The guard pushed open the door, and Nanny Zhou stepped into the study.
“Crown Prince.” Nanny Zhou bent her knees in a cautious curtsey, her voice tinged with nervous unease. “Just now, a matron from the Princess De’an’s residence came to request medicine from the Princess Consort. But the Princess Consort said…”
Pei Ziyan turned his head, brows knitting. “What did she say?”
Nanny Zhou lowered her gaze. “She said she is in the midst of quarreling with Your Highness over a divorce, her mind unsettled. If the Princess Royal urgently requires the medicine, then… then she should ask Your Highness for a letter of divorce instead.”
Pei Ziyan’s face darkened. He spun on his heel and strode out. His expression was grim, shadowed with fury, as though carrying a storm within him. With swift, heavy steps, he made his way toward Shuangxue Courtyard.
Two maidservants were sweeping fallen leaves in the courtyard. When they saw the Crown Prince storming in with fury written all over his face, they quickly retreated beneath a large tree and knelt, terrified of being caught in the blaze of his anger.
At the doorway of the Eastern Main Courtyard, Pei Ziyan clenched his fists, forcing himself to rein in his rage. He stepped across the threshold and saw Xiao Qingxue seated by the window, calmly reading.
“Qingxue, is this the way you intend to threaten me?” He strode to the window, his gaze cold upon her. “I once believed that, though your birth was humble, you were a woman of learning and generosity. I never imagined you would be no different from those petty, jealous women who thrive on rivalry.”
Mingyue ground her teeth, itching to slap him across the face. Such shamelessness—men like him were rare indeed. Was it love that had clouded her lady’s judgment, or was this man simply so skilled at disguise that he had fooled everyone into thinking him refined?
Xiao Qingxue showed little reaction to his arrival. Her voice was cool: “I have no interest in competing for your affections, nor do I need you to flatter yourself.”
Pei Ziyan’s tone was sharp. “Princess De’an has always treated you kindly. Physicians are meant to be compassionate. Do you mean to vent your displeasure with me upon others?”
“The Crown Prince’s words are truly amusing.” Mingyue, unable to stomach his shamelessness, sneered. “So being your wife means not only curing your poisons and ailments, but also answering the call of every patient in need? Before my lady came to the capital, did you nobles have no doctors at all? Oh, that’s right—the Imperial Physicians are all useless quacks. That’s why, when you were at death’s door, not one of them could save you. Lucky for you, my lady descended from the heavens only to rescue an ingrate who forgets a life-saving debt at will, and even dares to sneer at her as ‘a mere physician.’ If you all look down on mere physicians, why come begging to her in the first place?”
Pei Ziyan’s jaw tightened, his face dark as iron. He had had enough of Mingyue’s insolence and sharp tongue.
In the three years since Xiao Qingxue entered the Prince’s household, he had never realized Mingyue could be so biting, so brazenly disrespectful.
His fists clenched tighter. He looked at Xiao Qingxue, and the words that cut like knives spilled out: “You truly disappoint me.”
Even though she had already resolved to leave, that sentence pierced Xiao Qingxue’s heart with a sudden, sharp pain. She set down her book and raised her eyes to him. “The ungrateful one is you. You’re the one who broke promises. I have yet to accuse you, and yet you play the villain, crying foul first.”
Pei Ziyan’s face shifted from pale to livid.
“You keep boasting of being a prince, a crown prince, of noble blood. But I no longer care for your status, nor wish to cling to wealth. All I ask is a letter of divorce—yet you refuse? Do you think that because I married into this household by virtue of my medical skill, I should be forever grateful, bowing in thanks that you deigned not to despise me? If you now excuse yourself with talk of men having multiple wives and concubines, then why did you once make promises you could never keep?”
Pei Ziyan was left speechless by her words. Perhaps it was Xiao Qingxue’s unshakable calm from the very start of this ordeal that unsettled him so deeply. He loved Xiao Qingxue—he had long since fallen for her. There was no way he could agree to a divorce. Yet her resolute demand for separation filled him with both anger and unease, driving him to lash out without thought. In truth, those harsh words had never been what he truly meant. What he wanted was to speak with her sincerely, to explain his difficulties with a level head. But Xiao Qingxue gave him no chance.
He closed his eyes briefly, then said, “Half a month ago, Father ordered me to marry Yun Xueyao as Crown Princess. I refused, but Father was determined. He said only by allying with General Yun’s household would the general and his soldiers willingly pledge their loyalty to me…”
He moved to sit opposite her, trying to persuade her to accept reality. “Xueyao is the general’s daughter—spirited, forthright, without guile. I thought you two might get along.”
Xiao Qingxue gave no reply.
Spirited and forthright? If blocking her at the palace gates and demanding obeisance before the marriage could be called forthright, then she had nothing further to say.
Her tone was cool: “When is the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony scheduled?”
Pei Ziyan thought she was relenting. His face lit up as he quickly answered, “The Astronomical Bureau has just submitted auspicious dates for Father to choose from. If all goes as expected, it should be on the ninth day of next month.” After a pause, he added, “Though Yun Xueyao will be Crown Princess, still—”
“You needn’t explain anything to me.” Xiao Qingxue lifted her gaze, her voice detached. “Whom you marry as Crown Princess is your own affair. Persuading me to agree is meaningless.” She smiled faintly, as if brushing away dust: “Even if you had ten thousand reasons, I would still be disappointed in you.”
Pei Ziyan’s face stiffened, his hand tightening unconsciously around the teacup, as though his patience had shattered in an instant.
His voice carried both disappointment and displeasure: “Which son of a noble house does not have three wives and four concubines? Princes’ households are filled with consorts, secondary wives, concubines, even bedchamber attendants. Yet for the past two years I have remained pure, with only you in my residence. What more do you want? Yes, I broke my word, but times have changed. I am the Crown Prince of the realm. Whether to build power or balance politics, it is impossible for me to have only one wife. Can you not understand my difficulties?”
Xiao Qingxue looked at him calmly, as though watching a cornered beast in hysteria. She wanted to tell him: if a man were truly strong, if his will were firm enough, then even as emperor he could still love only one woman.
All those so-called necessities were nothing but excuses. Excuses for wanting to embrace many women and indulge in pleasure. But saying so now was meaningless.
She refused to waste her breath in argument. Lifting the teacup, she took a sip, then spoke with solemn clarity: “I do not wish to share a husband with others. Pei Ziyan, as long as you are willing to sign a letter of divorce, from then on your bridge will be your bridge, your road your road. You may marry as many as you like, and no one will interfere.”
Pei Ziyan’s face darkened, his fury pressed down hard. He could not understand why she was so obstinate. Was it not fortune enough for a mere physician’s daughter to marry into the royal family? He was Crown Prince now, and would one day be emperor. Even if she were only a secondary consort, once he ascended she would still be one of the Four Consorts. What more could she possibly want?
A physician without family backing—even if she were made Crown Princess, mother of the realm—would never be able to suppress the noble-born concubines of the inner palace. Would that not only invite humiliation upon herself?
He had thought her a woman who could see the larger picture. Yet she proved narrow-minded, lacking the bearing of a mistress of the household.
Utterly disappointed, Pei Ziyan rose coldly to his feet. “I have said all that needs saying. Think it over yourself. A divorce letter is out of the question. If you truly refuse to be a secondary consort, then being a concubine will have to do.”