I Got Together with the Goddess [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 61

“Her Majesty summons Consort Qing to attend her tonight. Respect this—”

“It is no matter.” Wanqi Yanjing reached into the medicine chest herself, took out a bottle of golden sore ointment, poured it onto the bite mark, and then wrapped it with a strip of cloth. Tucking her sleeve back into place, she lifted the carriage curtain, making a move to exit.

She paused for a moment, cast a glance back at Jiang Yiqing, and then, with her long legs clad in silver war boots, she stepped out into the daylight.

Jiang Yiqing turned to the female physician and said, “It was too painful just now; I accidentally bit Her Majesty. She won’t be angry, will she?”

The female physician looked at Jiang Yiqing with eyes full of pity and said, “Has no one told you yet? While you are injured, you may act willfully and Her Majesty will tolerate it. Once you return to the capital, you will learn the severity of the situation.”

So what exactly do they mean?

Jiang Yiqing realized that the attitudes of both the female subordinate and this physician were very strange, as if looking at her was more pitiable than looking at a common captive. Even stranger was that all the high-ranking officials here seemed to be women!

“Sister, are you married?” Jiang Yiqing asked the physician.

“Is it not normal to be married at this age?” The physician looked at her suspiciously. “Why are you asking this?”

“Could you perhaps reveal a bit about your personal situation?”

“I do not know how many concubines you took in the State of Zhai, but you should abandon such thoughts here in the State of Qin. You are nothing more than a male consort in Her Majesty’s imperial harem.”

Although the answer slightly missed the mark of the question asked, Jiang Yiqing obtained the information she was fishing for. However, the answer was so shocking that she stared at the woman in a daze.

The physician continued to look at her with that pitying expression and said, “Her Majesty has already bestowed upon you the title of Consort Qing and announced it to the world. From this day forward, you are no longer the Princess Anxu of the State of Zhai, but the Consort Qing of the Empress of Qin.”

Jiang Yiqing understood now. This place truly was a woman-dominated world!

But unfortunately, having arrived in such a world as a noble princess, she had actually become someone else’s consort!

Original Princess Anxu? Please come back quickly! I don’t want to live this life anymore!

Her expression was so stunned that the physician, while applying medicine, said coolly, “You should thank the heavens that Her Majesty spared your life. Did you not agree to this yourself in front of everyone? What more could you be dissatisfied with?”

“…” Jiang Yiqing desperately tried to comfort herself. Being a consort is, to put it bluntly, just “lying flat.” It’s just that the place where I’m lying flat has changed.

She should feel lucky. She wasn’t a female soldier killing enemies on the battlefield, nor was she a miserable soul selling labor on the streets. Her very first thought upon crossing over was to survive—no matter what, she had to stay alive, right?

Seeing her looking like a salted fish that had lost all its ideals, the physician didn’t rub more salt into her wounds. She meticulously applied the ointment, wrapped the injury, slung her medicine chest over her shoulder, and left.

Between her injury and the massive psychological shock, Jiang Yiqing fell into a semi-comatose state from that day on. Fortunately, aside from some jolting, the carriage remained quiet and no one disturbed her. In this way, by the time she regained clarity, she heard a deafening clamor outside the carriage.

“Long live the Empress! Long live! Long live!”

The shouts and kowtows sounded like a mountain collapsing or a tsunami crashing.

Then came a woman’s clear, bright voice: “Her Majesty led the army personally, wiping out the enemy in one fell swoop. Her prestige shakes the four seas! This is truly a blessing for all living beings and a stroke of luck for the state!”

“We, the hundred officials, kowtow in gratitude to Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty is the true Phoenix Daughter of Heaven! We congratulate Your Majesty on your triumphant return!”

…

The countless praises made Jiang Yiqing’s head spin. After a while, she heard the Empress speak. Even without a megaphone, that voice seemed to ring right by her ear. The high level of recognition in that tone truly conveyed a sense of being the center of attention, possessing supreme imperial majesty.

“Today, I have returned with my army, having displayed our might in the State of Zhai. This is not my achievement alone. You, my officials, have guarded the country for me, and the people have protected me. I shall reward everyone according to their merits and grant a general amnesty to the world.”

“Your Majesty is wise!!”

