Empress, Can I? [Transmigration + GL] - Chapter 41

The candlelight in the room flickered dimly, casting shifting shadows across Lin Zaifu’s face.

He turned to the other person in the room and said, “You claimed that assassinating her during the Mid-Autumn boat excursion would be foolproof, that you had hired the most skilled assassin. And yet, Xuan Jingchi is still alive and well?”

The other man, with a sinister gaze and an ugly countenance, was none other than Xuan Jingchi’s fourth brother, Prince Yin, Xuan Jingmou.

At these words, the corner of his mouth twitched.

He hadn’t expected the assassin sent by the organization to be Leng Qiuci!

Recalling how the dancer he had flirted with at the banquet turned out to be a hidden assassin, Xuan Jingmou secretly felt relieved that he hadn’t provoked her too much that night—otherwise, she might have killed him first.

Still, he didn’t understand why she had failed, even after bribing Li Liu to assist her. But at least she wasn’t foolish—she had silenced Li Liu, eliminating that loose end.

“Father-in-law, this was my mistake. But rest assured, their organization operates cleanly. Xuan Jingchi won’t trace this back to us. I’ll hire another, even more skilled assassin. This time, Xuan Jingchi won’t be so lucky!”

Lin Zaifu gave him a sidelong glance and said coolly, “Is assassination the only method you can think of?”

“This…”

“You’ve already failed once. Do you really think Xuan Jingchi is an idiot who’ll give you a second chance to send another assassin after her?”

“This…” Xuan Jingmou glanced at his father-in-law, noting his half-lidded eyes and composed demeanor. Realizing he must already have a plan, he forced a smile and said, “I’m too dull-witted. Please enlighten me, Father-in-law.”

Lin Zaifu sighed inwardly. His son-in-law had ambition and ruthlessness but lacked strategy and patience.

Sometimes, he regretted not marrying his daughter to Xuan Jingming instead of Xuan Jingmou. At least Xuan Jingming wouldn’t wear his ambitions so openly.

“That old fox Dugu Jin and his cronies are spouting nonsense about how, when Consort Dugu gave birth to Xuan Jingchi, she dreamed of auspicious clouds and divine light, claiming the current emperor is the chosen one, the true Son of Heaven. He’s rallied officials from various ministries to submit memorials urging the Emperor to personally oversee court affairs. The pile of petitions from across the land is nearly burying the cabinet’s desks.”

Xuan Jingmou was startled. “Father-in-law, you can’t agree to this.”

Lin Zaifu shot him another glance. “Why shouldn’t I? Xuan Jingchi ascended the throne by the late Emperor’s decree—her legitimacy is unquestionable. How can I refuse?”

“But if she really comes into power, where will that leave us?”

Lin Zaifu’s gaze turned sharp. “No need to panic. Even if she does take the reins of government, given Xuan Jingchi’s lack of learning and her habitual reckless behavior, I’d like to see how long she can hold her throne—even with Dugu Jinyu’s help—once the people rise in anger.”

He smiled faintly at this point. “Besides, she might not even make it to court.”

“What do you mean, Father-in-law?”

“Dugu Jinyu and his faction plan to use the Heaven Worship Ceremony to ceremoniously welcome her to court, proclaiming her as the Heaven-chosen successor, ordained by fate to inherit the throne. That actually gave me an idea.”

“What idea, Father-in-law?”

“I heard Xuan Jingchi recently posed some riddle in the palace about arranging six sticks into four triangles. Don’t you find that strange?”

“What riddle? Six sticks, triangular shapes…” Xuan Jingmou was utterly confused.

“Never mind the riddle itself. Didn’t your sister say something on her birthday about princes and songstresses being the same?”

“Yes! I remember! Utter nonsense, degrading herself!” Xuan Jingmou gnashed his teeth, still furious at the memory.

“Hold your temper. I’ve also heard your sister enjoys telling peculiar stories.”

Xuan Jingmou stared at Lin Zaifu, baffled. “Father-in-law, what are you getting at? My sister spends her days obsessed with dressing up, hunting for pretty young men, and if anyone in the palace displeases her, a scolding is the least of it—she might just drag them out and beat them to death. You’re saying she tells stories? I’ve never heard of that.”

