Empress, Can I? [Transmigration + GL] - Chapter 39

The next day, the entire palace learned that the Emperor had issued a puzzle involving six bamboo sticks, with a reward of thirty bolts of silk for whoever solved it.

As a result, palace maids, eunuchs, guards, and even the kitchen cooks were all fiddling with sticks, trying to figure it out.

Xiao Fu sought out Chenxiang, but when Chenxiang couldn’t solve it, she turned to the most learned among them—Meng Wan.

Despite Meng Wan’s extensive knowledge of classics and history, she racked her brains to no avail.

When Xuan Jingchi heard about it, she merely chuckled to herself.

Around noon, an attendant announced that the Grand Princess and the Princess Manor’s female official had arrived for an audience.

Xuan Jingchi was overjoyed. “Show them in at once!”

Upon entering, Shangguan Wei noticed the palace staff all frowning in deep thought and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on?”

Chenxiang then cheerfully recounted the question the Emperor had posed the previous night.

Shangguan Wei nodded with a smile, “That’s quite an interesting question indeed.” She turned to Xuan Jingning and whispered, “Your imperial younger sister is truly clever and quick-witted, not the incompetent fool that outsiders claim her to be.”

Xuan Jingning frowned slightly, “Don’t speak nonsense.”

Unexpectedly, Xuan Jingchi overheard this and laughed, “Even fools can be divided into stupid and clever ones. Perhaps I’m fortunate enough not to be an utterly hopeless fool.”

Shangguan Wei giggled sweetly, “Your Majesty, your temperament would suit my uncle’s taste perfectly.”

Xuan Jingchi smiled and leaned in to whisper, “I was just joking. I hope my elder sister and sister-in-law won’t take offense.”

Hearing this, Xuan Jingning blushed and stood there awkwardly.

Shangguan Wei, however, remained composed and said with a laugh, “No offense taken, none at all. Though I don’t see my sister-in-law here.”

Xuan Jingchi thought to herself, Shangguan Wei is quick-witted indeed. I called her sister-in-law, and she in turn refers to the Empress as her sister-in-law.

She ordered the meal to be served and added, “Invite the Empress to join us for the meal.”

Because there were guests, meat dishes finally appeared at lunch, and Xuan Jingchi was so moved she nearly shed tears. Unfortunately, with the Empress present, she still couldn’t eat a single piece of meat.

Xuan Jingning asked, “Little sister, has your injury improved?”

“Much better,” Xuan Jingchi replied with a smile. “Once I’ve fully recovered, how about a match with elder sister?”

Xuan Jingning raised an eyebrow—this was the first time in her life she’d heard her sister propose a martial contest. It seemed this younger sister had truly changed too much; the one who used to love dressing up now actually wanted to wield weapons.

She smiled faintly and said, “Very well, it’s a promise then. When you’ve recovered, I’ll come find you.”

Xuan Jingchi had long heard from Wang Zhan that her elder sister was highly skilled in martial arts. The opportunity to spar with such an expert was exactly what she desired. She laughed heartily, “I’m certainly no match for elder sister. Please remember to go easy on me and don’t beat me too badly.”

Xuan Jingning had naturally heard about Leng Qiuci’s incident and snorted, “Leng Qiuci is utterly audacious! His crime warrants execution! Little sister, let me avenge you…”

Shangguan Wei frowned. The Emperor had already made a decision on this matter, and besides, the Emperor being severely beaten wasn’t something to boast about. She nudged Xuan Jingning with her elbow and whispered, “Eat your meal!”

Xuan Jingning indeed fell silent and lowered her head to eat.

Xuan Jingchi, however, showed no discomfort and personally served dishes to her elder sister and sister-in-law. Xiao Yueli instructed servants to pour wine for the two guests and graciously invited them to enjoy the meal.

After the meal, Xuan Jingchi and Xiao Yueli invited Xuan Jingning and Shangguan Wei to a side chamber, with Chenxiang guarding outside.

Xuan Jingning said, “Little sister, aside from visiting you, I came to tell you that our uncle has nearly completed building momentum. It’s estimated that in at most two months, he will respectfully welcome you back to court.”

Xuan Jingchi’s previously relaxed and cheerful expression turned solemn. “Understood. I must thank elder sister and uncle!”

Xuan Jingning pondered and said, “The Left Chancellor’s faction won’t give up easily. In these two months, they will certainly counterattack. You must be careful—incidents like the Mid-Autumn boat capsizing might happen again.”

