Empress, Can I? [Transmigration + GL] - Chapter 29

Upon entering the cabin, Meng Wan was already waiting there.

Meng Wan bowed and said, “Your servant, Meng Wan, greets Your Majesty and Her Majesty.”

Xuan Jingchi replied, “Tonight is for moon viewing—everyone, relax. There’s no need for formalities between ruler and subject.”

With that, she insisted on seating the Empress first before sitting down beside Xiao Yueli herself.

Xuan Jingchi turned to the other table where Nuanxiang, Chenxiang, Xiao Fu, and Xiao Rong were seated and said, “Today is a festival—eat whatever you like, drink whatever you prefer. No need to stand on ceremony.”

“Great! Thank you, Your Majesty!” Xiao Fu giggled. “Then we won’t hold back!” With that, she picked up a mooncake and took a bite, then asked, “Sister Chenxiang, which jug is that Western grape wine you mentioned?”

Nuanxiang and Chenxiang exchanged smiles, and the four of them began pouring drinks for themselves, chatting and laughing freely.

Not knowing which flavor of mooncake Xiao Yueli preferred, Xuan Jingchi asked, “Empress, which kind do you like? I had the kitchen prepare white lotus seed paste, salted egg yolk, mung bean, and even rose-flavored fillings.”

Xiao Yueli found it quite novel that such fillings could be wrapped in mooncakes. “Your Majesty, how did you come up with this?”

Xuan Jingchi smiled mysteriously, “The gods told me.”

“The gods?” Xiao Yueli didn’t expose her casual fabrication, smiling faintly instead. “Your Majesty truly enjoys divine favor.”

In the end, Xiao Yueli tried one with lotus seed paste.

Meng Wan didn’t get to choose—she ate the rose-flavored one personally selected by the emperor. Watching Meng Wan struggle through it with a pained expression, Xuan Jingchi chuckled to herself, thinking, “The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose.”

After the three of them had a few drinks, Meng Wan and Xiao Yueli began composing poetry under the moonlight over the lake.

Xuan Jingchi couldn’t understand any of it, let alone contribute. At most, she could recite a couple of lines: “How long will the full moon appear? Wine cup in hand, I ask the sky.”

Later, seeing her obvious discomfort, the two spared her and continued their poetic duel, each line more competitive than the last, until it became a meeting of equals, a mutual admiration between kindred spirits.

The potency of the grape wine gradually took effect. Xuan Jingchi, having drunk a cup and gently caressed by the evening breeze, began to feel her head spin.

She overheard Nuanxiang sighing to Chenxiang, “The moon hangs so high in the sky—who knows how far away it really is?”

Xuan Jingchi, half-dazed, laughed and said, “Three hundred eighty-four thousand kilometers.”

Nuanxiang and Chenxiang: “???”

Xuan Jingchi explained, “Simple. Sunlight reflects off the moon and takes 1.28 seconds to reach Earth. The speed of light is three hundred thousand kilometers per second. Do the math, and it’s roughly three hundred eighty-four thousand kilometers.”

“Your Majesty, what are you talking about? Sun, moon, reflection, three hundred eighty-four thousand kilometers? Tell us another story instead!”

Xiao Fu approached, bending down to look at the emperor, who was propping up her dizzy head with one hand.

Xuan Jingchi shook her head. “Can’t… can’t talk anymore. How about I give you a riddle instead? Whoever answers correctly gets a reward.”

“What riddle?”

Xuan Jingchi grinned. “Listen carefully. Two coins buy one bottle of wine. Four corks can be exchanged for one bottle of wine. Two empty bottles can also be exchanged for one bottle of wine. If you have ten coins, how many bottles of wine can you drink at most?”

Xiao Fu immediately started counting on her fingers, muttering to herself.

On one side, Nuanxiang, Chenxiang, Xiao Fu, and Xiao Rong frowned and counted coins and bottles on their fingers. On the other, Xiao Yueli and Meng Wan composed poetry under the clear breeze and bright moon.

