Double Queens GL - Chapter 40

Chapter 40

“Don’t be so formal! I promise you won’t have called me ‘Sister’ for nothing.” Zhang Qingyu was genuinely delighted to have gained a sister. Back home, she had no female siblings—only two older brothers and two younger half-brothers. Her biological mother had passed away early, and her stepmother hadn’t bothered much with her. As a result, by eighteen, she had mastered none of the ‘four arts’—zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting—and even her needlework was a disaster.

In prominent families, a daughter-in-law’s reputation and skills are everything. Once word got out that the eldest Zhang daughter lacked any semblance of “virtue and talent,” no one came to propose. Her father, Master Zhang, was frantic. Aside from her beauty, she was “useless” by societal standards. He didn’t expect her to be selected for the palace, but somehow, she was.

“Sister, is your supply of silver-silk charcoal insufficient this month?” Yu Changping asked, unable to resist. She felt a chill and wondered why a favored concubine like Zhang Qingyu wouldn’t have a surplus.

“I have no idea. Xiao Xuan, do we have enough charcoal?” Zhang Qingyu asked her maid. It was immediately obvious she didn’t manage a single thing in her own household.

“To answer the Talent: we have plenty of charcoal in Xiyu Hall,” Xiao Xuan explained. “However, our Beauty dislikes stuffy rooms. She finds this temperature just right, though it might be cold for Talent Yu.”

Yu Changping felt a wave of “envy-jealousy-hatred.” Strong health and abundant ‘yang’ energy… she actually finds the heat annoying? At this temperature, I’d be shivering under three quilts!

“Sister’s health is truly enviable; you aren’t afraid of the cold at all,” Yu Changping said wistfully. She’d gladly trade her intelligence for such a robust body.

“I’ve always been sturdy. I can count the number of times I’ve been sick on one hand,” Zhang Qingyu bragged. “Actually, I sometimes wish I could be delicate like you. It’s so much more endearing. But I’ve been as strong as an ox since I was a child; I can’t even pretend to be fragile.”

Strong as an ox… Yu Changping mused. She was tired of living in a body that felt like it was made of thin glass.

“That’s wonderful. Unlike me—even though the internal office sends enough charcoal, I’m so sensitive to the cold that I always run out,” Yu Changping sighed.

“Your health really is too poor. Tell you what—I’ll have my eunuchs send my extra charcoal to your Anshou Hall. Fu Wang! Stoke the fires here higher for my sister!” Zhang Qingyu ordered generously.

“Really?” Yu Changping’s eyes widened with joy. This sisterhood is paying off already.

“Of course! I have more than I can use anyway.” Seeing Yu Changping so happy, Zhang Qingyu felt a surge of pity. Unfavored concubines are so pathetic, getting this excited over a bit of charcoal. Good thing she had the sense to recognize me as her sister.

“Thank you, Sister. You are too kind,” Yu Changping bowed gracefully, her eyes shimmering like autumn ripples.

Zhang Qingyu looked at her—so delicate, so piteous. She thought: I’m a woman and even I want to protect her; how could a man not love this? “Has the Emperor seen you lately? How could he not favor you?”

“I was sick for years and looked terrible. I’ve only seen him once since entering the palace,” Yu Changping lied smoothly. “I’ve been recovering, but my body is still ungrateful.”

“You must get well. Next time I see the Emperor, I’ll put in a good word for you.”

“I am grateful, Sister. The Eastern Empress once offered to introduce me too, but I refused. I know my limits. I’m too weak to… perform my duties. If I were to ruin the Emperor’s mood, I would only implicate you and the Empress.”

“Are you really that weak?” Zhang Qingyu asked, confused. “Is ‘serving’ really that strenuous for you?”

“Yes, my health is very poor.”

“Actually,” Zhang Qingyu leaned in and whispered, covering her mouth, “it’s not that intense. Although the Emperor is in his prime, his ‘stamina’ isn’t what it used to be.”

Yu Changping’s mouth fell open. Is she really saying the Emperor is… incompetent? This ‘straw-bag’ really has no filter! Does she not know you can’t just say the Emperor is bad in bed?

“Sister! You must never say that again!” Yu Changping lunged forward to cover Zhang Qingyu’s mouth, acting terrified.

“I’m not stupid; I wouldn’t say it to just anyone! I only told you because I trust you,” Zhang Qingyu said, looking proud of her “secrecy.”

A fool never thinks they are a fool, Yu Changping thought. She’s known me for two hours and she trusts me with a secret that could get her executed? Fortunately for her, I don’t have a murderous heart, or she’d have been sold ten times over by now.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell someone?”

“Would you?” Zhang Qingyu parried.

“Of course not.”

“See? I know what I’m doing. I can tell you’re not a bad person, just like the Central Empress. My intuition is very accurate.”

“Your intuition is… certainly something,” Yu Changping smiled. At least the “straw-bag” was right about her not being a villain—though she was currently “mooching” her charcoal and taking advantage of her.

Yu Changping glanced at Xiao Xuan. The maid looked like she was suffering from a permanent headache, clearly exhausted from managing her brainless mistress. When Yu Changping’s gaze met hers, Xiao Xuan looked away. She felt a strange wariness toward this “delicate” Talent, sensing she wasn’t as simple as she appeared.

“So,” Yu Changping asked curiously, “who else in this palace does your intuition tell you is ‘not bad’?”

“The two Empresses are fine. I tried to ‘hug the thigh’ of the Eastern Empress at first, but she’s so cold and hard to please. The Central Empress is different—she’s nice to everyone, especially me.”

“And besides the Empresses?”

“I dislike Sun Caine (formerly Sun Meiren). Su Qingqing and Li Lian are just… there. And Wang Suzhi is absolutely annoying…” Zhang Qingyu went down the list, unfiltered.

Yu Changping listened, comparing the descriptions to the gossip she’d heard. It turned out Zhang Qingyu’s “feelings” were remarkably accurate. Maybe she really is just a ‘lucky cat’ that happens upon the right conclusions, she thought.