“There is one more matter. On the battlefield, I captured this woman, the Princess Anxu of the State of Zhai. I have now conferred upon her the title of Consort Qing, and she shall enter my harem.”

With those words, the curtain in front of Jiang Yiqing was suddenly lifted. Before she could react, she was scooped up and held by that woman, appearing in everyone’s sight like a trophy of war.

Jiang Yiqing was beyond embarrassed, burying her face and refusing to let anyone see her.

The crowd only saw a woman dressed in red silk, her long hair unbundled and flowing over Wanqi Yanjing’s silver armguards that glittered brilliantly in the sunlight. Though her face was hidden, her graceful and soft figure was enough to inspire intense imagination. Her abdomen was wrapped in a layer of white gauze, with blood faintly seeping through, giving her a fragile, injured appearance that evoked deep sympathy and a certain unspeakable desire. Beneath her skirt, her jade-like, slender ankles and pearlescent feet were exposed, trembling slightly in the winter wind.

“As expected of Your Majesty! To capture such a peerless beauty, we are moved to prostrate ourselves in admiration!”

“The State of Zhai will surely be terrified when they hear of this; from now on, they will fear the heavenly might of our dynasty!”

“Your Majesty’s prestigious name is worshipped by all people. Consort Qing will surely keep it in her heart and be grateful for Your Majesty’s mercy in sparing her life!”

“Haha.” Wanqi Yanjing couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that last sentence.

Jiang Yiqing, on the other hand, was gnashing her teeth in hatred. These people… it was one thing to flatter the Empress, but did they have to disparage her? They weren’t even treating her like a person!

She felt Wanqi Yanjing’s arm tighten around her, and the Empress looked down at her. Jiang Yiqing was forced to lock eyes with those dangerous phoenix eyes. “Why is Consort Qing not happy? I have already promised you that I would spare your life.”

Jiang Yiqing glared at her.

Wanqi Yanjing reached out and grasped Jiang Yiqing’s feet. In the warmth of that palm, the cold feet trembled even more violently. Wanqi Yanjing seemingly brushed her thumb against the sole of Jiang’s foot; seeing her blush, the Empress smiled with satisfaction.

“I see you have been lying down for many days. Come out and get some fresh air,” Wanqi Yanjing said in a voice only Jiang Yiqing could hear, then pulled her onto the horse.

The tall horse marched majestically down the Imperial Road. Jiang Yiqing secretly lifted her head from the Empress’s chest, seeing the neat streets and marketplaces stretching infinitely on both sides. She saw the masses kowtowing on either side of the road, and the civil and military officials along with the honor guard welcoming the Empress back to the palace.

—It was indeed quite magnificent, from the perspective of an Empress.

As the “lucky charm” of the victory, Jiang Yiqing was brought into the depths of the palace. The golden halls, glazed tiles, white marble streets, and rows of auspicious beast statues of the ancient royal family were all presented before her eyes. Midway, the Empress separated from her. Jiang Yiqing was placed in a sedan chair, taken to a palace, and laid upon a bed.

“Consort Qing, my name is Qiu Yu.”

“I am Qiu Xue.”

“We are the head palace maids of this Jiao Lan Palace.”

“We welcome Your Ladyship back to the palace.” Qiu Yu stepped forward, saying soothingly, “We know your previous status was noble, but being a consort of this nation still brings infinite favor and honor. Ordinary people couldn’t even dream of attaining it.”

“Which one of her three thousand harem members am I?” Jiang Yiqing curled her lip and asked.

“…Just you.”

“What?!” Jiang Yiqing couldn’t believe it.

Seeing the Empress’s practiced attitude and methods, Jiang Yiqing had assumed she was being targeted by an ancient version of a “player.” She was already prepared to mourn her tragic fate, only for the maids to tell her—

The harem only had her.

Seeing her disbelief, Qiu Xue said, “My Lady, it is true. Since she was young, Her Majesty has been occupied with countless state affairs and has worked diligently for the country. She has never concerned herself with matters of the heart. The harem has always been empty, which worried the officials greatly. You are the very first person she specifically designated to be brought into the harem.”

—When things are this unusual, there’s bound to be a catch.

Not only was Jiang Yiqing not comforted, but her expression grew even more bitter. She said, “Your Empress couldn’t be a pervert, could she?”

