Double Queens GL - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

And so, Liu Hening successfully persuaded Zhang Qingyu to stay for lunch. In just half a day, Zhang Qingyu had already opened her heart to the new Empress; she felt that of all the women she had met in this palace, Liu Hening was the one who made her feel the most at ease. Zhang Qingyu trusted her intuition—and the intuition of a simple person is often remarkably accurate.

Standing to the side, Xiao Xuan watched the two of them getting along famously and thought to herself: It seems our Xiyu Hall is now firmly on the Middle Palace’s boat. In truth, Xiao Xuan favored the East Palace more. After all, Ye Guichen had been raised in the palace, possessed deep influence, was both beautiful and reliable, and held the Phoenix Seal. For her mistress to advance, flattering the East Palace was the only logical path. However, for Zhang Qingyu to even dream of becoming a high-ranking Consort was like a toad lusting after swan meat—pure fantasy. With a brain like hers, it’s a miracle she’s even a Lady; any higher rank would likely bring more disaster than blessing. Xiao Xuan could only hope that the “Empress of the East Palace” would realize her mistress was brainless and posed no threat, and thus wouldn’t bother taking revenge for this sudden allegiance to the Middle Palace.

After lunch, Liu Hening considerately sent the recovering Zhang Qingyu back to rest. The girl left in high spirits.

Zhang Qingyu had arrived at Changqing Hall looking like a wilted leaf, but she returned with her beautiful face glowing with life once more. She was, as Liu Hening noted, an exceptionally vivid person.

Once Zhang Qingyu had gone, Liu Hening settled down for a midday nap, planning to visit Ye Guichen at Changle Hall as soon as she woke.

…

There are no secrets in the palace. Within half an hour, news that “Lady Zhang dragged her sick body to the Middle Palace, was rewarded with a Restoration Pill, and stayed for lunch” had already spread through the harem.

“Lady Yu, perhaps we should also pay our respects to the Middle Palace tomorrow?” suggested Shou’er, the maid serving Yu Changping.

While Zhang Qingyu’s illness had been sudden, Yu Changping was chronically ill. When she first entered the palace, she was bedridden for half of every month. In the two or three years since then, she had never even been summoned to serve the Emperor. Because everyone knew she was a “sickly sprout,” Ye Guichen had specifically exempted her from the twice-monthly formal greetings.

Yu Changping was a premature baby, born at seven months, and had been fragile ever since. Her father, Yu Yongsheng, was a government official, but an exceptionally honest and poor one. Raising such a sickly daughter was a financial drain they could no longer afford; the family was so poor they had to patch their own official robes. When Yang Zhao noticed a high-ranking minister wearing patched clothes, he asked for the reason. Yu Yongsheng told him the truth: his daughter required constant medical attention, and at nearly twenty years old, no one dared marry her.

Yang Zhao, feeling sympathetic, initially intended to grant the minister a hundred gold pieces to relieve his poverty.

“Your Majesty,” Yu Yongsheng had interjected, “though my daughter’s health is poor, her beauty is peerless. If Your Majesty does not mind, could you bring her into the palace?”

The palace had the best physicians and the rarest medicines. For Changping, entering the palace was a blessing; given her constitution, a normal marriage was hopeless anyway. Yang Zhao didn’t particularly care for sickly women, but he didn’t mind supporting one more idle person. Out of respect for the honest minister, he agreed and gave her the title of Cairen (Talented Lady).

Yang Zhao had only seen her once, right after she entered the palace. She was ill at the time, and no matter how beautiful a woman is, sickness dulls the luster. Consequently, Yang Zhao lost interest and simply told Ye Guichen to let the girl recover in peace. Thus, this fragile beauty vanished from the public eye, possessing almost no presence in the palace.

