Double Queens GL - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

“Are you coming with me?” Liu Hening asked Liu Yan as she prepared to head out.

“No, it’s cold outside. I’m staying here in the hall,” Liu Yan refused. She always felt her young mistress was prone to doing things that were boundary-pushing or embarrassing; she figured staying behind would save her from sharing the awkwardness—better out of sight, out of mind. Furthermore, having just arrived in the capital from Jiangdu, Liu Yan truly wasn’t accustomed to the northern winter chill.

Seeing that Liu Yan was unwilling to accompany her, Liu Hening didn’t force the issue.

“Then Yu Zheng, come with me. I’m still not familiar with the palace roads and don’t know where the Changle Hall in the Eastern Palace is,” Liu Hening said to Yu Zheng.

“As you command,” Yu Zheng replied. Inwardly, he was also reluctant to go, but on the surface, he remained respectfully compliant.

“I still feel it’s not right to go empty-handed,” Liu Hening remarked again to Liu Yan and Yu Zheng.

“There are still treasures left over from the Emperor’s rewards. Perhaps Miss could go inside and pick one,” Liu Yan suggested. Privately, she felt that whatever her mistress sent, the Lady of the Eastern Palace probably wouldn’t care. Even if she sent nothing, it wouldn’t make a difference. However, seeing how earnest her mistress was, she didn’t want to throw cold water on her. Liu Yan, a mere mortal, couldn’t quite fathom the “pure heart” her mistress wanted to offer, but she noticed her mistress was exceptionally focused on the Eastern Palace Lady—perhaps truly treating her like a Flower Fairy, recalling how Liu Hening had cried out in awe of Ye Guichen’s beauty when they first met.

Liu Hening shook her head. She felt that regifting a present from Jun Shen (the Emperor) to Huachao lacked sincerity; Huachao surely wouldn’t like it much. She wanted Huachao to like something that came specifically from her.

“I know what to give!” Liu Hening suddenly had a flash of inspiration and spoke with great excitement.

“What is it?” Liu Yan asked curiously. Whatever her mistress thought of was bound to be unconventional.

Liu Hening merely smiled at Liu Yan without answering. She immediately hurried into the study, began grinding ink, prepared various pigments, and started to paint. In less than half an hour, a painting was completed in one fluid motion.

Liu Yan and Yu Zheng looked at the painting. It depicted a plum tree with a woman standing beneath it, snapping a flowering branch. Although the woman’s back was turned, her silhouette alone was enough to convince anyone that her beauty must be peerless. Paired with the surrounding snowscape and the vivid blooming plum blossoms, the artistic mood was exquisite. Liu Yan and Yu Zheng recognized her instantly: the woman was Ye Guichen, and the scene was the moment Liu Hening first encountered her.

“Huachao was snapping plum branches in the grove that day, so she must like plum blossoms. It’s perfect for me to give her a painting of a beauty plucking flowers,” Liu Hening said happily.

“The painting has its own charm; a beauty emerges from the canvas.” As someone unaware of the deeper context, Liu Yan felt her mistress’s idea wasn’t wrong this time. She thought the painting was truly well-done and figured that if Ye Guichen saw herself portrayed so beautifully and alluringly, she might actually like it.

Yu Zheng, however, felt uneasy. After all, the plum tree Ye Guichen had been plucking from was planted for her by the Emperor. Snapping branches at the very moment a new Empress was being installed… Yu Zheng felt that gesture held a hint of resentment toward the Emperor. But he feared he was overthinking it—what if Ye Guichen simply liked plum blossoms? To judge her otherwise would be small-minded. So, despite his misgivings, he didn’t voice them to Liu Hening. Besides, he could use this visit to gauge the Eastern Palace’s true attitude toward the Central Palace.

Liu Hening happily blew on the ink, wanting it to dry quickly so she could take the painting to Ye Guichen.

“Forget it, I’ll go with you after all,” Liu Yan said. Once Liu Hening had carefully rolled up the scroll and was ready to leave with Yu Zheng, Liu Yan looked at her mistress and ultimately couldn’t rest easy. She was also curious to see Ye Guichen’s reaction to the painting.

“It really is cold. I feel for Lady Zhang,” Liu Hening remarked as soon as they stepped out of the hall and the piercing wind hit them. She thought of Lady Zhang, with whom she’d had a pleasant chat that morning; the woman had dragged her sick body out just to pay respects for the sake of some treasures. It hadn’t been easy, and Liu Hening felt a wave of sympathy.

At the mention of Zhang Qingyu, both Liu Yan and Yu Zheng couldn’t help but smile. Lady Zhang’s personality was indeed quite amusing.

“It’s about to snow, so it’s not that cold yet. It’s when the snow melts that it really gets freezing,” Yu Zheng told the two Southerners.

“Is that so?” Liu Hening looked at Yu Zheng with a smile. Usually, Yu Zheng was strictly formal; seeing him speak so casually was rare, suggesting he had lowered his guard.

Meeting Liu Hening’s smiling gaze, Yu Zheng felt as though her eyes were exceptionally clear, looking straight into one’s soul.

