Double Queens GL - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Snow began to fall again from the heavens.

“Miss, it’s snowing again. Let’s head back,” Liu Yan said.

“Very well.” The master and servant returned to Changqing Hall, the residence Yang Zhao had specifically prepared for them.

Having just adjourned from the morning court, Yang Zhao was overjoyed to hear from his attendants that Liu Henning had arrived a day early. Without even stopping to change out of his formal court robes, he rushed to Changqing Hall, only to find it empty.

The palace servants offered to search for her, but Yang Zhao stopped them. He wanted the two of them to enjoy their walk to the fullest, so he waited patiently in the hall. His actions spoke volumes of the immense favor he bestowed upon this lady from the Liu family.

“My ‘Goddess of Mercy,’ you have finally returned! His Majesty has been waiting for a long time,” Zhang Ling, Yang Zhao’s head eunuch, called out as he craned his neck outside the hall. Upon seeing Liu Henning, he hurried forward to greet her.

Liu Henning merely smiled and stepped into the palace.

As Yang Zhao looked at her, he saw that the years had washed away her girlish innocence, replacing it with a unique womanly charm. The red mole between her brows seemed even more vivid. She was ethereal, gentle, and strikingly beautiful. Yang Zhao was utterly captivated.

Yu Zheng and Liu Yan immediately knelt in greeting, but Liu Henning did not. She simply offered Yang Zhao a radiant smile. Seeing her smile, Yang Zhao couldn’t help but beam back. He had finally brought her to his side.

“I have finally brought you to me. I told you, I would marry you as my wife,” Yang Zhao said with deep satisfaction. He had the empire, and now he had his beloved.

“Junshen, have you forgotten that you already have an Empress?” Liu Henning reminded him. She thought of the beauty she had just encountered in the plum orchard. She couldn’t understand how Junshen could bear to depose such a flower-like soul and cause her such grief.

“We had a betrothal first. She has always been virtuous and sensible; she understands my heart and has already offered to step down for you,” Yang Zhao replied. While he felt a twinge of guilt toward Ye Guichen, her lack of ambition for the title actually pleased him.

Liu Henning thought to herself that Ye Guichen’s “offer” was likely a desperate move to preserve some dignity and a good reputation. How could Junshen be so cold to such a refined and beautiful woman?

“What woman in an ordinary family would willingly go from being a wife to a concubine? She has committed no fault; to strip her of her title is too cruel,” Liu Henning argued. The thought of the Ye girl being forced into such a compromise made her heart ache.

“I will compensate her in other ways,” Yang Zhao said firmly. “Besides, you were my first betrothed. You were meant to be my wife; how could I let you be a mere concubine? I made a promise to you, and even if you don’t care about titles, I will not let you be slighted.”

He spoke with absolute conviction. Marrying Ye Guichen had never been his wish; he had been forced into it by the late Emperor and Empress. Though he felt some affection for her after years of marriage, it paled in comparison to his feelings for Liu Henning.

“She is virtuous and has done no wrong. To depose her without cause will hurt your reputation, and the ministers will surely object. Do not go through such trouble for me,” Liu Henning urged again.

The ministers were indeed protesting vehemently, but as the Son of Heaven, Yang Zhao believed he was not to be swayed by his subjects.

“Finding a fault or two isn’t difficult,” Yang Zhao remarked. He didn’t want to treat Ye Guichen this way, but he saw no other choice. He believed she would understand, and he planned to shower her with extra care later to make up for it.

Liu Henning was troubled. The Empress was trying to step down gracefully, yet Yang Zhao wanted to fabricate a crime against her—the classic “if you want to condemn someone, any pretext will do.” Despite his devotion to her, she found his treatment of Ye Guichen far too cold.

“Is it possible to have two Empresses?” Liu Henning asked. Though unprecedented, rules were made by people. She truly did not want her presence to destroy another woman’s life.

“Ning’er, that is a brilliant suggestion!” Yang Zhao found the idea increasingly viable. Truly deposing Ye Guichen would indeed stain his legacy. This way, neither woman would be slighted. It was a perfect solution.

…

Rumors in the Empress’s Quarters

“Miss, good news!” Ye Meng cried out as she rushed back to tell Ye Guichen. In private, she still called her “Miss,” only using “Your Majesty” when others were present.

“Good news?” Ye Guichen asked listlessly. Ever since seeing Liu Henning the day before, a knot had formed in her chest. She had been resentful before, but after meeting her, she realized there was no comparison—one was the moon, the other a flower. Neither was necessarily “better,” but Yang Zhao simply preferred looking at the moon.

“I heard the Emperor no longer plans to depose you! Instead, he intends to instate two Empresses. He’s already discussing it with the ministers,” Ye Meng reported.

Ye Guichen was stunned. A sense of relief washed over her. She thought that perhaps he still held some affection for her and wanted to let her keep her dignity. Though it couldn’t compare to his love for Liu Henning, she felt she should be content.

“Two Empresses… there is no precedent. The ministers will still object,” she said quietly.

“It depends on the Emperor’s will. He has been very forceful since his coronation and has replaced most of the old guard. If his mind is set, who would dare defy him?” Ye Meng said.

“Don’t speak so recklessly!” Ye Guichen cut her off, fearing Ye Meng would say something dangerous. It was true that few of her uncle’s old ministers remained; Yang Zhao had spent years promoting his own men. Ye Guichen knew that despite her former glory, she now had no power to rely on—which was exactly why Yang Zhao felt he could depose her at will.

“I only say these things to you in private, Miss,” Ye Meng assured her.

“By the way, I heard the suggestion for two Empresses came from the new one. Do you think she’s actually that kind-hearted?” Ye Meng added.

“She suggested it?” Ye Guichen was visibly surprised.

“An Ji told me; he was recently transferred to Changqing Hall. It should be true.”

“A-Meng, from now on, you must never go to Changqing Hall for information,” Ye Guichen frowned. If Yang Zhao found out, there would be trouble.

“Sigh, we spend every day walking on eggshells. If I had known, I would have wished the late Empress found you a good husband outside the palace. This life is miserable,” Ye Meng lamented.

“My aunt meant well. She wanted me to ‘Mother the World’ and carry on her glory. It is my own lack of ability that failed to win my husband’s heart. What’s done is done; speak of it no more.”

“Men like the late Emperor, who are devoted to one woman, are too rare,” Ye Meng grumbled. “Our Emperor has favored many women and taken many concubines over the years. I don’t see him being that ‘devoted’ to the Liu girl either.”

“It is too difficult for a man to love only one. Even my own father couldn’t do it,” Ye Guichen said. Any flicker of hope she once had was now extinguished.

“But at least the Master always put your Mother first!” Ye Meng argued.

“And he puts the Liu girl first in his heart,” Ye Guichen said sadly.

“Miss…”

“I’m fine,” Ye Guichen said tonelessly. Since he didn’t hold her in his heart, she wouldn’t hold him in hers anymore. Only then could she endure. She was not a toy to be discarded and picked up whenever he pleased.

“Did he stay the night at Changqing Hall?” she asked.

“No, he stayed until late at night. I heard he wants to hold a grand wedding for her with full Empress rites,” Ye Meng replied.

“To treat someone with such solemnity and refuse to let them be slighted… that is indeed the one he loves,” Ye Guichen murmured.