“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: In the twenty‑third year of Zhaode, in the cyclical year of Jiachen, a Crown Prince shall be established to honor the ancestral temples. Prince Jin, Pei Ziyan, of noble character, loyal and reverent, filial and benevolent, is hereby invested as Crown Prince!”
“The daughter of the Grand General of the Realm, Yun Xueyao, is granted as the Crown Prince’s principal consort! The current Princess Consort Jin, Lady Xiao, is henceforth designated as the Crown Prince’s concubine. Thus decreed!”
The eunuch’s voice rang out, measured and sonorous, each word striking the hall.
With the two successive edicts proclaimed, all those kneeling in the hall bowed low in thanks. Only the former Princess Consort Jin, Xiao Qingxue, slowly lifted her head. Her gaze fixed upon the eunuch reading the decree, her face suddenly frozen.
Descending the steps with the tray, the eunuch presented the twin imperial edicts before Pei Ziyan, bowing respectfully: “Crown Prince, please accept the decree.”
Xiao Qingxue turned her head toward her husband of two years, Pei Ziyan, only to see him staring straight ahead, eyes lowered to the floor tiles. Whether he failed to notice her gaze or simply dared not meet it out of guilt, she could not tell. Yet his face betrayed no surprise—clearly, he had long known this outcome.
When the eunuch approached, Pei Ziyan respectfully accepted the tray and said, “I thank Father Emperor for his grace. This son will not disappoint.”
The light in Xiao Qingxue’s eyes was extinguished in an instant, leaving only a chill colder than midwinter. She rose slowly, ignoring the sympathetic, pitying, or gloating looks cast from all sides, and turned to walk out.
“Qingxue.” Pei Ziyan’s expression shifted as he hurried after her, seizing her wrist. “We are still in the palace—you must mind decorum.”
Xiao Qingxue looked at him calmly. “Two edicts were issued: one naming you Crown Prince, the other demoting me to concubine. Pei Ziyan, did you know beforehand?”
His lips pressed thin. “Qingxue, a side consort is not the same as a concubine.”
Her mouth curved faintly, a smile so slight it was almost invisible. “So my failure to offer thanks just now—that was my discourtesy?”
“Qingxue…” His expression grew awkward. “This matter wrongs you, but Father Emperor—”
“I will not quarrel with you in the palace.” She lowered her gaze, pried his hand away, and walked on, her manner detached and cold.
Her maid Mingyue followed close behind, muttering through clenched teeth, “What kind of man is this? Casting aside the bridge the moment he’s crossed it. If not for my lady saving his life, he’d still be bedridden, unable to care for himself! Now that he’s Crown Prince, he forgets her kindness? Hah—this servant has truly seen the shamelessness of men.”
Her voice was not loud, but she didn’t bother to lower it.
Pei Ziyan, along with the other princes present, heard every word.
Faces turned astonished and uneasy, eyes fixed on the maid who dared speak so brazenly. A mere servant of the Princess Consort Jin—yet she insulted the Crown Prince in open court? Unthinkable!
Pei Ziyan’s face flushed pale, then red, his hands tightening at his sides.
“This maid has the audacity of a beast,” Prince Yan, Pei Ziye, said darkly. “To slander the heir apparent in the great hall—by law, she should be executed by slow slicing.”
Prince Duan laughed. “It is the Princess Consort Jin who resents Father Emperor’s decree. A properly wedded principal wife denied the title of Crown Princess, reduced instead to side consort—it is natural she cannot accept it. Crown Prince, you should comfort her well.”
Prince Wu sneered. “She was but a physician’s daughter. To marry a prince at all was already reaching above her station. To dream of being Crown Princess was delusion. The Crown Prince should not indulge her endlessly, lest she grow presumptuous.”
Xiao Qingxue did not walk quickly. Behind her, the princes’ words pierced her ears one by one. Whether they meant to sow discord or truly believed it mattered little. To her, it was already irrelevant. Step by step, she left the palace with Mingyue at her side, her mind circling around a single thought: feelings are unreliable. Neither love nor gratitude could outweigh power in a man’s eyes.
“Mistress.” Mingyue clutched her arm, worry clouding her eyes. “Don’t be sad, don’t be hurt. There are plenty of good men in the world—we don’t need to hang ourselves from a single tree…”
What’s so rare about being Crown Princess? That ungrateful, cold‑hearted Pei Ziyan—did he truly think my lady cared about the title of Crown Princess? Laughable. Soon enough, he would realize the enormity of his mistake—a mistake that would drag him into ruin.
Xiao Qingxue patted Mingyue’s hand and said lightly, “I’m not sad, nor am I hurt. Just a little chilled. But it’s fine—seeing through human nature early is no bad thing.”
Mingyue nodded fiercely. “Exactly! Mistress, it’s best you think this way. A man like that isn’t worth your sorrow.”
Xiao Qingxue said no more. In silence, she walked toward the palace gates. She had intended to return straight to Prince Jin’s manor, pack her things, and leave this cursed place. But some people, having gained advantage, still refused to stay quiet.
Outside the palace gates stood a woman in a scarlet gown, her bearing haughty. Four maids flanked her, each with arrogant expressions—a clear sign they came with hostility.
Xiao Qingxue ignored them and headed for her carriage.
“Stop!” one maid barked, her tone bullying, emboldened by borrowed authority. “The Crown Princess is here. Do you not know to pay respects?”
Xiao Qingxue narrowed her eyes and turned slowly, gaze falling on the woman in the scarlet dress embroidered with camellias.
Crown Princess? So this was Pei Ziyan’s newly appointed consort.
Yun Xueyao stepped forward, her proud gaze sweeping over Xiao Qinxue’s face. Her voice was cool: “I know you’re dissatisfied, but this is His Majesty’s will. My marriage to the Crown Prince—no, to the Crown Prince himself—will be held next month, on the very day of his investiture. It is the honor His Majesty grants my Yun family.”
Her lips curved in a faint, disdainful smile. “The Eastern Palace will be mine to reside in first. You, as side consort, must henceforth bow when you see me, and speak with proper respect—”
Mingyue’s eyes were cold as she looked at Yun Xueyao, as though staring at a toad dreaming of swan meat. “You haven’t even married yet, have you? Before the wedding, you are not the Crown Princess. According to imperial etiquette, it is you who should bow to our Princess Consort.”
Yun Xueyao’s face stiffened, disbelief flashing in her eyes. “What did you just say?” This insolent little maid—how dare she speak to her like that?
“I said you are merely betrothed to the Crown Prince, but have not yet formally entered the palace as his wife.” Mingyue lifted her chin, her voice steady and unyielding. “And you expect my lady to bow to you? Keep dreaming!”
“Impudent!” Yun Xueyao’s face turned livid, her hand snapping up to point at Mingyue. “Guards! Slap her! Swell her face until she learns her place!”
Xiao Qinxue stepped forward, pushing Mingyue protectively behind her. Her expression remained calm, her voice cool: “Is this the refinement and dignity of a Crown Princess personally granted by His Majesty? General Yun clawed his way up through military merit, securing a foothold in the capital for over twenty years, yet his family’s prominence has lasted scarcely five. No wonder Miss Yun is so coarse and arrogant. Newly granted the title of Crown Princess, and already she rushes to flaunt it before me.”