Her Majesty The Empress Has Made Her Debut In The Center Position [Ancient to Modern] - Chapter 27.1

Even though Yu Cheng was drunk, Ji Zhao and Su Jing finished their hot pot.

Having been Empress for so many years, Ji Zhao was an expert at handling women Su Jing’s age. A few soothing words were enough to put Su Jing in a good mood, and the two quickly hit it off, chatting as if they’d known each other for years. By the end of the meal, Su Jing was practically begging Ji Zhao to adopt her as her younger sister.

Ji Zhao had just taken a bite of gongcai when she heard this. She nearly choked, swallowing some juice to wash it down before looking up in disbelief. “Huh?”

Su Jing laughed so hard her teeth disappeared. “I forgot, it’s not really suitable. After all, you and Chengcheng…”

Ji Zhao let out another slow, drawn-out “ah.”

This was her standard response to ministerial discussions: pretending not to understand even when she did. Earlier, several ministers had been deeply concerned about her marriage. They knelt outside Golden Luan Hall for three days and nights, arguing that since the Emperor never entered the Harem and had yet to establish an Empress, the absence of an Empress meant the realm would never know peace!

Ji Zhao thought it was absolute nonsense. With Yu Cheng guarding the borders, how could the realm not be at peace? It was perfectly peaceful!

But these ministers were seasoned veterans, loyal servants of the state for generations, and they were willing to die to offer their advice. Ignoring them was simply not an option. Ji Zhao’s head was about to explode. She had the Imperial Kitchen deliver three meals a day to their location, erected a pavilion for them during wind and rain, and finally, she knelt down herself.

The ministers trembled with fear. “Your Majesty, this excessive honor will kill us!”

Ji Zhao feigned innocence. “What excessive honor? I genuinely don’t understand your subjects’ request. Do you want me to go to the Harem, find someone, and have a child?”

The ministers wept. “Your Majesty! She understands!”

Ji Zhao swept her long imperial robes aside. “But I simply don’t like sex.”

The ministers: “!!!”

One sentence left the ministers flushed and immediately excused themselves. They all fell gravely ill upon returning home, but the Emperor, being merciful, continued to pay their salaries during their convalescence. Ji Zhao felt she was truly governing the country well and rewarded herself with a hotpot meal.

But now—

Did Su Jing think Ji Zhao was a girlfriend Yu Cheng had found in the entertainment industry?

In the Great Qi Dynasty, women held the highest status. Naturally, as long as they didn’t break the law, women could do anything. There were many female entrepreneurs, and society respected and encouraged them, so Ji Zhao wasn’t surprised by this.

Su Jing’s misunderstanding might actually be a good thing. At least she would be reassured and resume her tour.

Thinking this, Ji Zhao lowered her eyes under Su Jing’s affectionate gaze, a perfectly timed blush on her face. After a long pause, Su Jing chuckled. “Chengcheng has excellent taste. Now I can rest assured.”

She stood up. “I need to catch my flight. Please take good care of Chengcheng.”

The bashfulness vanished from Ji Zhao’s eyes, replaced by surprise. “You’re leaving now? Without watching the Lightness Skill performance?”

“Yes,” Su Jing replied. “I’m pressed for time, and the US is far away. I just came to check on Chengcheng. There will be plenty of opportunities to see the Lightness Skill later. Don’t worry about this mess.” She gestured at the leftovers on the table. “I’ll have the cleaning service come tomorrow.”

She walked around and patted Ji Zhao on the shoulder. “I don’t know why, but I feel a connection with you. I’ll be watching your show and voting for you.”

Ji Zhao escorted her to the door. “I hope I can see you perform live someday.”

Su Jing picked up her suitcase. “You will.”

After seeing Su Jing off, Ji Zhao stood at the door for a moment.

The old residential area felt like two worlds: inside and out. The concrete steps were covered in dust and scattered with messy footprints. The drab walls were plastered with small ads for locksmiths, renovations, and various products.

Any slight noise would trigger the motion-sensor light to come on. Ji Zhao found it amusing, deliberately coughing to make it light up again. She spent some more time looking at the ads, finding the vast world quite interesting. Just as she was enjoying herself, she suddenly heard a light whistle from around the corner of the stairs.

