Chapter 172 You Two Can’t Meet before Your Wedding
As night fell, Lu Chen came to a courtyard wall of the Duke Mansion and jumped up over the high wall easily. Before landing, he heard several dogs barking below.
In the dark night, the dogs’ eyes were glowing green, which looked very scary!
The guards of the Duke Mansion all ran over with lanterns in their hands, saluted and said to Lu Chen,
“Your Royal Highness, the Duke said that climbing the wall might hurt your body, so please come in through the gate.”
Lu Chen: “…”
Duke Anyuan Mansion was heavily guarded. It was because of the help of his secret guards that Lu Chen could easily jump in from the wall in the past.
However, after Duke Anyuan learned that Lu Chen would break into his daughter’s boudoir at night, he strengthened the security of the Duke Mansion, and now even the secret guards couldn’t find a chance to break in.
Besides, these secret guards could not expose their existence, so they had to be very careful. After all, it was really inappropriate for the Crown Prince to send his secret guards to a courtier’s home.
Lu Chen had no choice but to turn back from the wall and enter through the gate.
Duke Anyuan hurriedly came to greet him. “Your Royal Highness, what can I do for
you?”
Lu Chen said, “I just came to see Jinniang.”
Duke Anyuan cupped his hands and said, “Your Royal Highness, this is against the rules. Your wedding is imminent, and it would be ominous if you meet before your wedding.”
Lu Chen glared at Duke Anyuan.
But Duke Anyuan, who had always been humble in front of him, was very decisive this time. “Your Royal Highness, you two cannot meet before your wedding.”
If this spread out, the Duke Mansion’s reputation would be ruined!
Duke Anyuan saluted and said, “Your Royal Highness, your wedding is only about half a month away. This time is fleeting, so please don’t make things difficult for me.”
Lu Chen: “…”
When Yuyan learned what happened at the gate, she came back and reported it to Qiao Jinniang. “Wow, His Royal Highness’ face is all dark. It’s the first time that our master act so tough in front of His Royal Highness!”
Qiao Jinniang chuckled. Lu Chen deserved it.
However, Lu Chen’s birthday was two days after the wedding
Qiao Jinniang had to prepare some birthday gifts for him.
He had been coveting Xi’er’s doll, so Qiao Jinniang planned to make him a dog doll… Early in the morning of the next day, Fulu, who Qiao Jinniang hadn’t seen for a long time, came to visit her. She said,
“You have been cooped up in the Duke Mansion for a long time. It’s spring now. It’s a pity not to go out and enjoy the beautiful spring scenery in Chang’an.”
Qiao Jinniang smiled at Fulu and said, “I want to go out, but now I can’t go out at will.”
The imperial decree had been issued and she was already the Crown Princess. As the Crown Princess, she couldn’t easily go out now.
Fulu suddenly began to take off her clothes…
Qiao Jinniang hurriedly closed her eyes. “Princess Fulu, I’m not a lesbian!”
Fulu took off a suit of men’s clothes that she wore below her dress and handed it to Qiao Jinniang
“What are you talking about? Although you are taller than me, my robes are loose. You can put on the men’s clothes and go out with
me.”
Qiao Jinniang didn’t want to cause trouble when the wedding was approaching, even if she really wanted to go out to have fun.
She refused. “No, thanks.”
Fulu said, “You will regret it if you don’t go out today. It’s the Flower God Festival today, and it will be very lively.
“All the women in Chang’an will be dressed as flower fairies and go out to admire flowers today, but you can only stay alone at home. I really feel pity for you.”
Qiao Jinniang said, “Shouldn’t the Flower God Festival be on February 2? Don’t bluff me.”
Seeing that she couldn’t fool Qiao Jinniang, Fulu said, “Forget it. Let me tell the truth, it’s my imperial cousin who wants to see you, but he can’t come in, so he asked me to take you
out.”
Qiao Jinniang: “…”
“However, although there is no Flower God Celebration, the peonies in Chang’an are all in full bloom.
“The Crown Prince is getting married, and all foreign countries have sent envoys to celebrate it. The streets are very lively, and there are many new things that we have never seen before!”
