Chapter 16: The Dispute

Page (1/3)

Just as Wen Qiao had expected, by the time Wen Qi arrived at the Imperial Study, everyone was already seated and the tutor had begun the lesson. Even Wen Qiao was diligently taking notes. No one had expected Wen Qi to appear so suddenly at the study-room door.

At once, everyone turned to look at her.

The princes and princesses were still young and lacked composure. Whenever anything happened, they could not resist lifting their heads to take a look. Only Wen Qiao continued writing with her head bowed.

Perhaps she had anticipated it long ago. At this hour, the only person who could possibly appear at the door of the Imperial Study was Wen Qi. Thus, without even raising her head, she remained wholly focused on her own work.

“Which palace do you serve in? Do you not know that this is lesson time at the Imperial Study? If you have some urgent matter, wait until class is over. Otherwise, bring your mistress’s written order. Do not stand in the doorway and disturb the other princes and princesses.”

In order to make Wen Qiao appear especially favored today and highlight how difficult her own life at the marquis’s residence had been, Wen Qi had deliberately dressed in plain clothes and kept her appearance simple. Her head was entirely unadorned save for a modest silver hairpin. That was why the tutor had mistaken her for a palace maid.

Though Wen Qi was furious inside, she did not show it. Instead, she cast a pitiful glance around the room before letting her eyes settle on Wen Qiao, who sat in the very center.

“Allow me to explain, Tutor. I am the Seventh Young Lady of the Yongning Marquis’s Residence. A few days ago, His Majesty granted me permission to enter the palace and study. The young lady seated in the very center is my Sixth Elder Sister. I was delayed by something this morning, which is why I arrived late.”

Combined with her hesitant, wounded expression, those words made it seem as though Wen Qiao had deliberately caused her to be late and had refused to bring her into the palace. Several of the princesses lowered their heads and began whispering among themselves.

But Xiao Yunshu was not taken in by such a performance. She rose directly from her stool, and the imperious force of her manner made Wen Qi feel somewhat intimidated.

“You were late. What else is there to say? The rules of the Imperial Study are so strict—I refuse to believe you did not know the lesson hours. And now you are making veiled accusations and speaking in that insufferably sarcastic tone. It is only because Elder Sister Qiaoqiao has a good temper and does not care to argue with you. If it were me, I would have slapped that mouth of yours raw!”

Xiao Yunshu had a quick temper, and she had long been favored by the emperor. For that reason, many of the princesses were unwilling to play with her.

Otherwise, if the two of them caused trouble together, they would certainly be the first ones blamed. Xiao Yunshu had finally found a playmate in Wen Qiao who suited her perfectly, and she absolutely could not allow anyone to bully her.

She was fiercely protective of her own.

Clearly, Wen Qi had not expected Wen Qiao to have found someone willing to stand up for her after only a few days of studying in the palace.

Although she did not know Xiao Yunshu’s identity, she knew that everyone studying here was a prince or princess—people none of whom she could afford to offend. In the entire room, the only ones with truly low status were probably herself and Wen Qiao.

Thus, when Xiao Yunshu rebuked her, Wen Qi did not dare say much in response. Their positions alone were enough to make it possible for the other girl to have her killed with no more than a gesture.

Besides, her position in the marquis’s residence was no longer what it had once been. At any moment, Wen Congqing might decide that she was worth even less than before.

She had entered the palace carrying Wen Congqing’s instructions: she must find an opportunity to approach the emperor.

But she had no desire whatsoever to marry the emperor. She wanted to marry the Crown Prince, Xiao Minghe.

At that thought, tears began to well in Wen Qi’s eyes once more. They trembled on the verge of falling, so pitifully that anyone who saw them could not help feeling sympathy.

Page (2/3)

“Why must Sixth Younger Sister speak so harshly? Look at you—you have reduced a perfectly lovely beauty to this state. In my opinion, Sixth Miss Wen is at fault in this matter, and Seventh Miss Wen is certainly at fault as well. It all depends on how we judge the situation. Besides, this is Seventh Miss Wen’s first day studying at the Imperial Study. It is entirely possible that she simply remembered the time incorrectly. The streets of the capital are filled with the carriages of officials heading to court. It would not be surprising if traffic had delayed her. Perhaps Sixth Miss Wen has entered the palace so often that she knows what time to leave in order to avoid them, but this is Seventh Miss Wen’s first time. Naturally, she had to rely on Sixth Miss Wen to advise her. Sixth Miss Wen arrived quite some time ago, while Seventh Miss Wen only came later. It does seem that Seventh Miss Wen has suffered the greater injustice. Since none of us knows the full circumstances, is it really appropriate to blame her the moment she appears?”