As Liu Yan fastened Liu Hening’s cloak, she thought to herself: Miss pities Lady Zhang for coming out in the cold, yet here she is, braving the same chill just to see the Lady of the Eastern Palace.

…

Having finished her palace duties, Ye Guichen finally had a moment of leisure. However, ever since hearing yesterday that Liu Hening had mocked her behind her back for being “neatly trimmed,” she hadn’t been in the mood to tend to the plants she kept in the hall. She had planned to go for a walk, but seeing the sky turned dark and heavy—as if another heavy snowfall was imminent—she gave up on the idea. She mused that one’s mood is often tied to the weather; when the sky feels like it’s pressing down, the heart sinks with it.

“It looks like another big snow is coming,” Ye Meng remarked, looking at the low-hanging clouds.

“What did Liu Hening say today?” Perhaps out of boredom, or because of yesterday’s insult, Ye Guichen—who had previously told Ye Meng not to focus on the Central Palace—actually took the initiative to ask about Liu Hening.

Ye Meng was surprised by the question. Clearly, she thought, everyone cares when someone talks behind their back. In truth, Ye Meng had been bursting to tell her. Although she had obeyed her mistress and hadn’t gone looking for gossip, the Central Palace was currently the center of attention. Any slight movement there spread through the palace like wildfire, likely because the new Empress was in the height of her favor.

“Didn’t Lady Zhang have a fever yesterday? Word is she dragged herself to the Central Palace today to pay respects. The Empress gave her a Restoration Pill and kept her for a meal! Can you believe it? She completely forgot about our Eastern Palace—she hasn’t even come to pay her respects here!” Ye Meng had been itching to say this, and she felt much better after venting her grievance about Lady Zhang’s perceived slight.

“Oh,” Ye Guichen replied tonelessly. She didn’t seem to care much. As long as Liu Hening wasn’t slandering her again, Ye Guichen wasn’t bothered by such trifles.

Seeing her mistress’s indifference, Ye Meng grew anxious. It was obvious Lady Zhang was trying to defect to the Central Palace. If the Empress won over a favored concubine like Lady Zhang and then the rest of the harem followed suit, her mistress’s situation would become precarious. She didn’t want her mistress to end up isolated.

“Miss, the Empress is blatantly pulling Lady Zhang to her side. It’s too much! The Empress is so undisciplined, yet the Emperor doesn’t care at all. Are you really not bothered?” Ye Meng asked, puzzled.

“With the favor Liu Hening enjoys, these attempts to win people over are almost redundant. Even so, let her be; we will just watch. Don’t let someone else’s small movements make you anxious, or you’ll play right into their hands. Don’t just stare at her minor faults, either. When you move, it must be a fatal blow. For now, we must simply ensure we leave no openings for others to exploit—meeting changes with constancy,” Ye Guichen said calmly. As long as she didn’t seek Yang Zhao’s love, everything else was manageable.

Ye Meng realized her mistress had her own plan. Looking at Ye Guichen’s back, she felt her mistress had changed since being deposed. She had become calmer, stronger—somewhat reminiscent of the late Empress Wenxian. Ye Meng felt a sense of relief; in the imperial harem, a woman could only truly thrive if she didn’t love the Emperor.

“Your Highness, the Empress requests an audience,” a palace servant entered to report.

“What is she doing here?” Ye Meng asked, bewildered.

“I do not know,” the servant replied.

Ye Guichen was also puzzled. Whatever Liu Hening’s motive, she would have to face it. “Tell her I will be out shortly,” she instructed.

“Yes.” The servant exited.

“That woman had the nerve to insult you in front of everyone yesterday; how does she have the face to show up today?” Ye Meng thought Liu Hening was incredibly thick-skinned.

Perhaps she didn’t even realize it was an insult, Ye Guichen thought with a cold smile. She stood up, smoothed her clothes, and walked out.

When Liu Hening and her servants entered Changle Hall, they immediately saw the Guanyin portrait Liu Hening had painted the day before hanging in the most prominent spot in the center of the hall.

Liu Yan looked at the painting and thought: This Lady of the Eastern Palace is not simple. Either she is incredibly magnanimous, or she is terrifyingly calculating. To take something she clearly despises and hang it where it will annoy her every moment—that is not something an ordinary person could do.

Yu Zheng was also startled. As expected of the Empress famous for her virtue and grace, he thought.

Liu Hening, seeing her work hung in such a conspicuous place, couldn’t help but smile, resting her chin in her hand. She didn’t care if Huachao had hung it just to please Jun Shen; she was just satisfied with the placement. This way, Huachao would look at her every day. And if she looked long enough, she would eventually come to like her.

When Ye Guichen emerged, she saw Liu Hening smiling at the Guanyin portrait. To her, that smile looked like a mockery—exactly like the way she had called her “hypocritical” the day before. It rankled. It felt as if her little schemes had been seen through, a feeling Ye Guichen detested.

In that moment, Ye Guichen regretted hanging the painting. Yang Zhao hadn’t even seen it yet, but Liu Hening had, and now she realized that while it was easy to hang, it would be difficult to take down. Was she really going to torment herself daily with Liu Hening’s work just to please Yang Zhao? The more she thought about it, the less it seemed worth the price.