Xuan Jingchi stared dreamily at Xiao Yueli’s silhouette under the moonlight.

The Empress is so beautiful!

Truly, “Under the moon, a beauty like jade; in this world, none can rival Yueli.”

As she gazed, her vision grew hazy, her mind muddled, and the sounds around her gradually faded.

“Your Majesty, you’re drunk,” Xiao Yueli said, turning her gaze to Xuan Jingchi, who sat motionless with her head propped up. She walked over and gently patted her back.

“Hmm?” Xuan Jingchi forced her eyes open and, seeing the Empress, nodded eagerly like a pecking chick. “Excellent poetry, excellent poetry! Please continue. I’m listening.”

Xiao Yueli curled her lips into a smile and bent down to help Xuan Jingchi up.

Suddenly, the entire boat lurched. Caught off guard, Xiao Yueli lost her balance and swayed sideways.

A soft gasp escaped her lips.

Xuan Jingchi sobered up instantly and lunged forward to grab her. Naturally slender and having trained in martial arts for half a year, she was now remarkably agile.

The sudden commotion sent waves of screams and exclamations rippling through the surroundings.

As Xiao Yueli crashed into the railing on the side of the large ship, Xuan Jingchi’s fingers finally grasped her hand and was about to pull her back.

Under the moonlight, a thin, cold glint flashed toward her—

aimed straight at her throat!

Xuan Jingchi instinctively raised her hand to block it, but her mind suddenly recalled the fishing line she had seen that day. This thin thread flew toward her with terrifying speed. If it struck, her palm would be sliced clean in half.

In desperation, Xuan Jingchi quickly retracted her hand and ducked, slipping beneath the flying thread.

At that moment, Xiao Yueli collided with the railing behind her—yet the expected sharp pain never came, nor did she hear the loud thud of impact.

The railing snapped cleanly the instant she hit it.

Xuan Jingchi was stunned!

Under the moonlight, Xiao Yueli, like a fluttering jade butterfly, tumbled from the ship.

The weight in Xuan Jingchi’s hand suddenly dragged her down. With a cry of “Yueli!” she too fell.

As Xuan Jingchi plummeted through the air, she saw silver threads glinting in the moonlight, flying toward them in a deadly web, their cold gleam terrifying in the darkness.

In that instant, she realized—this was an assassination attempt! Someone wanted her dead!

She didn’t care if she died, but she couldn’t let Xiao Yueli perish with her.

“Your Majesty!” Meng Wan was the first to react, leaping from the ship.

Unaware of the danger posed by the threads below, she thought only that the Emperor and Empress had accidentally fallen into the water. Without hesitation, she dove in to save Xuan Jingchi.

Just as Meng Wan was about to collide with the threads and be sliced into pieces, the terrifying strands vanished—disappearing without a trace, as swiftly as they had appeared.

With a splash, Xiao Yueli hit the water.

“Save the Empress first—” Xuan Jingchi’s words were cut short as she too plunged into the lake.

“Your Majesty—” Meng Wan also fell into the water, the icy lake flooding her nose and mouth, a chilling reminder that she couldn’t swim.

Xiao Rong had already jumped from the ship and was swimming toward them.

Having experienced a fall into water before, Xuan Jingchi wasn’t as panicked as the first time. Splashing frantically, she shouted, “Save the Empress! Save the Empress— cough—”

Xiao Rong swam toward the Empress.

Nuanxiang and Chenxiang were horrified. Chenxiang cried out, “Someone! Anyone! What are you standing around for? Go save them now!”

Three eunuchs who knew how to swim immediately jumped into the water in panic.

Xuan Jingchi flailed in the water, swallowing large gulps of the lake. In that instant, she recalled Newton’s third law of motion and forcefully pushed her hands downward while kicking her legs.

The principle was sound, but unfortunately, she misjudged the force and direction. Xuan Jingchi plunged underwater again.

