Qin Xiu cursed her bad luck inwardly, though she forced a smile on her face. “Eighth Sister, what brings you here?”
Qin Fei folded her arms, tilting her head to glance at the row of elderly attendants kneeling neatly in formation. “Starting a staff meeting first thing in the morning? That won’t win you much affection from your employees.”
Qin Xiu frowned, watching as the young woman strolled to the table in the courtyard and bent to examine the cup of ginseng tea. “This is ginseng tea?”
Qin Xiu’s eyes narrowed, unease flickering across her face. “Yes. I noticed Miss Gu’s health is poor; she’s often ill, so I prepared this for her.”
Qin Fei lifted the cup, inhaling lightly. “The taste seems off.”
Qin Xiu’s eyes widened. “How could that be? What do you mean, Sister? Do you take me for the sort of vile creature who poisons others?”
Qin Fei arched a brow, turning to her with a bright smile that lingered, saying more than words ever could. “I only meant your ginseng is inferior. It doesn’t compare to the flavor of mine at my palace. Why speak of poison? When did I accuse you of harming anyone?”
Qin Xiu swallowed hard. “The ginseng in my palace was given by Mother Consort. She would never provide anything inferior. Sister, your words are ill‑chosen—how could mine be worse than yours?”
“Why argue? One sip will tell.” Qin Fei raised the cup toward her lips, but Gu Nian quickly stopped her. “Your Highness, don’t drink it.”
Qin Xiu squinted, feigning calm. “Eighth Sister, this was prepared for Miss Gu. If you wish to drink, I’ll have another cup made for you.”
“Who said I wanted to drink it?” Expression unchanged, Qin Fei carried the tea to Qin Xiu. “My health is strong. Yours isn’t. Why don’t you take a sip?”
Qin Xiu’s tricks were always obvious. To believe this tea was harmless—she’d sooner believe her own name spelled backward.
In the original novel, Qin Xiu was portrayed as malicious but never particularly clever. Gu Nian’s downfall at her hands wasn’t due to cunning, but because Song Jinglan deliberately favored Qin Xiu for the sake of the throne, while Gu Nian herself valued love too deeply.
The author, biased toward Song Jinglan, painted him as helpless, even attributing his greed for the throne to his desire to give Gu Nian a safer life. Yet that favoritism only led to her death.
“I… this was prepared for Miss Gu. How could I drink it?” Qin Xiu retreated two steps.
Qin Fei clicked her tongue. “Elder Sister, you just said Gu Nian lacked manners. Don’t you know that when offering tea, one should first prepare a cup for oneself? How rude.”
With that, she stepped closer, seizing Qin Xiu’s arm to keep her from retreating. “Come now, you should nourish yourself first.”
“No, I won’t.” Qin Xiu tried to pull away, but to her shock, Qin Fei’s strength was overwhelming. No matter how she struggled, she couldn’t break free.
“Let go!”
Qin Fei feigned surprise. “What’s this? You want me to feed you myself? How spoiled. Come on then, open your mouth.”
Qin Xiu clamped her lips shut, turning her head aside, and barked an order to the row of kneeling attendants behind her. “What are you waiting for? Drag the Eighth Princess away!”
The attendants exchanged uneasy glances. None dared provoke Qin Fei, the palace’s notorious little tyrant. They hesitated, unwilling to rise.
Qin Fei glanced back, her tone unmistakably threatening. “Just now, Third Princess ordered you to show Miss Gu proper etiquette. That lesson isn’t finished yet, and you already want to get up? That won’t do.”
“Don’t forget who your true master is!” Qin Xiu shouted, “Anyone who dares to hesitate will be expelled from Yuxiu Palace and sent to the Maidservants’ Institute!”
The Maidservants’ Institute was the place that managed palace maids. Those who committed serious offenses were dispatched there, subjected to harsher discipline and punishment. Many, unable to bear the torment, had even hanged themselves inside.
The elderly attendants had struggled for years to reach their current positions. None wished to suffer such degradation, so they hurried to their feet and seized Qin Fei.
“Release Her Highness!” Gu Nian, frail in body and gentle in nature, saw Qin Fei being pulled about by several attendants. She could no longer stand by and rushed forward to shield Qin Fei.
“Let go of me!” Qin Fei turned back, warning the attendants clawing at her. “Do you have no sense of the consequences of offending me?”
The attendants were on the verge of tears. None of them wanted to provoke this little tyrant, but if they were sent to the Maidservants’ Institute at their age, they would never survive.