Qiao Jinniang asked Fulu, “What reward will Lu Chen give you for doing this?” Fulu smiled, not embarrassed at all. “One hundred taels of silver.”
Qiao Jinniang said, “One hundred? You’ve gotta give me fifty taels.”
“But you’re already so rich. Your Tasty Pavilion and Myriad Taste are making thousands of taels a day. How many people envy you in Chang’an? And you still want fifty taels from me?!”
Fulu clenched her purse.
Qiao Jinniang laughed. “But my husband is a spendthrift. He just paid you a hundred taels, didn’t he?”
Princess Fulu said to Qiao Jinniang, “Just quickly change your clothes!”
Qiao Jinniang put on the man’s robe brought by Fulu and said,
“Even if I am in men’s clothes, the maids and guards can still recognize me. How can I get
out?”
Fulu said, “It’s not difficult!”
Fulu took out an oiled paper bag, punctured the oiled paper, and dripped blood onto her lap.
“Ouch, my leg is hurt. Hongling, go let my carriage come into the yard.”
But Qiao Lu came faster than Fulu’s carriage.
The Imperial Examination this spring would be held in the middle of March, which was only a few days away, so Qiao Lu had been preparing for the exam at home.
Seeing him barge in, even Qiao Jinniang was stunned. “Brother, what’s the matter with
you?”
Qiao Lu didn’t even notice Qiao Jinniang was in men’s clothes, and the only thing he noticed was that Fulu’s legs were covered in blood, and he anxiously asked,
“Come, call an imperial doctor over. No, it’ll be too slow. Princess, please forgive me for being rude!”
Before Fulu could react.
She was carried on Qiao Lu’s shoulder like a sack, and Qiao Lu was running as fast as lightning. Qiao Jinniang: “…”
Fulu froze, only feeling her stomach churning.
Gosh, this one hundred taels of silver was really hard to earn.
“Young Master Qiao, put me down. My leg is fine!”
Qiao Lu said nervously, “How can it be fine? It’s bleeding!”
Fulu could only watch helplessly as Qiao Lu carried her all the way into the Imperial Hospital.
When the imperial doctors saw Fulu’s clothes were stained with blood, they hurriedly came up to treat her.
Fulu could only say repeatedly, “It’s okay. I’m really okay.”
Qiao Lu held her hand nervously. “But you bleed a lot!”
“I’m on my period, alright?!” Fulu snorted.
Qiao Lu didn’t know what “period” meant.
The imperial physicians were so embarrassed to hear that, and one of them kindly explained to Qiao Lu what a “period” was.
Qiao Lu awkwardly looked at the blood stain on his robe, and the tips of his ears were as red as blood.
“What are you waiting for? Send me back. My belly hurts!”
Being carried all the way here, Fulu felt very uncomfortable now because her stomach was pressed against Qiao Lu’s shoulder just now.
The imperial doctor said that menstruation could cause abdominal pain.
So Qiao Lu thought that Fulu was suffering from abdominal pain due to menstruation. He then thought drinking hot sugar water might relieve some of her pain.
With this in mind, he put Fulu on his shoulder again, planning to return to the Duke Mansion to boil some hot sugar water for her to relieve the pain.
Fulu, who was carried like a sack again, really wanted to scold Qiao Lu to death…
But her mother and father had told her that the ancestors of the Qiao family were the great heroes of Datang.
Forget it. She would forgive Qiao Lu for the sake of the 100 taels of silver his brother-in-law paid her.
When Fulu returned to Qiao Jinniang’s courtyard, she stuffed Qiao Jinniang into the carriage and ordered the coachman to quickly drive away. She must earn the hundred taels of silver! No one could stop her!
Hongling and other maids: “…”
Qiao Lu, who went to a kitchen for the first time in his life, came over with the sugar water he boiled, only to find that Fulu was gone, and he felt a faint loss.
Back in his study, he noticed his blood-stained robe…
He was very embarrassed, but still took off the robe and locked it in a wooden box, not noticing at all that there were some fine chicken feathers on the blood.