Ji Zhao frowned slightly, noticing a few pebbles at her feet. She discreetly picked them up. A whistle pierced the air again, followed by a greasy laugh: “Hey, beauty, how much for a night?”

Gripping the pebbles, Ji Zhao didn’t even turn around. Two whooshes later, the whistler yelped: “What the hell?! Who’s attacking me?!”

Whoosh—

“Fuck! It hurts! You bitch—”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

“Aaaaaah!” The whistler screeched like a slaughtered pig, never to utter another word. He fled down the stairs, quickly disappearing into the torrential rain.

Ji Zhao opened her palm, letting the remaining pebbles clatter to the ground. They rolled in the dust, losing their significance.

Throughout the entire incident, Ji Zhao never once turned her head.

But the interruption by the greasy whistler had dampened her mood for reading the flyers. Just as the hallway lights flickered out, she was about to cough when she heard clapping from the doorway several steps above.

Clap, clap, clap.

Measured and deliberate.

Yu Cheng’s voice carried amusement: “Your Majesty’s martial arts have truly improved.”

Ji Zhao looked up and saw Yu Cheng leaning against the doorframe, her cheeks flushed but her eyes clear of any drunkenness. She was smiling as she met Ji Zhao’s gaze. Then, she lifted her skirt—once, twice, three times—

Yu Cheng frowned, her voice sharp. “Where are my clothes?”

Ji Zhao: “……”

She thought Yu Cheng had sobered up.

She started walking upstairs. “What clothes?”

Yu Cheng clenched her fists. “What am I wearing now? Why are my legs exposed? Why is there so little fabric? Where is the Golden Silk Soft Armor Your Majesty bestowed upon me? And where are my court robes?”

“How should I know?” Ji Zhao rolled her eyes.

Yu Cheng’s face burned with humiliation. “You saw my legs.”

Ji Zhao said, “Yes, I did.”

Her eyes narrowed, mischief bubbling in her chest. “Not just your legs. I’ve seen your waist, felt your chest, and pressed against your back. How does it feel, Grand General?”

By then, she was right in front of Yu Cheng, her face inches away. “What are you going to do about it?”

Yu Cheng’s humiliation deepened. “A-are you married?”

Ji Zhao hummed in confusion. “Married? Don’t you know whether I’m married or not? Weren’t you the one who advised the Emperor during your audience, saying that since he’s young, people usually establish their careers before settling down, and that we shouldn’t rush the Empress selection?”

Yu Cheng blinked slowly. “I said that to Your Majesty.”

Ji Zhao’s eyebrows arched slightly.

So Yu Cheng had mistaken her for a stranger.

Just as she realized this, a hand suddenly gripped her wrist. Yu Cheng yanked her forward, looming close to peer into her eyes. “I’ve only ever said that to Your Majesty. How do you know it?”

Ji Zhao: “……”

She’d seen drunk people before, but never someone as drunk and unreasonable as Yu Cheng.

When she didn’t answer, Yu Cheng stared at her for a moment before abruptly letting go and stomping down the stairs. Ji Zhao called out, “Yu Cheng, where are you going?! It’s raining outside!”

She dashed back inside for an umbrella and caught up to Yu Cheng downstairs, where the general stood under the building’s eaves, hands clasped behind her back, watching the rain.

The rhythmic drip of water echoed as droplets fell from the eaves, accentuating the loneliness of Grand General Yu’s silhouette.

Ji Zhao sighed in relief. Thank goodness Yu Cheng hadn’t gone far. With her Lightness Skill, she might have been impossible to catch. She stood beside Yu Cheng, following her gaze for a moment before asking, “What are you actually looking at?”

Yu Cheng softly hissed, “I’m thinking.”

“About what?”

“About Your Majesty.”

“……”

“How lonely it must be for Your Majesty, being alone in the Imperial Palace.”

“When has she ever been alone in the palace?” Yu Cheng countered. “Wherever she goes, there’s always a crowd of people swarming around her, impossible to shoo away. Even when she sleeps, guards stand watch. How could she possibly be lonely?”

“Are you really not lonely?”

