The Crown Princess Is Jealous Again - Chapter 1

“Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor requests an audience…”

Why would he come now? Emperor Jing hesitated briefly. With a flick of his wrist, he set aside the memorial he was reading and said solemnly, “Summon him in.”

“Your Majesty, you must uphold justice for this minister!”

Grand Tutor Li Hanzhang, tears streaming down his wrinkled face, fell to his knees with a heavy thud.

“Beloved subject, speak calmly.” Startled by his state, Emperor Jing quickly stepped down from the throne to help him up.

“Please rise,” the emperor said, grasping his arm.

“I won’t!” Li Hanzhang stubbornly refused, his head bowed, sobbing uncontrollably, his voice choked with tears.

“Then speak—what on earth happened?” the emperor asked, perplexed.

“Your Majesty, I request to resign from my position as Grand Tutor!” he cried, bowing deeply, his voice trembling.

“Everything was fine—why resign now?” This is the eighth one this year!

Emperor Jing’s heart sank with a sense of foreboding. Xiao Beitang must have caused trouble again.

“I have shamed Your Majesty! I have failed your expectations!” he wailed. His sorrowful cries echoed through the grand hall.

Trying to remain composed, Emperor Jing leaned in again. “At least tell me what happened, what drove you to this decision?”

He tugged at the Grand Tutor, but the old man wouldn’t budge. With a glance, he signaled the golden-armored guards, who promptly stepped forward and effortlessly lifted the tutor as if he were a squawking chick.

The emperor’s eyes widened. Laughter barely stifled rippled behind him.

He turned sharply. “Was it her?”

Li Hanzhang’s beard had been chopped into a chaotic mess, dyed with garish colors, now sticking out in all directions. His ruddy face made him resemble a caricature straight from a comic opera.

Seeing the guards struggle not to laugh only made him feel more humiliated. Eyes brimming with tears, he sobbed, “Your Majesty, I truly cannot serve as Grand Tutor anymore. I beg you to accept my resignation!”

Emperor Jing had no words of comfort. Scholars like him valued dignity above all; the fact he hadn’t thrown himself into a river was already a relief. After a moment’s pause, he finally said, “Then… take a few days to rest first.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. This minister takes his leave.”

Li Hanzhang wiped his tears, bowed again, and staggered to his feet. A guard rushed to help him, but he declined with an embarrassed wave of his hand, clearly defeated.

“Where is the Crown Princess?”

Emperor Jing exhaled heavily, trying to suppress his fury as he sat at his desk.

But Zhao Yan heard the cracking of his knuckles and felt a chill down his spine. “Your Majesty, Her Highness is not currently in the palace. This servant… does not know where she went.”

A displeased breath flared from the emperor’s nostrils. “Who gave her permission to leave?”

All the palace staff lowered their heads in fear.

Zhao Yan stammered, “Your Majesty… no one dared to stop her…”

His answer left the emperor speechless. With a long sigh, the emperor rose and stormed toward Kunning Palace.

At the doors, she paused to straighten her robes, her expression changing to one of gentle warmth before entering. She raised her hand to stop the servants from announcing her presence.

The Empress was reclining, reading. The palace maids, having spotted the emperor, all dropped to their knees in greeting. Only then did the Empress glance up, noting her husband’s overly sweet smile before she leisurely rose, placed her book on the table, and gave a perfunctory curtsey. “Your Majesty.”

“No need for formalities.” The emperor rushed over, smiling as he gently led her to sit beside him.

The Empress asked languidly, “What brings Your Majesty here at this hour?”

The emperor wrapped an arm around her waist and gave a forced laugh. “I just… missed you and wanted to see you.”

They’d parted only that morning—who would believe such a thing? Clearly, he had something to say but was too proud to do so in front of the servants. The Empress remained quiet, waiting.

After an awkward moment, the servant Lüwu offered him tea. He took a few sips, then cleared his throat meaningfully.

The Empress glanced at him and signaled Lüwu, who promptly led the other maids out.

The emperor rubbed his hands, watching the servants retreat.

The Empress found his unease amusing. Lowering her voice, she said, “Speak. What is it?”

As soon as they were alone, Emperor Jing scooted closer. Draped in a dark imperial cloak embroidered with golden dragons, he looked less like a sovereign and more like a clingy black cat.

Choosing his words carefully, he began, “Li Hanzhang came just now… you didn’t see what he looked like—utterly humiliated. Tang’er has gone too far this time…”

The Empress turned away, casually picking up her book again. “Then go speak to Tang’er. Why come to me?”

He quickly moved in front of her, pleading, “Yanyan, you know how it is. Every time I try to speak with her, we argue. And you always shield her. This is the eighth tutor she’s driven away…”

“At this rate, even someone like Li Hanzhang is unwilling to serve,” he muttered.

The Empress glanced up. “So now I’m to blame?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant.” The emperor knelt beside her, his tone sheepish. “It’s just… Yanyan, Tang’er is already sixteen. She’s still undisciplined, wild—how can she inherit the throne like this?”

“She’s not as terrible as you say. So, what do you intend to do?” the Empress asked with a furrowed brow.

The emperor hesitated. “I’ve long wanted Song Lian to tutor Tang’er. But she’s so unruly… I feared she’d humiliate Prime Minister Song too.”

The Empress raised a hand to interrupt. “Don’t even think about it. If Song Lian is treated the same way and resigns, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”

“Exactly why I didn’t appoint him,” the emperor replied.

“But now, I’ve thought of someone even better.”

“Oh?” the Empress arched a brow skeptically. “Let’s hear it.”

She didn’t expect much. After all, it was he who picked the last batch—each one more miserable than the last.

“Song Lian has a daughter—Song Qingqian. She’s a teacher at Boyan Academy in the capital…”

“Stop right there!” The Empress rolled her eyes. Of course it wasn’t a good idea.

“Let me finish!”

“No need. If I’m not mistaken, Song Qingqian is a Kunzhe (omega). You want a Kunzhe to teach Tang’er? Imagine how she’ll torment her!”

You know your daughter enjoys bullying others! the Empress thought.

The emperor only smiled sheepishly. “But… what if it works?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Prime Minister Song would never agree. You’re wasting your breath.” She held the book up, done with the conversation.

“Yanyan, please.” He gently lowered the book and pleaded. “I’ve read her essays—brilliant! She’s a strict teacher too. Many parents credit her for reforming their wayward sons at Boyan Academy.”

“Reforming? You’re the one who needs reforming!” The Empress slammed her book down.

“I misspoke! I meant ‘guiding them back onto the right path.’”

“You’re the one—”

He draped his wide sleeve around her shoulders and said softly, “None of that matters. What matters is Tang’er truly can’t go on like this. She spends all day outside, frequenting brothels and gambling dens. The public may not know who she is now, but when they do—imagine the scandal.”

The Empress sighed. “Even so, I still think Song Qingqian is a poor choice. Tang’er only acts up because none of the previous tutors commanded her respect. At least they were all Qianyuan (alphas), and even if she bullied them, nothing truly bad happened. But Song Qingqian is a Kunzhe, and Prime Minister Song’s daughter. What if…”

“Your concerns are valid.” The emperor looked worried now, clearly swayed.

The Empress added, “I know her too well. Everything she does, she does to spite you. Even when she goes to those places, it’s never about the activity—it’s just to make you angry.”

The emperor let out a deep sigh. “Forget it.”