chapter 2
chapter 2
When he finally came, I was sitting in the courtyard trimming the leaves of an orchid.
“Has Your Highness found a solution?” I looked up at him. He had arrived in haste and possessed none of his usual composure.
“Shen Suihe, you will be Crown Princess. Xinyue will become my secondary consort and have her name entered in the imperial genealogy. That is the greatest concession I can make.”
His expression was resolute, his eyes almost self-satisfied.
His greatest concession?
He spoke as though allowing me to become Crown Princess were an extraordinary windfall.
“Oh? Miss Jiang was your lawful wife, and now she is to become a concubine. Will she agree to that?” I lowered my gaze and stroked an orchid leaf, my tone careless.
He frowned. “Xinyue cares only for me. She is not like other women who covet rank and privilege.”
That last sentence seemed aimed at me.
Covet rank and privilege?
Did he mean that I coveted the Crown Princess’s seat?
Jiang Xinyue coveted it too. The difference was that the palace would never give it to her.
I let out a mocking laugh. “A woman of Miss Jiang’s lofty character deserves a gentleman. What a pity…”
The Crown Prince’s face darkened. “Your tongue is as sharp as ever.”
I scoffed, unconcerned.
He understood the insult perfectly well. I pitied her because he was no gentleman—and because she would have to become another man’s concubine.
He spoke again. “Xinyue is delicate, gentle, and entirely without contention. She will never stand in your way. You, on the other hand, have been proud and willful for years. If you cannot tolerate her, you will be the one who throws the household into disorder. I came today to warn you: I will not tolerate filthy schemes in my inner court.”
We were not even married, and already his heart leaned so far to one side.
“Then what are we to do?” I spread my hands without a trace of fear. “I am spoiled and unruly. Once we marry, I am sure I will often displease Your Highness. I will surely make life difficult for Secondary Consort Jiang as well.”
He flushed with anger, determined to lecture me. “Do you know the Three Obediences and Four Virtues? The Three Bonds and Five Constants? Once married, a woman obeys her husband. A husband guides his wife. If you remain this insolent, how could I possibly indulge you in the future—”
I waved him off with a smile. “Then we can discuss it in the future.”
He stormed away, sleeves snapping behind him.
The vast Jing’an Marquisate now held only Grandmother and me.
My father and elder brother had both died on the battlefield, their bodies wrapped in horsehide.
This marriage was the Emperor’s proclamation of imperial grace.
The Crown Prince could not touch my position. The most he could offer Jiang Xinyue was the title of secondary consort.
On the night of the Lantern Festival, I sat aboard a painted pleasure boat and watched him take her through the festivities. He won prizes for her, stood with her for a street artist’s portrait, and gazed into her eyes with open affection.
No one around them knew who they were. They merely saw a handsome couple who seemed made for each other, and cheers rose wherever they went.
The Crown Prince must have resented the Emperor’s arrangement for a long time. Now he humiliated me in public without the slightest restraint.
I toyed with my wine cup, then emptied several in succession.
When I stepped off the pleasure boat and approached, the smiles on their faces vanished at once, as if my presence alone had spoiled their evening.
The Crown Prince ignored me, put an arm around Jiang Xinyue, and led her away.
I accepted a lantern from my maid, descended the stone steps, and crouched at the riverbank. I set it gently upon the water and watched it drift farther and farther away.
Behind me, Qinghe spoke in outrage. “My lady should never be treated so coldly. You are not even married yet, and the Crown Prince already behaves however he pleases. Once the wedding is over, he will take her side in everything. Won’t she climb straight over your head and tyrannize you?”
I rose slowly, watching the lantern disappear into the distance.
“How long can love survive inside an imperial household?” I laughed under my breath. “If she truly intends to rely on a passing infatuation, she is hardly worth my notice.”