Chapter 154: I Will Be Your Legs!

Shangguan Liqian, who was supposed to be fast asleep on the bed, opened her eyes almost the moment Luo Wushuang left.

After such a sudden, catastrophic change, how could she possibly sleep?

She had only been pretending for Wushuang’s sake, not wanting her to worry. Now that Luo Wushuang was gone, she no longer had to endure the facade.

Liqian stared blankly at the carved canopy of the bed. After a long moment of silence, she began to ponder how she could dissuade Wushuang from following her to Spirit Spring Valley.

After her encounter with Feng Liuli in that dream, she had a nagging feeling that this journey would not be smooth. Otherwise, there would be no reason for a figure as prominent as the Nether Lord to go to such lengths.

Yet, she still had no inkling of what the Nether Lord actually wanted from her. Could she have guessed wrong? Was the Nether Lord truly doing all this simply to vent frustrations on behalf of his sister?

Thinking it over, that seemed highly improbable.

Liqian let out a long, internal sigh. Her elegant brows furrowed instinctively as she wondered where Luo Wushuang had run off to. What is she doing out so late? Is she hiding somewhere, crying her eyes out?

Recalling how clingy yet obedient the girl could be, Liqian felt a sense of helplessness. During the day, she could tell Wushuang had already made up her mind to go with her. Knowing Wushuang, even if she were tied to the bed, she would probably find a way to drag the entire bedstead along with her just to catch up.

It was both laughable and heartbreaking.

Just as Liqian was sighing, unsure of what to do…

Luo Wushuang, having finished her emotional venting, finally released the poor, battered tree and crept back into the bedchamber.

[Secret Guard: That unlucky Empress is finally gone. Tree-brother, we have both suffered today, haha…]

Hearing the faint sound of movement outside, Liqian slowly closed her eyes, discreetly evening out her breathing.

Wushuang slipped onto the bed quietly. Seeing that her sister was still “deeply asleep,” she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Good, good. I didn’t wake her up…

Feeling fortunate, Wushuang carefully pulled the woman into her arms and pressed a tender kiss to the beauty’s forehead. In a voice as soft as a whisper, she murmured:

“Don’t be afraid, Sister. From now on, I will be your legs. I won’t let you feel out of place.”

The sound of her voice, raspy from crying, made Liqian’s heart tremble violently.

This girl… she really did find a place to cry instead of sleeping?

What a fool. How can she be so foolish?

Even though Liqian tried her best to maintain control, her eyelashes couldn’t help but flutter slightly. Wushuang assumed it was just her imagination and didn’t think much of it, simply pulling her closer.

Cradled tightly in that embrace, listening to Wushuang’s powerful heartbeat, Liqian answered softly in her mind: Alright.

The lingering trace of regret in her heart was healed by this embrace and that single, love-filled sentence. It didn’t matter if she couldn’t stand up; she still had Wushuang.

Hidden from Wushuang’s sight, Liqian’s thin lips curled into a faint, gentle smile. Then, wrapped in that warm embrace and the steady, comforting rhythm of her heart, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Perhaps she was truly exhausted, or perhaps the embrace was simply too reassuring, but by the time Liqian woke up, the sun was already streaming through the cracks in the window and onto the bed.

She had expected to be alone in the bedchamber at this hour, but as soon as she opened her eyes, she met Wushuang’s smiling gaze.

Liqian reached out to stop Wushuang’s face from leaning in too close and frowned. “Why didn’t you go to court today?”

Wushuang leaned over, smoothing out the slight crease in her sister’s brow, and spoke coaxingly, “There’s nothing major happening in the capital lately. I wanted to be lazy for once. Don’t be mad, Sister~”

Liqian knew exactly what she was thinking. With a sigh, she said gloomily, “Only when you act like your usual self will I not feel like a burden.”

She didn’t mean to sound so severe, but this was something they had to address sooner or later. Luo Wushuang was the ruler of a nation; she was destined not to revolve around a single person. She had her empire, her people…

Wushuang shook her head, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she protested, “You are never a burden, Sister. Never.”

With her sister by her side, the sky looked like the sky, flowers looked like flowers, and the grass looked like grass. Without her, none of it had any meaning.

Seeing Wushuang on the verge of tears, Liqian’s heart and gaze softened instantly.

“Alright, be good. Don’t cry.” Liqian patted Wushuang’s head as the girl leaned in, whispering, “You aren’t allowed to do this tomorrow.”

“Mm-hmm.” Comforted by the head pat, Wushuang nodded obediently.

After breakfast, Master Yujing was invited over again.

Following another round of acupuncture and sutra chanting, tendrils of black mist drifted from Liqian’s body. The color appeared much lighter than it had the previous day.

The second day and the third day followed the same pattern.

While Liqian was confined to her bed, Wushuang wasn’t idle either. Aside from personally taking care of her sister, she was arranging her departure from the capital.

She looked through the members of the imperial clan and finally made her choice—

She chose the one she found most irritating: Prince An. He would handle the court affairs in her absence.

Wushuang thought to herself: Sister is always worried about Prince An. Why not use this opportunity to test her? If she has no ambition, I’ll pull her into the government to work when I return. If she does have ambition, I’ll take the chance to eliminate her…

It would save her from more trouble in the future.

Wushuang’s plan was sound, but when the Imperial Edict arrived at Prince An’s Manor, the usually respectful Luo Wuyan seemed to go mad the moment she heard its contents.

First, she threw her head back and laughed wildly, kicking over the table in front of her. Then, under the watchful eyes of the eunuch delivering the decree, she began to run…

She scrambled up a lush, leafy tree with great effort. Once she reached a certain height, she screamed:

“I am a little bird! I can fly!”

Then, with a loud thud, she jumped from the tree and broke her leg.

In an instant, Prince An’s Manor was thrown into chaos.

Back in the palace, Wushuang was currently clinging to her sister for some affection when she heard the eunuch’s detailed report of how Luo Wuyan had single-handedly turned her manor upside down. Her heart didn’t waver in the slightest; she simply let out a cold sneer.

“Send two Imperial Physicians to Prince An’s Manor. While they’re at it, tell Prince An that if her mind remains unclear, her wedding will be postponed indefinitely.”

The eunuch acknowledged the order and hurried away.

Wushuang turned to complain to Liqian, who was reading on the bed. “What an utter moron! I’m so brilliant; how could I have such a stupid sister?”

Did Luo Wuyan think she could hide like this? Wushuang had plenty of ways to drag her out to work!

Even Liqian was amused by Prince An’s “divine” performance. How in the world had this person ascended the throne in her past life? Did she rely on being a complete airhead?

The performance was so heavy-handed; did she really think her Imperial Sister was as dumb as she was?

In truth, Luo Wuyan didn’t think her sister was dumb. She simply felt that the Empress didn’t trust her, which was why the power to supervise the court was being thrust upon her.

To show her loyalty, she had simply broken her own leg. Surely, her Imperial Sister wouldn’t be suspicious of her now, right?