Empress, Can I? [Transmigration + GL] - Chapter 26

Back in the palace, Xuan Jingchi changed clothes and went to the side hall.

Meng Wan was giving a lecture there. Sitting across from her was Chenxiang, her hair and attire identical to the emperor’s. From a distance, anyone would mistake her for the emperor.

Seeing Xuan Jingchi appear, Chenxiang immediately stood up and bowed, saying, “Your Majesty, you’ve finally returned! You scared me to death. I can’t do this.”

Xuan Jingchi gave a slight smile. “Why can’t you? I thought you did very well today. Next time I go out to play, you’ll continue pretending to be me.”

“What?!!” Chenxiang’s jaw nearly dropped at the mention of a next time.

Xuan Jingchi smiled faintly. “Alright, you may leave now. I wish to rest.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Chenxiang removed the emperor’s outer robe and took off the headdress before exiting the side hall.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?” Meng Wan noticed Xuan Jingchi’s weary expression and stepped closer, whispering, “Did the talks fail?”

“No,” Xuan Jingchi looked up at her, “It went well. My uncle has agreed to stand by my side.”

Meng Wan’s spirits lifted instantly, overjoyed. “With the Right Minister’s support, Your Majesty, the day of your ascension is near.”

Xuan Jingchi forced a smile. “I’m rather tired today, so we’ll skip the lesson. Wan’er, you may return first and rest well. After my ascension, you’ll become increasingly busy and burdened.”

Meng Wan replied, “To share Your Majesty’s burdens, this subject fears neither hardship nor fatigue.” With that, she bowed to Xuan Jingchi and withdrew.

Xuan Jingchi rubbed her temples, leaning back in the chair and closing her eyes.

…

“Your Majesty!” Nuanxiang emerged just as the Empress arrived and made a silencing gesture toward her.

Nuanxiang understood immediately.

“Where is Her Majesty?”

“Her Majesty is currently reading in the side hall.”

Hearing this, Xiao Yueli headed toward the side hall. As she approached, she noticed an unusual silence within.

Something felt different.

She turned and said, “Xiao Rong, guard the entrance. Don’t let anyone disturb Her Majesty’s reading.”

Having served Her Majesty for years, Xiao Rong understood that the Empress wished to speak privately with the Emperor.

She curtsied. “Yes, Your Majesty.” Then she took position at a discreet distance from the hall entrance, preventing others from approaching while ensuring she couldn’t overhear the conversation inside.

Xuan Jingchi reclined in the chair, her head slightly tilted. Even with her eyes closed, her beautiful features retained their enchanting charm.

Her face bore unmistakable sorrow and melancholy.

Xiao Yueli’s heart stirred as if suddenly comprehending something, her face momentarily paling.

Yet she quickly regained her composure.

You’re unwilling, aren’t you?

Gazing at Xuan Jingchi’s face, her eyes softened, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly in a faint smile.

Knowing you’re unwilling… that’s enough for me…

Xuan Jingchi, in this life reborn, I truly wished to understand you more.

But there is no chance now, none at all.

I hope you will be a good emperor.

And you will be—only… I fear I can no longer stay by your side.

A wave of indescribable sorrow and pain surged in Xiao Yueli’s heart.

The thought of leaving… she found herself reluctant…

“Empress?”

Xuan Jingchi seemed to sense something. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Xiao Yueli standing before her.

“This humble consort has disturbed Your Majesty’s rest.”

“No, not at all,” Xuan Jingchi said, her dull eyes brightening as she sat up straight. “Why has the Empress come?”

Xiao Yueli took a few steps back, stopping a short distance from the emperor’s desk, then suddenly knelt and lowered her head.

Word by word, she spoke, “This humble consort awaits Your Majesty’s decree.”

Xuan Jingchi froze, then sprang to her feet. “What decree? I have issued no decree.”

“Your Majesty, it will come sooner or later. Since it is inevitable, I beg Your Majesty to issue it now.”

With that, Xiao Yueli bowed deeply, pressing her forehead to the ground.

Xuan Jingchi hurried forward in alarm, reaching out to help her up, both startled and bewildered. “But I truly have no decree to issue.”

Xiao Yueli neither rose nor lifted her head. “Your Majesty, I have long known this decree would come. I bear no resentment toward you.”

