Chapter 22
Chapter 22
[Prince Consort, the Princess Has Been Beaten to Death – 21]
Lü Xiuzhen’s handsome face flushed crimson. Humiliation and fury warred with reason for a long time before he finally chose to yield.
He pushed himself upright, no longer daring to touch Princess Qinghe by force. After stepping down from the bed, he said awkwardly, “I offended you. Please do not be angry, Princess…”
Princess Qinghe rose from the bed and straightened her clothing. Without another word, she swung her hand and slapped him hard across the face.
Caught entirely off guard, Lü Xiuzhen covered his cheek in shock and rage. Just as he was about to speak, Court Lady Du heard the disturbance from outside. Startled, she hurried forward several steps and called, “Princess?”
Princess Qinghe said coldly, “Attend me!”
Court Lady Du needed only hear her voice to know she was furious. She led the attendants inside and found Princess Qinghe and the Prince Consort standing before the bed. The princess looked angry and stern as frost. The Prince Consort’s expression was equally dark as he covered his face, his gaze somber.
Her heart lurched. She saluted. “What are the princess’s orders?”
Princess Qinghe turned a frigid gaze upon her. “Did I not say that I did not wish to see the Prince Consort for the next several days? Who let him in? Someone entered my room without my permission. Do all of you think my mild temper makes me easy to bully, so none of my words are worth heeding?!”
Court Lady Du’s expression changed sharply. She dropped to her knees, and the servants behind her knelt across the floor as well.
Princess Qinghe had indeed issued such an order. Court Lady Du had assumed she did not wish to see the Prince Consort because she was ill. Seeing how attentively Lü Xiuzhen had visited over the past several days and hearing from the Imperial Physician that the princess had recovered, she did not stop him when he came again. Never had she expected something to go wrong tonight.
She dared not defend herself and knocked her head against the floor. “This servant was at fault. Please punish me, Princess!”
Princess Qinghe’s expression did not soften. Instead of answering her, she turned to the two maids who had been drying her hair. “Have you become mute as well? You saw the Prince Consort arrive, yet left without saying a word. How very obliging of you. Which of us is your master, he or I?!”
If even Court Lady Du had knelt and admitted fault, the two maids certainly dared not argue. They prostrated themselves and begged the princess’s forgiveness.
“Since you know you were wrong, you must be punished. Otherwise, all of you will think I am molded from clay and that no one need take my words seriously!”
Princess Qinghe said coldly, “Court Lady Du, you are the Managing Court Lady of the Princess Manor. You failed to discipline the servants and acted against my wishes. You will forfeit six months’ pay and receive thirty strokes of the ruler across your palms. As for the two of you, you will likewise receive thirty strokes and may never serve in the inner rooms again. Take them away!”
Court Lady Du did not plead for mercy. Seeing how furious the princess was, neither did the two maids. Others led the three women away to receive their punishment.
Court Lady Du had been selected by Empress Miao for Princess Qinghe and had always enjoyed the princess’s respect. The fact that even she received thirty strokes showed how deeply enraged Princess Qinghe was. Yet no one knew what could have occurred to anger her so greatly.
The remaining servants trembled uneasily. Not one dared raise a head as they speculated in silence.
Lü Xiuzhen stood to one side covering his cheek. After a while, the rage that had nearly boiled over inside him gradually cooled. Seeing the servants’ frightened expressions and the unconcealed shock in the glances they cast toward him, he could not resist saying mockingly, “Is the princess killing the chicken to frighten the monkey tonight? What a pity I am a man and not so easily intimidated.”
Princess Qinghe turned and regarded him coldly.
Her stare displeased Lü Xiuzhen. He frowned but forced himself to remain silent.
Princess Qinghe gave a cold laugh. “Lü Xiuzhen, unless you wish to become the first Prince Consort in the Great An Dynasty to be caned on a princess’s orders, you had best learn to govern your tongue. If you cannot govern it, I will do so for you!”
Lü Xiuzhen had not imagined she would leave him so little dignity and rebuke him in front of the servants. Feeling that he had suffered an unprecedented humiliation, his expression changed violently. “I am the Prince Consort, the princess’s husband. Husband and wife are one. What was improper about what passed between us? Why must the princess be so relentless and humiliate me to this degree?”
Princess Qinghe replied, “You are the Prince Consort, and I am the princess. We are indeed husband and wife, but do not forget: I am your sovereign, you are my subject, and I am your master!”
Lü Xiuzhen choked on her words. For an instant, his features twisted. “You!”
Princess Qinghe did not fear him. Her own gaze remained equally cold as she stared back.
“What? You refuse to accept it?”
She seated herself in a nearby chair and raised her chin, her manner imposing. “Does the Prince Consort remember where he is? Must I have someone escort you outside so you may inspect the plaque above the gates? This is my Princess Manor, not the Lü Family. You will not be permitted to behave outrageously here!”
Princess Qinghe’s voice was not especially shrill, but her words were as sharp as an awl. They pierced Lü Xiuzhen’s heart and lungs without mercy, carving a long gash through his already fragile self-respect.
To marry a princess-when all was said and done, did it not simply mean he was a husband married into the Imperial House?
