Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 30. Princess Qixia
30. Princess Qixia
「Second floor of the Chuxiang Pavilion」
A dazzling silhouette dashed out from the private room, looking as if she was about to collide with the waiter carrying a full tray of dishes. Murong Ting leaped out to intercept the woman at that exact moment, but she was half a beat too slow, and the bright red sleeve slipped through her fingertips.
"Watch out!" Ye Li had already calculated where the scalding hot soup from the tray would splatter the instant the waiter was struck by the lady in red. She quickly grabbed an empty bowl from the table and tossed it. Her precise calculations of position and force knocked the soup pot, which was flying towards someone’s head, off its trajectory and to the left. The soup pot crashed to the ground in a clear space some distance away. Thanks to the waiter clutching the tray tightly, the other dishes were mostly spared—only one fell near his feet, its contents splashing onto a guest’s clothes.
The entire second floor fell silent at once. The waiter, his face pale, glanced at the fallen soup pot on the floor before looking gratefully at the young woman in blue seated nearby. If it weren’t for the bowl she had tossed, the waiter knew very well that the boiling soup could have landed on the head of the gentleman sitting by the stairs with his back to them, or even tumbled down to the first floor, injuring the guests below. The lady in red clearly hadn’t realized the potential catastrophe she had nearly caused. Upon being restrained by Murong Ting, who had caught up to her, she angrily shook off her hand and snapped, "You’re audacious! How dare you obstruct this Princess!"
Only then did Qin Zheng and the others realize that the lady in red was Princess Qixia of the Nanzhao Kingdom, whom they had met at the Hundred Flowers Festival a few days prior.
Murong Ting wasn’t about to tolerate this. She sneered, "If you want to put on your princess airs, do it back in Nanzhao. This is a crowded restaurant, and you’re charging around recklessly. What if you hurt someone?"
Princess Qixia’s expression was sour; she was clearly not in a pleasant mood. She scoffed disdainfully, "They are merely commoners. What does it matter if this Princess hurts them?"
At these words, the expressions of all the guests on the second floor changed. The Chuxiang Pavilion was one of the finest restaurants in the Capital City, and its exorbitant prices were far beyond what ordinary people could afford. Its patrons were all either wealthy or influential. Princess Qixia’s outrageous words undoubtedly offended everyone present. Hua Tianxiang rose, her beautiful face tinged with a hint of coldness, though her smile remained poised and noble. "Even if they are commoners, they are commoners of Great Chu. It is hardly the place for a mere princess from a minor kingdom like Nanzhao to belittle them." Nanzhao was small and weak; if not for the three great powers keeping each other in check through centuries of conflict and mutual constraint, the little kingdom of Nanzhao would have been annexed long ago.
"How dare you!" Princess Qixia’s face darkened as she glared angrily at Hua Tianxiang. Hua Tianxiang lifted her chin slightly, meeting her gaze without flinching. She’s just a princess from a minor kingdom. Any respect shown to her is purely on account of Eldest Princess Zhaoyang; did she really think the nobles of Great Chu feared her?
"Princess Qixia, surely you know what kind of establishment the Chuxiang Pavilion is," Qin Zheng said with a faint smile, though the usual warmth in her eyes was absent as she looked at Princess Qixia. "If anyone had been injured, I’m afraid even the Eldest Princess would have been placed in a difficult position."
Princess Qixia’s expression flickered. She huffed, glanced at the back of the man who had narrowly avoided being drenched by the scalding soup, and said, "Isn’t he fine? Why are you all meddling in other people’s business?"
Hua Tianxiang withdrew her gaze from Princess Qixia and smiled at Murong Ting. "Murong, let it be. She is, after all, a foreign princess who doesn’t even know how to apologize. We’ll just have to be careful to steer clear of her in the future. Who knows who will be unlucky next time?" Murong Ting eyed Princess Qixia up and down with an air of mock seriousness and nodded. "Tianxiang, you’re right. Everyone, let’s just consider ourselves unlucky today. What can we do when our great Princess Qixia is in a bad mood? Waiter, you weren’t scared witless, were you? Aren’t you going to clean this up?" The waiter, startled by the sudden turn of events, quickly apologized to the affected guests and hurried off to clear the mess.
"You wench!" Princess Qixia’s face turned green with rage. She yanked the long whip from her waist and lashed out viciously at Hua Tianxiang’s head.
"Tianxiang!" Qin Zheng shrieked.
A streak of azure shot out, intercepting the whip. Ye Li shoved Hua Tianxiang aside with one hand and caught the tip of the descending whip with the other. A slight twinge of pain in her palm made Ye Li frown. Due to their seating, she could only pull Hua Tianxiang slightly out of the way and had to catch Princess Qixia’s whip herself. However, her hand didn’t hurt as much as she’d anticipated. She looked up to see that the whip was no longer in Princess Qixia’s grasp; the princess was clutching the back of her own hand, her face pale as she glared at Ye Li. Ye Li raised a delicate eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over the surrounding diners before finally settling on the man by the stairs, who still hadn’t turned around.
