The Crown Princess Is Jealous Again - Chapter 115

“Xiao Beitang?” Song Qingqian stepped into Zichen Palace, searching for her.

The palace was uninhabited now, save for the servants who performed daily cleanings. It was vast and empty; her call met only with a faint, lonely echo in the silence.

She ventured deeper into the sleeping quarters, finding Xiao Beitang huddled on the floor, leaning against the bedside with her arms wrapped around her knees. Overwhelmed by guilt and self-reproach, the Emperor lifted her head to look at Song Qingqian, her eyes red and rimmed with fresh tears.

The light in her eyes seemed shattered, fractured into a thousand fragments of bewilderment that she could not piece back together.

Song Qingqian knelt before her, gently wiping away the tears. She offered a small smile. “Why are you still acting like such a child?”

Xiao Beitang’s composure broke again. She dropped to her knees and pulled Song Qingqian into a crushing embrace.

“Why, why didn’t you come back to find me?” she sobbed, her voice thick and her body trembling violently. Her heart felt as if it were being flayed. “If anything had happened to you, what reason would I have left to live?”

“It’s all in the past, Xiao Beitang. It’s over. You don’t need to blame yourself or ache for me anymore; am I not standing here perfectly fine?” Song Qingqian struggled to keep her own voice steady. Ever since their reunion, she had looked at Xiao Beitang and felt her own waves of regret. “I know I was wrong. Sometimes I ask myself why I wasted those years. We were so close, yet I let that time slip away, causing us both such needless suffering.”

“As you said, how much of our lives do we have left to look back on? How much more time can we afford to waste?”

Xiao Beitang gripped her even tighter, as if terrified that the moment she let go, Song Qingqian would vanish.

“You are never allowed to leave me again. Never,” Xiao Beitang choked out.

Song Qingqian stroked her back, whispering comfortingly, “I won’t. I am your Empress now. We shall share the same bed in life, and the same tomb in death.”

After a long while, Song Qingqian said, “You ran off so suddenly earlier; Auntie Wu actually thought she had said something to offend you.”

Still recovering from her emotional outburst, Xiao Beitang’s voice was raspy. “Then I shall go back right now.”

Song Qingqian helped her up and sat her on the bed with a soft sigh. “Never mind. Your eyes are so red it would compromise your imperial dignity. Let’s stay here for a while and return when it’s time for lunch. It has been a long time since I’ve been to Zichen Palace.”

They sat in the room that held so many of their shared memories, letting the past wash over them. Every moment of their history felt as vivid as if it had happened yesterday.

“Did that jade truly give you strength?” Xiao Beitang asked suddenly, tilting her head.

Song Qingqian pulled the jade from her robes, stroking its smooth surface. “I have never let this piece leave my side.”

Xiao Beitang slowly produced her own matching piece. “Neither have I.”

The thought of their lost time made Xiao Beitang feel aggrieved again. She teased with a hint of reproach, “You really ought to beg for my forgiveness. We could have lived like this much sooner.”

Song Qingqian laughed. “Then tell me, how shall I atone for my crimes?”

Xiao Beitang pulled her close and sighed, “I sentence you to be haunted by me for the rest of your life.”

Given her upbringing, Song Qingqian was not one for “indiscretions” during the daylight hours, unless she was in the heat of her cycle and lost control. She was rarely the one to initiate.

But at this moment, in this place, she felt a sudden, desperate urge to be entangled with Xiao Beitang.

She leaned in and pressed her lips to the Emperor’s. Xiao Beitang was caught off guard for a split second before her pheromones rose to meet Song Qingqian’s, wrapping around her in a heady embrace.

Xiao Beitang’s shock gave way to delight. It was rare enough for Song Qingqian to initiate, let alone in broad daylight. She kissed back with practiced fervor, sending a shiver down Song Qingqian’s spine. Knowing every one of her wife’s sensitivities, she skillfully guided her into the clouds.

On the bed that had once belonged to them, they shared a moment of profound intimacy.

“What has come over you today?” Xiao Beitang asked afterward, holding her from behind and tracing the smooth, silken line of her shoulder with her fingers.

“You don’t like it?” Song Qingqian countered.

“How could I not? I love it,” she murmured affectionately.

“You said you wanted to haunt me for the rest of your life. It made me feel a bit sad, have I not been ‘clinging’ to you enough?” Song Qingqian turned around, her expression serious.

