The Crown Princess Is Jealous Again - Chapter 3

“What if the Prime Minister himself served as your tutor? What would you think of that?” the Empress asked tentatively.

“The Prime Minister, his character is upright enough, but he is far too pedantic. He spends all day with a long, somber face. No, no good,” Xiao Beitang said, shaking her head.

“Then Great Marshal Wei Ran?”

“That old man has a face like a battlefield, he looks terrifying. No, definitely not.”

“This one is no good, that one is no good! Every one of them is a seasoned statesman with vast experience. Do you mean to say none of them are fit to teach you?” Emperor Jing snapped.

Xiao Beitang frowned at her. Seeing the tension rise, the Empress quickly intervened to smooth things over. “Then Mother will keep looking for someone suitable for you.”

“There is no need for Mother to trouble herself; I don’t want any of them. It is getting late. I shall take my leave.” She rose indignantly and walked away without looking back.

“Tang’er! Tang’er.” The Empress watched her retreating figure, then turned to Emperor Jing with an annoyed scowl. “Xiao Jing, I finally managed to calm her down. Why did you have to go and say things to upset her?”

She punctuated her frustration by drumming her fists against the Emperor’s chest. Emperor Jing took the blows, then pulled her wife into a gentle embrace. “Yan’er, we cannot keep indulging her like this.”

“Then you tell me, what should we do?” the Empress demanded.

“Don’t worry yet. Let me think. There is always a way,” the Emperor replied, her brows knitting in thought.

The following day, Emperor Jing was playing a game of Go with the Prince of Chu Prince of Chu. As they played, the conversation turned to their children. The Prince of Chu chuckled. “My son, Lin, is also quite the disappointment. I am worried sick over him.”

Emperor Jing placed a stone on the board and sighed. “At least you have Zhong. He is a filial son.”

The Prince of Chu smiled. “Zhong used to be playful and reckless too. It was only after he married and had a family of his own that he settled down. Now that he holds a post, I no longer have to worry about him.”

Emperor Jing’s hand paused in mid-air. She murmured, “Marriage.”

“Your Majesty?” The Prince of Chu hadn’t heard her clearly.

“Royal Brother, you’ve given me an idea! Arranging a marriage for Tang’er and having her wed early, that might just be the solution,” Emperor Jing said, unable to hide her delight.

The Prince of Chu looked at her in confusion. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Your Majesty, isn’t it perhaps a bit too early?”

Emperor Jing dropped a stone onto the board without hesitation. “Tang’er is sixteen this year. It is a bit early, strictly speaking, but she is of marriageable age.”

The Prince of Chu snapped his attention back to the board and gasped. “Oh! How did I suddenly end up in such a corner?”

Emperor Jing gave a triumphant laugh. “Royal Brother, you lost your footing through carelessness. One more move, and I shall uproot this entire section of your pieces.”

Prince of Chu: “…”

As Emperor Jing stared at the board, her mind began to calculate a much larger game.

That night, Emperor Jing returned to Kunning Palace reeking of alcohol. It had been a long time since the Empress had seen her drink so much.

In a state of half-drunkenness, the Emperor followed the Empress to the bed, their movements lingering and intimate.

She buried her head in the Empress’s embrace, sounding somewhat aggrieved. “Yan’er, do you remember our old vows? I promised to take you to see the world. Now I am trapped in the court. I fear I will never fulfill that promise in this lifetime.”

“What has happened? Why are you acting so wounded?” The Empress’s face was still flushed from their intimacy. She stroked the Emperor’s back and asked softly, “Why the sudden change of heart?”

“I had thought that if Tang’er could shoulder the responsibility, I could abdicate the throne to her early. Then, I could travel the world with you.” She secretly gauged the Empress’s reaction as she spoke with a sigh of disappointment.

The Empress was taken aback; she hadn’t heard the Emperor speak like this before. They had met in the world of martial arts and wanderers (Jianghu), and in truth, she had long grown tired of living within these palace walls.

Emperor Jing suddenly sat up, her face turning serious. “I am not saying this on a whim. I have considered this for a long time.”

The Empress was moved. Deep down, she longed to be like they were before, wandering through mountains and rivers, with the sun, moon, and breeze as their only companions.

She pondered for a moment. “But Tang’er is still young. How could we have the heart to throw such a burden onto her?”