What to do?

Having experienced drowning once before, in this critical moment, Xuan Jingchi simply held her breath and stopped struggling. Soon enough, her body naturally floated upward.

When she surfaced, she barely managed to lift her head for air. Seeing Xiao Rong holding onto Xiao Yueli, she felt relieved. Turning her head, she noticed Meng Wan flailing desperately, about to sink. Frantically, she shouted, “Wan’er, stop moving! Human density is similar to water’s… mmm… if you stay still… mmm… you’ll float.”

Whether Meng Wan didn’t hear her or was too panicked from her first drowning experience, she continued thrashing wildly.

Spotting the nearest eunuch, Xuan Jingchi yelled, “Save Meng Wan first!”

The eunuch, who had been swimming toward her, turned to rescue Meng Wan upon the emperor’s command.

Xuan Jingchi remained floating until the second eunuch arrived and pulled her ashore.

Fortunately, all three were rescued in time without serious harm, though Meng Wan had swallowed the most water and was vomiting continuously on the ground.

Ignoring her soaked clothes clinging to her body, Xuan Jingchi scrambled up and rushed to kneel before the Empress. “Empress! Empress! Are you alright?”

Xiao Yueli lay trembling in Xiao Fu’s arms, chilled by the autumn lake water. Wrapped in Xiao Fu’s outer robe, she curled into herself, gazing intently at Xuan Jingchi.

The emperor’s face was streaked with water, droplets falling steadily from her hair. Though pale from the cold, her eyes burned bright with unconcealed worry.

For some reason, Xiao Yueli felt an inexplicable calmness, as if something inside her had melted into warmth. She reached out a hand. “Your Majesty… are you unharmed?”

Xuan Jingchi clasped her hand firmly, offering a reassuring smile. “We are well, perfectly fine. Don’t worry about us, Empress.”

After giving her hand a final squeeze, Xuan Jingchi stood and ordered, “Escort the Empress back to the palace. Have Minister Meng Wan returned to Qinghui Pavilion. Summon the imperial physicians immediately.”

“As commanded!”

Chenxiang accompanied Meng Wan back to Qinghui Pavilion, hastily explaining the situation to Lady Zheng. Horrified to learn her daughter nearly drowned, Lady Zheng tearfully helped the maidservants carry Meng Wan inside to rest.

When the imperial physician arrived shortly after, he examined Meng Wan before leaving to prepare medicine. As Lady Zheng kept vigil, a knock came at the courtyard gate. Assuming the physician had returned, she sent a maid to answer.

It was Leng Qiuci, who had rushed over upon hearing the news. “How is Sister Wan?”

Lady Zheng replied, “The physician said she’ll recover after taking some medicine.”

Relieved, Leng Qiuci took charge when the medicine arrived, insisting, “Auntie, you should rest. Let me care for Sister Wan.”

Only after watching Leng Qiuci administer the medicine and seeing her daughter fall into deep sleep did Lady Zheng’s anxiety ease slightly.

Later, Mrs. Zheng sat by the bed and fell asleep leaning against the chair. Leng Qiucheng called for a maid, and together they helped Mrs. Zheng back to her room to rest. “Auntie, Sister Wan will be fine. You should rest too. If she wakes up tomorrow and finds out you stayed up all night, she’ll only blame herself.”

Mrs. Zheng nodded. “Thank you for your trouble, Xiao Leng.”

Leng Qiuci smiled. “Auntie, don’t say that. I should be the one thanking Sister Wan for saving me from Prince Yin.”

After settling Mrs. Zheng to sleep, Leng Qiuci returned to Meng Wan’s room.

By then, it was late at night, and everyone had gone to bed. The room was silent.

Meng Wan stirred in her sleep, and Leng Qiuci leaned over to tuck the blanket around her.

Looking at Meng Wan’s pale face, she sighed. “Sister Wan, why did you jump in? Was that despicable emperor really worth risking your life for?”