Double Queens GL - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Worrying about Liu Hening? Ye Guichen didn’t have the spare energy for such a thing. She felt that Liu Hening was simply flattering herself!

“You’re overthinking it,” Ye Guichen parried. “I am merely puzzled. If you act this way, won’t all your efforts over the past few days—the social calls, the gifts—be for nothing?”

“In your heart, Huachao, I must seem quite calculating. I want to tell you: I do what I do simply because I wish to. Whether people see it as buying hearts or trying to impress Junshen, I truly don’t care. Now, I refuse to plead for Lady Sun because I believe it is the right choice. Many people are watching the situation; if I do not uphold your authority, your prestige will suffer. If the palace has multiple sources of command, chaos will follow. I am new to the palace and accustomed to my casual ways—I know my actions are often improper and less considered than yours. If I do something wrong in the future, please tell me. I am willing to listen, though I wonder if you are willing to speak the truth to me.”

Liu Hening spoke with profound sincerity. She knew that back in Jiangdu, she could follow her heart, but in the palace, her whims could hurt others. Since she was the one who gifted the jewelry, she felt a responsibility to help fix the mess.

Ye Guichen could hear the honesty in her voice. It was the first time she found Liu Hening’s words not entirely annoying. To be able to set aside one’s ego and admit fault so openly—this was a quality Ye Guichen couldn’t help but admire.

“We are both Empresses,” Ye Guichen replied, her tone still official but carrying a rare flicker of genuineness. “Our positions are the same: to ease the Emperor’s burdens. Naturally, we must work together.”

Liu Hening smiled, though she still felt a bit deflated by the guilt of the situation. Ye Guichen noticed the change. Usually, this woman acted as if the sky falling wouldn’t bother her; seeing her slumped in dejection was… unfamiliar. It made her seem like a normal person.

“The responsibility is not yours,” Ye Guichen said suddenly, her voice softening. “She brought this on herself.”

“I am still to blame. I should have modified the items before gifting them,” Liu Hening insisted. “Yu Zheng warned me, but we couldn’t change them ourselves at the time. I thought they would be smart enough to have the palace craftsmen fix them, knowing the rules better than I.”

“If you give someone a knife and they choose to kill with it, is that your fault?”

“If I led them to believe I wanted them to kill, then yes.”

“She didn’t misunderstand you,” Ye Guichen said coldly. “She likely wanted to use that ‘knife’ and then push the blame onto you, making you the scapegoat.”

“Huachao…” Liu Hening’s eyes lit up as the gloom vanished. She turned a radiant, affectionate smile toward her, whispering that intimate childhood name. “Huachao… the name suits you. Like the spring morning when all flowers bloom.”

Ye Guichen felt a surge of irritation and embarrassment. I was actually being serious with her, and she goes back to staring at me like a lovesick fool.

“What now?” Ye Guichen snapped in a low, sharp whisper. To those watching from afar, they looked like two sisters sharing a secret.

“You were truly comforting me just now. I felt it.” Liu Hening’s smile was warm enough to melt the snow outside the hall.

Ye Guichen felt incredibly awkward. She had spent so much time hating this woman, yet she had just caught herself offering sincere comfort. It was a lapse in character she wasn’t ready to admit.

“We are both wives of the Emperor. It is only right we support one another,” she said, retreating into her shell of official platitudes.

To Liu Hening, Ye Guichen was like a cautious snail. She had finally peeked out her antennae, only to pull them back the second they were touched. But she was happy nonetheless—she had felt a crack in the ice.

…

As the banquet ended, Ye Guichen spoke softly. “Hening, after the guests disperse, come to the Eastern Palace with me, will you?”

“I will,” Liu Hening agreed. She knew Ye Guichen was going to make an example of Lady Sun in front of everyone, and she was willing to play her part.

Soon, Ye Meng announced the order: all concubines were to gather at the Eastern Palace immediately. The harem knew exactly what was coming. It was time for the “Flower Sovereign” to execute the “Chicken” to warn the “Monkeys.”

…

Walking back to the Eastern Palace, the night air was biting. Liu Hening, a daughter of the south, shivered in the northern winter wind. Her ceremonial robes lacked pockets to warm her hands. She remembered how warm Huachao’s hands had felt once before.

Without thinking, she reached out and took Ye Guichen’s hand in hers.

Ye Guichen stiffened. The hand that grabbed hers was as cold as a block of ice. Does this woman have no sense of personal space? she thought. No one wants to hold a piece of ice in the dead of winter. She moved to shake her off, but then hesitated. She has to cooperate with me for the punishment tonight… I’ll just endure it for now.

Liu Hening gave a tiny, satisfied sigh. The hand was soft and incredibly warm—much better than any hand-warmer.

Behind them, the three attendants watched in varying states of shock.

Ye Meng was internally screaming. She’s holding Miss’s hand so naturally! Why isn’t Miss shaking her off? Does Miss… not actually hate her anymore? The thought terrified her.

Yu Zheng and Liu Yan, meanwhile, were beginning to find it quite harmonious. They exchanged a glance, thinking that perhaps, against all odds, the two Empresses might actually become friends. Or perhaps something more interesting.