The Princess Consort of Ji was also a woman from a noble family, with her own pride. Hearing this, she sneered. “I am the Princess Consort of Ji, a wife of the Imperial Clan. How can I kneel to a court official?”
“Yes, but you just insulted the Left Prime Minister. Since you won’t apologize, I might as well beat Li Sanlang to death, then kill you. One life for two. Not a bad deal.” Xunqi said calmly. “Princess Consort, are you afraid? I’m not. After all, you two will be buried with me.”
With that, she raised her saber and stabbed at Li Sanlang. The Princess Consort of Ji pounced over in fright. “I’ll apologize!”
Yan Zhi’an was puzzled, looking at the two in confusion. “What exactly is going on?”
The Capital Magistrate didn’t dare speak. He cowered to the side. Now that the higher-ranking official had arrived, he could retreat. He didn’t dare say: the Princess Consort insulted you for having a child out of wedlock, shameless.
The Princess Consort of Ji knelt in the direction of Yan Zhi’an. “Left Prime Minister, I was rude in my speech. I’m sorry.”
She not only apologized, but also knelt and kowtowed, scaring Yan Zhi’an into stepping aside to avoid it. Then she looked at Xunqi. “What did you do?”
Making a Princess Consort kneel and kowtow to her. If Prince Ji found out, he’d split her in two.
Xunqi sheathed her saber. “Withdraw the troops. Return to the Patrol Battalion.” Then she walked two steps, as if remembering something, suddenly stopped, turned, and looked at the Princess Consort of Ji. “Your son spying on the patrol is something I haven’t told Her Majesty yet.”
If you let this go, I’ll let it go. If you want to make a fuss, I’ll report your son. Let’s see how Her Majesty punishes him.
The Princess Consort of Ji was furious, swallowing her anger and blood. She gritted her teeth and said nothing, hatred surging in her eyes, wishing she could tear Xunqi to pieces.
But Xunqi walked to the Left Prime Minister as if nothing had happened. “It’s nothing. Sorry to make you come all this way. I’ll be going back to the Patrol Battalion.”
The Patrol Battalion showed arrogant smiles, feeling vindicated. These nobles usually acted arrogantly and treated them like dirt. Today, they had seen a good show and felt very pleased.
After Xunqi mounted her horse, she said, “When we get back, I’ll give you all an extra three months’ stipend.”
“Thank you, Commander! Thank you, Commander!”
The Patrol Battalion galloped away. The Princess Consort of Ji was so angry her vision went black and she fainted. Yan Zhi’an immediately stepped forward, helped her up, and said, “Go get a physician. Send her into the residence.”
After settling the Prince Ji mother and son, Yan Zhi’an grabbed the Capital Magistrate. “What was this about?”
The Capital Magistrate didn’t dare speak. He lowered his head and cowered. Yan Zhi’an coaxed him, “Speak freely.”
“Prince Ji’s third young lord sent people to follow the Young Mistress Yan. She found out, and the two got into an argument. She beat him up and dumped him back at Prince Ji’s residence. After the Princess Consort came out, she insulted you. Then you saw what happened.” The Capital Magistrate had a terrible headache. Why did Li Sanlang have to provoke this little ancestor?
Everyone knew the Left Prime Minister doted on her daughter. Provoking her was the same as provoking the Left Prime Minister.
Yan Zhi’an asked, “What did the Princess Consort say?”
The Capital Magistrate gave an awkward smile. “This humble official doesn’t dare say.”
Yan Zhi’an: “Speak!”
The Capital Magistrate swallowed his saliva. “Why dirty your ears? The Princess Consort also apologized to you.”
Yan Zhi’an flicked her sleeve and left.
The Capital Magistrate collapsed. Everyone said the Left Prime Minister was not to be trifled with. But compared to her little ancestor, she was much better. When she was unhappy, she just flicked her sleeve and left. But her little ancestor was shouting about killing people. She wanted people’s lives!
Xunqi returned to the Patrol Battalion first, gave instructions to her subordinates, and distributed the reward money. After finishing her work, it was already dark when she left the camp.
