The First Jasmine - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Princess Qixia

On the second floor of the Chu Fragrance Pavilion

A brilliant, fiery red silhouette charged out from a private room with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, she was on a direct collision course with a waiter carrying a tray laden with piping-hot dishes. Murong Ting leapt forward at that exact same instant, aiming to pull the woman back, but she was still a fraction of a second too slow. The vibrant red sleeve slipped right past her fingertips.

"Watch out!" Almost the exact moment the waiter was about to collide with the woman in red, Ye Li calculated the trajectory of the scalding pot of soup on the tray. Reaching out, she grabbed an empty porcelain bowl from their table and hurled it forward. With flawless placement and precise force, the thrown bowl struck the soup pot just as it left the tray and flew toward someone's head, knocking it forcefully toward the left. With a chaotic clatter, the soup pot crashed onto an empty patch of floor a short distance away. Because the waiter had desperately shielded his tray, the remaining dishes suffered no further damage, save for a single plate that shattered on the floor right in front of them, splashing juices onto a nearby patron's clothes.

The entire second floor plunged into a dead silence. The waiter, his face completely bloodless, glanced at the soup pot on the floor before turning a look of immense gratitude toward the young lady in green robes sitting nearby. If it hadn't been for that bowl thrown so opportunistically by the young lady, the waiter knew very well that the boiling soup—fresh off the stove—would likely have crashed straight onto the head of the gentleman sitting with his back to them near the stairs. It might even have spilled over the banister, splashing down onto the guests on the first floor. The woman in red, however, seemed entirely oblivious to the disaster she had almost caused. Finding herself held back by Murong Ting, who had caught up a step late, she angrily shook off her hand and barked furiously, "How presumptuous! How dare you obstruct this Princess when I am enraged!"

Only then did Qin Zheng and the others see clearly that the young woman in red was none other than Princess Qixia of the Nanzhao Kingdom, whom they had encountered at the Hundred Flowers Grand Gathering a few days prior.

Murong Ting was not one to indulge her royal tantrums. She sneered and said, "If you want to put on your imperial airs, go back to Nanzhao to do it. People are constantly walking back and forth in a tavern, yet you still go charging around blindly. What would you have done if someone got hurt?"

Princess Qixia’s countenance was ugly, her mood clearly anything but pleasant. She let out a disdainful scoff and said, "They are merely a few lowborn commoners. What of it if this Princess injures them?"

The moment these words left her mouth, the expressions of every single patron on the second floor shifted. One had to understand that the Chu Fragrance Pavilion was one of the finest taverns in the capital; its exorbitant prices were absolutely not something ordinary commoners could afford. Those who frequented the establishment were either extremely wealthy or of noble birth. By spouting such arrogant nonsense here, Princess Qixia had undoubtedly offended every person present to the absolute core.

Hua Tianxiang rose to her feet, her beautiful face overlaid with a trace of cold detachment, though her smile remained perfectly reserved and noble. "Even if they were lowborn commoners, they would still be commoners of Great Chu. It hardly seems to be the place of a princess from a mere small state like Nanzhao to trample upon them." Nanzhao was a small nation with a weak population. If it hadn't been for the past several centuries of the three great empires standing in a tripartite balance—constantly waging wars yet keeping each other in check—the tiny Nanzhao would have been swallowed whole long ago.

"How utterly audacious of you!" Princess Qixia’s face turned grimly dark as she glared at Hua Tianxiang with unchecked fury.

Hua Tianxiang tilted her chin up slightly, meeting her gaze without showing the slightest hint of weakness. A mere princess of a small state; showing her a few measures of deference was only out of respect for Grand Princess Zhaoyang. Did she truly believe the nobility of Great Chu feared her?

"Princess Qixia, you surely understand what kind of place the Chu Fragrance Pavilion is. If anyone were truly to get hurt here, I'm afraid even the Grand Princess would find herself in a highly difficult position," Qin Zheng stated with a placid smile, though the look in her eyes lacked her usual gentle warmth.

Princess Qixia’s expression flickered slightly. She let out a sharp huff and cast a sidelong glance at the silhouette of the gentleman who had almost had his head washed in boiling soup. "Isn't he perfectly fine? What need is there for you all to poke your noses into other people's business?"

Hua Tianxiang withdrew her gaze from Princess Qixia, turning to smile pleasantly at Murong Ting. "Murong, let it go. She is, after all, a princess from a foreign state who doesn't even know how to offer an apology. In the future, when we walk the streets, we'll just take a detour if we see her. Who knows who might be the next unlucky soul?"

Murong Ting measured Princess Qixia up and down with an entirely earnest expression, nodding in agreement. "Tianxiang, you're absolutely right. As for everyone else here, let's just consider ourselves unlucky today. After all, who told our grand Princess Qixia to be in a foul mood? Waiter, you aren't scared out of your wits, are you? Hurry up and clean this mess up."

The waiter, who had indeed been terrified by the sudden turn of events, hastily offered his apologies to the affected patrons and rushed off to clean up the aftermath.

"You sluts!" Princess Qixia’s face turned green with rage. Unfastening the long whip hanging from her waist, she lashed out toward Hua Tianxiang's face with wild abandon.

"Tianxiang!" Qin Zheng shrieked in alarm.

A green silhouette flashed forward, coiling tightly around the oncoming whip. With one hand, Ye Li pulled Hua Tianxiang out of harm's way, while her other hand firmly snatched the tip of the lash flying before her eyes. The slight sting in her palm caused Ye Li to knit her brows. Due to the arrangement of the seating, she had only been able to pull Hua Tianxiang aside by a fraction, forcing herself to catch Princess Qixia's whip head-on.