Xuan Jingchi’s grip tightened. “What has happened? Tell me at once!”

Xiao Yueli raised her head, meeting Xuan Jingchi’s gaze with calm eyes. “Your Majesty, do you not intend to depose me? Then please issue the decree.”

Xuan Jingchi’s heart jolted violently!

How did the Empress know she was to be deposed?!

“Empress, you—!” Xuan Jingchi was too stunned to speak.

Xiao Yueli seemed to read her thoughts. “I know Your Majesty met with the Right Minister today. The Right Minister is shrewd and holds the highest position among officials. To secure his allegiance, Your Majesty must have promised him something irresistible.”

“If I am not mistaken, the Right Minister demanded that Your Majesty depose me and take a royal consort—and that consort would be one of his two sons.”

At this, Xiao Yueli looked up at her, her gaze free of blame or anger, her tone steady. “To consolidate imperial power, this is indeed the wisest choice. So, Your Majesty, please issue the decree.”

Xuan Jingchi drew a sharp breath, her heart clenching once more.

The Empress had guessed it all!

And she had guessed with perfect accuracy!

Xiao Yueli waited with lowered eyes, but no decree came from the figure before her.

Breaking the silence, she sighed softly. “Your Majesty.”

Suddenly, arms gripped her, lifting her gently yet firmly.

Xiao Yueli rose slowly with the support of those hands, her gaze inevitably drawn to Xuan Jingchi. “Your Majesty?”

Xuan Jingchi smiled faintly. “The Empress guessed correctly—and yet, she guessed entirely wrong.”

Xiao Yueli’s eyes flickered in surprise. “Your Majesty?”

“The Empress is my lawfully enthroned consort. If I do not wish it, no one can force me to depose her!” Xuan Jingchi’s gaze darkened. “Not the Right Minister, not the entire court, not even the whole world!”

Xiao Yueli gasped. “Your Majesty!” Then her face paled with worry. “If you refuse, even if the Right Minister is your uncle by blood, he will not support you wholeheartedly.”

Xuan Jingchi smiled faintly. “Who says so? I offered him something far better—something neither of my elder brothers could give.”

Something even better?

Xiao Yueli was taken aback. What could be more tempting than a marriage alliance?

Her sharp mind quickly grasped the implication, and she exclaimed in shock, “No! Your Majesty, absolutely not! If you do this, you’ll be branded a traitor to the Xuan imperial clan of the Great Qing Dynasty!”

As expected of the Empress—she had guessed it.

But why was she also opposed?

Xuan Jingchi’s face instantly paled. She turned away, took a deep breath, and straightened her back. “I know. But I have no choice.”

She was acutely aware that if nothing changed, the Great Qing would fall within seven years. Given that, she might as well take a gamble now.

“If I allow the court officials to pursue their selfish interests, engage in internal strife, and let the Great Qing decline, it won’t be long before either rebel uprisings or foreign invasions destroy our nation. When that happens, with our country shattered and our lands torn apart, the Great Qing’s legacy will truly be ruined by my hands.”

“I must seize power and govern directly. I must reform the court and restore the broken empire my father left behind.”

“Aside from dedicating myself to governance, pursuing bold reforms, enriching the nation, and strengthening the military—I have no other path.”

“Empress, I know that in your eyes, I will be seen as a traitor, a madwoman, a heretic.”

“But worse than being a traitor, I fear failing to protect you, failing to protect my elder sister, and failing to protect the countless subjects like Nuanxiang, Chenxiang, Xiao Fu, and Xiao Rong.”

Silent tears streamed down Xuan Jingchi’s cheeks, falling one by one onto the jade floor of the grand hall.

Tears welled up in Xiao Yueli’s eyes as she gazed at Xuan Jingchi’s back, her voice trembling. “Your Majesty shouldn’t do this for me. I don’t deserve it.”

Xuan Jingchi turned back and said, “I’ve already reached an agreement with my uncle. This is my decision—my stubborn choice. It has nothing to do with you, Empress. Don’t blame yourself.”

“Why? Why must you do this?”

A bitter ache twisted in Xuan Jingchi’s heart, an indescribable sorrow making it throb uncontrollably.

A voice inside her clamored, almost bursting forth—Because I love you!

But she looked at Xiao Yueli and said, word by word, “You are my Empress. I must protect you.”