Xiao Beitang shook her head. “I think this is just your nature. you aren’t the type for common seductive charms or fawning. You don’t know how to play the submissive to beg for favor. And it is exactly this version of you that I love.”

“But do you not wish I were more like other Kunze? Soft, fragile, and demure?”

“Are you not soft? I think you are incredibly gentle. You have many ways of showing your love, and I love every single one of them.” Xiao Beitang’s fingers traced the bridge of her nose and her lips before lingering near her ear.

They lay in the quiet for a while before Song Qingqian rose. It was nearing noon, and it was time to join the villagers for lunch.

A banquet had been laid out in the Hall of Eternal Autumn. Xiao Beitang and Song Qingqian arrived shortly after the guests had been seated.

“Everyone, how did you find the Imperial Garden?” Xiao Beitang asked with a smile.

Auntie Wu replied, “It’s beautiful. Though, with such a large piece of fertile land, it seems a bit of a waste not to plant some vegetables.”

The hall erupted in laughter.

“Hey, what are you all laughing at?” Auntie Wu defended herself. “When we farmers see such rich soil, our first instinct is to plant something!”

“She has a point,” someone added. “We don’t really know how to appreciate ‘scenery.’ Now, if those were stalks of grain, we might be able to tell you if they were healthy or not.”

“Exactly. We’re like mountain pigs who can’t appreciate fine bran. Fine ladies from noble families are the ones meant for drinking tea and looking at views.”

Xiao Beitang listened to their chatter with genuine interest. When the conversation turned to the children, she spoke up: “Speaking of the children, I have a matter I’d like to discuss with Sister-in-law Li and Sister-in-law Gu.”

“Your Majesty, your word is law! Why talk of ‘discussing’ it?”

“Yi’er grew up with Xiaoyu and the others. Now that she is in the palace, she is lonely. I would like to ask if you would allow them to stay as Yi’er’s study companions?” Xiao Beitang asked humbly.

“Well.” They hesitated.

Xiao Beitang sensed their concern. “I know you would miss your children. Therefore, I will arrange a residence for you in the capital. They only need to enter the palace during the day. How does that sound?”

“But we have fields and livestock back home.”

“Oh, Sister Li, don’t be silly!” Auntie Wu interjected. “This is a golden opportunity! If Xiaoyu grows up here, she’ll become an official. Why are you worrying about a few acres of dirt? Can your fields give Xiaoyu a future like this?”

“You’re right,” Sister Li realized, her eyes widening.

“I will also set up a shop for you in the city so you have something to keep you busy,” Xiao Beitang added.

“That would be wonderful!” Sister Li couldn’t hide her excitement.

Xiao Beitang squeezed Song Qingqian’s hand. “Even though you cared for Qingqian and Yi’er without asking for anything in return, I am not an ungrateful person. Any villager who wishes to move to the capital will be provided with a livelihood. For those who wish to stay, I shall grant your village a thousand acres of prime farmland.”

The villagers began to discuss excitedly.

“Let’s eat first,” Xiao Beitang said, gesturing for the meal to be served. “You can take a few days to think it over. Once you have an answer, just let the Empress or me know.”

“Is there any of that ‘Four-Joy Meatballs’ today?” Auntie Wu asked a passing servant expectantly as the dishes arrived.

The servant replied, “I’m afraid not today; the palace menu usually doesn’t repeat for several days.”

Song Qingqian turned to an attendant. “Go to the kitchen and have them add a dish of Four-Joy Meatballs.”

Auntie Wu waved her hand, flustered. “No need to trouble yourselves! These look delicious enough.”

Song Qingqian smiled. “It’s no trouble. I’m happy you like them.”

“Don’t be formal,” Xiao Beitang added, raising a cup to toast the Village Head. “Just act as if you were back in the village.”

The atmosphere in the hall was warm and harmonious. Xiao Beitang was in high spirits and shared several cups with the Village Head and the other men. By the end, the Village Head was so drunk he tried to grab Xiao Beitang’s arm and insist on becoming her “sworn elder brother,” much to everyone’s amusement.

I wonder if he’ll be too terrified to walk when he remembers this tomorrow morning, Song Qingqian thought.

Xiao Beitang was also quite intoxicated, mumbling incoherently. Eventually, Song Qingqian had the servants escort the guests back. Xiao Beitang was a quiet drunk; she didn’t cause a scene, but simply stumbled toward the sleeping quarters. When Song Qingqian tried to support her, she shook her head and insisted on walking alone, refusing any help.