Chapter 91: Selecting a Harem

Luo Wushuang’s anger had not dissipated as she led Shangguan Liqian out of the Palace of Benevolent Peace.

Her sister had finally agreed to be with her; she would not allow anyone to sabotage their relationship.

Her phoenix eyes swept over the personal guards following behind them. Just as she was about to speak, she felt a gentle tug on her wide sleeve.

Turning her head slightly, she met Shangguan Liqian’s apologetic gaze.

“It was my fault,” Liqian said softly. “I’ve made you worry.”

Luo Wushuang shook her head and took the hand that had been tugging at her sleeve. “I don’t care about the Empress Dowager,” she said earnestly. “Not one bit. You don’t have to compromise or wrong yourself for my sake.”

Seeing her sister bow her head before others was more painful than a knife to the heart.

Shangguan Liqian looked at Luo Wushuang’s tightly pursed lips and nodded to show she understood.

Seeing the nod, Luo Wushuang’s expression relaxed slightly. She continued, “From now on, you don’t need to pay any mind to the Empress Dowager’s summons. Just send someone to tell me.”

Knowing the Empress was only worried for her, Liqian didn’t argue. She simply replied with a quiet, “Alright.”

However, thinking back to the scene in the Palace of Benevolent Peace, she couldn’t help but add, “I think Her Majesty the Empress Dowager might not actually harbor any ill will toward me.”

Luo Wushuang’s lips thinned. “She simply dislikes me,” she said dismissively.

As for whether there was malice toward her sister, that would only be clear after a proper investigation. This was why she hadn’t struck out immediately.

After all, the woman was the Empress Dowager—her mother in name. If she couldn’t land a killing blow with absolute certainty, she feared she wouldn’t be able to silence the wagging tongues of the world.

Luo Wushuang herself didn’t care about such things, but since her sister did, she had to care.

She remembered Liqian telling her back at the Shangguan Manor that she hoped Wushuang would become a monarch whose name would be praised throughout history. If she was going to do “bad things” in the future, she naturally couldn’t be too blatant about it.

She had to be subtle…

Regardless of the Empress Dowager’s motives, if it involved her sister, it was unacceptable—malicious or not.

She already felt guilty enough for confining Liqian in the imperial palace, a cage with so little freedom. How could she tolerate anyone else bullying her?

Looking at Luo Wushuang’s pouting, indignant face, Shangguan Liqian felt a mix of touched emotion and an urge to laugh.

Still fuming, Luo Wushuang looked at her with confusion, wondering why she was being stared at like that.

Meeting that bewildered gaze, Liqian instinctively reached out and poked Wushuang’s supple, delicate cheek. “So cute,” she praised.

Luo Wushuang froze, a suspicious flush creeping onto her face.

Seeing her blush, Liqian found her even more adorable.

After a couple of light coughs, Luo Wushuang averted her eyes from Liqian’s teasing gaze and asked somewhat reluctantly, “Do you still want to go to the Imperial Garden to look at the flowers? I’ll take you.”

Selfishly, she wanted to stay with her sister, but she remembered the servants reporting that Liqian had been taken by the Empress Dowager’s people while she was in the gardens. She thought perhaps her sister still wanted to go.

Shangguan Liqian shook her head. “No, the sun is too high now.”

The rejection actually made Luo Wushuang happy. She looked at Liqian, her gaze hesitating. “Then…”

She wanted to ask where her sister wanted to go today, and if she could come along. But she feared that if she asked, Liqian would find her too clingy and become annoyed.

Just as she was agonizing over it, a voice like heavenly music reached her ears.

“How about I accompany you back to review the memorials?”

“Yes!”

As if afraid she would retract the offer, Luo Wushuang grabbed the hand that Liqian was about to let go of and immediately changed direction.

It had been a long time since her sister had accompanied her during her work.

She wasn’t without grievances in her heart, but she constantly reminded herself that she had to keep her sister happy. She had to give Liqian as much freedom as she could tolerate. She couldn’t let her sister feel restricted and distance herself again.

If that happened, she truly would go mad.

Unlike the journey there, Luo Wushuang’s mood on the way back to Phoenix Hall was exceptionally bright. Influenced by her, a faint, shallow smile also graced Liqian’s lips.

That smile lasted until they returned to the hall and saw two massive stacks of memorials neatly arranged on the desk. At the sight, most of the joy vanished from Luo Wushuang’s face.

Suppressing a laugh, Shangguan Liqian helped her organize and categorize the reports.

She discovered that most of the documents were related to the princes and princesses who had arrived for the political marriage alliance.

The majority suggested that for the sake of the ancestral legacy, Her Majesty should expand the imperial harem and ensure the continuation of the bloodline. A smaller portion consisted of self-recommendations or others recommending various “beauties.”

These beauties included both men and women. Based on the descriptions alone, the men were all elegant and suave, while the women were stunning and ethereal.

Truth be told, even Liqian felt a bit of interest while reading them.

[Xiaobai: Haha, just a joke. Qianqian wouldn’t dare!]

In the past, when she helped Luo Wushuang organize memorials, she did so by urgency or importance. This time, however, it was simple. She only needed to sort the mountain of papers by the gender and personality of the “beauties.”

This wasn’t reviewing memorials; it was clearly a harem selection.

Even though she knew Luo Wushuang only had eyes for her, Liqian couldn’t help but feel a bit “sour.”

Though her heart felt slightly awkward, she didn’t show it on her face. Her hands never stopped as she split the memorials into two piles.

Placed at the very top were the Prince of Baiyue, Baili Xuan, and the Prince of the Western Regions, Lou Yanshi.

As for Lou Yanhui, since she already knew the girl’s heart belonged elsewhere, it wasn’t right to include her.

Thus, at the top of the “female beauties” stack, she placed the memorial suggesting the Prince of the Western Regions as a consort.

After all, that prince didn’t seem much like a man; he was more theatrical and affected than the most pretentious of women. Yet, he wasn’t actually a woman either.

In this ambiguous state between male and female, Shangguan Liqian hesitantly placed him on the “female” side.

She pulled her hand back, then reached out again, pulling out a few specific memorials recommending the Western Regions prince. She carefully selected a few more from the pile and solemnly placed them together.

According to the descriptions, these candidates all had “unique preferences.” They were a perfect match for the Prince of the Western Regions.

“Does Your Majesty see anyone you like in here?”

Her eyes swept over the category she had labeled for the “eccentrics” in the middle, a teasing glint appearing in her gaze.

Luo Wushuang, who had started working before Liqian went for her stroll, naturally knew what was in those memorials. However, she was curious enough to open the ones her sister had specifically singled out.

As she read, the expression on Luo Wushuang’s face became quite peculiar.

In her memory, her sister was usually too lazy to do such childish things. What was wrong today?

Could it be…

A suspicion formed in her mind, but she found it hard to believe. She looked up at the feigned composure on Shangguan Liqian’s face and asked tentatively, “Sister, what is the meaning of this?”