Volume One, Chapter 16: Copying Punishment on Both Sides, No Assistance Allowed

In the eleventh year of Changzhao, on the seventh day of the winter month, the Grand Princess’s wedding took place—a celebration throughout the realm. Snowflakes fell heavily, blanketing the entire capital in pristine white, yet there was no festive atmosphere to be found.

Xiao Qingyu wore a resplendent vermilion wedding robe that made her skin appear even more pale and translucent. A golden crown adorned her head, and her crimson lips were irresistibly alluring.

She stared intently at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes somewhat dazed, as if she could hardly believe that everything before her was truly real.

Once, Xiao Qingyu had thought she would live a lonely life, never to marry or become a wife.

Living within the palace, where constant struggles for power unfolded, she had long grown accustomed to facing everyone with a resolute stance.

Fate, however, is always full of surprises. Who would have expected that she would ultimately marry Li Chaoyang?

Suddenly, the door was thrown open with force, and Xiao Qingshan entered with a dark expression.

He strode quickly to Xiao Qingyu’s side and spoke gruffly, “Sister, now that you are married into the Prince Regent’s mansion, you must be cautious in all matters! Should that Li Chaoyang dare to mistreat you, even if I were not the emperor, I would still ensure justice is served for you!”

Xiao Qingyu naturally understood her brother’s concern and smiled faintly in reassurance. “It’s not as serious as you say. You know my capabilities well. Even the old veterans in the court are no match for me. A mere Li Chaoyang—can he really stir up any trouble?”

Xiao Qingshan sighed deeply. “All the same, Sister, you must be careful. Since Mother passed away early, I can only take her place in covering the red veil for you.”

With that, he took the exquisite red bridal veil from the hand of their attendant, Ling Zhu, and carefully draped it over Xiao Qingyu’s head.

As the red veil settled, Xiao Qingshan’s heart was filled with reluctance, but he held back his emotions and whispered, “If in the future you require any assistance at court, Sister, just send someone to the Prince’s residence to deliver a message to me.”

“You were right before, Sister. One must rely on oneself. From now on, I will handle my problems on my own. After all, I cannot hide behind you forever.”

A faint, comforting smile appeared at the corner of Xiao Qingyu’s mouth as she nodded gently.

“Your Highness, Governor Zhao requests an audience,” a voice suddenly announced.

Xiao Qingyu seemed to have expected his visit and responded calmly, “Let him in.”

Moments later, Governor Zhao entered the hall with steady steps.

He bowed respectfully and said sincerely, “Your Highness, I pay my respects and extend heartfelt congratulations on your wedding! This is a gift I have specially prepared for the princess.” With that, he presented a finely crafted gift box with both hands.

Ling Zhu stepped forward cautiously, opened the box, and exclaimed in surprise, “It’s a pair of glazed glass cups!”

She then turned to Xiao Qingyu excitedly, “Your Highness, I’ve heard these are rare glazed cups from the Western Regions. They are said to emit a reddish-white glow at night.”

Xiao Qingyu was taken aback, her gaze falling on the pair of cups with a flicker of astonishment. She demurred politely, “Governor, you are too kind. Such precious items are better kept for your own enjoyment.”

Zhao Huainian quickly shook his head and explained, “Please do not decline, Princess. This gift is on behalf of my father. I hope the Grand Princess will kindly accept it.”

Xiao Qingyu understood well that his ‘on behalf of my father’ was merely a pretext. Yet, since he insisted, she could not refuse further.

She signaled Ling Zhu, “Ling Zhu, accept it and be sure to thank my uncle on my behalf when the governor departs.”

“I will certainly convey your words, Princess. I sincerely wish you a happy marriage and all the best,” he said, straightening slowly and bowing once more before turning to leave.

“What shall we do with these glazed cups, Your Highness?”

“I have no use for them now. Put them away safely.”

Outside, the snow fell thick and fast, as white as goose feathers, drifting endlessly. The magnificent snowy scene captivated Xiao Qingyu, who had not seen such a breathtaking spectacle in a long time.

Her thoughts involuntarily drifted back to her childhood, recalling a similar heavy snowfall.

The eldest prince, Xiao Tingyu, led a group of young nobles in playful mischief, pelting her with snowballs.

The cold, hard snowballs kept hitting her relentlessly.

A fire of anger instantly ignited in Xiao Qingyu’s heart.

Unwilling to be outdone, she quickly scooped up snow from the ground, compacted it into tight snowballs, and forcefully hurled them back at the group.

With remarkable accuracy, each snowball struck a face.

Xiao Tingyu and his companions were furious and decided to teach her a lesson.

They deliberately led Xiao Qingyu to where Li Chaoyang was engrossed in reviewing official documents.

Xiao Qingyu was intent on pelting their heads with snowballs.

As a figure dodged before her, her snowball slipped from her hand and flew straight ahead.

With a sharp “smack,” it struck Li Chaoyang squarely.

Xiao Qingyu panicked instantly, her hands trembling so much that the remaining snowballs fell to the ground.

Fear overwhelmed her, and her mind went blank. She instinctively turned to flee.

But Xiao Tingyu and his cohorts had anticipated this. They quickly blocked her path and dragged her before Li Chaoyang.

Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Li Chaoyang did not explode with anger.

He merely frowned slightly, pointed to the towering pile of documents on the table, and said calmly, “Since you have made a mistake, your punishment is to copy all these documents by hand and submit them to me first thing tomorrow morning.”

Xiao Qingyu silently cursed her fate. Such a mountain of documents would take a great deal of time to copy, even if she worked through the night.

She refused to bear this punishment alone. No matter what, she needed someone to share the burden.

So, she reported Xiao Tingyu and his gang to Li Chaoyang: “Those documents belonged to others who were supposed to write them. Besides, they bullied me first. I didn’t mean to throw the snowball at the Grand Tutor. If there is punishment, it shouldn’t fall on me alone.”

Li Chaoyang replied coolly, “You all must copy the documents twice over. No substitutions allowed.”

Only then did Xiao Qingyu feel somewhat relieved.

Xiao Tingyu and his companions glared furiously at her and stomped away in anger.

Yet Li Chaoyang noticed Xiao Qingyu still standing there, unmoving, brows furrowed and displeased. He spoke coldly, “Why are you still here?”

Xiao Qingyu, a little uneasy, rubbed her hands nervously and replied cautiously, “The documents are so thick that I doubt I can finish copying them all tonight. May I be allowed to copy half first?”

Hearing this, Li Chaoyang slowly raised his eyes, his piercing gaze causing a shiver of fear to rise in Xiao Qingyu’s heart.

Seeing his expression, she hurriedly amended, “Grand Tutor, rest assured, I promise to do my utmost tonight and submit them to you first thing in the morning.”

With that, she slinked away in defeat.