The speaker was the palace’s infamous wastrel, the Fourth Prince, Xiao Yulei. The only reason he still lived in the imperial princes’ quarters was that he remained a prince. If he were ever granted a princely title and sent out of the palace, no one knew how many disasters he would cause.

With his lazy and lustful nature, he would only go out and prey upon respectable young women.

“You!”

Xiao Yunshu was instantly displeased.

She was deeply favored by the emperor. When had anyone ever dared speak to her that way? Even the other princes and princesses usually addressed her with great caution. Only her Fourth Imperial Brother spoke to her in that careless, insolent manner and occasionally tried to bully her. Had their father not discovered it and punished him severely, he would surely still be trying to torment her.

She had merely said a few words about this little schemer, and Fourth Brother had immediately leapt out to oppose her. He had clearly forgotten how heavily Father had punished him the last time.

Just as Xiao Yunshu was about to continue, Wen Qiao reached out and pressed her down. When Xiao Yunshu looked over, she saw Wen Qiao shake her head, signaling her not to argue with Xiao Yulei.

“There is no need for Your Highness the Fourth Prince to say more. Seventh Younger Sister actually rose rather early this morning and waited in my courtyard. However, just as I finished getting ready and we were preparing to leave, our Third Elder Brother came out. Seeing that Seventh Younger Sister had no maidservant accompanying her, he sent one of his attendants back to summon someone to serve her. By then, some time had already passed. I was afraid of being late, so I left without waiting for Seventh Younger Sister.

“I had already told her beforehand that the streets of the capital would be crowded with the carriages of officials going to court, and that if we left any later, we might be delayed on the road for quite some time. But our Third Elder Brother would not listen. He even insulted me. I had no choice but to leave ahead of her.

“Since Your Highness says that we should not judge without knowing the full story, why have you concluded that we must both be at fault? I do not believe I did anything wrong. On the contrary, I was inexplicably scolded, and I am the one who feels aggrieved.”

Not a single word in Wen Qiao’s explanation implicated Wen Qi. Yet one glance at Wen Qi’s lowered head and clenched teeth made her feelings perfectly clear.

She concealed them well, however. The room was full of people, and if she exposed her true nature at any point, she would no longer be able to maintain the image she had carefully constructed.

Even so, although Wen Qiao had not openly said that Wen Qi was to blame, Wen Qi still felt humiliated.

She was standing in the doorway while so many people stared at her. The tutor had not even said a word inviting her inside to sit down. It felt as if the entire room were watching her make a fool of herself. Wen Qi, who had always been proud, could not help feeling miserable—and her hatred of Wen Qiao deepened.

“Third Elder Brother only meant well. He was worried that no one would be there to look after me, and that something might happen to me on my first day in the palace. Why must Sixth Elder Sister put it that way? Is it because Third Elder Brother has always treated me more affectionately than he treats you, and that is why you resent him?”

Many of the princes and princesses lowered their heads and began whispering among themselves. Even the palace maids standing outside the Imperial Study could not resist discussing the matter in low voices.

It seemed that the Yongning Marquis’s household was in complete disorder. The only question was how deep the disorder ran.

Then again, it was understandable. Wen Qiao had only recently been brought back from the countryside. Even though she was the biological daughter of the Grand Princess Changle, life in the marquis’s residence could hardly have been easy for her. She had spent all those years in the countryside and had learned little, so naturally she would seem out of place among the members of the marquis’s household.

No matter how far the marquis’s residence had declined, it was still considered an affluent household in the capital. It might pale beside the powerful aristocratic clans, but to Wen Qiao, who had lived in the countryside all her life, it was still a noble and prominent family.

She had only just returned from the countryside, yet she had already made the daughters of the household suffer so badly. From time to time, she even resorted to petty schemes—such as deliberately causing a younger sister to arrive late for class at the Imperial Study. No wonder the Third Young Master treated her less warmly than he treated Seventh Miss Wen.

And on a day as important as this, could Seventh Miss Wen really have failed to keep track of the time herself? It was obvious that Wen Qiao had been scheming behind the scenes. Otherwise, how could such a situation have arisen?