In the past, Princess Qinghe had treated him with such gentle care that she feared he might feel uncomfortable. She never mentioned matters that would embarrass him. Now that they had fallen out, she would naturally grant him none of his former consideration. Before the servants, she had exposed the very truth he most wished to conceal.
Shame and fury surged through Lü Xiuzhen together. He nearly lost his footing, his teeth grinding audibly.
Disappointment mingled with mortification. He said in anguish, “Princess, how can you say such things? I remember how gentle and attentive you were when we first married. How have you now become so sharp and unkind, so utterly lacking in decorum…”
“I am sharp and unkind? I lack decorum?”
Princess Qinghe nearly laughed. Then her face chilled. “First you suspected me, then you treated me coldly, and tonight you subjected me to such humiliation. Yet you still have the gall to accuse me of being sharp and unkind? Do you imagine I am molded from clay and possess not the slightest temper? That for the sake of a man, I would abandon all dignity and honor? Lü Xiuzhen, you think far too little of me!”
Lü Xiuzhen knew himself in the wrong. He also feared that if Princess Qinghe truly lost her temper, she would reveal all that had happened before. The servants would learn of it, and word might reach the palace. After a long silence, he finally softened his stance. “There is still no need to go this far, is there? Since we have become husband and wife, some bond must exist between us. What is past is past. Can we not simply live well together from now on? I was wrong before. If the princess remains angry, an apology is hardly too much for me to offer.”
He adjusted his robes, stepped forward, and bowed to Princess Qinghe in apology.
The night wind murmured beyond the window beneath brilliant cold stars. Inside the chamber, the hazy candlelight remained gentle.
Princess Qinghe studied that handsome face for a long while. She remembered the joy with which she had married, her heart brimming with a young girl’s affection, and a thread of sorrow rose within her. With something like a sigh, she said, “When I wished to live well with you, you did not value it. Now that you wish to live well with me, I no longer value it either. Let it be. Nothing in life can ever be perfect. We shall leave matters as they are…”
Collecting herself, she said solemnly, “Prince Consort, from now on, you are not to enter the main rooms without my summons. Today was the first offense, so I shall take your ignorance into account. I do not wish this affair spread until everyone knows, nor do I wish my mother and the Lü Family to lose face together. The matter ends here, but remember this: there will absolutely not be a second time!”
Servants still knelt below. Even with their heads pressed to the ground, a slight stir passed through them upon hearing her words.
Given Lü Xiuzhen’s temper, he wanted nothing more than to fling his sleeves and leave. But when he considered the consequences if word of the affair spread, Madam Lü’s earnest hopes, and Gao Yanyan’s future, he had no choice but to suppress his anger and lower his head. “Princess, why must matters come to this?”
Princess Qinghe propped her chin on one hand and closed her eyes wearily. “There is no need to say more.”
Lü Xiuzhen refused to give up. Humbling himself, he said gently, “Princess, you and I are husband and wife, closer than any others. Why must you draw such a clear boundary between us? I was at fault before. I presumed to judge the princess and failed to speak honestly. But have I not already atoned through my actions these past several days? I have inquired after you morning and night and sent food and medicine three times each day. Can the princess truly feel none of my sincerity or the care I bear you?”
Princess Qinghe frowned at his words. Opening her eyes, she straightened her back and looked at him. “Your sincerity? The care you bear me?”
Lü Xiuzhen gazed at her with deep affection and gave her his most elegant smile. “I have humbled myself so far to apologize to the princess. Must you remain angry?”
Princess Qinghe stared at him, unable to hide her astonishment.
Lü Xiuzhen likewise did not understand why she insisted upon being so stubborn. He returned her gaze in bafflement.
Princess Qinghe suddenly laughed.
She found it absurd. “Lü Xiuzhen, you believe you have made amends, do you?”
Lü Xiuzhen repeated, “Have I not apologized already? I have also expressed my regret through concrete actions. What more does the princess demand?”
“I do not accept your apology, and your concrete actions are worthless!”
Princess Qinghe sneered at him and declared proudly, “I am a Daughter of the Emperor, a precious branch of the Imperial House. What rare treasure have I not seen? What priceless object have I not enjoyed? My father is the emperor of all beneath heaven, my birth mother is the first-rank Consort Xian, and I was taught from childhood by the Empress and steeped in the works of sages. Do you think me so shallow that your paltry scraps of favor could move me? What do you imagine yourself to be?”
Lü Xiuzhen’s expression changed drastically, but Princess Qinghe appeared not to notice. “Lü Xiuzhen, I am not a beggar in the street who accepts food thrown down in contempt, nor am I a bird in the courtyard to come when summoned and leave when waved away. Do you imagine that sending over soup a few times and offering a handful of greetings morning and night can simply turn the page on all that came before? Before I married, my elders in the palace loved and cherished me, while my younger siblings respected and honored me. I have never lacked warmth or affection. How could your paltry, hypocritical attentions move me? You think far too little of Princess Qinghe!”
Lü Xiuzhen tried to speak again, but Princess Qinghe had no desire to listen. She pointed toward the door and said coldly, “I am tired and exceedingly sleepy. I require no service from you here. Withdraw!”