Lin Zaifu took a sip of tea. “Not only does your sister tell stories, she also poses riddles even the scholars of the Imperial Academy can’t solve. It seems your sister is quite learned.”

Xuan Jingmou scoffed dismissively. “In terms of beauty, my sister ranks first or second in the Great Qing Dynasty. As for scholarship, she’d also rank first or second—just from the bottom, haha…”

He had meant to laugh it off, but a sharp glance from Lin Zaifu silenced him.

“I’ve also heard that after her fall into the water, your sister can’t remember many things.”

Xuan Jingmou gritted his teeth. “Pity she didn’t drown.”

Lin Zaifu gave him a sidelong glance, his smile ambiguous. “That’s no way for an elder brother to speak. She is, after all, your sister.”

His gaze darkened as he watched the flickering candlelight. “In a few days, envoys from the Mo Country will visit. Given Mu Ran’s temperament, he’ll surely have them pose some difficult challenge to the Great Qing Dynasty, just waiting to see us fail.”

“Since your sister enjoys posing peculiar riddles, let her answer it. If she fails, we’ll have grounds to criticize—such an incompetent fool would only disgrace the Great Qing Dynasty, unfit to handle state affairs. Then we can revisit the matter of her presiding over court.”

Xuan Jingmou nodded eagerly. “Excellent, excellent! Hahaha, I can’t wait to see her humiliated!”

Lin Zaifu smiled faintly. “But if she does answer it correctly, your sister would be far too clever. Perhaps she isn’t Heaven-chosen at all, but possessed by evil spirits. As her elder brother, you might need to summon the gods to exorcise her.”

Xuan Jingmou was overjoyed and interjected, “When we exorcise the evil, we’ll spread the word that she’s possessed by a malevolent spirit. The whole ‘chosen by heaven’ nonsense is completely fabricated. By then, let’s see which court officials would agree to let her preside over court! She’ll be lucky to keep her life!”

Lin Zaifu looked at Xuan Jingmou, who had finally shown some intelligence for once, and smiled.

That day, the Imperial Physician came again to examine Xuan Jingchi’s injuries and informed the Empress that Her Majesty’s wounds had improved significantly and she could now eat some duck meat and fish. Xuan Jingchi was thrilled to death. At noon that day, she ate what she considered the most delicious two pieces of duck meat and a bowl of fish ball soup in her life.

After the meal, Xuan Jingchi went to the Archery Pavilion to practice shooting arrows. She still couldn’t ride horses or spar with Wang Zhan, but archery wasn’t affected.

After returning from archery practice, Xuan Jingchi followed her usual routine of bathing and changing clothes. After dinner, she noticed Meng Wan hadn’t come for her lesson.

Chenxiang said, “The Empress instructed Minister Meng not to come tonight. Her Majesty wants you to rest well.”

“Hmm?”

Xuan Jingchi was slightly surprised. Not letting me attend lessons? That doesn’t seem like the Empress’s style. Then it occurred to her that tomorrow, envoys from the Mo Country would be visiting court. As the Qing Dynasty’s most noble mascot, even without real power, she still had to make an appearance.

Could it be that the Empress was afraid I might embarrass myself in front of the court officials and foreign envoys, so she’s telling me to rest well and be at my best?

As she was thinking this, the announcement came from outside the hall that the Empress had arrived.

As soon as Xiao Yueli entered, she saw Xuan Jingchi with a smile on her lips, looking utterly delighted.

“What is Your Majesty thinking about?”

“You.”

Xiao Yueli hadn’t expected Xuan Jingchi to answer so bluntly. She froze momentarily, her cheeks instantly flushing pink. She glared at Xuan Jingchi, but when she turned to Chenxiang, her expression had returned to its usual calm. “All of you may leave. I have something to discuss with Her Majesty.”

“Yes,” Chenxiang replied, leading the two other palace maids out and closing the hall doors behind them.

“Empress, what did you want to tell me?” Xuan Jingchi smiled. “You even canceled Meng Wan’s lesson for me, so you must have a lot to say. Go ahead, I’m listening.”

With that, she rested her chin on her hands, a smile playing on her lips, her eyes sparkling with vitality, exuding the pure and delicate beauty of a young girl.

Looking at Xuan Jingchi like this, Xiao Yueli’s heart swelled with affection.

