.
On top of the city gateâs tower, the Crown Prince and Qi Yang stood unseen by the battlements, watching his back as he rode away on the horse.
Qi Yang glanced at the officials below who were seeing the Third Prince off, and said something to the Crown Prince rather ambiguously, âI couldnât tell that Third Brother is so popular. The officials who came to see him off today would definitely make up at least half of the court. Royal Brother, heâs got you beat eh.â
The Crown Prince didnât say anything and just smiled without concern. When he first got onto the city gateâs tower, he also glanced at the people below, but he soon looked away without interest. The reason was simple; there were many people who went to see the Third Prince off today, but with just a glance, he could see that they were mostly young and unfamiliar faces. None of the courtâs important veterans had come!
Relying just on these minor officials, no matter how many came, the most they could do was make things look lively!
After seeing off the Third Prince, the people under the tower gradually dispersed. The Crown Prince looked as the Third Prince and his entourage disappeared at the edge of the official road, then turned around and said, âAlright, Third Brother has left, who knows when weâll meet again. Itâs time for me to go back.â
Of course, Qi Yang followed the Crown Prince and was about to go back to the palace with him, but she saw him raising his hand and pointing towards the city gate. âDonât follow me. Iâm not going to let you blame me for spoiling your good chance.â
Hearing this, Qi Yang immediately looked at where he was pointing. Under a big tree in the city gate, a handsome youth was looking at the gateâs direction while lost in thought. She was obviously not there to see the Third Prince off, but the ones that were had not all scattered. So how long had she been standing there?
Qi Yang had another strange feeling in her heart, but she didnât show anything on her face. She just smiled and said to the Crown Prince, âThank you for reminding me, Royal Brother.â Then she tried to explain for Lu Qipei, âShe knows that Third Brother tried to send me off to a political marriage back then. She definitely didnât come here to see him off.â
The Crown Prince waved his hand and said, âI know, thereâs no need for you to explain.â Then he said, âGo, but remember to go back to the palace tonight.â
Qi Yang smiled in embarrassment when she heard that. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Lu Qipei had turned around, so she couldnât think of anything else to say to the Crown Prince. She hurriedly said goodbye, lifted her skirt and chased after Lu Qipei.
The Crown Prince shook his head amusedly and said, âYou really canât keep a daughter once they grow up.â
Under the tower, Lu Qipei had indeed turned around and left. Today was not rest day yet, and she only came here to take a look. As for what she was looking at? Obviously, it was not the annoying Third Prince, but the five thousand soldiers who went with him.
At this time in her previous life, the Rong State had not even been established, so there wasnât anything like a war.
Back then, things were peaceful. Even if there was some friction at the border, it was mostly just a minor disturbance. Until the day she died, Liang State remained a peaceful and prosperous country. But in this life, things changed to be like this.
Lu Qipei didnât know where all these changes came from, until she later guessed the background of the Lu family and Xie Yuan and gradually connected everything together. Finally, she came to the conclusion that the source of these changes was Lu Qichengâs death.
Itâs absurd, wasnât it? Lu Qicheng wasnât anyone famous. Only a few people knew about his death, and even fewer came to mourn him. But his death had indeed accelerated Xie Yuanâs action and pushed forward the coming of war!
Lu Qipei looked at the five thousand soldiers who were going to the battlefield, as if she could see the bloody storm in the north through them. There was a moment of regret in her heart that she had killed Lu Qicheng too recklessly, leading to the current situation where the good sons and daughters of the country were sent to die at the border.
But Lu Qipei had never been someone who would dwell too long on matters that she could do nothing about. Just as the feeling of regret and remorse surfaced, her head quickly became clear again. The crux of the war had never been with her or Lu Qicheng â at the end of the day, both of them were just pawns in a huge chessboard.
As long as Xie Yuan was still there, this war was inevitable. Perhaps, there could be some advantage now that it had been brought forward in advance.
Standing under the big treeâs shade, Lu Qipei soon comforted herself and relaxed, planning to return to the Court of Judicial review.
Unexpectedly, she heard a familiar voice behind her just after she turned around. âAh Pei!â
Lu Qipei stopped walking and turned around, and saw Qi Yang running towards her while lifting her skirt. She was a little surprised. âYour Highness?â Then, she looked at the direction of the city gate and her expression turned even more strange. âDid you come to see the Third Prince off?â
Of course Lu Qipei knew that Qi Yang and the Third Prince were not in good terms. It wasnât as obvious on the previous life, but in this life Qi Yang had never concealed her hostility to this older brother of hers from the very start. This hostility almost reached its peak when he tried to get her married off in a political marriage a while ago.
The siblings were worse than strangers, would Qi Yang be so kind to come and see him off?
While she was thinking that, Qi Yang had already caught up to her and said, âI came here with brother Crown Prince, I didnât expect to see you here. But this is good, donât be in a hurry to return to the Court of Judicial Review. Letâs walk together.â
No one can go against what Her Royal Highness says, so Director Lu got pulled away to skip work with her.