Empress, Can I? [Transmigration + GL] - Chapter 6

“Nuanxiang, tell me honestly—why did I have to marry an empress?”

Taking advantage of Chenxiang’s absence while she went to summon that convict from the Prisoner’s Bureau, Xuan Jingchi took a sip of tea and casually posed the question.

She was drinking Máofēng tea, but after one sip, she felt it wasn’t as good as the Guāpiàn tea served at the empress’s quarters.

Nuǎnxiāng remained silent, stealthily glancing around at the others.

Understanding her hesitation, Xuan Jingchi said, “All of you may leave. Nuanxiang alone is enough to attend to me here.”

“As you command.” A large group of palace maids and eunuchs promptly withdrew.

“Alright, now you can speak.”

“Your Majesty, you married the empress because… of Young Master Yuan.”

“Young Master Yuan? Who is he?” Xuan Jingchi asked nonchalantly.

“Young Master Yuan… Your Majesty, have you truly forgotten?” Nuanxiang’s gaze held a trace of bewilderment.

When Her Majesty was still Princess Changle, she had been utterly infatuated with Yuan Zhao, thinking of him day and night.

Nuanxiang had no doubt that if Yuan Zhao had asked for the moon, Princess Changle would have tried to pluck it from the sky without hesitation.

As Nuanxiāng was recalling the many instances where Princess Changle, unable to have Yuan Zhao, had vented her frustrations on the servants, she heard Xuan Jingchi’s calm and indifferent voice say, “Ever since I nearly drowned, life has felt like a dream. The past decade seems like a lifetime ago, and I can’t clearly remember many people or events. Cough cough many of my former obsessions have faded.”

She noticed Nuanxiang’s shocked expression and continued, “Perhaps I was too wicked in the past—indulgent and cruel—so Heaven punished me, making me experience the agony of drowning so I could truly repent and start anew.”

Hearing the emperor describe herself as “indulgent and cruel”—what ruler in the world would speak of themselves like that?—Nuanxiang panicked and hurriedly said, “Your Majesty must never say such things! You are of noble birth, exalted in status—of course, there is nothing unworthy about you.”

Xuan Jingchi had never imagined Nuanxiang’s loyalty could be so blind. No wonder she had served the original host so devotedly, despite her cruelty.

With a complicated expression, Xuan Jingchi glanced at Nuanxiang. “I’m human too, and of course, I’ve made mistakes.”

“Now, quickly tell me—why did I marry the empress? Who exactly is this Young Master Yuan?”

“Your Majesty, Young Master Yuan’s given name is Zhao. He was someone you… admired.”

“How did I meet him? And why did I admire him?”

“When Your Majesty was sixteen, you went hunting, and your horse panicked. Young Master Yuán happened to save you, and then you… you just…”

“Alright, I understand.”

Xuan Jingchi thought to herself—so it was just a cliché hero-saves-the-beauty scenario. How trite.

“Then why didn’t I marry Young Master Yuan and instead took an empress?”

“Your Majesty, you were determined to take him as your consort, but Young Master Yuan… he refused. He already had someone he loved—the empress.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Nuanxiang realized how disrespectful they sounded and quickly added, “He was enamored with the then-unmarried youngest daughter of the Xiao family. The Xiao girl had been betrothed three times before, but each time… the engagements were broken by the groom’s family. This matter was known throughout the capital at the time.”

Xuan Jingchi immediately understood—the Xiao family had married their daughter off to someone else, clearly wanting to avoid entanglement with the princess. The broken engagements were likely because the grooms’ families knew the princess was involved and didn’t want the trouble. After all, Princess Changle Xuan Jingchi’s reputation for arrogance and tyranny was well-known.

What an unlucky empress—just because the man the princess fancied fancied her, she ended up single until nineteen.

“And then what happened?”

“Master Yuan refused to be the consort and wouldn’t agree to become the imperial husband either. In your anger, you forcibly married the empress instead. Once the imperial decree was issued, the empress’s family dared not disobey.”

Xuan Jingchi blinked, thinking to herself, the original owner truly resembled a shrewd, villainous supporting character!

If you won’t love me, then I’ll take away what you love! So you can’t have it either!

Ruthless! Brilliant! By marrying Xiao Yueli, she completely severed that so-called Master Yuan’s hopes.

In future encounters, she could even delight in watching Master Yuan’s tormented expression as he longed for her wife but could never have her, hahaha…

“What happened to Master Yuan then?” Xuan Jingchi, who at this moment didn’t feel like a participant in this melodramatic gossip at all, listened with great interest, “Why didn’t he come to settle scores with me?”

“Master Yuan… he died. They say he took his own life at home on the very day Your Majesty married the empress.”

“What?!!” Xuan Jingchi’s heart trembled, suddenly unable to remain detached.

In that instant, she felt like an executioner of love, an emotionless monk like Fahai who forcibly separated lovers.

She had torn apart a devoted couple, leaving them forever separated by life and death.

Xuan Jingchi stared blankly at the sunlight streaming on the floor.

The empress… must hate me to the core!

…

Chenxiang returned shortly, followed by a girl of fifteen or sixteen with a clean and clear appearance. Her eyes were dark and bright, radiating intelligence.

She had clearly dressed up for this imperial audience—her figure graceful, lightly made up, standing before them like the first lotus of summer, elegant and fresh.

“What is your name?”

“This humble servant is Meng Wan.”

“I heard you’ve read some books. What have you studied?”

Xuan Jingchi never imagined she’d be interviewing someone one day.

When she applied at Z&L Company, she went through five rounds of interviews, repeating her self-introduction five times. She had only ever been on the receiving end of scrutiny, never dreaming she’d play the interviewer today.

Seeing Meng Wan answer composedly with proper manners—clearly the product of formal education—Xuan Jingchi asked, “Who taught you to read?”

“Your Majesty, this servant’s learning comes from my mother’s teaching.”

Xuan Jingchi smiled, “It seems your mother was quite learned too. Raising you must have required considerable effort.”

Since she wanted to test the girl’s literary talent, she needed to set a proper examination question. Though if Xuan Jingchi were to pose a math problem, physics question, or even an algorithm challenge, that would be no trouble at all.

When it came to testing literary talent, she was completely out of her depth.

How could she possibly evaluate others when she herself had no literary skill whatsoever?

She glanced at the white magnolia tree in the courtyard and suddenly had an idea. “We command you to compose a poem on the theme of the white magnolia flower,” she declared. “You have half an hour to complete it.”

Meng Wan remained bowed, waiting for the Emperor to continue, but to her surprise, the Emperor said nothing more and simply rose to leave.

“Your Majesty,” Meng Wan called out, instinctively lifting her head.

And then, she beheld the most dazzling brilliance of the Great Qing Empire.

Everyone said the current Empress was extraordinarily beautiful and enchanting—a woman whose smile could topple kingdoms.

Now that she had seen her, Meng Wan realized the rumors were true. The Emperor was indeed peerlessly stunning, a vision of grace and elegance.

Compared to her, Meng Wan felt ashamed of her own plainness and unconsciously lowered her head again.

Hearing her call, Xuan Jingchi paused and turned back. “What is it?”

“Your Majesty has not specified whether it should be a five-character quatrain, seven-character verse, or another form.”

Xuan Jingchi’s expression stiffened slightly. One careless slip, and she had exposed her lack of refinement.

“Hmm, it doesn’t matter. We only care about the quality of the poem, not the form,” Xuan Jingchi replied. Afraid that Meng Wan might ask something else she couldn’t answer, she quickly added, “Half an hour. Make the most of it. We’re leaving.”