Ji Zhao was momentarily stunned by Yu Cheng’s sudden soul-searching question. After a moment of reflection, she had to admit, “Fine, maybe just a little. The palace can be awfully boring.”

Even the beauty of the Imperial Gardens grows tedious after seeing it every day. The most melodious zither music becomes tiresome after hearing it constantly. Watching plays to pass the time only leaves her feeling even more bored when the curtains fall.

So she turns to reading memorials.

She reads until the moon fills the western pavilion, searching for Yu Cheng’s among them. When she finds it, she reads it carefully, savoring Yu Cheng’s descriptions of local customs. When she doesn’t, she grows irritable, muttering, “That Grand General Yu! How dare she go so long without submitting a memorial? Just wait until I see her—then I’ll teach her a lesson!”

Yu Cheng smiled. “Your Majesty has never punished me.”

Ji Zhao declared proudly, “Of course not. I am a wise sovereign.”

“But I’ve disappointed Your Majesty,” Yu Cheng said, lowering her gaze, her voice tinged with melancholy. “I’ve failed to live up to Your Majesty’s expectations. She must have waited so long for me… How heartbroken she must be.”

Something exploded in Ji Zhao’s mind, like ants devouring something. Her body swayed, and when she came to her senses, Yu Cheng was gone. She froze, then focused her gaze—

At some point, Yu Cheng had walked a hundred meters away, into the neighborhood’s overgrown recreational area. Long neglected, the space was choked with weeds, and the abandoned, colorful slide stood out vividly against the drizzle.

Ji Zhao approached, holding an umbrella, to find Yu Cheng perched atop the slide’s highest point.

Ji Zhao: “……”

Looking up, Yu Cheng said, “Get down here.”

Yu Cheng remained motionless.

Ji Zhao snapped, “You’re not listening, are you?”

Only then did Yu Cheng slowly lower her gaze. “Miss, you’re very fierce.”

Ji Zhao smiled. “Am I? Am I even fiercer than Your Majesty?”

Yu Cheng shot her a disapproving look. “Your Majesty is not fierce at all. She’s very gentle. She even came to see me off when I went on campaign. We’d had an argument, and I thought she wouldn’t come, but she still rode out in the rain. Her crimson cloak fluttered in the downpour—it’s a memory I’ll treasure for a long time.”

After a moment of silence, Ji Zhao finally said, “…That’s because the Grand Tutor said if I didn’t see you off, it would disappoint all the ministers. And I wasn’t allowed to eat hotpot for a month.”

Yu Cheng acted as if she hadn’t heard. “Your Majesty wants to see the peach blossoms.”

Ji Zhao hesitated. “What do you mean? Where… where are you going?!”

Yu Cheng lightly pushed off, already descending from the slide’s peak. Her figure darted through the rainy night, swiftly disappearing beyond the neighborhood. Ji Zhao stared in shock, then flew into a rage.

Yu Cheng was completely out of control when drunk! How dare she make the Emperor chase after her in the rain? She deserved punishment! Absolutely deserved punishment! Just wait until she got back…

Suddenly, the scene before her blurred.

Yu Cheng had returned at some point, her thin body soaked and utterly pitiful. She murmured, “You have to come with me,” and wrapped her arms around Ji Zhao’s waist. Before Ji Zhao could react, she was lifted into the air.

The wind snapped the umbrella ribs, flipping the canopy inside out. The sudden weightlessness made Ji Zhao instinctively cling to Yu Cheng, burying her face in her embrace. “Yu Cheng! Where are you taking me?!”

Yu Cheng’s voice was calm. “To see the peach blossoms.”

Ji Zhao: “……”

In this godforsaken weather? Where would you even go to see peach blossoms?

Yu Cheng didn’t know either. She aimlessly carried Ji Zhao through the rain until Ji Zhao exclaimed, “A shop! There’s a flower shop over there!”

Yu Cheng froze. “A flower shop?”

“Yeah! It’s full of flowers.” Ji Zhao was frantic. If they kept flying like this, someone would probably take a photo and post it online. Then she and Yu Cheng would really become famous. “There must be peach blossoms in there.”

Yu Cheng pushed off the wall. “Let’s go.”

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