“Thank you for the warning, elder sister. I’ll be extra cautious.” Xuan Jingchi bowed deeply. “I can never repay elder sister’s kindness to me. I’ll remember it in my heart.”

Xuan Jingning was startled to see her perform such a grand gesture and quickly stood up to help her. “What gratitude or not? You’re my little sister, family. There’s no need for such formality.”

The more sincere her tone, the more unsettled Xuan Jingchi felt in her heart. She couldn’t help but think—what if one day Xuan Jingning discovered she was an imposter and not her real sister at all?

What would happen then?

Shangguan Wei had been gesturing something when she suddenly said, “Your Majesty, I’ve figured out how to arrange those six sticks!”

Xuan Jingchi was taken aback but soon realized she was referring to yesterday’s geometry problem. She couldn’t help but laugh. “How does Sister-in-law plan to arrange them?”

Shangguan Wei replied, “Place three at the bottom in a triangular pattern, and the other three should descend from a single point in the air, meeting the converging points of the bottom three.”

Hearing this, Xuan Jingchi looked Shangguan Wei up and down once more before clapping her hands. “Sister-in-law is truly brilliant! To think of such a solution! Wonderful, wonderful! I admire you! I’ll have someone deliver those thirty bolts of silk to your residence.”

Shangguan Wei smiled faintly, not bothering with modesty. “Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty! I was merely curious—how did Your Majesty come up with such an interesting puzzle?”

Oh no! Xuan Jingchi panicked inwardly. If she claimed divine inspiration, someone as sharp as Shangguan Wei would never believe it.

Xuan Jingchi’s persona was that of a fool. Even if she studied hard, her strength lay in literature—she absolutely shouldn’t understand this sort of thing.

What to do?

For the first time, Xuan Jingchi felt a twinge of panic. Though Shangguan Wei wore a smile, her heart pounded nervously.

“Lady Shangguan,” the Empress suddenly spoke up beside her. Graceful and composed, her tone was unhurried. “To be honest, this puzzle was something Her Majesty and I came up with while idling around. My father once accidentally acquired a book from a foreign land, filled with little brain-teasers to pass the time. It sat neglected at home, so I brought it over to flip through. Unexpectedly, Her Majesty saw it and took a great liking to it, often perusing it for leisure and amusement.”

Shangguan Wei nodded with a smile. “What book is it? It sounds fascinating.”

The Empress: “…”

Xuan Jingchi interjected, “Geometry. If you’d like to read it, I’ll have it sent to your residence once I’m done.”

“Geometry? What a strange name,” Shangguan Wei chuckled. “A gentleman does not take what another loves. Besides, if I read the book, the fun would be lost. Why not have Your Majesty pose a puzzle for us to solve? That would be far more entertaining.”

Xuan Jingchi smiled faintly. “Sister-in-law is astute and learned. I’ve learned much from you.”

Shortly after, Xuan Jingning and Shangguan Wei took their leave.

On the way back to the residence, Shangguan Wei remarked, “Your little sister is quite unique, isn’t she?”

Xuan Jingning felt a sense of relief. “She is a bit different. Perhaps she’s matured since getting married.”

Shangguan Wei said, “I can see the Empress and your sister get along very well. You don’t need to worry about any discord between them.”

“How can you tell?”

“When I jokingly referred to the Empress as your sister-in-law, your sister smiled brightly, showing she accepts the title—that’s the first point. Your sister wants to eat meat but always checks the Empress’s expression first, hesitating despite her craving—this shows she deeply respects the Empress, the second point. When I asked your sister how she came up with such a question, the Empress immediately stepped in to defend her, afraid I might bully her—proving the Empress also cares for your sister, the third point. Based on these three observations, not only is there no discord between them, but they share an exceptionally close bond.”

Xuan Jingning nodded with a smile. “You really pay attention. I understand the first and third points, but the second one—does not letting my sister eat meat mean the Empress is doing her a favor?”

Shangguan Wei shook her head. “You’re so sharp when leading troops in battle, yet so dull in everyday matters. Don’t forget, your sister is still recovering from an injury.”

“Oh, right, right! I almost forgot.” She looked at Shangguan Wei and laughed. “With someone as clever as you by my side, why should I bother thinking?”

“But when we first got together, you weren’t this slow.”

“Haven’t you heard? Women in love become foolish.”

Giggle… Ning’er, then I prefer you a little foolish. Best if you stay this way forever…