Chapter 2
Edward Quan ·
4
I rose and curtsied.
“May Your Majesty the Empress be well.”
The Empress entered the pavilion and looked down at me.
“Nguyen Ninh, though you are now the Ninth Prince’s consort, you must not be arrogant and overbearing. You must not bring shame upon the imperial family.”
My knees were still bent, but the Empress made no move to let me stand.
I lowered my head slightly and said nothing.
Clearly, the Emperor wanted to put my father in his place, and the Empress wanted to put me in mine.
The Empress was Li Yao’s elder sister. Seeing how things were going, Li Yao took her hand and fanned the flames.
“The Ninth Princess Consort is so impressive today, making all the capital’s noble ladies kneel before her. This is just a gathering of women. We don’t even have to kneel when we meet Her Majesty the Empress~~”
The Empress’s expression darkened.
“Ninth Princess Consort, you—”
The next moment, her voice abruptly cut off.
Amid the palace attendants’ cries of alarm, a paper centipede kite shot straight into the Empress’s hair.
A figure in dark robes darted out from behind the ornamental rockery.
“Ah! This prince’s kite!!!”
“Your Highness, be careful!!!”
I stood there stunned for a moment, watching the dramatic scene unfold before me.
Ta Chi Tu, clad in a black fox-fur coat, charged right up to the Empress. He impatiently shoved Li Yao aside, then brazenly yanked the kite from the Empress’s head.
Li Yao lost her balance and fell face-first into the snow.
The Empress had it worse. Her phoenix crown had been pulled askew, and the kite had torn out several locks of hair. She was in a truly sorry state.
“How dare you!”
The Empress clutched her head and shrieked. She’d probably gone bald in a few spots.
“Elder Sister!”
Ignoring the snow clinging to her clothes, Li Yao scrambled up to help the Empress straighten her crown.
Royal women were not permitted to make fools of themselves in public.
Ta Chi Tu glared at the Empress and rolled up his sleeves, ready to charge.
“Thief! You stole my kite!!!”
The palace attendants exchanged glances, but no one dared actually stop him.
The Empress stumbled two steps backward and fell onto the snow.
“Ninth Princess Consort! What are you standing there for? Hurry up and manage your prince!!!”
5
I came back to myself, fighting back a laugh as I hurried to my feet and pulled Ta Chi Tu away.
In the confusion, I also managed to step on the Empress and Li Yao a few times. Then I drew Ta Chi Tu to one side.
“Be good. No more mischief.”
Ta Chi Tu stopped and held the kite out to me, looking aggrieved.
“Ningning, it’s broken…”
“I’ll buy you a new one when we leave the palace.”
I patted his shoulder to comfort him.
The Empress was helped to her feet.
“What nonsense! Who flies a kite in winter?!”
Ta Chi Tu shivered and hid behind me.
I immediately knelt.
“Please forgive us, Your Majesty. My husband… is still just a child…”
That shameless appeal to the Empress’s sense of morality left her choking, her face turning bright red.
Li Yao angrily pointed at Ta Chi Tu.
“He did it on purpose! It was definitely deliberate! Nguyen Ninh, you brought him here to cause trouble! You only dared because he’s a prince—and an idiot! No one can do anything to him!!!”
I blinked, and tears welled in my eyes.
“Miss Li, how can you say that about my husband?”
Ta Chi Tu looked at me blankly, then seemed to understand. He knelt beside me.
Li Yao’s expression changed, and she retreated again and again.
“What are you doing, you idiot?!”
A goddess like her could hardly accept a prince of his stature kneeling before her.
“What are all of you doing?”
A dignified voice rang out.
6
Everyone looked up. A man in a bright yellow dragon robe was approaching.
The Empress reluctantly composed herself and immediately complained to the Emperor.
“Today I kindly invited the Ninth Princess Consort to my snow-viewing banquet, but she abused her favor and bullied the noble young ladies. She even brought the Ninth Prince here to make a scene!”
The Emperor frowned and looked at me.
“Ninth Princess Consort, is that true?”
I kowtowed.
“The noble young ladies were the first to mock my husband for being foolish. I couldn’t bear to hear it, so I reprimanded them. As for His Highness coming into the palace, he wanted to see his elder brother. I couldn’t stop him…”
The guard beside us added timidly, “His Highness was waiting outside the hall before the Emperor’s court had even adjourned. He said he wanted to fly a kite with Your Majesty… Then the wind picked up, the kite blew away, and it accidentally disturbed Her Majesty the Empress’s enjoyment.”
Ta Chi Tu tugged at my sleeve and muttered, “This prince isn’t an idiot. Why does everyone call this prince an idiot…”
He looked so pitiful that even the Emperor’s expression softened.
I hid the tear that had just fallen behind my sleeve and said, choking with emotion, “His Highness didn’t choose to become foolish. Why should everyone be allowed to make fun of him…”
I kowtowed hard.
“This concubine humbly begs Your Majesty to grant a favor on my husband’s behalf. If the Ninth Prince’s residence is unwelcome in the capital, why not let him leave the city? At least then no one will dare bully him.”
The air fell silent. I kept my forehead pressed to the ground and did not look up.
I was taking a gamble.
I gambled that, however much the Emperor disliked my father, he wouldn’t move against the Ninth Princess Consort.
I gambled that only two people had remained in the struggle for the throne all those years ago. Since Ta Chi Tu had unexpectedly become foolish, the Emperor would tolerate the Ninth Prince’s household to show that he was a brother who cared for his younger sibling.
I gambled that, even if the Emperor favored the Chancellor and doted on the Empress, he would never allow her family to lord it over the imperial clan!
A moment later, the pastries and tea on the table were swept onto the ground.
The Emperor was furious.
“Who dares mock the Ninth Prince? Step forward this instant!!!”
“Your Majesty, please calm down…”
Noblewomen and palace attendants knelt all around the pavilion. No one dared even breathe loudly.
Li Yao refused to accept it.
“Brother-in-law, the Emperor! It was clearly Nguyen Ninh who—”
Smack!
A sharp slap rang out.
The Empress was at least clever enough to understand. She snapped, “Kneel down!”
Li Yao knelt in disbelief. As she glared resentfully, the Emperor slowly helped the two of us to our feet.
He soothed us gently. “You’ve both suffered. I’ll see that justice is done.”
I was so moved that tears fell.
“Thank you, Your Majesty…”
A peaceful snow-viewing banquet ended up becoming a banquet of punishments and rewards.
A group of noblewomen were confined to their homes, and their fathers and brothers had their stipends cut. Li Yao was no exception.
The Emperor also bestowed a great deal of gold, silver, and jewels upon the prince’s residence, then ordered palace attendants to escort us home.