The next morning, the sun was high in the sky before Shangguan Liqian finally drifted awake from her exhaustion.
Clutching the brocade quilt, she sat half-propped against the headboard, dazed for a long while before her mind cleared.
Last night had truly been too draining…
She wasn’t sure if it was because of her earlier secrecy or that rare moment of initiative she had shown, but Wushuang had been downright wicked last night…
At first, Liqian had enjoyed herself, but later… well, the less said about that, the better!
She summoned her attendants to prepare her clothes and performed a simple washing. Afterward, Shangguan Liqian massaged her aching waist while staring into the mirror at the woman looking back—her eyes were shimmering, and she looked undeniably alluring.
She closed her eyes, then snapped them open again…
The woman in the mirror remained radiant and enchanting, bearing the unmistakable glow of someone who had just been thoroughly nourished by love.
Forget it, she thought. A secret known to the entire palace is no secret at all. If they see it, they see it.
However, remembering her promise to meet Wushuang after the Morning Court, Liqian felt a trace of hesitation.
First, she was truly exhausted. Second…
Did she really have to be so flamboyant about it?
While Liqian was wavering in the bedchamber, Luo Wushuang had just stepped out of the doors of the Hall of Diligent Government.
She looked left and right, but when she failed to see that familiar figure, her soaring spirits were instantly doused like a fire under a bucket of cold water.
Luo Wushuang, who had spent the entire Morning Court session anticipating this moment, suddenly looked like a wilted plant.
Today’s court session had been every bit as lively as she had expected. After a night of fermenting, the “fire” from last night’s State Banquet had finally spread to the imperial court today.
She had spent the entire morning fighting a solitary battle for the sake of being with her sister openly and honorably. She had thought that as soon as court was dismissed, she would see the person she yearned for, but now…
With her passion extinguished, a hint of gloom flashed in Luo Wushuang’s eyes.
Didn’t Sister promise to come pick me up after court from now on?
It’s only the first day. Has she forgotten already?
But thinking back to last night, she comforted herself. It wasn’t necessarily that her sister had forgotten; it was more likely she was too tired and hadn’t woken up yet.
She didn’t forget me…
To verify her theory, the Empress’s personal guard, Ling Feng, became her servant. Pushing her lightness skill to its absolute limit, she was dispatched to the bedchamber to scout the “enemy’s” situation.
The distance from the Hall of Diligent Government to the bedchamber wasn’t vast, but it certainly wasn’t close. Even with lightness skills, one couldn’t make the round trip in an instant.
Waiting temporarily in the side hall, Luo Wushuang picked up a random memorial, only to find she couldn’t focus on it at all—not a single word registered.
The attending palace maids knew exactly why Her Majesty couldn’t read it. She was holding the memorial upside down; how could she possibly read a word?
Tossing the memorial aside, Luo Wushuang paced back and forth in the hall, agitated. For the first time, she realized that waiting could be such a long, agonizing process.
Seeing that the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed, and knowing full well that Ling Feng couldn’t possibly be back yet, Luo Wushuang still sent Leng Yu to go check as well.
Not long after Leng Yu left, Ling Feng returned.
She brought back news that made the Empress’s mood even worse.
Lady Shangguan was awake. She was currently admiring herself in the mirror in the bedchamber and seemingly had no intention of coming out.
At that moment, the hope Luo Wushuang had been clinging to finally died.
Sister really did forget about me!
She felt a bit like crying, but she held it back.
Fine. Considering how much Sister suffered last night, I’ll just… reluctantly remind her once I get back.
Otherwise, what else could she do?
Despite her thoughts, the Empress felt incredibly stifled. Since she couldn’t vent her frustration on anyone else, she took it out on the attendants carrying her Dragon Sedan.
“Faster! All of you, run faster!”
Didn’t they know she was late getting back to the bedchamber today? Why were they dallying? Did they no longer want their heads?