Meanwhile, Qin Xiu’s arm was still caught in Qin Fei’s grip. In desperation, she yanked at Qin Fei’s hair.
“Pulling my hair, are you?” Qin Fei gave a sharp laugh, too angry to bother with the attendants. She flung them aside and lunged straight at Qin Xiu.
Startled, Qin Xiu clutched her chest, her eyes rolling back as she collapsed to the ground.
“Not good! The Third Princess’s heart ailment has flared up—quick, summon the imperial physician!”
“Summon the physician!” The attendants crowded together, the scene descending into chaos.
“Stand still! No need for a physician—this lady is a divine healer herself.” Qin Fei rolled up her sleeves, seized the ginseng tea, and tried to force it into Qin Xiu’s mouth. “Perfect timing, Sister—your heart ailment has struck. Let me treat you. With tea this fine, even if you were at death’s door, I could bring you back.”
“Qin Fei! Stop at once!” A stern voice thundered from the gates of Yuxiu Palace.
The Emperor stormed in, flanked by Cen Hejue and Song Jinglan, just in time to witness Qin Fei’s wild attempt to pour tea down Qin Xiu’s throat.
“Are you trying to rebel?”
At the Emperor’s arrival, Qin Xiu instantly revived. She sprang up, knocking the tea from Qin Fei’s hand, and staggered toward her father.
“Father, save me—!”
“Good grief, such strength,” Qin Fei muttered, nearly toppled despite her martial training. She braced herself on her elbow, with Gu Nian rushing to help her up.
“Your Highness, are you hurt?” Gu Nian asked anxiously.
“I’m fine,” Qin Fei shook her head.
“Of course you’re fine,” the Emperor snapped, hands on his hips, his tone heavy with disappointment. “Ah Fei, Ah Fei… look at what you’ve done. You’ve tormented your sister into this state. Do you still resemble a proper person?”
*Though one might argue—Qin Xiu herself hardly acted like one.*
Qin Fei resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She rubbed her eyes with one hand, pinched her thigh hard, and—under Gu Nian’s startled gaze—collapsed to the ground with a loud cry: “Father, I’ve been wronged—!”
Cen Hejue, hearing her wail, couldn’t help but step back two paces.
“Father, you only see Sister acting unlike a proper person, but you don’t know—it was I who was trying to save her life just now.”
Sniffling, Qin Fei scampered forward and clutched at the Emperor’s robes. “Father, please see clearly. Just now, Sister nearly died, but thanks to me, she revived.”
Qin Xiu’s eyes widened. *What a trick—an evildoer crying foul first.*
“Little Sister, what nonsense are you spouting? You were clearly forcing me—”
“Forcing you what?” Qin Fei slid to her knees before the Emperor, clutching his trouser leg, her face full of grievance as she cut her sister off. “Earlier, Miss Gu entered the palace to visit me. She sat for a while in Baohua Palace, but then Third Sister summoned her here to Yuxiu Palace. I thought it over—Miss Gu’s health is fragile, she has only just recovered. She came to see me, so I had to be a proper host and ensure she left safely. But when I arrived here, I saw Third Sister ordering the attendants to kneel in rows, trying to teach Miss Gu ‘proper etiquette.’ Since Miss Gu is my friend, I assumed she must have offended Third Sister somehow. I wanted to apologize on her behalf. Unexpectedly, I offended Third Sister instead. She suddenly suffered a heart attack. I saw the ginseng tea on the table—learned it was prepared by her for Miss Gu—and thought, since Consort Zheng’s things are always of good quality, I could use that tea to keep Sister’s breath going.”
The Emperor’s expression shifted again and again as he listened.
Qin Xiu saw his reaction and felt a chill. She quickly interrupted: “Little Sister, why weave such lies?”
“Lies?” Qin Fei nearly laughed. From her kneeling posture, she shifted to sit squarely on the floor. “Qin Xiu, let me ask you—was that ginseng tea prepared for Gu Nian?”
Qin Xiu’s lips trembled. “Yes, and what of it?”
“And was it you who summoned Gu Nian to Yuxiu Palace?” Qin Fei pressed.
Qin Xiu drew a deep breath. “I called her here because I heard you constantly torment her, making her bake pastries for you. Her health is poor, and she’s a respectable young lady from the Prime Minister’s household. Forcing her to make pastries—doesn’t that insult her?”
Gu Nian exclaimed in shock, “That’s not at all what happened!”