However, her palm did not hurt as much as she had anticipated. Looking over, Ye Li realized that the whip in Princess Qixia's hand had actually slipped from her grasp at some unknown point. The princess was now cradling the back of her hand with a pale face, glaring viciously at Ye Li.

Ye Li arched her delicate brows slightly, her eyes sweeping over the surrounding patrons before finally landing on the gentleman near the stairs who had yet to turn his head.

"Princess Qixia, a guest is a guest, and the subjects of our Great Chu show you a few measures of respect because of it. However, your habit of carrying a whip and flailing it everywhere is likely not suited to Great Chu. I must ask you to show some self-respect." Suppressing her inquisitive thoughts, Ye Li fixed a cold gaze upon Princess Qixia. Slowly pulling the long whip into her own hands, she had no intention of returning the item to her. The young ladies of this era, even those as bright and active as Murong Ting, knew the boundaries of propriety. Why did this Princess Qixia play with such a dangerous toy? "This object—I shall have someone deliver it to the Grand Princess's Manor."

"Ye Li, do you think you have cause to be proud just because you won some title of the Hundred Flowers Champion? You're still nothing more than a woman cast aside by Prince Li, destined to marry that useless, crippled prince of the Prince Ding Manor. Hmph, this Princess actually finds you utterly pitiable."

Ye Li’s gaze turned freezing cold. "I imagine that given Princess Qixia's knowledge and intellect, it is likely impossible for you to comprehend the meaning and status of the Prince Ding Manor within Great Chu. Naturally, you are even less capable of comprehending the mountain-like benevolence of our current Sovereign. Or perhaps Princess Qixia's forgetful brain has long since forgotten that the 'useless person' you speak of once completely swept through the southern borders at the tender age of fifteen—and Nanzhao was precisely among them? Your Highness, a princess of a Nanzhao Kingdom that cannot even compare to a useless person... with what face do you still draw breath? How can you still stand here spouting such arrogant nonsense? As for Your Highness's pity, I likely lack the fortune to endure it; you had best keep it for yourself."

Ye Li's tone was neither angry nor rushed. Yet it was precisely these slow, measured words—delivered as though she were casually strolling through a leisure garden—that caused Princess Qixia's face to shift from triumphant malice to a pale green, then to purple, and finally to a dark black. Quite a few of the patrons present also broke into low chules.

Hua Tianxiang, who had been startled by the near-prospect of facial disfigurement just moments ago, now recovered her wits. She walked over to Ye Li's side and laughed. "Ah-Li, you shouldn't go exposing other people's shortcomings like that. How could a small state like Nanzhao possibly understand so much? One only hopes that under the Grand Princess's guidance in the future, certain people will learn what true imperial grace looks like. After all... the Grand Princess is the ultimate exemplar for the women of our dynasty."

Murong Ting walked over huffily. Failing to rescue Hua Tianxiang in time just now had scared her so badly her courage had nearly ruptured. Now that she had reacted, how could she possibly have a pleasant countenance toward Princess Qixia? "Tianxiang is completely right. Princess Qixia is merely envious of Ah-Li. Although Ah-Li cannot become the Prince Li Consort, she will become the Prince Ding Consort. Unlike a certain princess, who traveled ten thousand li... heehee..."

Pinched secretly by Qin Zheng, Murong Ting managed to swallow the rest of her words, replacing them with two beats of laughter. However, anyone who ought to understand that unfinished meaning understood it perfectly.

"You... you all..."

"What on earth happened here? Qixia, what are you causing a scene for?"

The door to the private room was pushed open once more. Mo Jingli emerged with a cold face, his sharp brows tightly knit as he took in the scene before him. When his gaze fell upon Ye Li, his countenance grew even more darkly grim.

"Brother Jingli, they are bullying Xia'er!" Seeing Mo Jingli step out, Princess Qixia hastily leaned toward his side, her demeanor gaining a trace of a maiden's delicate dependency.

"Oh..."

The crowd of patrons present each put on an expression of intensely focusing on their meals, yet their ears were all straining to their absolute limits. Isn't His Highness Prince Li's grand wedding scheduled for early next month? Why would he be having a secret rendezvous with Princess Qixia in a tavern? Could it be that after casting aside the Third Miss of the Ye family, His Highness Prince Li is finally preparing to cast aside the Fourth Miss of the Ye family as well?

Mo Jingli knit his brows, staring intently at Ye Li as he spoke: "Why must you make a mountain out of a molehill over such a trivial matter? Or is it that you, Ye Li, simply wish to curry public favor through sensationalism? You can abandon that hope; this Prince will absolutely never marry you!"

If they hadn't been in the presence of a vast public crowd, Ye Li would absolutely have taught him an unforgettable lesson. Would you drop dead if you weren't so narcissistic?

"Has His Highness Prince Li consulted an imperial physician recently?"

"What?" Mo Jingli was startled.

Ye Li stated flatly, "Engaging in unbridled hallucinations anytime and anywhere is a disease. You had best seek a cure early on."

Someone among the crowd finally failed to contain themselves and let out a loud burst of laughter.

"Ye Li, how audacious of you!" Mo Jingli had never been a man of good temperament. Being so openly and explicitly mocked by a woman he had cast aside instantly sent him into a towering rage. A trace of sinister malice erupted from his dark, cold eyes as he lifted his hand and lunged straight toward Ye Li to seize her.

A flash of cold light flickered in the depths of Ye Li's eyes. With a flip of her wrist, her right hand—hidden inside her sleeve—already gripped an object, waiting only for Mo Jingli to close the distance.

A dark shadow flashed past with incredible speed. Mo Jingli's hand ground to an absolute halt a single pace away from Ye Li, completely unable to budge a fraction further.

A deep, gentle voice echoed with a calm demeanor: "Prince Li, do you harbor some form of dissatisfaction toward this Prince's future Princess Consort?"