Qin Yiningâs eyes widened, her lips trembling so much from anger that she was unable to say anything.
Li Qitian savored the response. âOh? You didnât carry her off?â
âNo at all,â responded Pang Xiao confidently. âShe threw herself at me of her own volition.â
âYou, youâŠâ Qin Yining couldnât even form a full sentence in her fury. Tears trickled down her face like pearls from a broken necklace. She choked out in the voice of a small, injured animal. âYou go too far!â
Pang Xiaoâs back was proudly ramrod straight, and he cast only sidelong glances from the corners of his eyes to look at the girl. She was just a lowly ant in the dust, completely unworthy of a single iota of attention from him. The expression on his chiseled face was all the colder because of this contempt; the jeering curve to his lips heralded mockery that spewed forth every time he spoke, consigning her to the bottom of an unfathomable abyss.
Qin Yiningâs body trembled like the branches of a tree besieged by the stormâa pitiable sight.
Li Qitian coughed, looking at Pang Xiao knowingly with a teasing expression.
The prince seemed to sense it as he turned to look back at the emperor, tenderness and hate that hadnât been retracted in time flashing through his eyes. He too coughed, but to cover up the awkward moment as heâd realized Li Qitian had been looking right at him.
Meanwhile, the emperor felt as merry and content as if heâd drank a bowl of hot soup during the winter solstice. All of this was vastly more entertaining than a production of the opera âRomance of a Hairpinâ!
He could tell that Pang Xiao did have a sliver of feelings for Qin Yining, but that sliver wasnât strong enough to overcome the hatred of his fatherâs murder. That meant Li Qitian could officially be at ease in activating the Qins as a balancing force at court. He wouldnât have to worry about the Qins forming a faction with Pang Xiao.
Speaking through her tears, Qin Yining knelt. âYour Majesty, please see that justice be done! He denies it to my face and even twists the truth! This subject didnât, didnât voluntarilyâŠâ Any woman would be shy about the words to come, as evidenced by the girlâs flaming red face.
But it was impossible for Li Qitian to harshly punish Pang Xiao at this juncture.
The prince was his only confidante in the council, and there would be plenty of use for Pang Xiao in the future. The emperor wouldnât allow the princeâs reputation to be damaged like this. Although Pang Xiaoâs actions that day were common knowledge, Li Qitian still wanted to show imperial bias.
Besides, was a man supposed to turn on the pomp and circumstance when asking for the hand of his enemyâs daughter?
Obviously, this line of thought was off-limits when speaking to Qin Yining. She was the daughter of Qin Huaiyuan after all. It wouldnât look too good if he neglected her due to favoring Pang Xiao too much.
âWe will investigate this carefully. You are dismissed for now.â
Caught in mid-sob, Qin Yining lifted her head to look at Li Qitian. Hurt and sorrow flashed through her eyes, but headstrong insistence wouldnât be tolerated in front of the emperor. She could only curtsey and follow the order. âThis subject takes her leave.â
Li Guanwen led Qin Yining back out of the imperial study.
Pang Xiao couldnât help but turn his head to track her departure. He didnât collect his thoughts until the eunuchs had firmly closed the inner doors to block the cold air coming from outside. He righted his stance to meet Li Qitianâs teasing smile.
âYour Majesty, what are you looking at?â asked the prince awkwardly.
âMy wise younger brother has fallen into a honeyed trap.â There was only the two of them inside the hall, so the emperorâs tone was much warmer than usual. âDonât blame Us for not warning you, that little beauty is a rose with thorns. Be careful not to prick yourself.
âHaving some affection for her is one thing, just treat her as a toy. Donât sink in too deep. Donât forget how General Pang⊠anyways, what kind of beauty canât us brothers get our hands on? You need to think of your reputation as well. Donât give people something to talk about.â
Li Qitianâs words seemed to have come out of nowhere, but the provocation within was very plain to hear.
Pang Xiao could see right through his sworn brotherâs intentions, but he nodded in agreement without anything flickering through his face.
âHow would your subject really do anything to her?â he bit off. âI will not suffer those who killed my father to live! Those I flayed back in the day werenât enough to sate the call of vengeance. The origin of this evil hasnât been uprooted yet!â
The response made Li Qitian fall silent.
If Pang Xiao truly dug his heels in and decided to oppose Qin Huaiyuan, then the emperorâs plan for balance at court would be ruined. This was the least desirable outcome, not to mention that Qin Huaiyuan was actually someone with real talent to his name. Li Qitian really did appreciate true talent.
Did I overdo it with the provocation just now?
Seeing the expression cross Li Qitianâs face, there was nothing in Pang Xiaoâs heart other than clear understanding of the situation. He had fully seen through this âbrotherâ of his.
But outwardly, struggle and resignation vied in his face. He finally conceded with consideration, âI know that Your Majesty values talent, and that Qin Meng does have a good thought or two in his brain. I will do as Your Majesty wishes and refrain from starting anything with Qin Meng. Of course, that doesnât apply if theyâre the ones to stir up trouble first.â
Li Qitian nodded with satisfaction after receiving this promise. âWith your fame, how would they dare try anything at all? But the Qins have arrived at the capital with the exception of Qin Meng. The men Weâve sent out havenât found anything at all. This really is a headache. Hopefully no accidentâs befallen Qin Meng, hmm?â
Yet another probing.
âPerhaps he got lost when he was separated. Who knows? Maybe the heavens know of his deep sins and have meted this justice on my behalf.â
The response displeased Li Qitian, but it confirmed that the Qins wouldnât be friends with the Pangs. The emperor didnât want to dwell on this and changed the conversation to discussing matters of policy after Pang Xiao had entered the council.
By now, Qin Yining had washed her face in the side hall, smoothed some lotion over her face, and redone her hair.
Those who serve in the palace are attentive, alright!
Her attitude was exceedingly cautious since the head eunuch himself was attending to her. Li Guanwen wanted to make friends with her, so they treated each other with extreme politeness and goodwill.
When sheâd cleaned herself up, she clambered into a tiny carriage for use inside the palace and left escorted by young eunuchs.
It was a bit chilly inside the vehicle, which was a perfect environment for her to calm down and collect her thoughts.
Suddenly, the slow-moving, wax wallpapered carriage stopped.
âWhat is it?â asked Qin Yining out of curiosity.
No one responded.
Alert clanged in the girlâs heart, and she was just about to lift the curtains for a look when they were lifted from the outside.
Two young girls dressed in opulent clothing stood in front of the carriage.
One of them was wreathed with a dignified and noble air, and the other dressed in red was a familiar face, the Princess of Anyang. Standing next to her was a young, married woman in the prime of her beauty. [1]
The young woman was of average height, but had a full figure. A cape with a red, fox fur collar was flung around her shoulders, making a set with the rabbit-fur hand warmers of the same color, embedded with rubies, around her hands. Her makeup was exquisite, her lips glistening and full. Though she was a bit older than Li Helan, her looks firmly crushed those of the princess.
Who out of high society could stand side-by-side with the princess and walk about freely in the palace?
Li Helan smiled. âDonât feel at odds, Miss Qin. Itâs rare that we have a girl of a similar age entering the palace. Big sister Lu and I had some free time and came to visit when we heard you were here.â
Evidently, they were familiar enough that Li Helan called the young madame âbig sisterâ, instead of just madame. Young Madame Lu didnât think anything untoward of the honorific either, and was seizing up Qin Yining with curiosity.
1. The idiom used for this also means sheâs 24 years old, but it felt kind of weird just writing that from one glance.