The rebuked attendants answered with trembling voices. They coordinated their strength, carrying the sedan as steadily and quickly as they could toward the bedchamber. They were terrified that if they were a second too late, the Empress would vent all the frustration she had received from Lady Shangguan onto them.
Just as the attendants were rushing the sedan toward the bedchamber, a blurred figure suddenly appeared from the direction of the residence.
Leng Yu, who had been moving at maximum speed, saw the Empress’s Dragon Sedan and performed an emergency halt. Meeting her Empress’s grim expression, she spoke quickly:
“Your Majesty! Lady Shangguan just ordered a sedan chair. It looks like she intends to go to the Hall of Diligent Government to meet you.”
Upon hearing this, the gloom on Luo Wushuang’s face vanished instantly. Even her usually cold and sharp phoenix eyes brimmed with joy. she shouted to the people carrying her:
“Quick! Quick! Quick! Turn around! Back to the Hall of Diligent Government!”
The attendants, who had just reached their destination, hadn’t even caught their breath before they had to turn around and start running again.
Unlike the trip here, Luo Wushuang was now in a spectacular mood. Afraid that her sister might see her Dragon Sedan on the main path, Luo Wushuang pointed toward a different route. This path wasn’t as smooth as the main road, but it had the advantage of being slightly shorter.
Finally, she managed to beat her sister back to the Hall of Diligent Government. In her delight, Luo Wushuang was naturally not stingy with rewards. The attendants carrying the sedan, in particular, received the most generous gifts.
After taking a moment to calm her racing heart, Luo Wushuang picked up a memorial at random. On the surface, she looked calm, but internally, she waited with bated breath.
This time, Shangguan Liqian didn’t make her wait long. Within moments, the sound of greetings came from outside the hall.
“Is Her Majesty inside?”
Hearing Liqian’s inquiry, Luo Wushuang couldn’t even maintain her facade of composure. She dropped the memorial and stood up from her seat, coming face-to-face with the figure standing in the doorway against the light.
The golden sunlight spilled over Shangguan Liqian, coating her in a hazy, soft glow that made her look even more gentle than usual.
Within that light and shadow, the woman’s vermillion lips parted slightly as she spoke with a tender yet firm voice:
“Wushuang, I’ve come to take you home from court.”
Tears instantly filled Wushuang’s eyes. The missing piece in her heart was quietly mended.
She, too, finally had someone coming to pick her up!
The childhood longing and her current excitement merged together, welling up into an indescribable sense of fulfillment.
Seeing her cry, the smile on Shangguan Liqian’s face faded slightly, and her pace quickened.
“Why are you crying all of a sudden? Are you blaming Sister for being late?” Shangguan Liqian asked softly as she pulled the Empress into her arms.
Being treated so tenderly by the person she held most dear, Luo Wushuang’s tears fell even faster. Looking down into the doting warmth of her sister’s eyes, Wushuang spoke earnestly:
“It’s not late. As long as it’s Sister, it’s never too late!”
On the surface, Shangguan Liqian put on a look of mock-reproach, but she was deeply touched. A gentle, teasing smile returned to her face.
“Why is your mouth so sweet today? Did you sneak some honey behind my back?”
Luo Wushuang’s gaze gradually drifted down from Liqian’s gentle eyes, eventually landing on those fresh, slightly swollen vermillion lips.
In a voice that was half-soft and half-seductive, she whispered, “Does Sister want to have a taste?”
Shangguan Liqian looked up slightly, meeting the Empress’s alluring and seductive eyes. Those eyes were shimmering with moisture, with teardrops still clinging to the corners—a picture-perfect image of a “pear blossom bathed in rain,” enough to make anyone feel pity.
If she didn’t know this woman’s temperament so well, she really would have been fooled.
Liqian’s fingertip gently brushed the Empress’s soft cheek, wiping away the tears one by one. Meeting Luo Wushuang’s expectant gaze, Shangguan Liqian coughed twice and spoke with feigned composure:
“Let’s wait until we get back to ‘taste’ it!”