Song Jinglan frowned, signaling Gu Nian to stay quiet.
But Gu Nian didn’t hesitate—she was about to kneel before the Emperor when Qin Fei stopped her. “Don’t move.”
“I admit it—I was greedy and asked Gu Nian to make pastries for me.” Qin Fei said openly, then shifted the story. “But that was because I wanted to learn how to make pastries myself, so I could give them to Cen Hejue. I asked Gu Nian to guide me.”
At the mention of his name, Cen Hejue’s eyes flickered. He watched Qin Fei’s performance in silence.
“As for you, Sister—you grew jealous when I wanted to make pastries for Cen Hejue, my betrothed. You schemed, dragged Gu Nian away from my palace, and now you twist the truth. That cup of ginseng tea was meant to save your life, yet you claim it was meant to harm you!” Qin Fei pointed at Qin Xiu, her voice full of wounded indignation.
The Emperor’s heart skipped at hearing Cen Hejue’s name dragged into the matter. He felt a surge of unease. “Qin Fei, what nonsense are you spouting? How could your sister covet the Preceptor? Enough—hold your tongue!”
Qin Fei stifled the urge to roll her eyes. She wiped at her eyes, pinched her thigh hard, and—collapsing to the ground with a dramatic cry—wailed, “Don’t think I don’t know! All those rumors about you and Hejue outside—I know them perfectly well.”
She glared at Qin Xiu with open reproach. “Qin Xiu, you’re my elder sister. It’s bad enough you ignore our blood ties, but to covet my man? I will never allow it.”
“You’re spouting nonsense!” Qin Xiu was truly flustered now, her face flushed red as she glared back. “I have never coveted the Preceptor. It’s your own filthy mind that makes you see filth in everyone else.”
“Oh, still denying it? Must I spell it out?” Qin Fei pressed a hand to her chest, as though restraining her fury. “At the Gu household, in front of everyone, you forced Hejue to drink the tea you offered him. Tell me—did that happen or not?”
Instinctively, Qin Xiu glanced toward Song Jinglan. “I—I didn’t mean it that way…”
“Just answer—did it happen?” Qin Fei demanded.
“Yes,” Qin Xiu forced herself to sound calm. “But I truly had no ulterior motive. Cen Hejue is our teacher. Is it wrong for me to offer him a cup of tea?”
The Emperor dreaded any entanglement between Qin Xiu and Cen Hejue. He quickly interjected, “Qin Fei, it was only a cup of tea. Don’t make trouble over nothing.”
“Trouble over nothing?” Qin Fei rose to her feet and strode up to him. “Father, I understand now.”
The Emperor swallowed hard. “Understand what?”
Qin Fei declared solemnly, “You regret giving me the Cen family marriage. Now you want to take it back and give it to Third Sister instead, don’t you?”
The Emperor’s eyes bulged in fury. “What outrageous talk! Baseless nonsense! Since I granted you the marriage with the Cen family, how could I ever go back on it?”
“I know. I know.” Qin Fei’s tone was firm, unshakable.
The Emperor was nearly beside himself. “What do you know now?”
Turning to Qin Xiu like a judge pronouncing a sentence, Qin Fei said, “Father decreed my betrothal to the Preceptor. That cannot be undone. But you, Sister—you’ve set your heart on him. Before my marriage, you wanted to seduce him, make him change his mind, and marry you instead, isn’t that so?”
Qin Xiu’s mind reeled. “Lies! Utter lies!”
“Then what—you want us both to marry into the Cen family, to share one husband, is that it?” Qin Fei darted to Cen Hejue’s side, clutching his arm and stamping her foot. “Preceptor, say something!”
Cen Hejue narrowed his eyes. “What is it Your Highness wishes me to say?”
Qin Fei fixed her gaze on Cen Hejue, refusing to let go. “Then tell me—if both Qin Xiu and I were to marry you, which one would you choose?” She glared at him, determined to press the matter to the end.
“Speak boldly. If today you say you want to marry Qin Xiu, I’ll withdraw from the betrothal with the Cen family without complaint, and let you have your way.”
The Emperor nearly fainted, staggering back two steps until he steadied himself against the doorway. “Stop this nonsense!”
“An unwilling melon is never sweet. I’m not the sort to force others,” Qin Fei replied.
The Emperor blinked in surprise. “You’re not?”
Qin Fei: “…”
“Either way, today I must have an answer.” She bit her lip, her eyes reddening. “Whether this marriage stands or falls depends on one word from the Preceptor—either he marries Qin Xiu, or he marries me.”
