Hearing footsteps, Song Jinzhao looked up. Xiao Rongyan walked in with a displeased expression, his robes billowing high around him as if he were about to hit someone.
Li Qinyun followed behind him; though she felt miserable inside, she still had to wear a smile on her face.
"This subject greets His Highness the Prince of Ying," Song Jinzhao rose and gave a slight curtsy. As she looked up, she met Xiao Rongyan's icy gaze, which looked as if it had been dipped in poison.
She looked away, pretending not to notice anything, and sat back down to leisurely sip her tea.
Provoked by Song Jinzhao's dismissive glance, Xiao Rongyan immediately demanded, "Why didn't your younger brother come?"
Song Jinzhao set down her teacup. "It's not convenient to bring him to the inner courtyard of the prince's estate. After all, my brother is quite good-looking."
Li Qinyun looked at Song Jinzhao in disbelief. What did that mean? Did she think she would take a fancy to a thirteen-year-old brat?
Xiao Rongyan clenched his fists, feeling a stifling tightness in his chest.
He glared at Li Qinyun, then said sarcastically to Song Jinzhao, "The County Princess worries entirely too much. As the top scholar of the Longbei provincial exam, your brother will surely place high in next year's metropolitan exam. I merely wished to meet this young talent. I wonder if he can come tomorrow?"
Song Jinzhao pursed her lips in a fake smile. Inviting him today, then inviting him tomorrow. Staying at home every day, you really have too much free time.
"I'm afraid not. Vice Censor-in-Chief Ye believes my brother's experience is still shallow, and next year's metropolitan exam will be full of top-tier scholars. He was worried that studying at home behind closed doors would be detrimental, so he had him enroll in the Imperial Academy. He already started today."
Li Qinyun peeked at Xiao Rongyan's expression from the corner of her eye. Her heart began to pound; she felt something bad was about to happen.
Xiao Rongyan sneered, "The Imperial Academy? Getting him arranged so quickly, Ye Liangyu's power is truly vast."
Song Jinzhao curled her lips into a smile and immediately retorted, "Your Highness is mistaken. It is common practice for the Imperial Academy to admit outstanding students from various provinces. My brother was already qualified. Furthermore, he is my brother; even if Vice Censor-in-Chief Ye hadn't spoken up, all I would have to do is ask the Emperor, and securing a spot wouldn't be difficult."
Xiao Rongyan's pupils darkened as if he wanted to chop Song Jinzhao into pieces.
"When Yun'er returned to Anyang Prefecture to visit her family, she reminded the County Princess that a divine crop like the potato should have been handed over to me, rather than rashly presented to my imperial father. Next time you have something, please inform me in advance."
Hearing this, Song Jinzhao raised her eyebrows, making a highly exaggerated expression.
"To be honest with Your Highness, before I came to the capital, I did consider telling you first. But I am a particularly vulgar person who values profit and power. Your Highness's power is certainly not as great as the Emperor's. Since it's all for the imperial court anyway, after careful consideration, I decided to present it to the Emperor myself, which conveniently saves you the trouble."
Li Qinyun fidgeted uneasily, her back already breaking out in a sweat. Seeing the sparks flying thicker by the second, she hastily interrupted, "His Highness means that if he had known in advance, he definitely would have fought for a greater reward for the County Princess. Compared to Vice Censor-in-Chief Ye, His Highness's status is undoubtedly higher."
Song Jinzhao opened her mouth in sudden realization. "I see! Thinking about it, the title of County Princess doesn't seem to hold much weight in the capital. Why doesn't His Highness go to the palace today and request the title of Commandery Princess for me? That should be about right."
Li Qinyun was speechless.
Xiao Rongyan was almost laughing out of anger.
With such a lowly background as a peasant girl, you should be deeply grateful that I am willing to toss a few hundred taels of silver your way.
A Commandery Princess? Pure wishful thinking.
"The potatoes have already been presented to my imperial father; it is too late to talk about that now. If you can persuade Ye Liangyu to pledge his allegiance to me, I could confer the title of Commandery Princess upon you after I ascend the throne."
Heh! Wait until you actually become emperor before you talk.
Song Jinzhao said, "It's not that I don't want to help Your Highness, but Lord Ye is far too upright and stubborn. I talked until my lips were chapped, but he wouldn't budge. He keeps saying that for the sake of the court, he wouldn't regret it even if he were torn apart by five horses by treacherous officials."
"Actually, I think since both Your Highness and Lord Ye are acting for the good of the court, what difference does it make whether he pledges allegiance or not?"
"When Your Highness becomes the Emperor in the future, all the officials in the court will be your subjects. An upright, unyielding minister who does not fear the powerful like Lord Ye will surely become a steadfast pillar for Your Highness, continuing to serve our Dongzhao Kingdom."
By now, Li Qinyun had turned mute, unable to utter a single word.
Xiao Rongyan gritted his teeth. She was mocking him.
"County Princess Linghui is truly articulate. You make me see you in a new light."
When he became emperor, he would definitely make her and Ye Liangyu pay.
Song Jinzhao smiled and nodded. "Thank you for the praise, Your Highness. I am merely a common woman born to a farming family. I haven't read many books and my knowledge is shallow. If I have said anything wrong, I beg Your Highness's forgiveness."
The main hall was dead silent, making the sound of Li Qinyun swallowing her saliva exceptionally distinct.
The moment Song Jinzhao stepped out, Xiao Rongyan flipped the table over. He cursed furiously at the air, "She really is an uneducated village woman! No one would want a woman like her even if she were given away for free. It serves her right that she's still unmarried."
Li Qinyun's delicate shoulders trembled in fear, not daring to breathe loudly.
If she had known Song Jinzhao was this difficult to deal with, she wouldn't have gone back to visit her family in the first place, and then none of this would have anything to do with her.
The maid leading the way walked extremely fast, practically flying.
After escorting Song Jinzhao to the door, the maid decisively bolted.
Having angered the Prince, County Princess Linghui would probably never be allowed through the gates of the Ying Prince's Estate again. It was better to stay far away from her.
Qingshuang stared at the maid's retreating back, then turned and whispered into Song Jinzhao's ear, "Eldest Miss, have we thoroughly offended the Prince of Ying?"
With the way things looked just now, she had been worried they wouldn't make it out today.
Song Jinzhao replied, "From the moment Qiming took Mr. Ye as his teacher and I personally presented the potatoes to the Emperor, we had already offended him. Since we are not on the same path, why swallow our pride? Otherwise, they'll just think we're easy to bully."
"Hurry up and unload these things! The Princess Consort urgently needs them tomorrow."
A woman dressed in maid's clothing stood on the steps with her hands on her hips, bossing around the servants who were moving boxes. Her attitude was extremely arrogant.
Song Jinzhao, who was just about to leave, shifted her gaze. She deliberately slowed her pace and raised her voice.
"The Prince of Ying dotes so heavily on his Secondary Consort; the Princess Consort must just be a mere decoration."
Qingshuang blinked and instantly understood. She immediately chimed in, "That's probably the case. Otherwise, His Highness wouldn't have brought only the Secondary Consort to the main hall and left the Princess Consort behind. The Secondary Consort is both intelligent and beautiful. If her background weren't a bit low, she would be more than qualified to be the official Princess Consort."
Song Jinzhao stepped onto the carriage, lowering her voice but keeping it just loud enough for the maid on the steps to hear.
"She's a Secondary Consort now, but that might not be the case in the future. If the Prince of Ying ascends the throne one day, whoever he wants to make Empress will be Empress."
Since Xiao Rongyan had so much free time to cause trouble for others, she would set a fire in his own backyard and keep him too occupied to bother her.
