Qingqing laughed, “Your Highness, do you know that this ‘simple meal’ of yours could feed an ordinary family of three or four for a year?” Li Qin seemed somewhat surprised, his tone turning cold as he said word by word, “I am the Crown Prince.” Yafu and Yuzhen turned pale with fear, signaling her not to say more, even pulling at her sleeve. But Qingqing ignored them, retorting, “Indeed, to the people, the Crown Prince is like heaven. But remember this saying – water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. A ruler who is ignorant of the people’s suffering is not a good ruler.” Her words were a grave offense, and Yafu quickly knelt down with a thud, “Please calm your anger, Your Highness. My elder sister spoke thoughtlessly; please do not take it to heart.”
Qingqing, however, said, “I spoke with sincerity, not thoughtlessly.” Li Qin was indeed furious; being of noble birth, even the Emperor hadn’t spoken harsh words to him, let alone received such direct admonishment. Although he realized he was wrong, he wouldn’t admit it and, forgetting his upbringing, snapped, “It’s not your place to criticize the matters of this prince. Get out, you ugly woman.” Since learning she looked like “Zhong Wuyan,” Qingqing most detested the term “ugly woman.” She hadn’t expected that her well-intentioned advice would lead to such a harsh insult. Overwhelmed with shame and anger, she ran out in tears.
Yafu was worried about Qingqing wandering around the palace and causing trouble that might implicate herself, but she was more concerned about Li Qin’s lingering anger, so she stayed behind with Yuzhen to console him, not even touching the meal.
Qingqing ran for a while, her vision blurred by tears, and she got lost. Her heart was still heavy, remembering Li Qin’s earlier words of encouragement, “As long as you work hard, as long as you are brave, you will shine brighter than anything a ‘master’ could own.” Yet now, he called her an “ugly woman” when she tried to advise him. The more she thought about it, the more ashamed and angry she became, not even noticing when she bumped into someone.
