My Princess Has Been Reborn Chapter 23.1

Chapter 23.1 – Moving Forward, One Step at a Time (1)

Qi Yang's worry wasn't misplaced at all. Although Lu Qipei went to Hanlin Academy today, she was out of sorts the whole day, thinking about how to quickly escape from the capital.

As for asking Qi Yang for help? Though this idea appeared for a moment, she immediately squashed it.

The princess was still young and didn't understand how sinister human's hearts could be, and Lu Qipei didn't want to expose her to such evils. And if we took a step back, just how close had their friendship even developed? If she came to her doors asking for help out of nowhere… no, wait, she wouldn't even be able to enter the palace gates in the first place!

Lu Qipei's mind was occupied with this for the whole day, causing her to make a lot of mistakes when doing errands for the elders of Hanlin Academy, inviting an endless number of glares. Maybe because of this, she didn't have anything to do in the afternoon, and spent it sitting behind her empty desk.

As soon as she got off duty, Lu Qipei didn't delay and left Hanlin Academy carrying her purse.

She wanted to run away when she saw the dead cat this morning. After all, it was hard to guard against sneak attacks, and she might not be so lucky next time. Even after she thought about it calmly afterwards, she didn't change her mind, so she took all her money with her when she left this morning!

Lu Qipei had enough money at the moment, but it was time that made her hesitate all day – she could buy a good horse to leave town and travel a thousand miles away, but the time was too short after all. What if the Lu family found her tracks and caught up with her? Right now she could still maintain peace on the surface, but if she made such a mistake, even the paper window would probably be pierced.

Lu Qipei didn't want to be too passive and found the previous plan not very suitable, so after further consideration, she decided to wait until the officials' resting day before making her move. But that meant she would have to risk her safety in such a dangerous place for a while. She was a bit reluctant, so her eyebrows kept frowning.

Lu Qipei who was immersed in thought did not realize, from the moment she stepped out of Hanlin Academy, several eyes fell on her at the same time. She walked forward on her own, but when she looked up, she found a familiar carriage parked in a familiar position!

Lu Qipei was stunned, then a surge of joy flooded her mind.

It was too late to think why Her Highness's carriage would be parked outside Hanlin Academy again. She stepped forward and knocked on the carriage. When the curtain was lifted, she smiled, and the shadows haunting her heart the whole day instantly disappeared. “Your Highness.”

Qi Yang inside the carriage did not smile back like usual, instead staring at her from top to bottom. Seeing that Lu Qipei really was fine, the frown on her eyebrows finally loosened a little and she said, “Get on the carriage. I told you yesterday that I would treat you to dinner.”

It was quite a random excuse, and Lu Qipei even declined it yesterday. However, things changed with time, and this time Lu Qipei did not refuse. She even climbed into Qi Yang's carriage without having to be pulled in.

After sitting inside the carriage and looking at the beautiful and noble girl sitting beside her, her heart that had been restless all day somehow settled down.

Qi Yang felt her gaze and turned around, asking her, “What's wrong, why are you looking at me like this?”

Lu Qipei smiled. It was a calm and leisurely smile, without a trace of haze, just like always. “I felt so happy seeing Your Highness again, so I couldn't help looking at you a moment longer.” Her rare sincerity and straightforwardness were enough to make people blush.

Qi Yang's face became slightly hot when she heard those words, and her heart went soft.

They didn't talk about any unhappy things, and didn't even say much along the way. They just stayed together quietly, feeling at peace. When the carriage finally stopped moving, Lu Qipei lifted the curtain, and froze.

The place the carriage stopped at was beyond what she expected. It was not a tavern or teahouse like she expected, but Qi Yang's other courtyard, the one she had stayed in for nine days. She still remembered that she was brought here by the princess in a daze, and then trapped in this spacious courtyard. For nine days, she was almost drowned by a pile of examination questions, and finally got an official position she did not want in return!

Perhaps the shadow left by the past was too big – Lu Qipei looked at the courtyard's gates and hesitated, not moving for a while.

A smile flashed across Qi Yang's eyes as she pretended to act nonchalantly. “What's the matter? It has to be somewhere, right?”

Lu Qipei turned around and looked at her hesitantly, “Didn't you say we were going to eat? Why did Your Highness… bring me to your courtyard again?”

Qi Yang finally couldn't help but laugh. She took Lu Qipei's long, soft hand and walked out of the carriage while saying, “Yes, I said I would treat you to dinner. The royal chef I brought out from the palace is here, and his skill is much better than those from the restaurants outside. You'll definitely be satisfied with the food he prepared.”

Lu Qipei was led down from the carriage, but she still hesitated to stand in front of the courtyard's gate. She always felt that Her Highness had other motives.

Qi Yang naturally saw through what was on her mind, so she added while smiling, “Don't worry, today is just a meal. I won't make you stay to write essays again.”

Having what she was thinking of be pointed out, Lu Qipei suddenly felt embarrassed. She pursed her lips and smiled, looking obedient and pure. Then, she really was obedient enough to let Qi Yang lead her inside the courtyard again, this time without raising any objections.

As it turned out, people who were too smart were always easy to fool.

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Chapter end