Double Queens GL - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

“The Empress of the East Palace is the model for all in the six palaces; it is only right that I should learn from her. Moreover, even if I wished to emulate her, I could not capture even a fraction of her grace,” Su Qingqing immediately said, adopting an air of sincere trepidation.

“True. Though Huazhao keeps herself under tight restraint, she has a natural aura that is quite lovely. Indeed, ordinary people cannot hope to imitate her, so it is better not to try,” Liu Hening agreed readily. To be honest, she still favored Huazhao more than the others.

Su Qingqing thought to herself: Is Liu Hening mocking me for being a poor imitation? This new Empress’s skill at playing people against each other was formidable—praising Ye Guichen while appearing to belittle her, and belittling Su Qingqing while appearing to praise her. But as she was the Emperor’s new favorite, what could a mere Consort like herself do? She could only swallow her pride.

“Your Majesty is right to admonish me. I shall be more mindful next time,” Su Qingqing said, her surface appearance perfectly respectful.

“Qingqing, have you misunderstood something? I wasn’t trying to admonish you.” Liu Hening felt that before entering the palace, everyone understood her meaning perfectly. But here, these beauties always seemed to twist her words. Seeing Qingqing look unhappy, she truly wished they could show their real personalities. She disliked this stiff, respectful act that lacked any sincerity.

“It must be that Your Majesty has misunderstood something!” Su Qingqing said, barely maintaining her patience. Looking at Liu Hening’s harmless, innocent face, she thought the act was quite convincing.

“Forget it. It must be my fault for saying things that upset you,” Liu Hening apologized directly, putting on no imperial airs whatsoever.

This left Su Qingqing astonished. There was no need for Liu Hening to appease a lowly Consort. Was this new Empress truly this casual, or was it all an act? Su Qingqing couldn’t tell.

“Your Majesty, you shame me! If there is any fault, it must be mine,” Su Qingqing said, terrified. She didn’t dare accept an apology from the Empress. The more she thought about it, the more she felt this was a psychological tactic to keep her in her place. Liu Hening seemed even harder to serve than Ye Guichen. At least Ye Guichen, prizing her own dignity, never stooped to such “sinister” behavior.

Liu Hening also realized the problem: it was one thing for Huazhao to be distant, but now even Qingqing wouldn’t get close to her. It had to be her own fault.

“Then let’s just say neither of us is wrong. By the way, I want to give you something, Qingqing. I think it would look exceptionally beautiful on you. Yan, go find that string of Eastern Pearls among the gifts Jun Shen sent over.”

“Yes, Miss.” Liu Yan immediately went inside and retrieved the pearls.

“And what is your name?” Liu Hening asked Lady Li, who had been sitting beside Su Qingqing enjoying the drama. Being called out so suddenly, Li Lian was caught off guard. Is the new Empress going to intimidate us one by one? she wondered.

“This servant is Li Lian, daughter of Li Zhaoran, the Vice Minister of Works,” Li Lian answered quickly. She hoped the Empress would go easy on her for her father’s sake, even though she was just an unfavored daughter of a concubine.

Li Lian’s mother had been a courtesan. Her father, Li Zhaoran, was a philanderer with nearly ten illegitimate daughters. Because of her birth, Li Lian had been looked down upon by her siblings. Her mother had pushed her father to send her to the palace, hoping for a rise in status through her daughter. Her mother’s only skills were singing and pleasing men; having grown up under that influence, Li Lian possessed a voice like an oriole that could enchant any man.

If Su Qingqing was “vibrant,” then Li Lian was “seductive.” While not exceptionally beautiful, every gesture she made carried an innate allure that seemed to be in her very bones.

“What a beautiful voice,” Liu Hening marveled. The voice was like clinging silk, capable of drawing anyone in.

“Your Majesty doesn’t know the half of it. The Emperor loves listening to Lady Li sing the most,” Lady Wang interrupted. She had always loathed Li Lian’s “courtesan manners,” yet men always fell for it. She assumed that Liu Hening, coming from a proper background, would surely despise such a “vixen.”

Li Lian hated Wang Suzhi the most; she reminded her of her sisters back home. No wonder she isn’t as favored as me, with that bitter, sharp-tongued face, she thought.

“Is that so? Then Lian’er must sing a song for me later,” Liu Hening said happily. It seemed every woman in Jun Shen’s harem had a unique talent.