Listening to everyone’s whispered discussion, Wen Qi’s expression finally improved. She lowered her head and allowed a smile to curl across her lips. Her objective had been achieved, and she relaxed somewhat.

What she had not expected was that Wen Qiao would simply ignore the matter. Instead, Xiao Yunshu tilted her head and fixed her eyes on the palace maids who were gossiping.

Page (3/3)

“Keep your mouths clean! Elder Sister Qiaoqiao is not that kind of person. So what if she was only recently brought back? From what I have seen, Elder Sister Qiaoqiao has the learning and refinement of a young lady from a well-educated family. If you do not believe me, listen to how the tutor praises her every day. How could she possibly harm the daughters of her own household simply because a half-brother does not favor her?

“Besides, I do not think Seventh Miss Wen is as innocent as she pretends. Elder Sister Qiaoqiao already said that she told you the lesson hours at the Imperial Study, and that the roads would be crowded with officials heading to court. You were the one who delayed yourself. Were you expecting Elder Sister Qiaoqiao to wait for you at the door forever? You certainly think highly of yourself.

“I believe all my imperial brothers and sisters are reasonable people. Allowing someone like you into the Imperial Study would be a disaster for all of us! You have not even entered to attend a proper lesson, yet merely by standing at the door and saying a few words, you have already thrown the entire Imperial Study into chaos. Think about it carefully. Is that not the truth?”

Wen Qiao was rather astonished that Xiao Yunshu could say all this. Normally, Xiao Yunshu presented herself as innocent and forthright, and she rarely considered matters from another perspective. Before this, no one had carefully examined the situation. But now that she had laid it out so plainly, quite a few people realized that her words made perfect sense.

Several princesses exchanged glances and stopped discussing the matter.

Although the palace maids stood outside the Imperial Study, all the windows were open, and Xiao Yunshu could see exactly what they were doing from inside.

After her furious outburst, many of them lowered their heads and dared not whisper any longer. They were probably afraid that one more word would result in the domineering Sixth Princess having them dragged away and beaten.

“You!”

“This is the Sixth Princess of Chengfu Palace. Seventh Younger Sister, you would do well to watch your words. You have only just entered the palace—do not offend someone of importance. Otherwise, it will be difficult to explain yourself to Father when you return.”

Although Wen Qi had spent most of her life outside the palace, she had heard of the emperor’s exceedingly favored Sixth Princess.

Chengfu Palace belonged to Noble Consort Cheng, who was famously the most favored woman in the entire imperial harem. Her influence rivaled that of the empress, and she was even capable of contending with her. Naturally, the sons and daughters she bore were also deeply cherished by the emperor.

Now that she thought about it, if she truly came into conflict with the Sixth Princess, even Wen Congqing would be unable to protect her.

Besides, it was not worth offending someone so powerful over such a trivial matter. She had only wanted to establish a particular image. If she succeeded, that would be ideal; if she failed, she would suffer no real loss. The chance to study in the palace had been something she herself had begged for. At worst, she would merely fail to make everyone dislike Wen Qiao as much as she wished. Since no one would hate her for it, there was no harm in saying a few fewer words.

This was the first time Wen Qi had withdrawn her coy, manipulative act so quickly. Those who knew nothing of her usual behavior noticed nothing unusual. But Wen Qiao, who had dealt with Wen Qi throughout her previous life, naturally understood that something significant must have happened for Wen Qi to retreat so urgently.

It seemed that, in Wen Qi’s eyes, the current situation was truly unfavorable to her. Otherwise, she would never have quieted down so quickly.

“Your Highness misunderstands. I meant nothing else. I was merely commenting on the matter itself. If Your Highness would rather not hear it, I naturally will not say anything more. If I have offended you in any way, I beg Your Highness’s forgiveness.”

The tutor, who had watched everything in silence, seemed only now to have come back to himself. As though he had suddenly remembered his duties, he called for the page boy outside to bring in a desk. The desk was placed in the last open space at the rear center of the room.

There was nowhere else to put it. The seats of the princes and princesses could not easily be moved.

If they were rearranged, the imperial consorts might have plenty to say. If they all came looking for him, the old man would have more than enough trouble on his hands.

Wen Qiao’s seat was different, however. The emperor had personally instructed that she be given the best place, so she naturally sat in a choice position.