Xiao Qingxue had already left in her carriage. She paid no mind to how Princess Royal De’an and Pei Ziyan would negotiate, nor did she care about the outcome of their talks. Although divorce was inevitably the conclusion between her and Pei Ziyan, what mattered to her in these ten days was the process itself. How Pei Ziyan had gained the position of Crown Prince—she would see to it that he lost it. After all, it was never something that should have belonged to him. When she returned to the prince’s residence, it was just in time for the midday meal.
Xiao Qingxue ordered the servants to prepare the dishes, and as the maids laid out one exquisite plate after another upon the table, Pei Ziyan walked in. He gazed at the spread of delicacies, fragrant and resplendent, and remained silent for a long while, his expression betraying little emotion.
Xiao Qingxue sat at the table eating, ignoring his arrival.
Pei Ziyan came forward, sat down, ordered the maid to add a set of bowls and chopsticks, then lifted his gaze to her. “If I told you I don’t actually like Yun Xueyao—that marrying her is only for the General’s military power—and that once she enters the Eastern Palace she’ll have no chance to harm you, your treatment will remain the same as before… Qingxue, would you still insist on divorce?”
Xiao Qingxue continued eating quietly, unmoved by his words.
“I only love you.” Pei Ziyan lowered his eyes to the rice in his bowl, glistening like pearls. “Marrying Yun Xueyao is a last resort. Once she becomes Crown Princess, I’ll have her restrained under the guise of teaching her rules, so she won’t be able to target you. If possible, I could even hand over the authority of the Eastern Palace to you. That way—”
“Pei Ziyan, have you realized the crisis and come to negotiate with me?” Xiao Qingxue set down her chopsticks, looking at him with interest. “Did the news that Princess Royal De’an intends to ally with Duke Ding’s household frighten you?”
Pei Ziyan pressed his lips together, his expression dark. “You want revenge.”
“You really are self‑absorbed,” Xiao Qingxue said with undisguised disdain. “Let me tell you: Princess Royal De’an’s daughter has long admired Zhou Yian, the Duke’s eldest legitimate son, and he likes her too. Given their ages, the marriage should have been arranged last year.”
“You should know that with Princess Royal De’an’s standing before His Majesty, her daughter’s marriage is entirely her decision. No one else may interfere—not even the Empress Dowager.”
“Do you know why she hasn’t arranged it yet?”
Xiao Qingxue sneered. “Because of the condition I set when treating her illness.”
Pei Ziyan lowered his gaze. “The Princess Royal has already told me.”
“I don’t wish to treat her anymore, so I have no reason to interfere in her daughter’s marriage,” Xiao Qingxue said coolly. “Unless you agree to divorce me. Then I’ll give her the prescription, and she can honor the original agreement—her daughter will marry next year.”
Su Yushan is only sixteen. Last year, at fifteen, talk of marriage began. First, the Princess Royal thought her daughter was still a bit young; second, because of my condition, she felt delaying two years was fine. A girl marrying at seventeen is perfectly normal.
If the plan had gone as intended, this year Pei Ziyan would be named Crown Prince, and by next year Xiao Qingxue would still have a full year to secure his position. By then, Su Yushan and Zhou Yian’s marriage would not threaten his claim to the throne.
But he was too impatient. On the same day, two edicts were issued—one naming him Crown Prince, the other appointing the Crown Princess. He thought forcing Xiao Qinxue to accept the facts, then apologizing afterward with a sorrowful tale of helplessness, would win her sympathy and forgiveness for his concealment.
Xiao Qingxue found him laughably naïve. Men always seem to suffer from this self‑important delusion.
“Pei Ziyan, do you really think I care about the title of Crown Princess?” Xiao Qingxue sighed softly. “A man like you—no matter what promises you make—I will never believe you again. You’ve already been named Crown Prince; there’s no need to concern yourself with what a mere consort thinks. Don’t explain, don’t promise… just follow your own plan.”
“Even if you hand me a divorce letter, do you think you could walk out of the imperial city?” Pei Ziyan’s cheek twitched, as though he were restraining his temper. “Qingxue, once I ascend the throne, the lowest rank for a Crown Prince’s consort is one of the Four Concubines. I could make you Noble Consort. When I’ve cultivated my own ministers and generals, I won’t need the Grand General’s support. Yun Xueyao as Empress could be deposed at any time. Can’t you give me a little time?”
Mingyue listened with growing disgust. If not for the waste of food, she would have overturned the dishes onto his head.
Truly a man who burns bridges once he’s crossed them.
Today he marries Yun Xueyao for military power; the Crown Princess hasn’t even entered the palace, yet he’s already plotting how to depose her. Such a man is rotten to the core—faithless, selfish, and cold‑hearted.
“To His Highness, power is everything—important enough to betray the woman he loves, to forget past promises, to break faith and discard gratitude. But my lady has no need for the scraps of status you toss her!” Mingyue burst out angrily. “Not consort, not noble consort, not even Empress—my lady does not care! A man whose eyes see only power and profit will never understand that true devotion is priceless!”
“True feelings are priceless?” Pei Ziyan gave a bitter laugh, seeming disinclined today to argue over Mingyue’s rudeness. “If I fail to claim that seat, we may not even keep our lives. How long can true feelings last then? It’s precisely because I care, precisely because I love Qingxue, that I must seize that position at all costs. I want to grow old with her, I want—”
“Stop deceiving yourself.” Xiao Qingxue cut him off calmly. “Everything you’ve done is for yourself. Don’t dress it up as love.”
Pei Ziyan fell silent, the warmth in his eyes cooling bit by bit.
Xiao Qingxue picked up her chopsticks again, savoring the delicacies with slow, elegant composure, utterly unaffected by the matter of divorce.
Pei Ziyan sat wordless for a long time. Since returning to Prince Jin’s manor yesterday with the imperial decree, he hadn’t eaten a proper meal. Now, faced with a table of rare delicacies and a bowl of glistening rice, he found them strangely tempting. Yet watching Xiao Qingxue dine so serenely, he realized with a pang that she wasn’t sad at all. No grief, no hesitation, no struggle, no pain. Aside from that fleeting look of cold disappointment when she first heard the news, she had remained as composed as a bystander.
Clutching his chopsticks, Pei Ziyan finally understood: she truly didn’t care anymore. The divorce she sought was real—final, with no lingering ties. She felt no attachment, no reluctance.
The realization enraged him. And in the heat of fury, words spilled unchecked: “We’ve been married two years, yet you’ve borne no child—under the Seven Grounds for Divorce, that counts as ‘barren.’ Because of the uproar over marrying the crown princess, you’re ‘jealous.’ Today, in Fengyi Palace, you spoke disrespectfully to my mother—‘disobedient to parents.’”
His voice turned dark. “Xiao Qingxue, what right do you have to demand a divorce letter? If you insist on leaving, you should be asking for a repudiation letter, not a divorce agreement!”