The Crown Princess Is Jealous Again - Chapter 36
“You, go separate them.”
Song Qingqian instructed a few students standing nearby.
They looked at one another in hesitation, but eventually followed her orders. More people joined in to break up the fight—yet even then, they couldn’t pull them apart.
Seeing the situation slightly improve, Song Qingqian quickly stepped between the two groups and shouted sharply, “Stop!”
Afraid of hurting her, her students immediately halted their actions.
Seeing them stop, the opposing group finally backed down as well.
Song Qingqian turned around, her brows tightly furrowed. “What happened? Why are you fighting like this?”
Xiao Lin, still seething with anger, glared viciously at a few students. “They were disrespectful and insulted our teacher!”
“I did not!” the accused boy denied fiercely. His face was swollen, both eyes bruised, and bl00d trickled from his nose—he looked utterly battered. After taking a punch from nearly everyone, he was clearly worse for wear.
“You dare to speak but not admit it?” Xiao Wanqi sneered, bl00d still at the corner of her mouth, glaring coldly.
“Sun Cheng, did you insult Teacher Song?”
The question came from his own mentor, Master Li.
“I… I didn’t… I mean…” Sun Cheng stammered, visibly guilty.
“So, you did say it?” Master Li pressed sternly, his eyes giving a subtle warning.
Suddenly regaining some composure, Sun Cheng replied, “All I said was that their behavior was ridiculous. I never insulted Teacher Song.”
“Liar! You clearly insinuated that Teacher Song secured her place at the Imperial Academy through indecent means!” Xiao Lin blurted out in anger.
Xiao Beitang’s expression turned dark, and she struggled furiously, shouting, “Let me go!”
The crowd grew agitated again, emotions flaring, on the verge of another eruption.
“Jiang Tang!”
Song Qingqian’s voice snapped through the chaos. Seeing the scratch marks on her neck still oozing bl00d, her heart ached.
“She actually said that about you?” Xiao Beitang looked at her, confused and indignant.
Song Qingqian replied sternly, “Even so, that’s no excuse to resort to violence.”
Wasn’t she angry? She was furious, a knot stuck in her chest. If only she weren’t a teacher… but she was.
After a brief silence, she said softly, “Listen to me. All of you, go back. See the physician first.”
For the first time, a trace of vulnerability and pleading flickered in her eyes.
Only then did the students finally relent and begin to leave, murmuring their assent as they exited one after another.
Song Qingqian stayed at the end. As she passed Master Li, she gave him a cold, pointed glance.
“Master Li, this matter is far from over.”
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The physician treated their injuries. The worst off was Zhao Ziming—no one expected him to be involved. He was always gentle and reserved, scholarly and mild-mannered. Initially, he had only stepped in to break up the fight. But when he overheard a particularly vile insult, he released Xiao Beitang’s arm and instead threw a punch.
He was too frail to withstand the beating. He clenched his teeth as the physician applied medicine, enduring the pain without making a sound.
The physician sighed while treating him.
“How did you all end up like this? Aren’t you students here to study? Your parents will be heartbroken seeing you like this.”
Song Qingqian returned, carrying a medicine kit. Everyone turned to her as she entered.
She walked straight to Xiao Beitang and silently began applying medicine.
Xiao Beitang looked at her and smiled. As she expected, she was the first one Song Qingqian treated. She always received different treatment.
“Teacher is so biased~ I’m more badly hurt than she is!” Lu Wuyou muttered with exaggerated grievance.
“Lu Wuyou, really? Even now you’re still joking?” Liu Qing teased him.
Everyone chuckled.
“Ow—”
Xiao Beitang couldn’t help but smile, but the movement pulled on her wounds, sending pain shooting through her.
During the fight, she hadn’t noticed the pain. Now it hurt badly.
Song Qingqian remained serious and unsmiling throughout.
The group exchanged looks—clearly, they had caused her quite a bit of trouble this time.
Song Qingqian paused to let Xiao Beitang recover before continuing. Once finished, she treated the others, moving from the most injured to the least.
Lu Wuyou refused treatment from the physician, cheerfully saying,
“Treat the others first. I can wait.”
“More like you want to wait for Teacher Song,” someone teased. His little scheme was obvious to everyone.
He grinned, “It’s called caring for your classmates—you wouldn’t understand.”
Before the words were even cold, Song Qingqian arrived at his side with the medicine kit. Before she could even reach for anything, Lu Wuyou had already tilted his face toward her.
“Oh? What happened to caring for your classmates?”
Still smiling, Lu Wuyou replied,
“I’d never waste Teacher Song’s kindness.”
Song Qingqian had deliberately chosen to treat him now. Lu Wuyou had been cracking jokes nonstop, trying to lighten the mood—and it worked. But he’d been waiting this whole time. If Song Qingqian didn’t treat him now, she’d keep waiting till the end. Despite being registered as a male student, she was, after all, still a girl.
“Teacher, this hurts~ and here, and here too—it all hurts.” Lu Wuyou began to whine.
“Lu Wuyou, if only you weren’t such a clown, people might actually like you,” Xiao Beitang commented, eyes still fixed on Song Qingqian’s hands.
“I don’t care who likes me—as long as Teacher Song does.”
“Shameless,” Xiao Beitang scoffed and gave up engaging.
Once everyone had been treated, their family servants arrived to escort them home.
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In the carriage, Song Qingqian sat with her eyes closed, silent.
Xiao Beitang glanced at her. She must’ve truly been enraged this time.
She chuckled awkwardly,
“To be fair, it really wasn’t entirely our fault. The things they said were too nasty, we just—”
“You think that’s the point?”
Song Qingqian opened her eyes, displeasure written all over her face.
Xiao Beitang looked away, whispering, “You’re right, we shouldn’t have fought, but still…”
“It doesn’t matter what others do. How could you, of all people, get involved?”
Song Qingqian frowned. “You’ve studied for how many days? Been in the Imperial Academy for how long? Do you truly think you’re the same as them?”
She’s… worried about me? I’m different from the others… Does that mean I matter to her?
Xiao Beitang completely missed the point, secretly pleased.
“You’re the Crown Princess—the future of Dayu. How can you be so careless with yourself? Just because of some petty words, you forget your status entirely? What if something had gone wrong? How could I ever face the people of this nation?”
Xiao Beitang’s heart sank. So that’s why… it’s not personal.
“I understand. I was wrong. It won’t happen again.”
She lowered her head, silently dejected.
She admitted fault so sincerely… was I too harsh?
Seeing her so crestfallen, Song Qingqian’s heart softened.
She sighed gently and said in a warm tone,
“Your Highness, you must never endanger yourself like this again.”
“Mhm.” Xiao Beitang responded quietly.
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Song Qingqian granted them a few days off. It was unacceptable for a group of bruised and battered students to appear in class. But even worse, with Xiao Beitang in this state, how could she maintain dignity at court?
Sure enough, as she walked through the palace, the servants looked but quickly lowered their eyes, too frightened to stare.
The moment Xing’er saw her, she gasped,
“Your Highness! What—what happened to you?”
Liuzi, who had been suppressing his emotions all the way from the Academy, finally broke down. He knelt before her, tears streaming down.
“This servant failed to protect you. Please punish me!”
“What’s it got to do with you? Your job isn’t to guard my safety.” Xiao Beitang smiled.
Just as she said that, a few secret guards dropped from the rooftops and knelt.
“We failed to protect Your Highness at the Academy. Please punish us!”
She waved them off with a smile.
“It’s fine. If something truly had happened, I imagine Sun Cheng and the others would’ve already lost their heads to you lot.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
With that, they vanished without a trace.