The Crown Princess Is Jealous Again - Chapter 19

Xiao Beitang walked to the sidelines, where Li Ningyu greeted her enthusiastically, holding out a handkerchief to wipe her brow. Xiao Beitang reflexively dodged the gesture, took the cloth herself to wipe the sweat, and kept her eyes fixed on the field.

Song Qingqian stood in the center of the grounds, her gaze locked on Xiao Beitang. For a fleeting second, their eyes met only for Xiao Beitang to offer a look of sheer disdain before turning to leave. Song Qingqian stood there, momentarily bewildered, before moving to follow.

Li Ningyu trailed behind Xiao Beitang like a little shadow. “Your Highness, could I join you for cuju next time?”

Without a second thought, Xiao Beitang replied, “You are a Kunze; it’s too dangerous for you.”

“Then how can Song Qingqian play? Isn’t she a Kunze too?” Li Ningyu muttered, her voice tinged with a bitter, wounded jealousy.

“For the County Princess to refer to me by my given name, it seems rather improper, doesn’t it?” Song Qingqian’s cool voice drifted toward them.

Both Xiao Beitang and Li Ningyu spun around. Li Ningyu, looking guilty, stammered, “I, I simply haven’t adjusted yet.”

Song Qingqian ignored her, stepping past to face the Princess. “Why didn’t Your Highness wait for me?”

Wait for you? Weren’t you busy chatting away with that Lin Zihe? Xiao Beitang thought irritably. Her tone turned sharp. “Song Qingqian, are you intentionally trying to provoke me?”

“Whatever does Your Highness mean?”

“How much longer do you intend to stalk me?”

Song Qingqian’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Until Your Highness agrees to the three-year pact.”

“Fine. If you’re so capable, keep following. Just don’t regret it later,” Xiao Beitang snapped with a frustrated, mocking laugh.

“Your Highness need not worry,” Song Qingqian replied calmly.

Li Ningyu frowned at her. “How can you be so disrespectful? Her Highness told you to stop following, yet you persist?”

Song Qingqian gave her a frigid look. “County Princess, allow me to remind you: I am the Crown Princess Consort. When you see me, you are expected to pay proper respects. Furthermore, I am the Princess’s wife; it is not your place to pass judgment on our affairs.”

Song Qingqian left her no room for dignity. Li Ningyu’s face turned a sickly shade of green as she stomped her foot in fury. She turned a tearful gaze toward Xiao Beitang. “Your Highness.”

“Yu’er, go home,” Xiao Beitang said flatly. She had no patience for weeping and wailing. Feeling even more slighted, Li Ningyu ran off in tears.

“Song Qingqian, your talent for infuriating people is truly impressive,” Xiao Beitang sneered.

“Your Highness flatters me,” Song Qingqian replied with a hollow smile.

“Birds of a feather,” Xiao Beitang muttered, rolling her eyes and quickening her pace.

“What did you say?”

“I said you and that Lin Zihe are birds of a feather,” she repeated, articulating every word with contempt.

“And why is that?”

“The fact that you could chat so happily with a person like her says everything I need to know,” Xiao Beitang scoffed.

Song Qingqian thought she detected a hint of jealousy in that tone. She followed behind, teasing, “Did Your Highness have some prior grievance with her?”

Xiao Beitang didn’t answer. She maintained her rapid pace all the way back to the palace.

Xiao Beitang was fastidious about cleanliness; her first order upon returning was for a bath. By the time she finished, it was nearly noon.

When she stepped back into the courtyard, she found Song Qingqian already there, sipping tea. Several maple trees stood in the yard against the red bricks and green tiles of the palace. As the wind picked up, a few leaves drifted down, casting a strangely desolate mood over the scene.

Xiao Beitang hated autumn. She hated it intensely. Although the season hadn’t fully arrived, a sense of irritability was already blooming in her chest, and her expression soured.

“Liu Zi, serve the meal. I’m hungry.” Xiao Beitang bypassed Song Qingqian and walked straight inside.

No sooner had she sat down than Song Qingqian followed and took the seat opposite her. “May I join Your Highness for lunch?”

“You’ve already sat down!” Xiao Beitang rapped her knuckles on the table. You call that asking permission?

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Xiao Beitang rolled her eyes and looked away. Liu Zi, who had never seen his master so thoroughly outmatched, tried to stifle a laugh but let out a small snort.

