Chapter 3

Chapter 3

On the second day after the princess’s grand wedding, it was time to visit Imperial Father and Empress Mother in the palace.

After three invitations and four reminders, Wei Zhao finally arrived, late as ever.

The loathing between his brows was so thick it was almost tangible.

I didn’t care and ordered my carriage to proceed to the palace.

The eunuch leading the way smiled with respect, yet remained distant.

The inner palace was Empress Mother’s domain; these people knew exactly who she truly doted on.

Inside Changning Palace, I met Imperial Father, Empress Mother, and Kangle.

Kangle’s eyes were swollen like walnuts and the corners were bright red, clearly from crying. She turned her head away in embarrassment, but then, as if remembering something, she stubbornly tilted her chin up and looked at me without backing down. Immediately after, her gaze fell fixedly upon Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao did the same.

A perfect couple, separated forever by the ends of the earth because of me.

How tragic!

I performed my salutations with rigid precision.

Empress Mother smiled and beckoned for me to come forward.

“Why be so formal with your own Imperial Father and Empress Mother? Yun’er, you should learn some etiquette from Ziyu. If you were ever as well-behaved as Ziyu, I wouldn’t have to worry so much.”

A gentle smile played on my lips as I lowered my head and stepped forward, letting Empress Mother take my slightly coarse fingers.

A child raised wild in the fields isn’t so delicate.

Empress Mother paused for a moment before releasing my hand, the smile on her lips dimming slightly.

Perhaps my hands reminded her of the days she spent in the Buddhist temple.

Kangle’s eyes reddened again. She bit her lip and stomped her feet repeatedly.

“Empress Mother has someone new now and doesn’t want the old one anymore! If I were like Princess Chang’an, would I have ended up in such a state?”

With that one sentence, both Imperial Father and Empress Mother’s expressions changed.

I lowered my eyes to hide the amusement within them, silently giving Kangle a thumbs-up in my heart.

When it came to the talent of offending as many people as possible with a single sentence, Kangle was second to none.

In this regard, she and Wei Zhao truly were a match made in heaven.

Kangle finally realized what she had said.

She hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward to nestle in Empress Mother’s arms, shaking and hugging her while quietly tugging on Imperial Father’s sleeve.

Soon, the Emperor and Empress were coaxed into laughter by her.

The three of them were a picture of domestic harmony.

I seemed like an outsider.

No, I was an outsider to begin with.

Empress Mother asked me a few questions about how the marriage was going before dismissing me. She didn’t even keep me for a meal.

Leaving Changning Palace, the smile on my face was so stiff it wouldn’t drop.

I walked with the long train of my princess gown trailing gracefully behind me. Wei Zhao walked fitfully, glancing back every now and then.

I waited for him around a corner and saw him come to a complete stop.

Behind him, Princess Kangle was holding up her skirts, chasing after him like a young swallow returning to the forest.

Just as their hands were about to meet, I stepped out and gave a light cough.

The pair of hands that were about to clasp tightly froze instantly.

Wei Zhao’s face turned ashen as he glared at me, while Kangle was both shamed and fuming.

Before I arrived, she was the most beloved princess in the palace. After I came, a shadow had fallen over her carefree life.

But unfortunately, I, this shadow, was quite tactless and had no intention of moving aside.

The two looked at each other in silence.

Finally, as if making a grand resolution, Wei Zhao pulled back his red wedding robes to reveal the snow-white hemp mourning clothes underneath.

“Kangle, my heart will never change. Rest assured!”

Rest assured about what?

Naturally, that he wouldn’t be defiled by me.

He was determined to remain chaste for Kangle.

Very good. It saved me the trouble of finding an excuse to get rid of him.

Kangle let out a low gasp, clearly overjoyed.

The delight on her face couldn’t be hidden. The look she gave me was filled with pity, triumph, and schadenfreude.

She was mocking me for getting the man but never his heart.

I smiled too.

Two carefree canaries; they really lived such simple, pure lives.

On the way back.

Wei Zhao sat curled up in the corner of the carriage alone, afraid I might molest him.

I found it hilarious and couldn’t help but want to tease him, to see if his brain was truly rusted shut.

I asked, “Do you really think that if I didn’t exist, you and Kangle could have been together?”

“Of course! My father had already requested the marriage from His Majesty. The imperial decree was only half a step away from reaching the Wei Mansion, but then you…”

Wei Zhao grew angrier as he spoke, his eyes turning bloodshot. He punched the wall of the carriage, his fingers drawing blood, yet he refused to cry out in pain or back down.

He was struggling hard to endure the pain.

I was struggling just as hard to stifle my laughter.

After all, I was currently a heartless princess who had snatched away another’s love, a woman obsessed with beauty whose target refused to submit. I should be troubled by love and consumed by sorrow; I couldn’t break character no matter what.

Back at the Princess Manor.

Without waiting for my orders, Wei Zhao consciously headed toward the rear courtyard.

I said, “Wait.”

“Zhao Ziyu, what else do you want!” Wei Zhao suppressed his fury.

My bright eyes swept over him indifferently as I gave orders to Matron Zhang.

“Pass down This Princess’s command. To mourn his dead love, the Imperial Son-in-Law shall wear mourning clothes for seven-times-seven, forty-nine days. During these forty-nine days, the Imperial Son-in-Law shall chant sutras, maintain a vegetarian diet, and reflect on his faults behind closed doors. No one is permitted to disturb him.”

“Yes!” Though Matron Zhang was stunned, she complied readily.

Wei Zhao was shocked.

“You’re putting me under house arrest!”

I ignored him completely, walking past him with composure.

Yes!

I was going to keep him under house arrest.

After all, I, Zhao Ziyu, was madly in love. Putting a beautiful Imperial Son-in-Law under house arrest shouldn’t be considered out of character, right?