Tomorrow, the envoys from the Mo Country would arrive—half a year earlier than in her previous life.

Having been reborn, she naturally knew the envoys would bring challenging questions with them.

In her past life, the envoys had presented a mathematical problem about chickens and rabbits sharing a cage. Back then, the incompetent Xuan Jingchi naturally couldn’t solve it. It was a talented subordinate of Lin Zaifu who calculated the answer, which was then delivered by the “exceptionally learned” Prince Yin, Xuan Jingmou.

The problem wasn’t particularly difficult, but it was quite tedious.

In this life, since Xuan Jingchi could solve the problem of how many bottles of wine ten coins could buy, she believed this question wouldn’t stump her either.

Her only concern was whether the envoy might pose a different question this time.

If Xuan Jingchi failed to answer, Lin Zaifu would certainly not allow his people to step in and help her.

This time, Lin Zaifu had deliberately invited numerous officials to the banquet.

He was waiting for this very opportunity—to let the officials witness Xuan Jingchi’s inability to answer, thereby humiliating the Great Qing Dynasty, shaming the Empress, and discrediting Dugu Jinyu.

Naturally, Xuan Jingchi’s position in court would also be affected.

The people all hoped for a wise and mighty emperor; no one wanted their ruler to be an incompetent fool.

Noticing Xiao Yueli’s hesitant expression and the faint worry between her brows, Xuan Jingchi blinked and took the Empress’s hand. “What’s wrong, Yueli? What are you worried about?”

“Your Majesty, if the envoy from Mo Country poses a tricky or bizarre question tomorrow and you can’t answer, don’t take it to heart.”

“No matter what happens at the banquet, remember—you must never lose your imperial dignity. If you lose your temper, it will only give Lin Zaifu more grounds to criticize you.”

“So that’s what you’re worried about?” Xuan Jingchi chuckled. “The envoy is going to test me?”

“They’re testing the Great Qing Dynasty. As the emperor, you’ll naturally be the first to face it.”

“Well then, I’ll just answer the question,” Xuan Jingchi said with a smile.

Seeing her carefree expression, Xiao Yueli shook her head. “What if you can’t answer?”

“If I can’t, then I can’t. The mysteries of the universe are endless—who could possibly know them all? If he tries to embarrass me, I’ll just pose a question back to embarrass him.”

Xiao Yueli watched her spirited, indifferent demeanor. This kind and simple soul had no inkling of the undercurrents swirling beneath the surface.

She smiled faintly. “Your Majesty is right. This concubine has overthought things.”

She had already secretly sent someone to inform Dugu Jinyu.

If Xuan Jingchi truly couldn’t answer tomorrow, and Dugu Jinyu’s people also failed, then they would have to act according to the situation.

“Yueli, don’t worry about this. It’s just answering an envoy’s question—I’m not afraid.” Xuan Jingchi held Xiao Yueli’s hand, laughing as she spoke. “To be honest, what I’m really afraid of is being forced to drink. This is a state banquet—I can’t refuse, but drinking too much will dull my mind. What should I do? Haha, I wonder what dishes they’ll serve at the banquet?”

Seeing her childlike, radiant smile, Xiao Yueli smiled as well. “Your Majesty need not worry. This concubine can handle some wine. Tomorrow, you may eat whatever you wish—I won’t stop you.”

“Really?!”

“Your Majesty has said it yourself—this is a state banquet.”

Xuan Jingchi laughed joyfully, her eyes narrowing into crescents. With her peach-blossom eyes, her smile was all the more captivating.

As Xiao Yueli watched her, she couldn’t help but think—if they had been born into ordinary families, free from the treacherous schemes of the court, spending their days leisurely chatting over tea and wine, what a carefree and happy life that would be.

A lifetime with such an interesting soul would surely be dazzling.

“Yueli, what are you thinking about?”

Xiao Yueli smiled. “Nothing. This concubine is happy seeing Your Majesty happy.”

Xuan Jingchi chuckled, “Hehe, Empress, don’t drink too much either—it’s not good for your health. I had Chenxiang secretly bring me a bottle of plain water to mix in. No one will notice.”

Xiao Yueli smiled, placing her other hand over Xuan Jingchi’s that held hers. Her tone was gentle but left no room for argument, “Your Majesty, no matter what happens, this consort will advance and retreat by your side.”