The innocent young lady never expected this to be merely an appetizer; the real show was yet to come.
As the carriage neared the palace gates, shouts and clamor could be heard from afar.
"Help!"
"The horses are spooked!"
"Clear the way!"
Amidst the commotion, Lu Qing Wan tapped on the carriage wall. "Stop."
The coachman shouted "Whoa," tugged the reins, and the carriage halted.
Lu Qing Wan lifted the curtain and looked ahead. "What happened?"
"It seems the horses got spooked!"
Someone nearby chimed in. Lu Qing Wan turned her head and saw a young girl who looked like a painted doll.
Round head, round face, round eyes, she wasn't plump but exuded an aura of joy. She was looking at Lu Qing Wan with her bright, dark eyes. "Which noble family do you belong to? I've never seen you before."
"I haven't seen you either!" Lu Qing Wan smiled at her. "You tell me first, then I'll tell you."
"I am Chi Yao Yao, granddaughter of Chi Yun Shen, Grand Scholar of the Hanlin Academy."
Amused by Lu Qing Wan, the little girl really introduced herself and said earnestly, "Your turn."
Lu Qing Wan found it amusing and deliberately teased her. "Daughter of Zhao Lie Marquis Lu Zhen Ting, Doesn't Eat Medicine."
"Doesn't Eat Medicine?" The little girl blinked curiously. "Are there people whose surname is 'Doesn't'?"
"Pfft," Lu Qing Wan stifled a laugh. "Sorry, I was joking. Let me formally introduce myself, I'm Lu Qing Wan."
Chi Yao Yao, with her slow reaction, finally understood. "Hey! You made fun of my name, I'm going to hit you!"
The little girl's scolding was soft and sweet. As she spoke, she raised her hand, holding something to hit with.
Lu Qing Wan playfully dodged, but a scream came from ahead. "Yao Yao, get out of the way!"
Before anyone could react, a carriage charged forward like a mad beast. If left unchecked, it would have crashed into Chi Yao Yao's carriage.
Without a second thought, Lu Qing Wan jumped onto the opposite carriage, grabbed the two little girls inside, and leaped out.
With a loud bang, the two carriages collided, their walls shattering. The coachman was thrown more than a dozen feet, rolled a few times, and lay still. The two horses, thoroughly spooked, dragged their carriages away.
"Yao Yao!"
After a cry, a young man in armor strode forward and scooped Chi Yao Yao up. "Let me see if you're hurt!"
"Brother, if you keep patting me like this, I'll die from your patting even if the spooked horse doesn't kill me!" Chi Yao Yao tried to dodge in annoyance, but the young man held her tightly, making escape impossible.
Seeing this, Lu Qing Wan pried the young man's hands open and rescued the piteous little girl. "Young sir, please calm down. She should be fine." But she thought, if you keep patting her like that, she might not be.
The young man then noticed Lu Qing Wan and cupped his fists. "Thank you, Miss, for saving my sister. Please accept my bow!" He was about to kneel.
Lu Qing Wan quickly pulled him up. "No, please don't. It was just a small favor, I can't accept this!"
The young man was amused by her startled expression and didn't insist on kneeling. He politely asked, "May I know which noble family you belong to, so I can repay your kindness in the future?"
"She said she's Lu Qing Wan," Chi Yao Yao interjected. "Brother, do you believe her? I don't, anyway. Lu Qing Wan... well, this elder sister is so beautiful, she can't possibly be Lu Qing Wan."
The "well" sounded particularly soulful, making Lu Qing Wan both amused and exasperated.
"Don't be silly," the young man chided his sister, then looked questioningly at Lu Qing Wan.
She sighed helplessly. "I really am Lu Qing Wan, but if you two don't believe me, I can't help it. After all, I never thought I'd have to prove I am myself one day!"
Chi Yao Yao stared at her in shock. "You're really Lu Qing Wan?" She felt like there was an unfinished suffix to that sentence.
Lu Qing Wan nodded again. "If Miss Chi doesn't believe me, you can wait until the banquet in the palace later. There's a set number of people from each household entering the palace, I wouldn't impersonate a distinguished Marquis's daughter."
"There's no need for that," the young man, Chi Yao Yao's brother, exclaimed. "I believe you are indeed the eldest daughter Lu. However, after only a few months, your transformation is truly astonishing!"
No matter how unremarkable Lu Qing Wan was, her status dictated her attendance at ordinary banquets. Chi Yao Yao and her brother had heard of Lu Qing Wan's name; at the peony banquet in May, Lu Qing Wan did not look like this at all. Chi Jing Chuan still vividly remembered her bizarre makeup.
"When one hasn't met for three days, one should look at them with new eyes. Besides, you two weren't familiar with me to begin with, were you? How much truth can there be in someone known only through hearsay?" Lu Qing Wan reminded them casually, implying that rumors were unreliable.
Chi Jing Chuan nodded thoughtfully. "Eldest Daughter Lu speaks wisely. It was my narrow-mindedness."
"Can we stop chatting now?" Chi Yao Yao looked at Lu Qing Wan, then at her brother. "My carriage is gone, won't someone explain what happened?"
"No rush," Chi Jing Chuan appeased his sister and called out, "Fei Yu!"
A guard hurried over. "Reporting to Commander, it was the carriage of Miss Lu from the Zhao Lie Marquis's mansion that collapsed. The horses were startled and collided with other carriages. Besides Miss Chi, several other ladies were also affected. Madam Qin and the wife of the Duke of Hua have sent people to escort the injured ladies to Chong Hua Palace. Madam Qin also used her token to request imperial physicians, and she said she would personally report to Noble Consort. It should be alright."
"Zhao Lie Marquis's mansion?" Chi Yao Yao looked at Lu Qing Wan with a strange expression. "How heavy is your sister that she could even collapse a rosewood carriage?" Of course, she knew the carriage wasn't collapsed by Lu Si Wan, she was just making a casual remark. Little did she know, from this day on, the entire capital would spread the fantastical story of Lu Si Wan weighing a thousand jin, collapsing carriages.
At that moment, Lu Qing Wan was unaware that Chi Yao Yao's words had dug such a deep pit for Lu Si Wan. She merely shook her head. "I'm not too sure. Perhaps, my sister, this 'thousand jin miss,' is quite true to her name?"
Chi Yao Yao chuckled. "Forget it, let's not talk about her. Let's go, let's go into the palace. I haven't eaten breakfast, I need to get something to eat first." As she spoke, she familiarly put her arm around Lu Qing Wan's and rushed towards the palace.
Lu Qing Wan subtly pulled her arm free, her voice laced with a smile. "Then you'll have to eat a lot, otherwise, if you fall asleep in front of Noble Consort, you'll be in trouble!"
Chi Jing Chuan watched his sister familiarly pull Lu Qing Wan away, his expression thoughtful.