Consort Qin kicked Lu Jinshuang to the ground, making her grimace in pain.
“Mother, am I really your daughter?”
Consort Qin glared at her. “Can’t you speak properly? You don’t know how to talk unless you’ve been beaten.”
Lu Jinshuang scrambled to her feet and wisely fell silent. Afraid of being hit again, she simply picked Xi Weilan up, settled into a chair, and held her in her lap.
Xi Weilan giggled as she sat there. Lu Jinshuang stuffed a pastry into her mouth and said sternly, “Lan’er, don’t talk while you’re eating.”
Xi Qingyue watched from the side, thoroughly amused. They truly were mother and daughter—their ways of doing things were remarkably alike.
Consort Qin turned to Xi Qingyue with a warm smile. “Are you really not taking any guards? You and Little Lan’er have each been assigned sixty guards. Leaving them in the capital would be a waste.”
Xi Qingyue smiled. “Lan’er and I will go ahead first. They can follow behind us. Taking them along would only be a burden.”
The guards would still be useful once they reached their destination. They could run errands and do chores for her, but there was no way she would travel with them. She and her little sister were going to drive there, and she had no intention of making the journey the hard way.
Seeing that she was determined, Consort Qin did not press the matter. She knew Xi Qingyue was no ordinary child, and if she had chosen to do things this way, she surely had her reasons.
Consort Qin gave a glance to the palace maid beside her. The maid immediately understood and left the hall. Not long afterward, she returned with several other maids, all carrying dazzling jewelry and bolts of expensive fabric.
Pointing to the ornaments, Consort Qin looked at Xi Qingyue and said gently, “Take these with you and wear them. Little girls should dress up prettily. As for the fabrics, I know you aren’t short of clothes, but keep them for later.”
Xi Qingyue looked at the hairpins, jeweled flowers, jade bracelets, and other ornaments, slightly surprised. Consort Qin was giving them quite a lot. This Consort Qin truly was generous.
She rose and gave a graceful bow. “Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. Lan’er and I will gladly accept these gifts.”
Consort Qin was even happier once she saw her accept them. She took Xi Qingyue’s hand and chatted with her at length. Xi Qingyue also found herself growing rather fond of Consort Qin. She was not the sort of person who was full of schemes, and it was easy to be around her—much like Lu Jinshuang.
The group remained seated for an hour before finally leaving the palace. As she departed, Xi Qingyue gave Consort Qin a mysterious smile.
“Your Highness, since you’ve given us so many gifts, I’ll bring you something good next time.”
She would never accept gifts from others without giving something in return. Since Consort Qin was a decent person, Lu Jinshuang’s mother, and someone Xi Qingyue took a liking to, giving her some practical items was only right.
There were things in this era that money could not buy, especially for women. Giving her a few things before leaving would be no trouble. Xi Qingyue had plenty of supplies in her space. A few boxes of sanitary pads and underwear would be far more useful than any ordinary gift.
She had originally planned to give some to Lu Qianning and the others before leaving as well. They had known one another for so long, and they were already aware of her abilities. There was no need for her to be overly stingy.
On the carriage ride back, Lu Jinshuang asked curiously, “Little Sister Yue, what are you planning to give my mother? The palace has everything.”
Xi Qingyue smiled and asked in return, “Does the palace have a little car like the one Lan’er rides?”
Lu Jinshuang froze for a moment, then immediately looked delighted. “You’re going to give my mother a car? Then can you give me one too? Or I can pay you for it.”
She had never seen Xi Qingyue’s other vehicles, but she had a feeling Xi Qingyue must have more. If she could buy one, that would be even better.
Xi Qingyue had only been speaking hypothetically. She had not expected Lu Jinshuang to take an interest in a car. With a laugh, she nodded. “All right. If you like one, I’ll give you one.”
She began wondering what kind of vehicle would suit Lu Jinshuang. Some vehicles required charging. Although Xi Qingyue had a generator in her space and could charge them whenever she pleased, Lu Jinshuang would not have that convenience—unless she gave her one that could be charged by solar power.
After thinking it over, Xi Qingyue decided that a motorcycle would be perfect. Martial artists were all good at riding horses, so they would probably enjoy riding motorcycles too. She would simply leave them some fuel.
Lu Jinshuang was overjoyed, eagerly anticipating whatever extraordinary vehicle Xi Qingyue might produce.
They did not return to the commandery princess’s residence or Lu Jinshuang’s estate. Instead, they went to Lu Qianning’s residence.
Xi Qingyue had Lu Qianning dismiss all the irrelevant servants. Once they found an open area, Xi Qingyue brought out the vehicles.
With a sweep of her sleeve, two brand-new motorcycles appeared in the empty space before them—one black and one red.
Lu Qianning and Lu Jinshuang were still deeply shocked even though they had witnessed this scene before. The two vehicles before them were especially astonishing, far more advanced than anything from their era. They found them utterly unbelievable.
“Oh my heavens! They’re beautiful. I’ve never seen such divine contraptions before.” Lu Jinshuang ran her hand over the motorcycle’s soft seat, her face filled with wonder.
Lu Qianning also stood before the vehicle in astonishment. This one was completely different from the little vehicle Xi Weilan usually rode for fun.
Xi Qingyue smiled and said, “Big Sister Lu, the black one is yours, and the red one is for Sister Jinshuang. These are much faster than horses. I’ll teach you both how to ride them in a moment.”
Although Xi Qingyue was too short to ride one comfortably herself, teaching two intelligent martial artists how to ride a motorcycle would not be difficult.
As she taught the two women how to operate the vehicles, Luo Ling and Mu Jin watched from the side, utterly stunned.
Luo Ling sighed with emotion. “So this is what they use to travel. No wonder so many people see ghost fires at night. It turns out they’re these things.”
At once, Xi Weilan shook her head from atop her little toy car. “Sister Luo Ling, that’s not it at all! Big Sis and I don’t use these. They’re no fun.”
She thought the vehicles before her were nowhere near as good as her little electric car. All she had to do was tap her foot, and it would move forward without any effort.
More importantly, these motorcycles were far too large for her to ride.
Luo Ling and Mu Jin were left speechless. If even these amazing vehicles were considered no fun, then the horses they rode must be even worse. Comparing themselves to others really was infuriating.
Half an hour later, Xi Qingyue watched as the two women skillfully mastered the vehicles and nodded in satisfaction.
“Not bad. Clever people really do learn quickly.”
She then said to everyone, “Let’s go inside. I still have things to give you.”
Once they entered the room, Xi Qingyue waved her hand again, and box after box appeared before them.
Lu Qianning stared at the mountain of boxes in confusion. “What are all these?”
Xi Qingyue smiled and explained how to use each item. They were all things meant for women, and after hearing her explanation, Lu Qianning and the others were filled with excitement. These were priceless treasures worth a fortune.
She reached out and gently patted Xi Qingyue on the head, smiling warmly. “Little Sister Yue, you’re truly thoughtful. Your big sister won’t stand on ceremony with you.”
Xi Qingyue shook her head. “Big Sister Lu, use as much as you like. I’ve also prepared some for Sister Shiwan and Consort Qin. I’ll leave them here with you, and you can give them to them later.”
At this, Lu Jinshuang looked puzzled. “Didn’t you say you’d give them to my mother the next time you went to the palace?”
“Sister Jinshuang, I won’t be going to the palace again. Lan’er and I are leaving tonight. I promised to take Lan’er around the world, and we’ve stayed in the capital long enough. I’m sorry for troubling all of you during this time.”
Hearing this, Lu Qianning and the others were all filled with reluctance. How could they just leave without warning?
