The Regent Keeps Flirting With Me - Chapter 14

Inside the hall, Zhou Jin stood far away from Shen Lingyan, her eyes filled with grievance. She was moments away from wiping away tears in front of the Empress: “Empress Sister, what is wrong…”

Shen Lingyan felt repulsion just by looking at her, repulsed by her deception and manipulation, and repulsed by all the elaborate schemes she constructed just to elevate herself while diminishing Shen Lingyan.

“Zhou Jin… that flower viewing banquet you mentioned, in fact, starting from that entire pond of lotus flowers, all of this was part of your calculation, wasn’t it… Heh heh.” Shen Lingyan’s tone was now laced with sarcasm, the ridicule in her eyes undisguised.

Zhou Jin initially thought Shen Lingyan was just having an ordinary fit of temper, but she hadn’t expected the situation to be this serious. Her expression turned cold, and after thinking for a while, she opened her mouth to explain: “I never calculated against you…”

Before Zhou Jin could finish her explanation, Shen Lingyan interrupted with another cold laugh: “Enough. There’s no need for Your Royal Highness, the Regent, to explain to me. Two words: I don’t believe you.”

With that, she threw another porcelain bottle. This was the first time she had given in to her temper and acted out, making people feel as if they were catching a glimpse of the erratic, mad Empress from before.

“Has Her Majesty the Empress… returned to her old ways?” The ministers outside whispered, discussing the matter. Before they could reach a conclusion, Zhou Jin walked out of the Zhaohui Hall with a darkened face. Just as she was about to leave, she stopped, turned around, and shouted: “What I, Zhou Jin, have not done, I simply have not done!”

With that, she ignored the testing gazes of the ministers, turned and left through the palace gates, vanishing from sight.

“This…” The ministers were too frightened to breathe, unsure whether to stand or go, sweating under the hot sun.

“Yun zhu…” Hearing Shen Lingyan’s slightly hoarse voice call out, Yun zhu hurried in. “Tell those ministers to leave. Today’s matter will be discussed in tomorrow’s court.”

Yun zhu nodded, handed over a cup of tea, and then turned to relay the message. Upon hearing this, the ministers were practically beaming with joy, giving perfunctory greetings asking if Shen Lingyan was feeling better, but their feet moved quickly. Only Dai Sulan remained standing on the porch, her eyes full of worry.

“Why is the Madam still here?” Yun zhu bent slightly, looking at Dai Junwu’s family still resting and drinking tea in the guest room, somewhat confused.

Dai Junwu walked out, laughing heartily, showing no sign of having his mood ruined.

“Since we have recognized Her Majesty the Empress, we should remain by Her Majesty’s side no matter when or where. This holds true today, and every day,” Dai Junwu spoke with great authority. Just then, there was a creaking sound from the main entrance of the Zhaohui Hall. The door opened, and Shen Lingyan’s haggard face appeared before everyone.

“Thank you for your trust, General. I will naturally protect the empire well.” With these words, Dai Junwu’s last bit of worry dissipated.

Dai Junwu’s family and Shen Lingyan resumed their seats. This time, the atmosphere was lively. Shen Lingyan kept raising her cup and drinking until she finally slumped over the table, unable to drink anymore. Only then did Dai Junwu’s family return home.

Yun zhu looked at the completely drunk Shen Lingyan, shaking her head as she and another young maid helped her back to the sleeping chamber. As Shen Lingyan collapsed onto the bed, she was still vaguely mumbling something.

“Don’t believe…”

She kept repeating these two words, frowning, and wouldn’t let Yun zhu help her undress, instead grabbing the corner of the quilt and burrowing under it.

Yun zhu didn’t insist. She signaled the maid to withdraw with her, looking at the setting sun, feeling a sense of confusion.

Was the situation truly as Shen Lingyan thought?

The next morning, Shen Lingyan sat up, rubbing her dizzy head from the heavy intoxication as she drank the hangover soup brought by Yun zhu.

While drinking the soup, Shen Lingyan had the maids help her pin up her hair, and under Yun zhu’s supervision, she also drank the medicine prescribed by the Imperial Physician.

With everything ready, Shen Lingyan stared intently at herself in the mirror. How should she face Zhou Jin in court today?

No matter how much Shen Lingyan delayed, it was no use; the time still arrived. She lifted her skirt and reluctantly walked towards the sedan chair. The Empress’s day began again with the eunuch’s sharp voice.

It was overcast today, unlike the fine weather yesterday. Shen Lingyan looked up and couldn’t see the sun. The air was damp and muggy, as if it were about to rain.

Shen Lingyan suddenly remembered that the first time she met the presumptuous Zhou Jin, it was also a rainy day. Only a few days had passed, yet her relationship with Zhou Jin had been a rollercoaster of ups and downs. Looking back, even Shen Lingyan herself couldn’t believe things had developed this way.

But the bonds between people come quickly and go quickly. Shen Lingyan no longer intended to force anything. Her transmigration into this world didn’t mean the original characters’ personalities would change; those who were meant to be deeply cunning were still there.

“As long as Zhou Jin is not removed, she will remain a thorn in my side,” Shen Lingyan gritted her teeth and spoke this truth. Now she was merely using herself to pave the way for Zhou Jin’s prestige, but what about later… using herself to ascend the throne?

Zhou Jin was ambitious, and so was Shen Lingyan.

One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers—Shen Lingyan had understood this since the moment she transmigrated. The sedan chair swayed gently, and the step-shaking ornaments on Shen Lingyan’s head swung along with it, but her expression was unusually cold; the turbulent clouds in the sky were less intimidating than she was.

The court procedures were the same as always, yet everyone could tell that Shen Lingyan was in a bad mood. The ministers, already under low pressure because of Zhou Jin’s early morning outburst, were even more afraid to speak now that they saw the Empress was also displeased.

“No matters to report?” Shen Lingyan’s words were filled with sarcasm. She had seen clearly at yesterday’s flower viewing banquet that this group of ministers, who seemed respectful to her, were all completely bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Like Tao Feng, they dared not speak against Zhou Jin but exerted themselves against Shen Lingyan.

This left Shen Lingyan disheartened and even more enraged.

Seeing that Shen Lingyan was about to lose her temper, the ministers dared not hesitate any longer and began reporting their work as usual. Shen Lingyan, unlike before, actually understood several of the issues and even offered many suggestions.

“Your Majesty… is brilliant!” This was the third minister to sincerely praise Shen Lingyan. They had never dared to expect any strategy from this Empress, but now they saw that her prestige was directly eclipsing that of the Regent, Zhou Jin.

“Finally… I want to discuss yesterday’s matter in the Imperial Garden.” Shen Lingyan sat on the Dragon Throne. Outside, thunder rumbled, and hundreds of lamps were lit inside the hall, illuminating it brightly.

The few who had attended the banquet, having witnessed the chaos, were holding their breath, waiting to see how Shen Lingyan would handle the situation.

“Tang Quan’s corruption and bribery, and his son’s failure to report it, are all crimes punishable by death. Does anyone else have any doubts regarding the decision of Myself and the Regent?”

These words were supremely authoritative, instantly shocking those ministers who had expected an explanation or an apology. They were stunned and unsure what to say, as if they hadn’t yet recovered their senses.

However, a black-clad guard standing by the palace gate heard everything clearly and slammed his fist against a pillar outside: “Shen Lingyan has actually become intelligent…”

Before the words could fully drop, the guard was knocked unconscious by a person dressed in a light purple gauze garment, floating like an immortal. That person dragged the guard away, destination unknown.