The princess narrowed her eyes and carefully examined Jiang Chenbi. Her first impression of Jiang Chenbi was that she was too pale.
Especially under the sunlight, her skin was dazzlingly white.
Next came her beautiful face. Unlike Cui Wangshu’s coldly striking presence, Jiang Chenbi’s upward-slanting eyes shimmered with captivating allure at every glance.
Jiang Chenbi pursed her lips, frowning in annoyance as she whispered something to the palace maid beside her. Even her petulant anger carried an enticing air of feigned reluctance, her seductive charm innate.
No wonder Cui Wangshu refused the marriage alliance. If she had such a wife, she would also want to forsake all other women in the world.
The palace maid quietly reminded her of something, and only then did Jiang Chenbi look up and notice the people in the pavilion. Meeting the woman’s scrutinizing gaze, she raised an eyebrow.
Judging by her attire, this must be the princess from the Yuan Kingdom.
The princess noticed Jiang Chenbi looking at her too and curved her lips into a smile as she rose and walked over.
“You must be Her Majesty the Empress. I am the Second Princess of the Yuan Kingdom, Wanyan Aqi.”
Jiang Chenbi returned the courtesy, lowering her gaze as she said, “Jiang Chenbi. Welcome, Princess Wanyan, to Great Zhao as our guest.”
Wanyan Aqi curved her lips again. Even their speaking styles were similar between the wives. Her gaze fell on the sheer fabric of Jiang Chenbi’s damp clothes, and she frowned. “Her Majesty the Empress has water on her clothes. Would you like a shawl?”
With that, she raised her hand, and the maid behind her presented a shawl with distinct Yuan Kingdom styling.
A flicker of surprise passed through Jiang Chenbi’s eyes. She hadn’t expected the princess to have such an attitude. Meeting the genuine concern in her eyes, Jiang Chenbi shook her head and smiled lightly. “It’s fine. It’ll dry soon.”
Jiang Chenbi had never intended to make things difficult for her. She had come to find Cui Wangshu from the start and simply hadn’t expected to run into the Yuan Kingdom’s princess here.
She had originally thought that, due to the marriage alliance, the princess might view her unfavorably. But now, it seemed her own thinking had been too narrow-minded.
Between women, there was more mutual appreciation. She had sullied that sentiment.
Her gaze shifted to the pavilion behind her, and Jiang Chenbi curved her lips. “I wonder if Princess Wanyan has time to join me for a cup of tea?”
Wanyan Aqi curved her lips and nodded. “It would be an honor.”
She had originally thought Jiang Chenbi would make things difficult for her, but she hadn’t. Jiang Chenbi’s demeanor was gentle and approachable, without the haughtiness typical of royalty. Wanyan Aqi couldn’t help but feel a sense of closeness toward her.
Once seated in the pavilion, the palace maids served tea and pastries. Jiang Chenbi looked at the tea cakes on the plate and thought of the Yuan Kingdom’s milk tea as she asked, “Having come from so far away, Princess, do you like Great Zhao’s cuisine?”
Wanyan Aqi replied, “Great Zhao’s food is rich and delicious, but I think I still prefer the cuisine of the Yuan Kingdom.”
Jiang Chenbi caught the implication in her words but did not bring up the marriage alliance.
Under imperial power, even a princess often had little say in many matters. Having come from afar, she deserved proper hospitality, so as not to tarnish Great Zhao’s reputation as a land of propriety and etiquette.
“Does the princess have any plans for today?” Jiang Chenbi took a sip of tea and asked mildly.
Wanyan Aqi shook her head. “I’m not familiar with Great Zhao and don’t know the places to visit in the Capital City.”
Hearing this, Jiang Chenbi furrowed her brows slightly. Wanyan Aqi had come as a representative of the Yuan Kingdom—Cui Wangshu shouldn’t have been so neglectful, should she?
Relaxing her brows, Jiang Chenbi deliberately softened her expression. “I’ve been cooped up lately too. Would the princess be willing to accompany me out for some fun?”
