Chapter 75: A Difficult Position

The veil of night descended, yet the person sleeping soundly in her arms had still not opened her eyes.

Seeing that the state banquet was about to begin, Lou Yanhui finally left the Princess Manor with a heavy heart.

With such soft, fragrant warmth in her arms, she truly wouldn’t have wanted to leave if it weren’t for the need to ask the Empress Regnant for several Imperial Physicians to help Little Jin regulate her body.

As for the palace, it had been a scene of bustling activity ever since the Morning Court concluded.

Palace servants moved to and fro, meticulously arranging the decorations and making final preparations for the evening’s festivities.

It wasn’t that Luo Wushuang placed much importance on the envoys from the various neighboring kingdoms, but rather…

This was the first banquet her sister had ever agreed to attend with her.

The very first!

Just the thought of it made her so excited she couldn’t sit still.

Shangguan Liqian, who was reclining on the daybed with a book in hand, saw this and shook her head slightly. She crooked a finger toward the restless Luo Wushuang, who looked as if she were about to start rubbing her hands together in giddy anticipation.

“Come here.”

Luo Wushuang, who had been pacing back and forth in her excitement, immediately stepped forward obediently. She leaned her head into the beauty’s palm and called out in a soft, sweet voice, “Sister~”

As her slender, lily-white fingers brushed through the Empress’s long, beautiful hair, Shangguan Liqian let out a soft, ambiguous sigh.

“Why do you keep pacing? It’s making me dizzy just watching you.”

The Empress’s pretty, enchanting face became increasingly vivid due to her sheer joy, as if a dazzling array of colors was blooming right within Shangguan Liqian’s palm.

Luo Wushuang looked up, acting spoiled. “I’m just happy. This is the first time Sister has agreed to attend a banquet with me.”

Before, she had tried everything—threats, inducements, and pleas—but her sister had never agreed. Even when she had forced her to go, the two of them always ended up parting on bitter terms.

But this time, her sister had promised her personally. How could she not be happy?

However, human joys and sorrows are not always shared. Hearing the mention of the banquet, Shangguan Liqian frowned for a moment in hesitation before asking, “Would it be inappropriate for me to go?”

She might have appeared to be flipping through her book earlier, but in reality, she had been pondering whether she had made a mistake by agreeing to attend the banquet after Wushuang’s relentless pestering.

After all, the envoys of foreign nations would be present at the banquet…

Even though Wushuang was certain that she was her Empress Consort, the two of them had not yet had a grand wedding. This was a formal state affair, and matters of national dignity could not be handled sloppily.

Luo Wushuang’s face, which had been full of joy, suddenly froze. “Sister promised me. You won’t go back on your word, will you?”

Facing the grievance and dissatisfaction in Luo Wushuang’s eyes, Shangguan Liqian sighed silently in her heart and said softly, “I’m not breaking my word. I just feel that appearing before the court officials together might be… against propriety.”

Given her understanding of Wushuang, attending the banquet together wouldn’t be a simple matter of just showing up in front of the officials and envoys. Wushuang would surely insist on sitting with her—or at the very least, sitting extremely close.

That would be more than just a breach of propriety. If the court officials decided to be pedantic, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration for them to brand her a “calamity-inducing enchantress” who leads the ruler astray.

In such a formal setting, based on her current status, it was against all etiquette for her to even be within thirty feet—or even eighty feet—of Wushuang.

At the thought of this, Shangguan Liqian massaged her temples.

She knew Wushuang didn’t care about these things; even if everyone opposed her, the Empress wouldn’t change her mind. However, Shangguan Liqian didn’t want to see such a confrontational scene play out.

Going felt inappropriate.

But not going…

She had already promised Wushuang. The Empress had been happy for two whole days; how could she bear to disappoint her now?

She was caught in a difficult position.

Seeing Shangguan Liqian’s hesitation, Luo Wushuang bit her lip, her eyes drooping sadly. “Sister promised to be my Empress Consort. Are you regretting it?”

Seeing that Luo Wushuang was about to start overthinking again, Shangguan Liqian quickly interrupted her. “I’m not.”

She was quite satisfied with their current way of interacting and didn’t want Wushuang to misunderstand and have another extreme reaction.

Hearing Shangguan Liqian’s firm denial, Luo Wushuang’s heart eased slightly. Once she knew her sister wasn’t regretting the commitment, her dark thoughts dissipated, and her reason reclaimed the high ground.

After thinking for a moment, she understood why her sister was worried.

“Sister, wait for me here for a moment.”

After saying that, Luo Wushuang hurried into the inner hall.

A slight rustling sound came from within. Just as Shangguan Liqian was wondering what she was up to, Luo Wushuang rushed back out holding a scroll of bright yellow silk. She handed the imperial edict to Shangguan Liqian as if she were presenting a precious treasure.

Shangguan Liqian frowned, looking at her in confusion.

Luo Wushuang swallowed hard, trying her best to keep her voice steady as she whispered, “Sister, open it and see.”

Shangguan Liqian shifted her gaze from the Empress to the edict in her hands and slowly unrolled it.

“By the Grace of Heaven, the Empress decrees:

Since our ascension to the throne, We have often contemplated the need for a virtuous assistant in matters of state and home.

The daughter of the Shangguan clan, Liqian, possesses both virtue and talent. She is gentle, wise, and kind, with an elegant and refined nature…

She has assisted in government affairs with brilliance and sound judgment. Her virtue is radiant, and her character is prudent… She is a person after Our own heart…

Possessing the qualities to be the Mother of the World, she has contributed much to Our great cause and the stability of the ancestral state.

In consideration of the nation’s future, We intend to innovate and break from past conventions.

We hereby confer upon her the title of Empress of the Central Palace, to manage the phoenix protocols and assist Us personally, thereby manifesting her great virtue.

It is Our hope that she shall protect the prosperity of the state and the well-being of the people.

We expect all officials to perform their duties faithfully and work together with one heart, so as not to fail Our trust. By Our command!”

Shangguan Liqian read the edict word by word in a soft voice. Luo Wushuang listened with immense pride.

This was an edict of appointment she had written with her own hands. Had the scroll not been so short, she would have loved to include every word of praise in existence.

By the time Shangguan Liqian reached the end, she had lost some of her self-confidence. Was the edict really describing her?

After reading it, her gaze fell back on the words “the daughter of the Shangguan clan, Liqian.” After confirming that this Empress was indeed herself, she asked in confusion, “When did you write this?”

Lately, she had been with Luo Wushuang at all times except during the Morning Court. She hadn’t seen her write this edict.

She couldn’t have written it during the court session, could she?

Wait, there was another possibility!

She remembered Wushuang saying that everything for the wedding had long been prepared. Could this edict be part of that?

But she remembered that in her past life, the edict appointing her as Empress was written after her death; she had watched Wushuang write it as a ghost.

Had she remembered it wrong, or was this life truly different from the last?

While Shangguan Liqian was still lost in confusion, Luo Wushuang spoke up to clarify.

“It was the night Sister promised to give me a status.”

That night, her sister hadn’t accepted her punishment, but in the end, her heart had softened and she had indulged her. After their intimacy, her sister had been so tired that she fell asleep. Wushuang had watched her sleeping face in the darkness, feeling as though it were all a dream.

And then…

Shangguan Liqian searched her memories carefully, but she had no recollection of this at all. “Why didn’t I know about this?”

Luo Wushuang lowered her eyes slightly, avoiding Shangguan Liqian’s gaze, and whispered, “It was after Sister fell asleep. I was tossing and turning, afraid that Sister would regret her choice, so I…”

She had slipped out of bed and written it in secret.