Chapter 60 Injustice

"I am going to rest now. Third Sister-in-law and Third Brother should head back early as well."

As soon as Jing Hu stepped into the inner hall, a wave of displeasure washed over her once again. A sense of mounting irritation surged within her, making her feel almost an urge to smash things.

Without even greeting the Crown Prince's Consort, she bluntly issued an eviction notice in a harsh tone.

Sure enough, the next moment Jing Xun walked forward. "Jing Hu, is that any way to speak to your sister-in-law?" Aside from pulling rank as an older brother to lecture her, what else was he capable of?

With her temper flaring up, she cast aside the usual affection she held for her third sister-in-law. "How do you expect me to speak? Did you leave me any dignity in front of my friend?"

"Friend? If you truly regarded Elder Brother Ke as a friend, you wouldn't have pulled such a stunt today. Jing Hu, does anyone not see right through those little thoughts of yours?"

Seeing that they were about to quarrel yet again, the Crown Prince's Consort hastily stepped in to mediate, giving her husband a tug.

Jing Xun actually heeded her. The look in his eyes a moment ago suggested he wanted to devour her alive, yet upon being pulled by the Crown Prince's Consort, he unexpectedly calmed down.

The Crown Prince's Consort instructed him, "You go on back first. I'll be there after saying a few words to the Third Sister."

Jing Xun merely let out a cold snort, cast one more fierce glare in her direction, and obediently turned to leave the room.

Growing even more infuriated, Jing Hu turned around and declared, "I have nothing to say to Third Sister-in-law. Please return as well."

Unoffended, the Crown Prince's Consort turned back and instructed Doulü, who was standing there in a daze, to head outside first and securely close the hall doors. "Although I do not know what exactly transpired, I can more or less guess."

"During dinner tonight, when your brother and I came to the side hall to see you, the maids said you had gone to look for Elder Brother Ke. When your brother said he was going after you, I felt it might be somewhat improper, but I happened to be occupied with something at the moment and didn't tag along. Sure enough, trouble ensued."

Jing Hu sneered inwardly. "Since Sister-in-law had the foresight to say that, you should have stopped Jing Xun back then. Now that everything has already happened, playing the wise after the event is rather pointless."

The Crown Prince's Consort smiled faintly. "Today finally gave me a glimpse of what the legendary Princess Jingling is truly like. In the past, you were always excessively well-behaved in front of me—it hardly looked like you at all."

The legendary Princess Jingling. Jing Hu glanced at the embroidery frame beside the woman's hand. How else could the legendary Princess Jingling be portrayed? She must be untamed, rebellious, and looking down on the world with aloof disdain.

The world holds such a stereotyped impression of women like them—born into nobility, immensely favored, and unrestrained in their actions—so much that even if they have never done anything truly out of line, they are still judged thus.

Who would believe that the Princess Jingling, whom even His Majesty reportedly held in high regard according to rumors, could quietly sit down to do embroidery and live in harmony with the servants around her?

Yet her brother Jing Xun used to frequent pleasure quarters and houses of ill repute, spending lavish fortunes in brothels, yet the moment he chose to mend his ways, benevolent adages awaited him, instantly washing away his reputation as a prodigal son.

Much like a man boldly pursuing a woman, Sima Xiangru's composition of *The Phoenix Seeks His Mate* is passed down as a romantic tale, but when Zhuo Wenjun pledged her life to him in secret, the world's commentary on her was far less charitable.

When committing the exact same transgression, a woman is simply barred from receiving the same outcome as a man. On what grounds?

She merely wished to pursue the man she favored, converse with him, act for his sake, and seek a shred of happiness for herself, to secure a future outcome—yet even her own brother felt compelled to berate her with such biting words.

And what of the Crown Prince's Consort? She, too, is a woman; by staying behind, what exactly does she intend to say to her?

"Since Third Sister-in-law has chosen to stay, you must have something to say. And since you have things to say and refuse to leave despite my order for you to depart, then speak quickly."

If she were truly like the rumors suggested, that little princess would have long since disregarded this person's status and bodily thrown her out.

The Crown Prince's Consort seated herself on the daybed by the window and slowly began, "It is not that I am making excuses for your brother; rather, he has deeply suffered from rumors in the past and understands the bitterness of such an experience, which is why he grew so anxious upon seeing your recent actions."

"Perhaps some of his methods were inappropriate and caused you to lose face in front of Elder Brother Ke, but his intentions were genuinely for your own good."

Saying she was not making excuses for Jing Xun was clearly nothing less than making excuses for him.

Jing Hu turned her head and glanced at her. "To my knowledge, many of the things Jing Xun did in the past were hardly rumors."

As if anticipating that she would respond this way, the Crown Prince's Consort merely replied indifferently, "Untruths are what we call rumors."

"Your brother did indeed commit wrongs in the past, even though in the eyes of aristocratic scions—and even ordinary men—frequenting houses of pleasure was never considered a grave fault for a man."

"Because of his involvement with a courtesan whom I saw with my own eyes, I once sought to sever the ties between us. The more one understands of this world, the more helplessness one encounters."

"He committed wrongs and ought to make amends. The ones who pushed him into those wrongs, those who led and guided him astray, will ultimately pay the price for it one day."

At that exact moment, Jing Hu inexplicably recalled what Ke Mingxu had said earlier back in his hall: "Jing Hu, do you not know in your heart?"

Indeed, she did not know in her heart; at the time, she had merely assumed he was making excuses for himself. Now that the Crown Prince's Consort had uttered similar words, what on earth did it all mean?

Noticing her momentary bewilderment, the Crown Prince's Consort continued, "I have strayed somewhat far. In this world, a woman's status is inherently lower than a man's; the ways of the world are unjust, and there is nothing one can do."

"I can actually understand what you did regarding Elder Brother Ke; I truly comprehend it. Let alone at your age, even in my own heart, such untamed thoughts frequently arise."

Jing Hu interrupted her. "Third Sister-in-law considers this untamed, but I do not see it as such. The injustice of the world persists because far too few people resist. When striving for the person one loves, a young woman ought not to bear greater condemnation than a man."

"To appreciate beauty and yearn for romantic affection is a natural instinct; on what grounds should a woman be shamed for it? This must never become the norm. Beyond this matter alone, given the opportunity, a woman will prove herself inferior to no man in whatever she sets out to do."

"Were it not so, the tales of Hua Mulan and Wu Zetian would never have existed."

This was precisely how she felt, and every word she spoke came straight from her heart. Even if one day the entire capital of Yanjing learned that she harbored affections for Ke Mingxu, and that to make him return her feelings she had committed deeds the world deemed improper for women, she would never shrink back.

Too many women lacked the daring to act thusly, ultimately succumbing to arrangements and living out lives dictated by others. But she was not one of them; no one else would ever dictate how she ought to live.

The so-called codes of propriety and dogma were merely fabricated by men to subjugate women and facilitate their rule. Since no one had ever resisted before, she would become the very first.

She would never be afraid.