Metamorphosis of an Ugly Girl – Part One

Qingqing finally caught up, panting, “You’re a grown man, how can you be so petty?” Li Qin said, “I am not as magnanimous as my fourth brother.” Seeing his anger, Qingqing became timid, staring at her toes, not daring to speak. Li Qin, finding her both amusing and irritating, said, “Miss Yuzhen has thoroughly scolded me. I’m here to invite you again to eat some honeydew.” Qingqing said, “I misunderstood you earlier, with the Fourth Prince…” Li Qin seemed unwilling to discuss this further, changing the subject, “Yesterday was my fault; I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.” Seeing his sincere demeanor, Qingqing held back a smile, asking, “Did the Emperor send you to apologize to me?” Li Qin had her sit on a stone bench in the pavilion, solemnly stating, “It wasn’t the Emperor who forced me. I truly realized my mistake. Yesterday, I was impulsive; I shouldn’t have mocked you.” Qingqing felt both touched and saddened; touched that Li Qin finally admitted his mistake, but saddened because he only apologized for mocking her, not for the lavish meal arrangement. She said, “I didn’t blame you for mocking me; I am, after all, an ugly woman.” Li Qin replied, “At that moment, you didn’t give me face, and I said those things in anger, but I never truly thought that way.” Qingqing felt a bit bitter inside; if he didn’t think that way, why did he prefer Yafu? As her bracelet fell, she murmured, “The Crown Prince should realize that the mistake was in the lavish meal arrangement, not in mocking a young woman.” Qingqing looked aside, “I know, the Emperor must have sent you to apologize to me.” Li Qin was somewhat annoyed at first, but when he saw the tears in Qingqing’s eyes, his heart softened, and his tone became much gentler: “Actually, it wasn’t my own idea to come and apologize to you, it was the Empress Dowager.” So, it was the noble and dignified Empress who had prompted this. Li Qin didn’t hide this fact. He continued, “However, I also realize my mistakes. I shouldn’t have wasted resources, nor should I have mocked you.” Qingqing immediately smiled, clearing her throat, “Ahem… ahem… They say ‘a prime minister can hold a boat in his belly’, I, as the daughter of a prime minister, can at least hold a canoe. I’ll forgive you this time.” With that, they exchanged glances and burst into laughter.