Luo Wushuang, still blissfully unaware that she had narrowly escaped a physical reprimand, heard her sister call her “deserving” of her exhaustion. Instead of taking offense, she leaned in closer, acting spoiled in hopes that Shangguan Liqian would continue to coax and comfort her.
However, before she could even open her mouth, a slender finger pressed against her forehead, firmly poking her back.
Shangguan Liqian kept her eyes lowered, her voice flat and devoid of its usual warmth. “Sit properly. You are the ruler of an empire; maintain your decorum.”
“I don’t want decorum, I want—”
Luo Wushuang’s clingy advances froze the moment she met Shangguan Liqian’s cool, distant gaze. She faltered for a heartbeat before instantly changing her tune. “I mean, of course. Naturally. I, your Empress, value decorum above all else.”
Seeing Luo Wushuang sitting as upright as a statue, Shangguan Liqian quietly withdrew the hand that had been inching toward the Empress’s waist—prepared to deliver a sharp pinch.
Luo Wushuang’s gaze flickered downward. Seeing her sister’s hands once again folded neatly over her knees, she let out a silent sigh of relief.
Without Luo Wushuang’s incessant chatter, the interior of the sedan chair became much more peaceful. It wasn’t until they returned to the bedchamber that the Empress spoke again.
“Sister…”
She had been thinking that the matter of bringing Master Yujing to the capital shouldn’t be kept from her sister. But before she could get the words out, Shangguan Liqian gently pressed her down onto the lounge.
“It is still early. You should rest for a while.”
Understanding that her sister was worried about her health, Luo Wushuang blinked her eyes, which felt dry and heavy from a sleepless night. “What about you, Sister? Are you going out?”
What she really wanted to ask was if her sister would stay and sleep with her.
Shangguan Liqian read the thought in her eyes. She patted the Empress’s arm, her voice soothing. “I will help you organize the memorials. You can sleep a bit longer.”
At the mention of help, Luo Wushuang bolted upright, her face lighting up with excitement. “I’m not sleepy anymore! I can help you sort the documents!”
Shangguan Liqian looked at the girl who was clearly running on fumes. A thin, unreadable smile touched her lips. “In that case, you go ahead and review them. I’ll take this opportunity to head out and—”
Before she could finish, the “not-at-all-sleepy” Empress Regnant was already lying down, stiff as a board and perfectly still.
“I am going to sleep now. Thank you for your hard work, Sister.”
Although she had resolved to give her sister more freedom, since her sister had offered to help, how could she possibly refuse such kindness?
In truth, she simply couldn’t bear to let her sister out of her sight. She wished she could turn Shangguan Liqian into a pendant and wear her every single day.
Seeing Luo Wushuang’s eyes squeezed shut, Shangguan Liqian shook her head with a light laugh and walked behind the screen.
As was her habit, she began sorting the memorials by priority. She occasionally glanced toward the bed in the inner hall. There was no movement; the Empress had finally drifted off.
Shangguan Liqian picked up a book at random and pushed open the palace doors. Her gaze swept across the courtyard, eventually settling on the stone table beneath a tree.
The early summer breeze brushed past her brow, tossing a few strands of dark hair. A delicate pink petal drifted down onto her shoulder, a sight that made the blossoms themselves look dull by comparison.
When Luo Wushuang eventually pushed open the doors while yawning, this was the sight that greeted her.
Hearing the door, Shangguan Liqian looked up. Her eyes met a tall, slender figure standing in the sunlight, the owner of which was currently grinning at her with all her teeth showing.
Shangguan Liqian pursed her lips and looked back at her book. She still looks a bit foolish from sleep. I’ll wait until she’s fully awake before speaking to her.
Seeing her sister glance at her and then return to her reading, Luo Wushuang hurried over, her footsteps rhythmic and quick.
“Sister, what are you reading?”
The Empress’s voice was still soft and husky from her nap. Looking at the youthful face leaning in close and the instinctive dependence in those beautiful eyes, Shangguan Liqian couldn’t help but reach out and poke her cheek before handing over the book.
“I have heard it said: The ruler is the boat…”
Luo Wushuang took one look and immediately lost interest. When it came to a love of learning, she was nowhere near her sister’s level.
Seeing that her sister had no intention of heading back inside just yet, Luo Wushuang simply ordered the attendants to bring the memorials out to the garden. She wanted to be with her sister…
As she felt Luo Wushuang’s close proximity, a small smile tugged at the corners of Shangguan Liqian’s mouth. Her eyes returned to the text.
“…and the common people are the water.”
Speaking of water, Luo Wuyan—whom Luo Wushuang had dispatched to handle the floods—had finally returned to the capital to report. (The poor man—or rather, the poor woman—had been kicked out to work by her dear Imperial Sister only a few days after the marriage decree.)
Just as Shangguan Liqian had expected, with the experience from her previous life, the flood was not a significant challenge for Luo Wuyan. The few troubles she encountered were mostly due to the lack of cooperation from local officials at the start.
However, with Luo Wushuang’s firm backing, those officials quickly became as obedient as quails. Under Luo Wuyan’s leadership and the full cooperation of the local government, the flood failed to cause any major catastrophe for the populace.
Despite the success, Luo Wushuang still ordered the Ministry of Revenue to allocate disaster relief grain. Having wandered among the commoners in her youth, she had seen their suffering firsthand. She knew better than anyone how difficult survival was for the people in the wake of a disaster.
Now that she was the sovereign, she would not sit idly by.
Beyond sending trusted officials to transport the grain, she specifically ordered that Luo Wuyan must wait until the people had actually received the food before returning to the capital.
Luo Wuyan understood her Imperial Sister’s concerns and held no grudge. After all… she had once been an Emperor herself; she knew that the people were the foundation of the state.
However, this requirement had delayed her significantly.
Staring at the gates of the capital, Luo Wuyan let out a long breath of relief. She hadn’t seen Sister Youran in over a month. Although they had exchanged letters, she was still little more than a “slightly familiar stranger” to Youran in this life.
The letters she received were brief and formal, which only served to sharpen her longing. Now that she was finally back, the thought of seeing Sister Youran soon made her heart race with excitement.
But no matter how impatient she felt, she chose to go to the palace to report first. She didn’t want to give her heartless Imperial Sister any excuse to pick a fight.
Luo Wuyan was right to be cautious. From the moment she left the capital, her every move had been under Luo Wushuang’s watch. Her sister had warned her to be careful of Prince An, so the Empress was taking no chances.
From the day Luo Wuyan departed, Luo Wushuang knew everything: how many times she went to the latrine, how many dishes she ate, and whether she talked in her sleep—and if so, exactly what she said.
Had Luo Wuyan returned to her own manor first upon entering the city, there was no telling how Luo Wushuang might have reacted.
After all… ever since the Empress noticed that Shangguan Liqian treated the “Prince An couple” differently, she had started looking at her Imperial Sister with a certain level of irritation.
However, seeing as the other woman had solved a major problem for her, Luo Wushuang set aside her memorials and made time to see her.
Looking at the travel-worn Luo Wuyan—who, despite her fine silken robes, looked exhausted and disheveled—Luo Wushuang felt a rare flicker of conscience.
“Prince An, you have performed your duties well,” the Empress said casually. “What reward do you desire?”
