Song Qingqian: “Your Highness, rise. It is time to pay our respects together.”
Xiao Beitang kicked her legs under the covers in a silent, childish protest.
The protest failed. Song Qingqian yanked the blanket away regardless. Infuriated, Xiao Beitang bolted upright in bed, standing tall to look down at her wife.
“Song Qingqian, I thought we reached a tacit understanding yesterday!” She stood there with her hands on her hips, glaring down with indignation.
It was a repeat of the previous day. Since she was naturally a bit taller than Song Qingqian, standing on the bed forced Song Qingqian to look up at her. She wore a set of pure white silk sleeping robes; the fabric was so smooth and form-fitting that it subtly traced the curves of her silhouette.
Song Qingqian’s gaze drifted slightly downward, catching sight of that particular “prominence” once again. It was quite a startling distraction.
Forcing herself to stay composed, Song Qingqian looked away and said steadily, “I, too, thought we had reached an understanding.”
Xiao Beitang let out a frustrated, silent scream, but she softened almost immediately. She tried to negotiate. “How about a compromise? Can we agree that you won’t call me to wake up this early in the future?”
Song Qingqian kept her eyes averted and said flatly, “This is hardly early. Any later and we will miss the hour for morning greetings.”
Xiao Beitang stomped her foot, her head lolling in exasperation. “Mother Empress wouldn’t blame me if I was a little late. If you’re so afraid of her disapproval, you go first.”
Song Qingqian shook her head solemnly. “Your Highness, from now on, you must rise at this hour. At this time, Her Majesty is already at morning court. Once you begin your studies, this will be your daily routine.”
“Dress me!” Xiao Beitang gritted her teeth so hard they practically audibly ground together.
She climbed out of bed listlessly. Song Qingqian, sensing the mood, led the extra servants out of the room. After washing and dressing, the Princess emerged looking thoroughly disgruntled. “Fine. Let’s go.”
At the Empress’s palace, several imperial consorts had just finished their greetings and were departing. Song Qingqian watched their retreating figures. “Why didn’t we see the other consorts paying respects the other day?”
“Mother Empress doesn’t like dealing with them,” Xiao Beitang replied nonchalantly. “So, they only come twice a month, on the first and the fifteenth.”
Song Qingqian smiled. “Then they must feel as if they’ve received a grand amnesty, not having to come every day.”
“Not necessarily.”
“Oh?”
“Coming to pay respects is at least a chance for them to catch a glimpse of the Mother Emperor.”
Song Qingqian watched the consorts walk away. They were likely all Kunze. If they had been marked by the Emperor, they would only ever experience a “heat” triggered by her pheromones. For a Kunze, being neglected year after year while bound by such biological ties must be a slow, agonizing torment.
The two stepped into Kunning Palace to find the Empress rubbing her temples in frustration. Princess Dunsu was sitting in the hall, her face a mask of displeasure.
“Peace and health to Mother Empress.”
The Empress offered a faint smile. “Tang’er, Qianqian, you’ve arrived.” She gave Xiao Beitang a pointed look, signaling her to greet Dunsu.
“Aunt,” Xiao Beitang muttered. Song Qingqian followed with a respectful nod.
Dunsu replied sarcastically, “I’m afraid I cannot afford to accept a bow from the Crown Princess Consort.”
Song Qingqian glanced at Li Ningyu, who was hiding behind her mother looking utterly aggrieved. “I was unaware I had done something to upset my Aunt,” Song Qingqian said, feigning ignorance.
“There is no need to play the fool,” Dunsu snapped.
Song Qingqian smiled. “Then I hope Aunt will enlighten me.”
Princess Dunsu didn’t even lift her eyelids. She smoothed her skirt and sneered, “I wouldn’t dare. If I was to offend the Crown Princess Consort, I would surely be lectured by her.”
The Empress sighed inwardly and looked at Song Qingqian, trying to smooth things over. “Dunsu, if the children have done something wrong, you should show them some leniency as their elder.”
“Your Majesty, Yu’er is still young,” Dunsu argued. “Even if her words were slightly improper, the Crown Princess Consort should not have rebuked her in public. Yu’er came home yesterday and cried for half the day. She is so sensible, she wouldn’t tell me what happened at first until I forced it out of her. As her mother, how can I not be heartbroken?” She dabbed at invisible tears with her handkerchief.
The Empress was annoyed, but she couldn’t flatly dismiss the woman’s face. Seeing her mother “weep,” Li Ningyu also began to sob softly.
Song Qingqian said calmly, “Aunt, there is no need to display your grievances before the Mother Empress. If I have made a mistake, I will admit to it, but I will not take blame for a fault that isn’t mine.”
“You, what kind of talk is that? I am your elder! Is this how the Prime Minister taught you to speak to your superiors? Such total lack of respect!”
Just as Song Qingqian was about to retort, Xiao Beitang frowned. “Aunt, do not use your age to bully others here. Song Qingqian is my wife. We share in each other’s honor and each other’s shame. By accusing her of being disrespectful to her elders, aren’t you aiming those words at me as well?”
The Empress stared at her, stunned. Is this really my Tang’er?
Princess Dunsu was overwhelmed with shame and anger, her tears now flowing in earnest. “Tang’er! How can you take the side of an outsider? Do you not know how much your Aunt has doted on you?”
Xiao Beitang let out a sharp laugh. “Every time Aunt gave me a gift, didn’t the Mother Emperor and Mother Empress return the favor tenfold or a hundredfold? Does Aunt take me for a fool?”
“You.!” Princess Dunsu turned pale, clutching her chest as if she might faint. Li Ningyu, weeping like a pear blossom in the rain, rushed to comfort her mother.
Trembling with rage, Dunsu turned to the Empress and demanded sharply, “Your Majesty, are you truly going to do nothing?”
The Empress, finished with the drama, said indifferently, “Dunsu, you’ve known for a long time that I spoil Tang’er. You know her temperament; I cannot control her.”
Exasperated, Dunsu stood up and shrieked, “You, you all bully and humiliate me! I shall go and ask the Emperor to settle this!”
Li Ningyu tugged at her mother’s arm, sobbing. “Mother, let it be.”
“Don’t be afraid, Yu’er. With your mother here, no one will make you suffer. We are going to find the Emperor to seek justice!” Dunsu patted her daughter’s hand, shot a vicious glare at Song Qingqian, and led Li Ningyu out of the palace.
Once they were gone, the Empress exhaled in relief. She massaged her forehead. “She gives me such a headache. If she goes to the Emperor now, she’ll disturb her peace yet again.”
Xiao Beitang was unmoved. “The Mother Emperor chooses to indulge her. If her peace is disturbed, it is by her own choice.”
The Empress spoke with gravity. “Tang’er, your grandfather’s mistakes left the Imperial family decimated. Although your Mother Emperor did not join in the slaughter, the world does not believe her hands are clean. The stigma of ‘fratricide’ has been pinned to her since the day she took the throne. Dunsu is one of the few relatives she has left. If she treats her harshly, how will the world judge her? That is why the Emperor is so exceptionally tolerant toward her.
Beyond her arrogance and vanity, she hasn’t committed any great crimes.”
“I know,” Xiao Beitang said. “But today, she came for me.”
The Empress smiled a deeply meaningful smile. “When exactly did she come for you?”
“I have matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave now,” Xiao Beitang said, making a quick exit.
“Hey, you child!”
The Empress reached out and patted Song Qingqian’s hand. “Qianqian, I am sorry you had to endure that. Don’t take it to heart.”
Song Qingqian placed her hand obediently in the Empress’s. “I understand, Mother Empress.”
“Good. You should head back as well.”