“…” Qiu Yu reached out to cover her mouth and said, “My Lady, watch your words.”

“If you say such things, it’s our heads that will roll,” Qiu Xue’s expression became just as bitter as Jiang Yiqing’s. “You must serve Her Majesty well, otherwise, we will all suffer for it.”

“What’s that? Did I guess right?” Jiang Yiqing had an ominous premonition.

“…” The two hesitated for a moment before saying, “When Her Majesty was still young, the Imperial Father-Consort arranged concubines for her. At that time, he found a group of men and placed them in the Empress’s Eastern Palace. In the end, they were all dragged out and executed by Her Majesty.”

“…” Jiang Yiqing thought to herself: In modern times, she would definitely be a heinous serial killer.

“Since then, no man has appeared in Her Majesty’s palace. No one can figure out her temperament,” Qiu Xue said. “Now, more than ten years have passed. Everyone thought Her Majesty had no interest in such matters, but then she suddenly took a consort.”

“So, if you do not serve her well, you might meet the same end—and we, too, would die.”

What a tyrant!

Analyzing it deeply, there must be some childhood trauma or psychological reason behind why the Empress acted this way. But Jiang Yiqing didn’t know that now; she only knew this person was—dangerous, in every sense of the word.

But now that she had entered the most heavily guarded Forbidden City, how on earth was she supposed to escape?

Even if she did escape, where would she go? Would the State of Zhai still want a princess who had already married the Emperor of another country as a consort? They couldn’t stand her to begin with; wouldn’t she be thrown into prison and persecuted the moment she went back?

“Consort Qing, please receive the edict!”

From outside came a chanting sound accompanied by music. Qiu Yu said hurriedly, “My Lady, let us go quickly to receive the edict.”

What now? Although unwilling, Jiang Yiqing had no choice but to shift her body from the bed.

But before her feet could reach the embroidered shoes on the floor, a person walked in and said, “Her Majesty has specifically instructed that since Consort Qing’s injuries have not yet healed, she need not descend the dais to receive the edict—”

“…Thank you, Your Majesty, for the favor,” Jiang Yiqing said, then asked the two maids, “I said that correctly, right?”

“Consort Qing, please receive the edict.”

Jiang Yiqing looked up again; the female official had already walked right in front of her.

Seeing the woman’s stiff, formal face, Jiang Yiqing had to maintain an obedient appearance and reached out her hands.

“Today is an auspicious day; the Red Phoenix star shines brightly, and heavenly joy arrives at the door. Her Majesty summons Consort Qing to attend her tonight. Respect this—”

Jiang Yiqing stared blankly at the female official, not quite reacting. She had to think twice to process these flowery, archaic sentences.

The official placed the imperial edict into her hands. Seeing her still dazed, she asked, “Consort Qing?”

“…This servant receives the edict.”

Only then did the female official reveal a smile, saying, “Very well. I shall go and relay this to Her Majesty.”

“…”

Watching her leave, Jiang Yiqing opened the edict to look at the handwriting and the seal of the Imperial Jade. The paper used for the edict was even engraved with orchid patterns and carried a fragrance. Everything was quite nice—but she didn’t want this “blessing.”

Jiang Yiqing tossed the edict onto the table, fell back onto the bed, and began to lament: “Why? Why must the heavens toy with me like this? How long has it even been since I crossed over? Is it easy for me? I’m a ‘leftover’ woman who hasn’t even held a boy’s hand, and as soon as I get here, I’m in an unequal marriage? And it has to be executed immediately?!”

“My Lady, what are you saying?” The two maids looked at her, not understanding her modern slang.

Speaking of marriage, Jiang Yiqing did remember one thing, though she had never even met her intended fiancé. For some reason, without her even nodding her head, she had become another woman’s consort.

Not having to share a “wife” with others was fine, but—saying one would do anything to survive was just brave talk. As the saying goes, “he who understands the times is a wise man,” but to actually make her submit… unless—

Unless a knife was held to her throat right now.

But did it really have to be this cruel?

Waaaah, the heavens are unfair to me!

“Kusou (Dammit), distance creates beauty, don’t you understand?” Jiang Yiqing muttered to herself. “I actually do like the Empress’s looks, but doing it this way really kills the vibe. But then again, is there even such a thing as ‘free love’ in ancient times?”