The Crown Princess Is Jealous Again - Chapter 28
Originally, she had planned to stay away for four days, but by the second day, Xiao Beitang was already growing restless. She found it dull and uninspiring.
Still, she forced herself to stay until the third day. How could she let Song Qingqian think she couldn’t endure?
When she returned, Song Qingqian was sitting in the courtyard, bathed in sunlight, reading a book.
Xiao Beitang walked past without even glancing at her.
But Song Qingqian could tell she was trying too hard to act indifferent—Xiao Beitang usually didn’t make that much noise when she walked. She smiled, closed her book, and headed back inside.
Hearing her footsteps, Xiao Beitang was secretly pleased, but kept up her cold facade. She poured herself a cup of tea and sipped it slowly, feigning nonchalance.
“Did Your Highness enjoy your time away?” Song Qingqian asked casually.
“Very much,” she replied coolly.
What nonsense. It had been completely joyless—her heart wasn’t in it. Nothing had sparked her interest. If not for the fear of being mocked by Song Qingqian, she would’ve returned yesterday.
Song Qingqian smiled, “That’s good to hear.”
“Did you come for something?” Xiao Beitang asked in a flat tone.
But why did her eyes seem so tired? Xiao Beitang glanced at her discreetly.
“Is Your Highness upset?” Song Qingqian asked.
“No,” she replied without hesitation.
“Then why were you so cold these past few days, as if sulking?” Song Qingqian walked over and sat down.
“I wasn’t sulking,” Xiao Beitang insisted, refusing to admit it.
Song Qingqian considered her for a moment and said, “Your Highness, shall we talk?”
Xiao Beitang looked up at her, her long, narrow eyes carrying a trace of frost. She remained silent.
“Is Your Highness upset about losing the polo match? Or is it that you don’t want to agree to the three-year promise?”
Xiao Beitang didn’t answer.
Song Qingqian pressed gently, “Why won’t you agree?”
Xiao Beitang frowned at her, and for the first time, her tone wavered. Clearly irritated, she said, “Then answer one question for me first.”
Song Qingqian adjusted her posture and responded solemnly, “Please ask, Your Highness.”
Xiao Beitang, usually so careless and relaxed, now seemed to pierce right through her. She asked bluntly, “Why do you insist on me agreeing to the three-year promise?”
Song Qingqian paused. Since she had no intention of hiding the truth, she might as well lay it all out.
She looked at her and asked, “Your Highness, do you understand the weight on your shoulders?”
Xiao Beitang chuckled suddenly. “You mean the burden of the people, the fate of the nation? That burden?”
Song Qingqian’s brows furrowed. Such flippant words. Was the fate of the nation really so laughable to her?
But Xiao Beitang’s smile faded, her expression turning icy. Her voice was like a blade. “If you came here to lecture me about duty to the people and the greater good, don’t bother. Save your breath.”
“But this is a responsibility you can’t escape,” Song Qingqian countered, her tone sharper than hers.
“So what?” Xiao Beitang stared at her coldly. “You still haven’t answered me—what does any of this have to do with your so-called three-year promise?”
Song Qingqian spoke earnestly. “Your Highness, during those three years, I will teach you everything I know. I don’t expect you to be a conqueror—only that you have the patience to be a wise ruler. That shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“And then?” Xiao Beitang asked with a scoff.
“What do you mean, ‘and then’?” Song Qingqian was puzzled.
“You. Are you doing this for the sake of the Song family, or for yourself?”
“…Let’s say it’s for myself,” Song Qingqian said. She hadn’t expected this question. Xiao Beitang was sometimes perceptive like an adult, yet other times naive like a child. She was hard to read.
Xiao Beitang gave a soft, sarcastic laugh. “So, it’s about making a name for yourself in history? Or raising a wise heir for the future? But what if you’re not capable of any of that?”
Song Qingqian didn’t answer the first two questions. Instead, she said with conviction, “Then it’ll be three years, and another three years… I believe Your Highness will live up to the world’s expectations.”
Xiao Beitang leaned back, propping her head with one hand, speaking lazily, “Song Qingqian, no matter what kind of ruler I become, the world will never give you credit. You don’t need to go to such lengths.”
Song Qingqian was silent for a moment. Then she smiled and asked, “Your Highness, would you like to hear my story?”
“Go ahead. I’m listening.”
