Empress, Can I? [Transmigration + GL] - Chapter 78

The next day, Xuan Jingchi set off back to the capital.

Accompanying her were Mr. Meng, Meng Wan, Leng Qiuci, and Yao Xianhui. To ensure the emperor’s safety, Chi Xiao dispatched two hundred soldiers to escort them along the way.

On the return journey, Xuan Jingchi had no mind to admire the scenery. Thinking about soon seeing Empress Xiao Yueli again, her heart raced with eagerness to return, and she hurried the journey.

Finally, after several days, they arrived at the outskirts of the imperial city, where the escorting soldiers returned to Yanzhou.

Xiao Yueli had received advance notice sent by Yan Xing. She rose early in the morning, and while her maids attended to her toilette, Nuanxiang, Chenxiang, Xiao Fu, and Xiao Rong couldn’t contain their joy, exclaiming, “The Emperor is finally back! How wonderful!”

Around noon, Xuan Jingchi’s carriage arrived. As soon as she alighted, she saw Xiao Yueli and the four maids waiting outside Chenyuan Palace. Since Xuan Jingchi had left the palace incognito, her return was similarly low-key, without any fanfare.

Two months had passed since they last saw each other.

“Yueli,” Xuan Jingchi grasped Xiao Yueli’s hands the moment she saw her, her lips curving upward, though her heart fluttered with nervous shyness.

Xiao Yueli studied her carefully, her voice tender. “You’ve lost weight.”

Nuanxiang, Chenxiang, and Xiao Rong stood nearby, smiling at Xuan Jingchi with tears glistening in their eyes.

Not only had the Emperor lost weight, but her skin had also become rougher, bearing the marks of a long and arduous journey. The three of them thought simultaneously: The Emperor, so noble and accustomed to luxury, must have suffered greatly during her time alone outside the palace.

Xiao Fu’s eyes were red as she said, “Your Majesty, why were you gone for so long? We all missed you dearly and prayed every day for your early return.”

Her voice carried a childlike innocence, her sincere words brimming with unconcealable joy—like a left-behind child finally seeing their parents come home.

Xuan Jingchi sniffled, holding Xiao Yueli’s hand as they walked toward the main hall, smiling as she asked, “Then tell me, who all missed me?”

“Me, of course! Sister Xiao Rong, Sister Chenxiang, Sister Nuanxiang, and… and…” Xiao Fu stole a glance at her mistress but didn’t dare continue.

Seeing her hesitant expression, Xuan Jingchi’s smile deepened. “While I was away, did any of you slack off? Did you serve Her Majesty well?”

“No, no!” Xiao Fu waved her hands frantically, then suddenly nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes! We never slacked off! Every day we urged Her Majesty to eat more, afraid she might lose even the slightest bit of weight.”

“Well done,” Xuan Jingchi praised. “I’ve brought back some trinkets from my travels—you can play with them. Also, I’m rewarding each of you with a gold ingot.”

“Wow!” Xiao Fu clapped her hands in delight at the thought of both toys and rewards. “Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you!”

After her long journey, Xuan Jingchi went straight to bathe upon returning to the palace. Soaking comfortably in the spacious bath, she thought, Home is truly best! Nothing compares to the comfort of home.

She looked down at her chest—the three plum blossom-shaped red marks had diminished by another, leaving only one remaining, stark against her snow-white skin.

Xuan Jingchi sighed inwardly.

Another life used up.

The three lives granted by the divine had dwindled to one before she could even plan how to use them.

This last one must be treasured carefully.

After her bath, her skin regained its usual tender, tofu-like softness.

Xiao Yueli ordered dinner served. Xuan Jingchi glanced at the spread—meat dishes dominated the table, with her favorite fish and chicken placed right before her.

Is the Empress worried I didn’t eat well outside and specially prepared more for me? Just as the thought crossed her mind, the Empress began serving her food. “Your Majesty, eat more,” she said gently, her tone laced with unmistakable concern.

Chenxiang, Nuanxiang, Xiao Fu, and Xiao Rong all nodded in unison. Xuan Jingchi smiled and picked up her chopsticks.

She had never adhered to the rule of silence during meals or sleep, preferring to chat while eating. Now, she launched into vivid tales of her journey—mouthwatering delicacies she’d tasted, bizarre customs she’d witnessed, outrageous boasts she’d heard, and how she’d encountered a swindler, seen through his tricks instantly, and even managed to cheat him out of two taels of silver.

As for the life-threatening dangers? She skipped over those entirely.

This meal, filled with storytelling, lasted a full two hours.

Her tales were fresh and fascinating, things they’d never heard before, and she recounted them with such animated expressions and lively gestures that even the Empress was captivated.

After dinner, Xuan Jingchi stretched and yawned.

Xiao Yueli said softly, “Your Majesty must be weary from the journey. Perhaps you should rest now? We’ll wake you for supper.”

Xuan Jingchi waved a hand, smiling. “No need. I’m not tired.”

After speaking, she got up and went to the side chamber. On the table were stacks of memorials piled high. Chenxiang was sorting them, placing the reviewed ones to one side and those awaiting review to the other.

Upon seeing the Emperor and the Empress arrive, she bowed and withdrew.

Xuan Jingchi casually picked up one of the reviewed memorials and flipped through it. Seeing the elegant and dignified handwriting on the pages, she recognized it as Xiao Yueli’s. She set it down and looked up, saying, “Empress, you’ve worked hard during my absence.”

Chenxiang entered with tea, and Xiao Yueli took the cup from her hands, saying, “You may leave for now.”

Chenxiang withdrew and stood guard outside the chamber.

Xiao Yueli personally handed her the tea, placing it on the desk before her. “Your Majesty flatters me. This humble consort merely sat in the hall writing a few words—how could it compare to Your Majesty’s toils and dangers outside?”

Xuan Jingchi gazed at her fair, jade-like hands, her slender fingers as delicate as scallion stems. She reached out and grasped her hand, giving it a gentle tug. Xiao Yueli tumbled into her arms.

The familiar, delicate fragrance that belonged to Xiao Yueli enveloped her, and Xuan Jingchi’s heart trembled. Unable to resist, she kissed her cheek. “After two months apart, why has the Empress become so formal with me?”

Xiao Yueli’s face flushed unnaturally. “This humble consort speaks from the heart. There is no formality with Your Majesty.”

“Your heart’s words,” Xuan Jingchi curved her lips, “I’d like to hear another one of them.”

More than hearing about hardships, what Xuan Jingchi most longed to hear was undoubtedly those three words—I missed you.

Xiao Yueli’s face grew even redder. Feigning ignorance, she asked, “…What heart’s words?”

Xuan Jingchi chuckled, lowering her head to kiss her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks, and finally brushing lightly against her delicate, rosy lips. “Yueli, did you miss me?”

With that, Xuan Jingchi kissed her lips again, tenderly lingering and gently tasting.

After days without intimate contact, their bodies were especially sensitive.

Now, breathing each other in, their noses filled with each other’s scent, the memories of past intimacy quickly resurfaced. Xiao Yueli tilted her head back, closing her eyes as she shyly yet passionately returned the kiss.

Xuan Jingchi wrapped her arms around the soft, delicate figure in her embrace, greedily savoring the sweetness of her lips. The kiss soon deepened into a long, fervent embrace.

Nearly two months of longing poured into this lingering kiss.

“Yueli, I missed you!”

“I missed you too, Jingchi!”