Double Queens GL - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“Sigh…” Ye Meng could only sigh. Her mistress was peerless in beauty; even though she had been raised in the lap of luxury and favor, her temperament and talent were exceptional. She was never arrogant despite the adoration she received. One could not find a better woman in all the world. Ye Meng hated the Emperor for his fickle nature. In the past, he had showered her mistress with praise and appeared devoted, but now it seemed it was all nothing but a hollow charade. Ye Meng felt a bitter resentment, but what could she do for her mistress besides share in her indignation?

“A-Meng, why do you look more distressed than I do?” Seeing Ye Meng’s face clouded with worry, Ye Guichen felt she could no longer afford to be despondent. Not every woman in the world won her husband’s heart; did that mean life simply stopped? Even if not for herself, she had to carry on for those around her.

“I just feel it’s so unfair for you. When the late Emperor and Empress were alive, you were so honored, and now…” Ye Meng began to cry. The higher the peak of her mistress’s past favor, the deeper the valley of her current loss.

“A-Meng, I am not a delicate orchid that can only survive if sheltered in a room and coddled. If others do not love me, must I spend my life in self-pity?” Ye Guichen gently took Ye Meng’s hand, her voice soft yet laced with a newfound resolve.

“I suppose so. If you can truly move past this, Miss, that is for the best,” Ye Meng said, wiping her eyes and managing a smile. She remembered the late Empress saying that Ye Guichen was “soft on the outside but firm within.” Her mother had also said that as long as a woman does not lose her heart, she will not be hurt and can live well. If her mistress could truly withdraw her affection from the Emperor, it would be a blessing.

“It’s alright. Things cannot get any worse,” Ye Guichen thought. The situation was actually slightly better than her worst fears; by retaining the title of Empress, she kept her dignity and a better standing in the palace. Having grown up watching the deep love between her aunt and uncle, she had once harbored romantic expectations for Yang Zhao. This farce of deposing and reinstating had shown her exactly where she stood. To turn a wife into a concubine is a supreme insult to a woman, and Ye Guichen had never been so humiliated—especially by the husband she had once looked up to. The greater the expectation, the deeper the disappointment.

If Yang Zhao had truly cared for her, he would have known that no woman wants to be “sensible” and play the part of the “understanding, virtuous wife” at a time like this. It was all just swallowing blood and broken teeth. She would no longer seek the Emperor’s love; from now on, she could only rely on herself.

“I’m a bit hungry. Go fetch some lamb soup,” Ye Guichen said. She knew her lack of appetite had worried Ye Meng. Even if she didn’t feel like eating, she knew she had to brace herself and show she was moving on.

“Yes! I’ll tell the imperial kitchen immediately!” Ye Meng was overjoyed, taking this as a sign that her mistress was truly recovering.

…

The Grand Wedding of Two Empresses

While most concubines in the palace were waiting to see which way the wind blew—causing Ye Guichen’s Changle Hall to grow quiet—Liu Henning’s Changqing Hall was a whirlwind of activity. Preparations for the Emperor’s second wedding were in full swing. When he married Ye Guichen, he was merely an imperial heir; now that he was Emperor, the ceremony was to be far more magnificent.

Yang Zhao was eager to be a groom again, but the free-spirited Liu Henning found the endless rituals agonizing. The ceremonial robes were tried on and altered repeatedly, and the rules of etiquette were recited until she was bored to tears.

“Can we really not skip the grand wedding?” Liu Henning asked with a frown after shedding the heavy robes.

“Every woman in the world dreams of this! No matter how much you dislike ceremony, you can’t skip this. Just endure it; the month will pass quickly,” Liu Yan said. “The Emperor said that as long as you get through these days, you can live as freely as you did in Jiangdu afterward.”

“Being an Empress is truly tedious,” Liu Henning remarked. To find peace, she escaped into her ink and brushes, painting a portrait of Guanyin. Whenever she was troubled, her art restored her inner balance.

When the palace servants brought the phoenix crown for a fitting, they were moved by the serenity of her painting. Yu Zheng, observing her over the past week, noted how Liu Henning’s warmth and genuine smiles had already won over the staff of Changqing Hall. Whether it was calculated charm or true nature, Yu Zheng realized this new mistress was no ordinary woman.

Finally, the day arrived. Yang Zhao succeeded in quelling the court’s dissent—he would not depose Ye Guichen, but would instead instate two Empresses. On the wedding day, Yang Zhao was at the height of his triumph. He had the empire and the woman of his dreams. He commanded the civil and military officials and all the concubines to offer their congratulations, wanting to broadcast his joy to the world.

Ye Guichen, however, found the prospect of attending her husband’s wedding to another woman deeply unpleasant. Despite her mental preparation, she felt a surge of bitterness, which she carefully masked behind a facade of dignified grace.

When Liu Henning entered the hall, Yang Zhao descended from his throne to meet her. Even in her heavy, brilliant bridal attire, her ethereal spirit and the vivid red mole between her brows made her look like a goddess who had stepped into the mortal realm.

Across the hall, Liu Henning spotted the beauty she had encountered in the plum orchard—Empress Ye Guichen, now dressed in solemn, magnificent regalia. Because Liu Henning loved all things beautiful, she felt a genuine spark of joy at seeing the “Flower Goddess” again and offered her a bright, warm smile, as if greeting an old friend.

Ye Guichen, however, acted as if they had never met. She returned a polite, distant smile and a composed nod of acceptance. Behind her submissive and virtuous exterior, however, was a cold indifference.

Liu Henning didn’t mind the cold shoulder. Instead, she felt a pang of sympathy for the woman. It must be so hard for her to stand here and offer congratulations while her husband marries another, she thought. Junshen truly has no fear of breaking a beauty’s heart!

Yang Zhao, seeing Ye Guichen’s lack of resentment, felt a wave of satisfaction. Her “propriety” pleased him greatly. He looked at her stunning face—still as breathtaking as the day he first saw her—and felt a surge of affection. He appreciated how her cautious and meticulous nature complemented Liu Henning’s free spirit. Feeling utterly successful, he reached out to take Ye Guichen’s hand and led her to the Empress’s seat on his left, so they could receive the officials’ homage together.

Sitting on the throne, Ye Guichen felt as though she were wearing a mask. Every expression was a lie. She caught Liu Henning’s gaze out of the corner of her eye and felt a flush of annoyance. This woman knows who I am and yet smiles so ‘sincerely’—she must be an expert at pretense, Ye Guichen thought.

When Liu Henning noticed the glance and looked back, Ye Guichen quickly averted her eyes, staring straight ahead to hide her perceived humiliation.

Liu Henning saw the slight panic in the Empress’s eyes—the same look she had in the plum orchard. She doesn’t seem to like me very much, Liu Henning mused. What a pity. I quite like her. Behind that dignified mask, there seems to be another Ye Guichen entirely. This could be interesting.

Yang Zhao sat between them, beaming with pride, completely unaware that neither of his two Empresses had their hearts on him.