Seeing her waver, the Emperor struck while the iron was hot. “Yan’er, you always think of her as a child, but she is clearly grown. She knows right from wrong and knows what she wants. If we can find her a good mentor and arrange a solid marriage, she will certainly be ready to be Emperor by the time she is twenty.”

“You want to choose a consort for her?” The Empress caught on to her scheme, cutting through the emotional fog to find the true motive.

Emperor Jing sheepishly tucked herself back into the Empress’s arms. “Yan’er, sixteen is young, but it is an age where one can marry.”

“And do you have a candidate in mind?” the Empress asked calmly.

Emperor Jing looked at her in disbelief; she hadn’t expected the Empress to yield so easily. She began to stammer excitedly. “The Prime Minister, the Prime Minister is a man of integrity, upright and incorruptible in his governance.”

The Empress couldn’t help but laugh. She cupped the Emperor’s face and said softly, “Speak slowly. There is no rush.”

The Emperor composed herself. “The Prime Minister’s daughter, Song Qingqian. I mentioned her to you before. Not only is she exceptionally talented, but her beauty and character are beyond reproach.”

“Song Qingqian?”

“The very one.”

“But shouldn’t she be in her early twenties by now?”

“Twenty-two.”

The Empress whispered to herself, “Six years older than Tang’er.”

Fearing the Empress would back out, the Emperor hurried to add, “Six years is nothing. Besides, Tang’er needs an older Kunze to keep her in check.”

The Empress hesitated, thinking it over before shaking her head. “Tang’er will never agree to it.”

“Yan’er, we cannot let her have her way in everything.”

She shook her head again. “It’s not right. Tang’er has a stubborn temper. If we force this on her, the palace will never know a moment of peace.”

Sensing her plan was about to collapse, the Emperor refused to give up. “Why don’t you meet Song Qingqian first? If you like her, then we can decide. How does that sound?”

“You mean to summon her to the palace?”

Emperor Jing nodded. “In a few days, use the excuse of admiring the scenery to invite the daughters of the noble families to the palace. You can see her with your own eyes.”

The Empress fell silent for a moment. “But in the past, when I’ve held banquets for the noblewomen and their kin, she has never shown her face.”

The Emperor thought for a bit. “This time, send a personal invitation. Explicitly name her to accompany her mother to the palace.”

“Very well,” the Empress agreed.

As she lay in the Empress’s arms, the Emperor traced idle circles on her chest. “Why did you agree so easily today?” she asked softly.

The Empress stroked the hair at the Emperor’s temples and sighed. “Xiao Jing, it’s not that I’m just taking Tang’er’s side. We both know how much pain those past events caused her. My heart aches for you, but it aches for her too. She is our only flesh and blood; I have indulged her these past few years because I wanted her to be happy.”

She looked at the Emperor for a long time before whispering, “But today, I saw a grey hair on your head.”

Emperor Jing shifted and pulled her closer. “Yan’er, do not be sad. It is only a strand or two.”

The Empress shook her head. “I simply feel that the time we have left is not as much as we thought. Whether we can leave the palace is one thing, but we cannot protect Tang’er forever. That is why I am seriously considering these matters.”

“I know, Yan’er. I know it’s hard for you, being caught between Tang’er and me. Thank you for your hard work.” The Emperor held her even tighter.

Two days later, the Empress sent out personal invitations to the families of the high-ranking officials to come to the palace for tea and scenery. She rarely did such things, usually only inviting them during the New Year as a sign of imperial favor. Consequently, those who received an invitation this time felt exceptionally honored.

However, Song Qingqian stared at the invitation for a long time in silence. Her mother looked at her and asked, “Qianqian, do you not wish to go?”

Song Qingqian looked at her name, written clearly on the fine paper. “Mother, the Empress has never sent an invitation like this before. To be invited by name feels strange.”

Madam Song smiled. “Perhaps it is because your father is so influential in court, and Her Majesty wishes to show the Song family special favor?”

Song Qingqian still felt a lingering sense of unease. “Perhaps.”

“Tomorrow, I’ll have someone make a new outfit for you. You usually dress so plainly, like a schoolteacher. It wouldn’t do to go to the palace like that.”

“Yes. Thank you, Mother.”

“I’ll leave you to it, then. Don’t read too late; be careful not to strain your eyes,” Madam Song reminded her gently before leaving.

Song Qingqian’s eyelid gave a sharp, involuntary twitch.