She would entertain the guest properly first. As for Cui Wangshu, she could deal with her after handling this.
Surprise flashed in Wanyan Aqi’s eyes. She hadn’t expected Jiang Chenbi to say such a thing. Looking into her bright eyes, a warmth bloomed in her heart.
She had traveled thousands of miles to a foreign land, feeling out of place and uneasy. That morning, Cui Wangshu had even warned her, making her worry that her impulsive actions had brought disaster upon the Yuan Kingdom. She had been on edge ever since.
Yet now, not only did Jiang Chenbi not make things difficult for her, but she had also seen through her discomfort in this foreign country and proactively invited her to go out together.
Born and raised in Great Zhao, why would Jiang Chenbi need her company? She was simply sparing her pride by framing it as Jiang Chenbi needing accompaniment.
Curving her lips, Wanyan Aqi lowered her gaze. “Thank you, Her Majesty the Empress.”
Jiang Chenbi smiled and, looking at the somewhat cumbersome attire on her, asked, “Does the princess need to change into something lighter? It would be more comfortable for going out.”
Wanyan Aqi glanced down at her formal robes and nodded. “Yes, I should. Please wait for me, Your Majesty the Empress.”
Jiang Chenbi turned to the palace maid beside her. “Take the princess to change clothes.”
Wanyan Aqi followed the palace maid to change. When she returned, she spotted another familiar figure in the pavilion—Cui Wangshu.
She lowered her head slightly, saying something that seemed like coaxing. Jiang Chenbi frowned and shook off her hand, her expression displeased. Cui Wangshu good-naturedly reached for her arm again, leaning in to coax her further.
Seeing this scene, what was left for her not to understand? Between these two, it wasn’t the traditional emperor-empress dynamic but true wives—wives who had vowed to spend a lifetime together until their hair turned white.
Thus, even as the Female Emperor, Cui Wangshu was willing to humble herself to coax her wife. And her wife…
Thinking of how Jiang Chenbi had cared for her from start to finish, Wanyan Aqi curved her lips.
Her wife was a woman whose personal charm outshone even her beauty.
Jiang Chenbi shook off Cui Wangshu’s hand again. Catching sight of Wanyan Aqi standing not far away from the corner of her eye, she plastered a smile on her face—a stark contrast to the impatience she had shown toward Cui Wangshu moments before.
Cui Wangshu saw the bright smile between her brows and her gaze darkened. She frowned and shot a glance back at Wanyan Aqi.
Wanyan Aqi, who had been glared at: “…”
Jiang Chenbi smiled and said, “Then let’s go.”
Wanyan Aqi pressed her lips together. Why did she feel like they couldn’t leave?
Sure enough, Cui Wangshu said to Jiang Chenbi with seeming helplessness, “It’s too dangerous outside…”
Jiang Chenbi’s face suddenly turned cold as she stared at Cui Wangshu.
She remembered giving Cui Wangshu face just now.
“What do you mean ‘dangerous’? What did you tell me back then? That as long as I told you, I could go out. What are you doing now? If something happened to me in the Capital City, it would mean your guards need replacing—not that you should restrict my freedom.”
Cui Wangshu gritted her teeth and defended herself. “What I said was to tell me in advance, and I’d go with you.”
Jiang Chenbi frowned at her. “The Capital City is so small—where haven’t we been before? Why do I need you to accompany me?”
Cui Wangshu’s face turned cold, her tone icy. “Jiang Chenbi!”
The two seemed on the verge of arguing, all because Jiang Chenbi wanted to go out with her. Wanyan Aqi suddenly felt like thorns pricked her back, her toes curling into the ground.
Jiang Chenbi turned her face sideways and saw Wanyan Aqi’s awkward expression. She suddenly calmed down, cleared her throat lightly, and said, “Fine, just send people to follow us. Why do you keep locking me up?”
