Lu Chen said, “The ancestors of the Lu family originally came from Longxi. After the founding of the country, Longxi was inherited by another line of the Lu family, and their family master was canonized as King Longxi.

  “When I was missing, there were floods all over the South. The Eldest Prince and the Fifth Prince were both demoted, and everyone in the court was in panic, so rebellious thoughts developed in King Longxi.

  “My father needed to contain King Longxi, and didn’t want to kill his own clansmen, so he married off Sister Jinghua to the military governor of Longxi.

  “A year later, when my father killed King Longxi, Sister Jinghua divorced the military governor of Longxi and returned to Chang’an.

  “King Longxi didn’t rebel with much fanfare, so you don’t know about it. I only learned about it after I returned to the imperial palace.”


  Qiao Jinniang said, “Is the military governor of Longxi still alive? Why did Sister Jinghua divorce him?”


  Lu Chen said, “King Longxi is gone, and the military governor of Longxi, as a prince consort, couldn’t hold military power. Sister Jinghua divorced him for his own good.”


  Qiao Jinniang said, “Everyone envies the princess for keeping so many gigolos, but now I know that’s just because princesses have no choice.”


  Fortunately, she was not a princess. The princesses seemed to be living a luxurious and carefree life, but they were actually living in a big cage.

  Unless there was a man who was willing to give up everything like Fulu’s father, but there were very few men in the world who could do this.

  Qiao Jinniang was worried. “Our daughter will not be like this in the future, right? If my daughter can’t marry the man she loves, I would rather not have a daughter.”


  Lu Chen smiled and said, “How could I let our daughter suffer, but we don’t have a daughter yet. When will you give me one?”
……

  After the people of the Qiao family left the imperial palace.

  Updates by

  Qiao Ruofeng had been absent-minded, and Ruowan asked, “Sister, what’s the matter with you?”


  Qiao Ruofeng ran to Duke Anyuan and said, “Uncle, I want to join the women’s army of the Duke Anyuan Mansion. Today, Princess Xiliang challenged us, but I could do nothing but watch. If it weren’t for Second Sister who narrowly beat her, the reputation of the Qiao family’s women would have been ruined.

  “I heard that there are also women’s troops in the Qiao family army. I am willing to go to the Southwest and join the women’s army, starting as a soldier.”


  Second Madam shouted loudly, “You are crazy! Ruofeng, even if you lose your reputation, you don’t have to abandon yourself to go to the military!”


  Qiao Ruowan also came up, saluting and saying, “Uncle, I am willing to accompany my sister. Our parents have no son, so our sisters are supposed to support our family. My sister and I are willing to go to the Southwest to join the women’s army.”


  Second Madam almost fainted. “You, you, are you trying to kill me?!”


  Old Madam Qiao nodded appreciatively. “Good, this is what the daughters of the Qiao family should do. It just so happens that your brother-in-law and Xu Mingwei are going back to the Southwest, so let them escort you to the Southwest to join the women’s army!”


  Second Madam said to Old Madam Qiao, “Mother, how can you let them?”


  Old Madam Qiao said, “We Qiao family people are famous for being loyal and valiant to defend the country, and they are the Qiao family’s worthy daughters. I’m so proud of you two.”


  Second Madam was crying bitterly, and Zheng Xiao comforted her. “It’s a good thing that Ruofeng and Ruowan have ambitions.”
……

  Early the next morning, all the guests from the Southwest were about to leave Chang’an.

  Qiao Ruofeng and Qiao Ruowan left a letter while Second Madam was still sleeping, and went to the Southwest with them.

  When the teahouse opened early in the morning, it was full of guests, and many literati were publicizing Tong Yingying’s meritorious deeds.

  “Yesterday, the princess of the small barbarian kingdom Xiliang challenged our Datang with three tricky questions, intending to humiliate our country. Thanks to Miss Tong, the reputation of Datang was defended. She is worthy of the title of the most talented girl in Chang’an!”


