WBSGVS Chapter 200 V1

Sima Qinghe was waiting in the pavilion.

They had already decided: if Sima Qingli remained disobedient, then Sima Yan would suffer for it, and it would serve as a lesson for her. But if she recognized the situation and fell in line, there’d be no need for needless trouble.

Creating chaos always meant cleaning it up afterwards — a messy, troublesome business.

But after waiting and waiting, there was no sign from her side.

Sima Qinghe started to grow uneasy. Sima Qingli wasn’t someone who easily backed down. Although their interaction had been brief, her intuition told her that this kind of person was hard to control.

That’s why she’d decided first to win over Sima Yan.

But this time, her usual methods fell flat in the face of this ten-year-old boy.

Perhaps it was because this was Sima Qingli’s younger brother. Sima Qinghe was more unsettled and less composed than her normally cool self. Her emotions got the better of her; not wishing to see him, she let him go first when mealtime ended without any messages. She remained sitting a while longer to calm herself, then made her way to Qilin Hall.

When she entered Qilin Hall — the residence of Sima Chang — and was about to question him, she was alarmed to find the young man’s face deathly pale. Her expression faltered, and a nervous feeling rose in her. “Brother… what’s going on?”

Sima Chang looked up, and upon seeing it was her, his expression softened a little. Nevertheless, his face trembled as he said quietly, “We… we all underestimated her.”

To this moment, back in his quarters, his pulse was still racing.

Who could have guessed that this young woman — forced into the Cold Palace at the age of 5 and now only 15 — would have such means at her disposal?! If what the Prime Minister’s household said was true, not only was she proficient in divination, but her martial skills were remarkable, too.

So the two people the Pure Consort secretly sent in were not powerless — they were skilled, yet they fell all the same.

How else could it be explained?

He’d investigated Cold Palace carefully from the start. Few people went there; not even the palace guards made their rounds in that direction. Furthermore, the food delivery from the imperial kitchens was enough for their small household of 5, not nearly enough to nourish additional people. The Cold Palace was surrounded by a barren area and a moat, cutting it off from the rest of the Inner Palace.

So… who had taught her all these methods?

Sima Chang felt his mind wander, reliving the moment when a single chopstick was pressed against him and rendered him powerless to say a word. The young woman stood there, smiling innocently at him — the kind of pure, harmless face a small girl might have — while delivering those threatening words.

Sima Chang nearly fell apart then.

If it hadn’t been for years of discipline and training to maintain his dignity as a prince, he might have made a fool of himself in her presence.

Facing someone like Sima Qingli, what else could he do? What else was there to say?

Her attitude was already clear.

Using Sima Yan against her was not a viable tactic — harm him, and everyone would pay the price alongside him.

She was someone who’d destroy herself and her enemies together if it came to it, not someone who’d submit.

Sima Chang’s demeanor made Sima Qinghe nervous. She pressed him, “Just what happened back there? Tell me!”

Sima Chang sighed and forced a bitter smile. “She… with just a single chopstick… pierced through the table.”

“What?” Sima Qinghe said in disbelief. “Are you kidding?”

Sima Chang shook his head. “It’s true. If we’d gone after Sima Yan, I’d have lost this hand.”

Sima Qinghe grew agitated. “Aren’t she afraid of punishment from Father?”

Sima Chang’s face tightened. “But I… I’m not willing to gamble on it.”

Sima Qinghe fell silent.

The Crown Prince’s body must be whole; Sima Chang had fought for the throne for years — how could he afford to wager everything now, just to find out whether she’d follow through?

Once the attack fell, it would destroy him.

When Fu Cheng and Yi Han arrived and heard Sima Chang’s account, their expressions grew heavy.

They’d crossed her already. She hadn’t come here to make peace. So now, the only path forward was… to tough it out.

So what if she had the ability? So what if she won over some ministers?

As long as the imperial court remained unwilling to start a war over it, she’d be powerless to undermine their plans.

The marriage was already decided. Once she left, Sima Yan would be theirs to dispose of.

But…

The four fell into a nervous silence as two questions crossed their minds: Would she submit and get married quietly?

And if not… then by what means would she break free of it?

Sima Qinghe, in particular, raised her guard to the highest level.

Originally, everyone thought Qingli would use her newfound power to cause a scene. But instead, she remained in Chaoyang Palace all day.

Unless someone invited her, she hardly left her quarters.

And when people did invite her, it was to resolve all sorts of strange problems — a rich family’s matriarch had lost a treasured dowry piece years back and hoped Qingli could find it. She came and immediately retrieved it.

Someone else was suffering from chronic nightmares; they hadn’t gotten a good night’s rest in days. They called upon Qingli, and afterwards, their sleep improved immediately.

No matter how small the matter, if someone was bold enough to ask her, Qingli would come.

During this time, Sima Heng remained discontent. Although the Jin dynasty hadn’t entirely dismissed the supernatural — there were state priests, after all — it seemed undignified for a princess to be involved in such matters, especially when her mother had fallen from power due to rumors of witchcraft.

But Qingli remained unfazed by his rebukes, and the Prime Minister spoke up in her defense. Sima Heng wasn’t a rigid man; after trying a few more times and failing, he chose to let her be.