“I was born into a prestigious family. My grandfather was the Chancellor. From the moment we were born, he had high hopes for us. He handpicked the best teachers for his grandchildren.”
She looked out the window, eyes distant. “Because of this, the children of the Song family were expected to be more diligent and more outstanding than others.”
“Your Highness knows that the differentiation between Qianyuan, Zhongyong, and Kunzhe types varies. Kunzhe are the rarest; Zhongyong are the most common. My grandfather had nearly ten grandchildren.
Statistically, there should’ve been at least two or three Qianyuan among us.”
She gave a helpless laugh. “But fate was not on his side. Even if the odds favored it, reality didn’t follow suit. Like the late emperor—most of his children were Qianyuan, but none of his grandchildren were.”
She looked momentarily sorrowful. “Differentiation doesn’t start until around age twelve. So, my grandfather put effort into nurturing each child. But if one turned out to be Zhongyong or Kunzhe, he would abandon them without hesitation. They held no promise in his eyes. I didn’t differentiate until I was eighteen. That, for a Kunzhe, was already considered lucky.”
“In his mind, the Song family was meant to produce chancellors for every generation. My father, as he had hoped, succeeded him as Chancellor. That gave him more time to invest in us.”
“My older brother, much older than me, differentiated at fourteen as a Zhongyong. My grandfather immediately gave up on him and focused on the rest of us. But one by one, we all differentiated—none of us
Qianyuan. So, in the end, all his hopes were pinned on me.”
“All my classmates, one after another, found their paths, their families having planned it all out. But I remained unchanged.”
“I eventually went from student to teacher—Your Highness knows what kind of brilliance that implies for someone so young. At eighteen, my life reached a turning point. I finally differentiated—into a Kunzhe.”
She gave a soft laugh. “My grandfather died with regret because of that.”
Xiao Beitang stared at her in a daze.
“After that, I asked myself—could I truly accept a life arranged for me? To marry, have children, be confined in a courtyard, caught in petty rivalries?” Her smile turned bitter as she slowly shook her head.
“So, I rejected all suitors. If I couldn’t shine in the spotlight, at least I could teach, nurture talents to carry out the dreams I couldn’t realize.”
“And then, I married Your Highness. Which makes you… the hope I’ve placed my life upon.” She smiled—this time, without bitterness.
Xiao Beitang looked at her in astonishment, a pang of sympathy rising in her heart. But that last line made her cheeks flush and her heart race.
The hope of her life?
“Song Qingqian…”
“There’s no need to look at me with pity, Your Highness. I don’t like it.”
Xiao Beitang nodded slightly.
“A thousand scholars are worth less than one wise ruler. If Your Highness becomes a great sovereign, then my life’s ambition will have been fulfilled.”
Xiao Beitang lowered her gaze and whispered, “And if I disappoint you?”
Song Qingqian replied gently, “If you bring blessings to the people, it will be a blessing for the world. And if not—I only hope Your Highness will at least live with clarity. Even a quiet, ordinary life would be enough.”
Xiao Beitang looked up at her, clearly moved.
Song Qingqian smiled and asked teasingly, “So… is Your Highness still upset?”
Flustered, Xiao Beitang denied it: “I was never upset.”
Song Qingqian walked closer and said, “Victory and defeat are part of the game. You mustn’t lose heart just because of one loss.”
Xiao Beitang jumped up to defend herself, “That’s not it at all!”
“Then what is it?”
“Song Qingqian… you’re my Crown Princess Consort. Yet in public, you were all smiles and laughter with those other Qianyuan men… where was I supposed to put my dignity?” Xiao Beitang’s voice grew smaller and smaller, her confidence shrinking—she knew she was being unreasonable.
Song Qingqian blinked. So that was it? She gave a soft laugh. “Zhang Dingyuan is the younger brother of a dear classmate. It’s been a long time since we met—I lost my sense of propriety. I was thoughtless and will be more careful in the future.”
Xiao Beitang was visibly pleased, her expression brightening. She gave a little cough and nodded lightly, letting out a soft “mm.”
But then Song Qingqian caught a faint whiff of oolong in the air—Xiao Beitang had released her pheromones. Again. Whether angry or happy, she always seemed to do that. Song Qingqian had just managed to soothe her, so she didn’t want to scold her directly. She found an excuse to slip away.