She led her horse out of the camp. As she was about to step into the stirrup, she saw a carriage parked at the gate. She recognized it as the Yan family carriage at a glance. She hesitated, standing there at a loss. Wuqing walked over. “Young Mistress, the Head of the Family invites you into the carriage.”
“Understood.” Xunqi handed her horsewhip to the other and strode over.
It was freezing cold in winter. As soon as she entered the carriage, she felt a wave of warmth. Xunqi bent down and entered, but didn’t dare get close. She sat down by the door.
Her cautious appearance was a world apart from the person who had forced the Princess Consort of Ji to kneel and apologize during the day. Yan Zhi’an was amused. “I came to pick you up because it’s on the way. I’m not here to interrogate you. Whether Her Majesty punishes you or not, I don’t know. But I won’t blame you.”
“Really?” Xunqi was surprised. “You don’t think I was impulsive today?”
“When a scholar meets a soldier, reason can’t prevail. As for who is right, I don’t know. But I don’t want to ask. You’re old enough to manage five thousand people, so you can manage your own affairs.” Yan Zhi’an didn’t care about Xunqi’s actions today. Prince Ji had been suppressing Her Majesty for years, so the Princess Consort of Ji naturally had power. It was a good thing for Xunqi to suppress her now.
Xunqi’s actions today had offended the Imperial Clan. Prince Ji would definitely not swallow this insult.
Yan Zhi’an had spent half a day thinking through all the consequences of this matter. As long as Her Majesty didn’t blame her, this matter would pass. As for Prince Ji, his leg was broken. He couldn’t cause trouble for a while.
Xunqi slowly breathed a sigh of relief. She moved closer to the Left Prime Minister. The Left Prime Minister took the opportunity to hold her hand and said tactfully, “Her Majesty kept you for a meal today?”
“Yes, and the Crown Prince.” Xunqi answered.
Yan Zhi’an’s worry wasn’t about the Princess Consort of Ji. It was about the meal today. She had come specifically to ask about this.
“What did Her Majesty say?” Yan Zhi’an patted the back of her hand, her tone gentle.
The gentler she was, the happier Xunqi naturally was. “She didn’t say anything specific. On the contrary, the Crown Prince talked about the Princess, asking if I were the Princess, how would I treat him. I answered, however he treats me, I will treat him the same.”
As for the Female Emperor’s reaction, she deliberately hid it.
Sure enough, the Left Prime Minister’s mind was on the Crown Prince. Seeing her lost in thought, Xunqi deliberately asked, “What does the Crown Prince mean?”
“Don’t mind him.” Yan Zhi’an was suspicious. Had the Crown Prince discovered something? She looked at Xunqi. The other’s expression was pure and innocent, quietly waiting for her response.
She said, “The Crown Prince just feels Her Majesty is biased.”
“Oh, so is Her Majesty really biased?” Xunqi also sized up the Left Prime Minister’s reaction.
Yan Zhi’an said, “It has nothing to do with bias. It’s just setting things right.”
Xunqi didn’t ask further.
Returning to the Left Prime Minister’s Residence, Xunqi got out of the carriage first, then turned back to help the Left Prime Minister down. The two entered the gate together.
Dusk was falling, and the cold air was biting. The two didn’t linger. They each returned to their own courtyards to change clothes.
Xunqi then returned to the main courtyard for dinner. The two had dinner as usual. Neither mentioned the Prince Ji residence matter again. After dinner, Xunqi didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she sat down to have some tea.
She remembered the Chief Eunuch’s words. She took a sip of the tea, but couldn’t taste anything. She tried again. The tea was bitter, with a hint of sweetness in the aftertaste.
She tasted it repeatedly, attracting Yan Zhi’an’s attention. “What’s wrong with the tea?”
“I’m tasting it, but I can’t tell if it’s good or bad.” Xunqi pressed her lips together. It seemed all tea tasted the same. She asked her mother, “Why do you like tea?”
“When did I ever say I liked it?” Yan Zhi’an chuckled.
With that laugh, the coldness was dispelled, adding a touch of worldly warmth. Xunqi’s eyes went straight, but she quickly lowered her head. “The Chief Eunuch said so.”
