Luo Wushuang carefully tucked the document away, intending to wait for the perfect moment to announce it to the world.
Shangguan Liqian nodded slightly. Knowing that the Empress had even produced the imperial edict, it was clear she was determined to have Liqian accompany her to the palace banquet tonight.
Under such circumstances, it was difficult to keep refusing. She didn’t want the girl to start overthinking things again.
Seeing that her sister didn’t argue further, Luo Wushuang immediately understood that she had won. Liqian would be by her side tonight.
Her mood brightened instantly, and a radiant smile returned to her face.
“Sister…” Luo Wushuang leaned closer to Shangguan Liqian, her voice soft and clinging as she called out.
She remembered that Liqian had promised her something else that day…
That once her birthday passed, they could have the Imperial Bureau of Astronomy select an auspicious date… for their grand wedding.
Luo Wushuang’s phoenix eyes flickered. The joy on her face was almost instantly replaced by a mask of sorrow, and she let out a mournful sigh.
“I have never been loved by my Father Emperor or my Mother Empress since I was a child. No one truly cares about me…”
Noticing the sudden shift in her companion’s mood, Shangguan Liqian’s brow furrowed. She felt as though something was slightly off.
However, the sadness in Wushuang’s eyes didn’t seem fake. Feeling a pang of sympathy, Liqian’s voice softened.
“I care about you. Wushuang is very good; it is their loss if they do not love you.”
Basking in her sister’s concern, Luo Wushuang felt a sense of immense satisfaction. Yet, thinking of her actual plan, she felt a rare twinge of guilt.
She cleared her throat and continued, “I think Mother Empress might have remembered my birthday wrong. It shouldn’t be the seventh day of the seventh month.”
Shangguan Liqian looked down, meeting Luo Wushuang’s slightly darting gaze. She understood then—this girl was using all her cunning little schemes on her.
Feeling somewhat helpless but seeing the expectant glint in Wushuang’s eyes, she played along. “Then which day is it? Do you remember?”
Sensing she was being indulged, Luo Wushuang stole a glance at her lover’s expression and tentatively tested the waters. “Perhaps it is the seventh of May? Or maybe the seventh of June?”
Her suspicions confirmed, Shangguan Liqian let out a half-smile. “Why not just say your birthday is the seventh of April?”
She might as well have just said she wanted to move the wedding up. It was a lot of effort to go through just to find an excuse.
Realizing her sister had seen right through her little scheme, Luo Wushuang stopped acting altogether. Her face lit up with hope. “Can I?”
The seventh of April was the day after tomorrow! Could they really? Would it be too rushed?
Facing the overly excited Empress, Shangguan Liqian refused without hesitation.
“No!”
“Oh,” Luo Wushuang slumped, the light in her eyes vanishing instantly.
And here she thought she was finally going to get her official status.
Seeing that Wushuang practically had the words “I’m upset” written across her forehead, Shangguan Liqian sighed. “Wushuang, you’re being unreasonable. Besides, how can an Emperor’s birthday be changed on a whim?”
Rejected, Luo Wushuang hummed unhappily for a moment before asking, “Then can we at least start discussing the wedding arrangements now?”
Liqian chuckled. “Are you really in such a rush?”
Luo Wushuang nodded, then shook her head. “Actually, I’m not in a rush. As long as you don’t go back on your word, I am willing to wait until you are ready.”
Looking at her pitiful expression—like a puppy terrified of being abandoned—Shangguan Liqian’s lips curled into a slight smile. She let out a feigned sigh of resignation.
“Given my current relationship with the Shangguan family, I don’t expect any familial warmth from them.”
Luo Wushuang tensed up. Forgetting her little schemes, she was about to offer comfort when Liqian continued.
“My concubine mother died young, and I have no maternal family to speak of. I am essentially all alone in this world now.”
“You still have me,” Luo Wushuang said, pulling her into a protective embrace. A look of regret filled her eyes. She scolded herself for being too clever; she shouldn’t have brought up subjects that made her sister sad.
While the Empress was drowning in her own guilt, Shangguan Liqian sighed again. “I’m afraid no one will be there to provide a dowry for me, let alone worry about the details of my marriage.”
Hit by this combination of emotional blows, Luo Wushuang forgot all about her own agendas. Her heart ached for the woman in her arms.
“You have me. I will arrange everything for the wedding. Just trust me.”
Shangguan Liqian nodded slightly, the sorrow on her face vanishing instantly. Even her tone became light and airy. “Since you’re so confident, what is there left to discuss?”
Luo Wushuang froze. Did she just agree?
While she was overjoyed, she quickly realized she had been blinded by her own concern. Liqian wasn’t actually upset; she was teasing her.
But she didn’t mind!
Why didn’t her sister tease anyone else? Why only her? It had to be because she was special!
She was thrilled, but she knew she couldn’t get too carried away.
Suppressing the urge to cheer, Luo Wushuang asked with a trembling voice, “Then… tomorrow I will have the Imperial Bureau of Astronomy calculate the most auspicious dates. I’ll also have them bring over the designs for the wedding robes so you can choose?”
“Mhm.”
With that simple nod, Luo Wushuang was over the moon.
“Sister! Sister!”
Luo Wushuang held her tight, showering her with excited kisses.
Liqian wasn’t afraid of her getting angry anymore. She wiped the saliva from her cheek and pushed the Empress away with a look of mock disgust.
“Go play over there. I still have a few pages left to read.”
Watching Shangguan Liqian pick up her book again, Luo Wushuang obediently replied, “Okay.”
She sat down at the small desk nearby. She had ordered it moved there earlier while she was reviewing memorials, just so she could be closer to her sister.
From this position, she could watch every shift in Liqian’s expression. As her sister frowned or smiled at the contents of the book, Luo Wushuang’s heart fluttered in sync.
And so, one woman read her book while the other watched her woman.
Time slipped away unnoticed as they basked in each other’s presence. Soon, the sun began to dip below the horizon.
The banquet was about to begin, but neither of them had noticed the hour.
The personal guards outside the hall sent a whispered message to remind their master, but seeing Liqian so engrossed in her reading, Luo Wushuang didn’t have the heart to interrupt.
It wasn’t until Shangguan Liqian looked up and realized that candles had been lit in the hall that she noticed how late it was. She turned to Luo Wushuang in surprise.
“What time is it?”
“Nearly the end of the Hour of the Monkey,” Luo Wushuang replied, leaning forward slightly. “Are you finished?”
Liqian nodded. Remembering the banquet, she spoke with a hint of reproach, “Why didn’t you remind me? We’re going to be late for the banquet.”
Luo Wushuang sat on the edge of the desk, swinging her legs as she listened to the complaints. A faint smile played on her lips.
Her sister’s scolding gave her the wonderful illusion that they were an old married couple. A minor oversight on her part led to a gentle nagging from her “wife.”
It felt warm. She liked it very much.