"Princess Qixia, as you are a guest, we, the subjects of Great Chu, show you due respect," Ye Li said, her cold gaze returning to Princess Qixia after a moment of puzzlement. "However, this habit of wielding your whip indiscriminately is not appropriate in Great Chu. Please, conduct yourself with the dignity befitting your status." Slowly, she coiled the whip in her hand, clearly having no intention of returning it. Girls of this era, even one as vivacious and outgoing as Murong Ting, understood propriety. How did this Princess Qixia end up playing with such a dangerous toy? "This," she continued, "I will have someone send it to the Eldest Princess’ Mansion." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
"Ye Li, do you think you’re so high and mighty just because you won the title of First Beauty? In the end, you were discarded by Prince Li, and now you’re set to marry that good-for-nothing Prince from the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion. Humph, this Princess even pities you."
Ye Li’s eyes were like ice. "With Princess Qixia’s insight and intellect, I’m afraid she cannot comprehend the significance and status of the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion in Great Chu. Naturally, she would also fail to appreciate the mountain-like grace of our current His Majesty. Or perhaps Princess Qixia’s forgetful mind has already forgotten that the so-called ’useless person’ she mentioned swept across the Southern Border at the mere age of fifteen—Nanzhao being one of the territories conquered? As a princess of Nanzhao, a kingdom inferior even to this ’useless person,’ what face do you have to continue living so shamelessly? And yet, you dare to boast here? As for your pity, I’m afraid I cannot accept it. You should save it for yourself." Ye Li’s tone was neither angry nor hurried, yet her calm, measured words caused Princess Qixia’s expression to shift from smug schadenfreude to a ghastly green, then purple, and finally a furious black. Several diners nearby chuckled softly.
Hua Tianxiang, having recovered from the fright of nearly being disfigured, stepped to Ye Li’s side and said with a smile, "Ah-Li, you shouldn’t expose people’s shortcomings so publicly. How could a small kingdom like Nanzhao understand such things? One can only hope that with the Eldest Princess’s guidance, certain individuals will learn what true princess-like conduct entails. After all... the Eldest Princess is the epitome of womanhood in our kingdom."
Murong Ting, still fuming, marched over. She had been terrified when she couldn’t reach Hua Tianxiang in time, and now, looking at Princess Qixia, her expression was anything but pleasant. "Tianxiang is right. Princess Qixia is merely envious of Ah-Li. Though Ah-Li cannot be Princess Consort Li, she will become Princess Consort Ding. Unlike a certain princess, who traveled such a long, long way... hehe..." Pinched secretly by Qin Zheng, Murong Ting trailed off, replacing her words with a couple of giggles. Nevertheless, those who were meant to understand, understood the unspoken implication.
"You... you..."
"What is going on here? Qixia, what are you causing a scene about?"
The door to the private room was thrown open again. Mo Jingli stood there, his face dark and his brows tightly furrowed as he surveyed the scene. His expression grew even grimmer when his eyes fell on Ye Li.
"Brother Jing Li, they’re bullying Xia’er!" Seeing Mo Jingli, Princess Qixia immediately rushed to his side, a touch of coquettishness appearing on her face.
Oh...
The onlookers all pretended to be engrossed in their meals, but their ears were pricked. His Highness Prince Li is due to be married early next month, isn’t he? Why would he be having a rendezvous with Princess Qixia in a restaurant? Could it be that after discarding the Third Miss Ye, His Highness Prince Li is now preparing to abandon the Fourth Miss Ye as well?
Mo Jingli frowned, his gaze fixed on Ye Li. "Why make such a fuss over such a trivial matter? Or are you just trying to grandstand, Ye Li? Give up. This Prince will never marry you!"
If they weren’t in public, Ye Li would have definitely taught him an unforgettable lesson. Would it kill him to not be so narcissistic?
"Has His Highness Prince Li consulted an imperial physician yet?"
"What?" Mo Jingli was taken aback.
Ye Li stated calmly, "Constant, unrestrained fantasizing is an illness. It’s best to seek treatment early."
PSST— Someone in the crowd finally couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter.
"Ye Li, you dare!" Mo Jingli, never known for his good temper, was enraged at being so openly mocked by a woman he had discarded. A vicious glint flashed in his cold eyes as he raised his hand to grab Ye Li. A cold light flickered in Ye Li’s eyes; her right hand, concealed within her sleeve, was already gripping something, waiting for Mo Jingli to approach.
A dark shadow flashed past. Mo Jingli’s hand froze a step away from Ye Li, unable to move any further. A low, calm voice spoke, "Prince Li, do you have some dissatisfaction with my future Princess Consort?"