Sensing the mockery, Xiao Beitang narrowed her eyes. “What are you laughing at?”

“Forgive me, Your Highness! This servant deserves death!” Liu Zi dropped to his knees, feeling wronged. You can’t win an argument with her, so you take it out on me?

Song Qingqian intervened quietly. “Liu Zi, you all may leave.”

Liu Zi dejectedly obeyed and withdrew. Song Qingqian began placing food on the Princess’s plate, asking pointedly, “Your Highness, why didn’t you head out of the palace today?”

“You’re asking what you already know.”

“Truly, I don’t.”

“Song Qingqian, how exactly have I offended you?” Xiao Beitang’s temper flared as she thought of the past two days.

“What do you mean?”

“Was embarrassing me in front of everyone not enough? Now you’re befriending my rival just to spite me? Is there no end to this?”

Song Qingqian set down her golden chopsticks. “Your Highness, regarding the incident at Hundred Flowers Pavilion, shouldn’t I be the one who feels wronged? As for befriending your ‘rival,’ I truly have no idea who you are referring to.”

Xiao Beitang laughed out of sheer frustration. “You? Wronged? How could you possibly be the victim?”

Song Qingqian’s expression turned serious. “On our wedding night, Your Highness slept elsewhere, making me the laughingstock of the entire palace. Is that not a grievance? The very next day, you went out to seek pleasure; is that not a grievance? When I went to find my missing husband, I found you surrounded by a bevy of beauties, is that not a grievance?”

Xiao Beitang’s face darkened. “Song Qingqian, don’t take me for a fool.”

Song Qingqian: “?”

Xiao Beitang stared at her, her voice blunt and questioning. “Don’t try to play me. You don’t have me in your heart, so why would you feel sorrow over my ‘pleasure-seeking’?”

Song Qingqian smiled. “By that logic, Your Highness doesn’t care for me either, so why do you care who I choose to befriend?”

“You.” Xiao Beitang was momentarily speechless.

“Your Highness, I do not wish to make things difficult for you. To be blunt, my marriage to you was forced by circumstance. If you would simply agree to the three-year pact.”

Xiao Beitang slammed her fist onto the table, sending the dishes rattling. “Enough!” she roared. “Don’t think I don’t know, the Mother Emperor sent you here to leash and ‘correct’ me, didn’t she? I will never agree to your three-year pact.

Give it up!”

She stood and stormed out. Song Qingqian sighed softly to herself.

Xiao Beitang walked a distance away and glanced back. Seeing that Song Qingqian hadn’t followed, she felt a brief sense of relief followed by a strange, nagging disappointment. She had expected Song Qingqian to at least be persistent. Giving up after only one day? I suppose that’s all she amounts to.

Song Qingqian left the palace, ordering Wu Sanqi to keep an eye on Xiao Beitang while she headed to Kunning Palace. From Xiao Beitang’s attitude toward Emperor Jing, the rift between mother and daughter ran deep. She needed to understand why.

“Qianqian pays respects to Mother Empress.”

“Qianqian, please, rise.” The Empress looked surprised to see her at this hour. “I hope I am not disturbing you?”

The Empress smiled warmly. “Not at all. I am more than happy to have your company. Come, sit.” She pulled Song Qingqian down beside her. “Did you come because the palace feels too stifling?”

Song Qingqian shook her head. “It is not that. I have a question I wish to ask Mother Empress.”

“Oh? What is it?”

Song Qingqian hesitated before asking, “There seems to be a distance between Her Majesty and Her Highness?”

The Empress’s expression turned awkward.

“Have I overstepped?” Song Qingqian asked, noticing the shift in mood.

The Empress forced a smile. “No, it is fine.” She grew quiet for a long moment, then let out a heavy sigh. “There is indeed a rift between them. Only myself, Her Majesty, and the State Preceptor know the truth of it.”

Song Qingqian hurried to add, “If it is inconvenient to speak of, then please forget I asked.”

The fewer people who know, the bigger the secret, she thought.

The Empress looked conflicted. “It is fine to tell you. Just try not to be frightened by it.”

Frightened? Song Qingqian had assumed it was a simple clash of personalities or a typical mother-daughter disagreement. But looking at the Empress’s grim expression, she realized this was something far more profound.