Yan Zhi’an held her hand warmer, smiling. “Just because others think I like it, does that mean I do? I casually praised it when tea was served in the past. You must never tell others what you like. If it becomes a weakness, it will bring you many troubles. I don’t really like tea. But Headmaster Yuan likes it. I send her all the good tea gifted by the palace.”
Xunqi understood. It was just a smokescreen. She nodded and put down the tea. “Then what do you like?”
“I like you.” Yan Zhi’an smiled faintly. The lamplight enveloped her brows and eyes, like a spring breeze sweeping past, warm and pleasant.
Xunqi’s cheeks flushed. She said, “You shouldn’t say that. Do you say that to Headmaster Yuan too, making her unable to forget you?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. She and I are good friends.” Yan Zhi’an didn’t admit it. “Who she likes has nothing to do with me. She only thinks about expanding her academy. Matters of love were long ago cast aside.”
“What about you?” Xunqi blurted out.
Yan Zhi’an said flippantly, “I have your father. That’s enough.”
Xunqi: “…” Lying again.
Xunqi lingered for a while, finished her tea, and stood up to leave.
There were only two people in the residence. The courtyards weren’t far apart, just a few steps. But the two were used to having dinner together. After dinner, they would sit for a while, talk, and then Xunqi would leave.
Yan Zhi’an reached out to pull her back. “Don’t take today’s matter to heart.”
She was referring to the Prince Ji matter. Xunqi stopped and turned to look at her. She was still sitting there, holding her hand warmer, dignity carved into her bones.
Xunqi looked at her, her heart surging like a tide. “Do you regret it?”
“Regret what?” Yan Zhi’an was puzzled. “Regret acknowledging you?”
Xunqi nodded. “If it weren’t for me, how could you have borne such an ugly reputation?”
“Xunqi, no one is perfect, and nothing can be perfect. If a person were perfect, they wouldn’t be a person, but an immortal.” Yan Zhi’an took the initiative to comfort her. “Why care about others’ words? They have no way to deal with me, so they can only pick on my faults. Without you, I am the Left Prime Minister. With you, I am still the Left Prime Minister. I have lost nothing. Reputation? Emperor Hui killed his brother and took his sister-in-law. Which official in the court doesn’t know? But do they dare say it?”
“The Princess Consort of Ji dared to say it loudly, just to embarrass you. Today, you fought back. In the future, she won’t dare again. This matter is over.”
“What about you?” Xunqi didn’t understand. “Are you just going to be alone like this?”
“I don’t know. I can’t answer you. Perhaps in the future, I’ll meet someone who moves my heart. Who knows.” Yan Zhi’an’s attitude was correct. She didn’t refuse, letting fate decide.
Xunqi was confused. “Isn’t it me who has delayed you?”
“How could you delay me?” Yan Zhi’an found it amusing. “If I wanted to marry, I would have married long ago over the past ten years. I’ve been through so many years. Why would I care about these few years of time?”
“A few years of time?” Xunqi caught the loophole. “What do you mean?”
Realizing she had misspoken, Yan Zhi’an quickly said, “You’ve been back for two years. You haven’t delayed me. Don’t overthink. If you hear such things again, don’t mind them. The mouths of the masses can’t be stopped.”
“I’ll remember.” Xunqi nodded, but she had a plan in mind. A few years of time…
The Left Prime Minister meant that in a few years, I should go back to where I belong.
Sure enough, giving me a little tenderness is just to abandon me later.
Xunqi gave her a cold look, said nothing, turned, and left.
“Xunqi…” Yan Zhi’an was puzzled. She hadn’t finished speaking. Why had she left?
Her gaze chased after her. Under the night, Xunqi’s steps were hurried, her figure quickly swallowed by the darkness. She couldn’t help but wonder. They were talking fine, why did she leave?
The child had grown up, with strange thoughts. She couldn’t guess them.
![Coveted After Becoming a Monster [Quick Transmigration]](https://i2.wp.com/dobytranslations.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/quickkk.jpeg?resize=151,215 "Coveted After Becoming a Monster [Quick Transmigration]")