Li Lian was stunned to be called “Lian’er.” Aside from the Emperor, no one else called her that. Seeing the genuine joy on Liu Hening’s face, she wondered: Does this new Empress prefer women? Her mother had told her stories of the brothels where famous courtesans fell in love with each other. She even suspected her father’s primary wife was involved with a maid. After all, the wife was plain-looking and ignored by her husband for years; finding comfort with a maid seemed logical.

Of course, Li Lian didn’t conclude this just from a nickname, but she was baffled. As Empress, Liu Hening showed no hostility or contempt toward her. Having grown up in a house full of competing concubines, Li Lian was very sensitive to female enmity. Ye Guichen, for instance, clearly disliked them, even if she hid it well behind her noble pride. But this new Empress was a character she couldn’t see through yet.

“If Your Majesty wishes to hear it, I shall certainly sing for you,” Li Lian said submissively, her voice carrying that same seductive quality she used with Yang Zhao. She peeked at Liu Hening to gauge her reaction.

Wang Suzhi waited for the Empress to be annoyed by this “shameless” tone, but Liu Hening’s eyes remained clear and delighted. She genuinely didn’t seem to mind.

Just then, Liu Yan brought the Eastern Pearls to Liu Hening.

“Qingqing, you will look stunning in these,” Liu Hening said, handing them to Su Qingqing.

“I dare not accept!” Su Qingqing was terrified and dropped to her knees. Is she trying to get me killed?

“Why?” Liu Hening asked, confused.

“These were custom-made for the Empress. Concubines cannot wear them; it violates palace protocol,” the eunuch Yu Zheng warned, equally shocked. Giving away imperial gifts could lead to execution.

“I see. The count is wrong. That’s easy. Yan, go get some scissors and a silk cord,” Liu Hening said. She figured she could just restring them into a different number of pearls to solve the protocol issue.

“Your Majesty, these are imperial gifts! You cannot damage them!” Yu Zheng pleaded.

“Jun Shen gave them to me, so they are mine. I can do whatever I want with them,” Liu Hening said carelessly. She didn’t believe the Emperor would punish her over material things, especially since she was giving them to the women he loved. I’m just using his flowers to offer to his Buddhas, she thought.

Liu Yan knew her mistress was being mischievous, but she obeyed. Once she set her mind to something, no one could stop her.

Liu Hening cut the string, letting the pearls fall into a jade tray, and then she and her maid re-strung them as if no one else was in the room. Su Qingqing and the others watched, dumbfounded. This new Empress was… incredibly reckless.

Liu Hening turned the pearls into a bracelet and a necklace and gave them to Su Qingqing.

“I still dare not accept!” Su Qingqing felt like she was holding a hot coal.

“I am the Empress, right? You have to listen to me. I’m telling you to take them. If Jun Shen gets angry, I’ll take the blame,” Liu Hening said, finally using her authority.

Only then did Su Qingqing take the precious pearls.

And that was only the beginning. Liu Hening went through every concubine, giving each a rare treasure. Initially, they were all terrified, but once they realized everyone was receiving something, they felt safer—the law doesn’t punish a crowd. Some of the girls had never seen such treasures in their lives and were secretly thrilled by the new Empress’s generosity.

After over an hour of giving away her wealth, Liu Hening wanted them to stay for lunch, but the concubines were so shaken by her behavior that they all insisted on returning to their own halls.

“Miss, you gave everyone a gift, but why didn’t you send one to the Empress of the East Palace? People will think you’re just trying to buy favors!” Liu Yan asked. She also worried about the gossip reaching Ye Guichen’s ears.

“Huazhao was raised in the palace. She’s seen every treasure there is. She won’t care for these mundane things,” Liu Hening said. She felt that like herself, Huazhao wouldn’t be impressed by jewelry.

“Whether she cares or not is one thing, but it’s the thought that counts!” Liu Yan argued.

“Of course! I’ve already thought of what to give her. Yan, go get that painting of Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy) I just finished. Send it to Huazhao. I’m sure she’ll love it,” Liu Hening said. That was her real gift of sincerity.

“Miss…” Liu Yan started, but stopped. Not everyone liked paintings of Guanyin, and she hadn’t heard that Ye Guichen was particularly religious. But… it was her mistress’s “sincere” thought, after all.