Others couldn’t see through her ploy, but Cen Hejue understood perfectly. Qin Fei was deliberately muddying the waters.
This girl was cunning. If her quarrel with Qin Xiu were judged fairly, she would likely be at fault. So now she shifted the battlefield, striking at the Emperor’s weak spot, forcing both him and Qin Xiu to yield. And he himself was the blade she meant to wield.
“You truly want me to answer?” Cen Hejue asked coolly.
“No, no,” the Emperor interjected quickly. “Marriage is no trifling matter. Hejue, just treat her words as childish mischief.”
Song Jinglan, watching everything, spoke at just the right moment. “The Eighth Princess speaks with conviction. It doesn’t sound like baseless talk. I’ve heard some of the rumors outside, too. Could it be that the one the Grand Preceptor truly wishes to marry is not the Eighth Princess, but the Third Princess?”
At those words, Qin Xiu’s face turned ashen. “Brother Jinglan, how can you misunderstand my relationship with the Preceptor so?”
In truth, Song Jinglan didn’t care who Cen Hejue favored. Between Qin Xiu and Qin Fei, if forced to choose, he would always prefer Qin Fei.
First, though Qin Xiu was more obsessed with him, she was scheming and hard to control—unlike Qin Fei. Second, Qin Fei’s friendship with Gu Nian mattered. Song Jinglan’s true affection lay with Gu Nian, and if Qin Fei became mistress of his household, she would surely treat Gu Nian kindly. Their harmony could even become a celebrated tale.
Qin Xiu, by contrast, had repeatedly tried to harm Gu Nian. Even if he married her, life would be fraught with strife. Though he had once toyed with her, weighing everything now, only Qin Fei suited him.
If Cen Hejue truly liked Qin Xiu, then Song Jinglan could fan the flames, ruin the betrothal, and take Qin Fei for himself.
“Third Princess, Jinglan doesn’t understand your meaning,” he said blandly, avoiding her gaze.
The Emperor knew well that Qin Xiu adored Song Jinglan. In his eyes, Jinglan was indeed promising—his father was a high-ranking official, and with the imperial exams ahead, Jinglan could rise in court. With the Emperor’s support, he would be a fitting match for Qin Xiu.
But Qin Fei complicated matters. Though beautiful, she was frivolous, far less capable than Qin Xiu. The Emperor had never imagined Song Jinglan might favor her. Yet today, his reaction suggested otherwise.
If Cen Hejue truly demanded Qin Xiu, the Emperor’s plans would collapse.
“Enough!” His face darkened. “Today’s fault lies with you, Xiu’er. Hurry and apologize to your sister.”
Qin Xiu was stunned. With nothing but Qin Fei’s glib tongue, the entire situation had been overturned—so much so that even the Emperor demanded she apologize. It was clearly that wretch’s fault. Why should she admit guilt? She refused!
“Father, how can you favor my sister so? You wrong me… I…” Qin Xiu clutched her chest, about to faint again.
Qin Fei snorted. “Go ahead and faint. There’s still a ginseng root on the ground. Once you collapse, I’ll shove it in your mouth to save you.”
“You—!” Qin Xiu was dumbstruck.
“Didn’t you just ask me to choose?” Cen Hejue interrupted, hands clasped behind his back, posture straight, gaze forward, his tone indifferent. “I’ve already decided.”
“No, Hejue…” the Emperor tried to stop him.
Cen Hejue, calm and faintly smiling, said, “Then… the Third Princess.”
The words had barely fallen when Qin Xiu and Song Jinglan both dropped to their knees.
One out of shock, the other out of joy.
Only Qin Fei remained standing, straight-backed, gazing thoughtfully at Cen Hejue. Could it be that he truly regretted and now wished to marry Qin Xiu? That might be for the best. She wouldn’t have to waste effort pleasing him. Even if she wanted to escape, the Cen family wouldn’t interfere. The matter of Northern Qi would take time. She could bide her chance, flee with her wealth, and live a carefree salted‑fish life.
What a delightful prospect!
And yet… Her eyes drifted back to Cen Hejue’s face. With looks of this caliber, when would she ever meet another man as handsome?
“…”
Damn it! Qin Fei, it seems your will to survive isn’t strong enough.
Your heart is already straying toward this iron‑walled man.
No matter.
The world is vast—surely you won’t struggle to find a husband even more handsome than him.