People with chronic illnesses either become indifferent to life or exceptionally obsessed with survival. Yu Changping was the latter. To her credit, the palace’s medical resources were far superior to anything in the civilian world. After a year of care, her complexion had improved, leaving her with a delicate, “willow-in-the-wind” grace and a hint of melancholy that made her a “pity-inducing” beauty. Though she didn’t fall ill as often now, she still spent several days a month in bed, making her all the more protective of her health.

She was happy being a “ghost” in the palace, far removed from the noise and competition. She didn’t care about the new Empress and had no intention of paying respects—she had the perfect excuse to stay away.

However, hearing Shou’er’s vivid description of how Lady Zhang was “resurrected” by the Restoration Pill made her heart stir. While she didn’t believe in miracles, the idea of such a potent medicine was tempting. The palace had plenty of medicine, but the truly elite, top-tier pills never reached her—the Emperor had long since forgotten she existed.

“It might not be appropriate,” Yu Changping mused. She was satisfied with her status as an invisible person. Ye Guichen was a good Empress who never withheld her stipulated allowance. Going to the new Empress too soon might offend Ye Guichen.

“If you wait too long, the treasures will be gone,” Shou’er urged. “You have to pay respects eventually. Why not go early? Even if the pill isn’t a ‘miracle,’ it can only help your body. I just want you to get well so the Emperor can notice you. Your beauty is certainly not inferior to the favored ones!”

The survival-obsessed Yu Changping was swayed. She figured that even if she went to visit the new Empress, Ye Guichen probably wouldn’t care. Who would bother holding a grudge against a girl with one foot in the grave?

“Then… if I feel well enough tomorrow, I will go. But I will visit Changle Hall first, then Changqing Hall.” She still didn’t want to offend Ye Guichen. Everyone else had gone to the East Palace first; she wouldn’t be the exception. As for Lady Zhang… that girl was clearly a “straw bag” beauty with no brains, just as the rumors said.

…

Liu Hening finally woke from her nap. She asked Liu Yan to dress her and apply some light makeup; after all, she was going out as a guest and wanted to look dignified.

“Yan, it feels wrong to go empty-handed. What should I give her?” Liu Hening asked.

“Just don’t send another Guanyin painting,” Liu Yan replied as she pinned up her mistress’s hair. This was the hairstyle of a married woman. She then drew a delicate plum blossom around the cinnabar mole between Liu Hening’s brows, making the mole look like the heart of a living flower. It was a style she had recently learned from the other palace ladies. She knew exactly how to make her mistress look her best—elegant and ethereal, but with a touch of color to prevent her from looking too “plain.”

“What’s wrong with the Guanyin painting?” Liu Hening asked, a bit dejected. “I put more heart into the one I gave Huazhao than any other. It was a gift of true sincerity.”

“You already gave her one,” Liu Yan explained quickly, not wanting to hurt her mistress’s feelings. “Giving another would lack ‘novelty’.”

“You’re right. No more paintings. I’ll think of something else—something Huazhao will like and that shows my heart.”

“There, all finished,” Liu Yan said, putting down the brush.

“Yan, you’re getting more skillful by the day! This makeup is so good, even I’m dazzled by myself. You must be the most talented girl in the world,” Liu Hening praised without restraint.

“Miss, it’s a good thing you’re a woman. If you were a man, that mouth of yours would have stolen the hearts of every lady in the land,” Liu Yan laughed. She was used to being praised by her mistress. Just look at how she had charmed Lady Zhang earlier.

“I’m not ‘stealing’ anything; I’m just telling the truth,” Liu Hening smiled. She thought she looked even better now than on her wedding day. She wondered if Huazhao would like it. I love looking at beautiful women, so surely Huazhao will like looking at a beautiful me. The thought made her mood even brighter.

“It’s the truth that’s the most dangerous,” Liu Yan teased. Her mistress truly loved making women happy. Even if her mistress were actually “interested” in women, Liu Yan wouldn’t be surprised—though she knew that for now, her mistress’s affection was purely innocent and appreciative.