  “Oh? What are the questions?”


  A literati said, “The first question is which box the national treasure of Xiliang was in, even the new Flower Picking Childe is stumped by this question. Fortunately, Tong Yingying secretly delivered him a note and helped him out.”


  Listening to the vivid descriptions of the literati, the people in the teahouse who didn’t know what exactly happened all believed him. “Miss Tong is so smart.”


  “She is really our country’s heroine. Without her, the new Flower Picking Childe would have lost all his face.”


  A literati continued. “But there is an ingrate. After Miss Tong helped Young Master Qiao out, Princess Xiliang raised another question. She took out two ducks, and asked us to make a delicious dish without the skin, flesh, bones and internal organs with the ducks.

  “In order to buy some time, the Crown Princess said that she would serve the dish in the evening. Miss Tong kindly offered advice for the Crown Princess, which was to use the egg in the duck belly to make the dish.

  “But the Crown Princess berated Miss Tong for not abiding by the etiquette and speaking before being allowed by her, and even had her maids slap Miss Tong hard.

  “She also had Miss Tong thrown out of the imperial palace. I wonder if the Crown Princess ruined our country’s dignity at the palace banquet because of her own jealousy?”


  The audience didn’t dare to curse the Crown Princess, but they all felt indignant for Tong Yingying.

  “Tong Yingying is really pitiful. Datang won’t forget what she has done for our country!”


  “Tong Yingying is so smart and successfully defended Datang’s dignity, but her father, Imperial Censor Tong was dismissed because he wrongly trusted Wu Wen. Miss Tong is really pitiful!”


  A scholar who loved to follow Tong Yingying to fish for fame said, “Miss Tong has done such a meritorious deed for the country and the people ,but that woman in the East Palace was jealous of Miss Tong and even persecuted her!”


  The audience all echoed him.

  Today, Tong Yingying deliberately went out to the teahouse for a walk. The small vendors she met along the way all refused to take her money, and some commoners even gave Tong Yingying the good things they had.

  They admired and worshiped Tong Yingying as if she was a brave female general who had returned from the battlefield.

  Tong Yingying hurriedly said, “I am a member of Datang, so I’m obliged to defend Datang’s dignity. Please stop praising me. I’m so flattered.”


  But the people said, “Miss Tong is really noble in character and indifferent to fame.”


  “It’s a great blessing for Chang’an to have a person like Miss Tong.”


  “Miss Tong is truly unparalleled in wisdom. She is the most intelligent person in Chang’an!”


  Tong Yingying looked modest and casual, but she was laughing happily inside. Look how much she was loved by the people…


  If the Crown Prince wanted to gain the support of the literati and the people, he had to marry her. She would definitely be a great help to him!

  In the Taiji Palace, Emperor Huilin was arranging for the Ministry of Rites to prepare for the wedding of Junior Duke Rong and Princess Xiliang.

  Lu Chen cupped his hands and said, “Father, it’s a good thing that Princess Xiliang is going to marry Junior Duke Rong.

  “However, since we beat her in the three questions she posed yesterday, we should publicize among the people how intelligent the Crown Princess is, to boost up morale.”


  Emperor Huilin didn’t expose Lu Chen’s real purpose, which was that he just wanted to please and show off his beloved wife.

  He simply said, “What you said makes sense. It should be publicized indeed!”


  Lu Chen briefly introduced the questions Princess Xiliang raised yesterday, and how Qiao Lu and Qiao Jinniang solved them one by one.

  When he was introducing the fight between Qiao Jinniang and Princess Xiliang, he embellished a little and described Qiao Jinniang’s shrew-life fighting style as a unique martial art of the Qiao family.

  Then he said to the ministers, “I hope you can spread the great news out to boost the people’s pride in our country.”


  Among the ministers, an official came out and said shivering, “Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, before the levee, I heard in the steamed bun shop on the main street that everyone was saying that yesterday it was……”