Wanyan Aqi pressed her lips together. It seemed she had overheard something extraordinary. So the Empress’s comment about being “cooped up” wasn’t a joke?
In front of outsiders, Cui Wangshu didn’t want to argue with her. She took a deep breath. “No.”
Jiang Chenbi whipped her head around. “You!”
Cui Wangshu added, “I’ll go with you.”
Jiang Chenbi looked into her serious eyes and asked suspiciously, “Really?”
Cui Wangshu nodded. “Really. I’ll go change clothes.”
Jiang Chenbi lifted her chin. “Go on, then. Be quick.”
Cui Wangshu pressed her lips together without a word and turned to leave.
Wanyan Aqi watched this scene, stunned in place. Was this really something a ruler of a nation would do? It nearly upended her understanding.
She glanced at the surrounding palace maids and guards, all wearing expressions of utter normalcy, and shook her head in disbelief.
After Cui Wangshu left, Jiang Chenbi said, “She’ll be quick. Let’s sit and wait a bit.”
Wanyan Aqi hesitated. “Won’t this delay Her Majesty the Female Emperor from handling state affairs?”
Jiang Chenbi waved her hand. “You saw it yourself—she insisted on going. If she doesn’t finish her affairs, that’s her problem.”
She secretly hoped Cui Wangshu wouldn’t finish, so she wouldn’t come back to pester her that night.
Though she said that, Wanyan Aqi still felt uneasy about the Female Emperor and Empress accompanying her out to play. She hesitated again. “How about we don’t go?”
Jiang Chenbi frowned. “She’s already gone to change. It’s fine—just think of it as accompanying me. No need to feel burdened. That attitude of hers is all an act anyway.”
She had finally gotten a chance to go out—she wasn’t about to let it slip.
Wanyan Aqi recalled Cui Wangshu’s increasingly cold gazes and thought silently: Is it really an act? Why did she feel like she might get run through with a sword at any moment?
Cui Wangshu returned quickly, now dressed in ordinary clothes. Seeing her without the dragon-embroidered robes for once, Jiang Chenbi felt a moment of daze, as if she were once again the Minister of Rites.
The two beauties standing together didn’t overshadow each other—one cold, one warm; one ethereal and aloof, the other innately seductive—yet they complemented each other perfectly.
Jiang Chenbi still harbored resentment over Cui Wangshu’s recent misdeeds and the medicine box of Jade Face Asura hidden under her pillow, so she deliberately ignored her.
Cui Wangshu pressed her lips together and silently followed no more than half a meter behind Jiang Chenbi.
Wanyan Aqi felt chills all over. With the Female Emperor following behind, and her walking ahead—what was this?
But she didn’t dare lag behind. Getting too close to Jiang Chenbi would draw Cui Wangshu’s displeased gaze, but getting close to Cui Wangshu felt like she might actually be killed.
Weighing the options, Wanyan Aqi decided to keep distance from both wives—but mainly from Cui Wangshu.
Once they left the Imperial Palace and boarded the carriage, Wanyan Aqi felt a relief she had never known. The killing intent radiating from Cui Wangshu was overwhelming. She had heard tales of how this Female Emperor had slain her sovereign and her father.
In the other carriage, Jiang Chenbi gazed at the scenery outside the window, not sparing Cui Wangshu a single glance.
Cui Wangshu ground her teeth, displeased. “Why aren’t you talking to me?”
Jiang Chenbi turned back to her and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you know why I’m ignoring you?”
She could forgive last night’s teasing under the pretext of applying medicine, but afterward, Jiang Chenbi had tried multiple times to have a proper talk—only for her to evade it.
Now she couldn’t stand being given the cold shoulder? What had she been doing earlier?
Moreover, the Jade Face Asura medicine under her pillow—though Jiang Chenbi hadn’t confirmed the details yet, she had her suspicions. Though she felt some guilt, it didn’t stop her anger over the matter.
A hallucinogenic and addictive substance was something no ruler should ever touch.
