Dual Queens GL - Chapter 4

“Ai…” Ye Meng only sighed. Clearly, her young mistress was unparalleled in beauty. Despite growing up in luxury and favor, her temperament and talent were excellent, and she never relied on her favor to become arrogant. There was no better woman in the whole world than her mistress. The only regret was the current Emperor’s fickle nature. Normally, he had praised her mistress in every way and treated her with great favor, but now it all seemed like hypocrisy. Ye Meng felt hatred in her heart, but what could she do even with so much injustice for her mistress?

“A-Meng, why do you look more worried than me?” Ye Guichen saw Ye Meng’s face full of sorrow and felt she shouldn’t continue to be dejected because of this. Not every woman in the world could receive her husband’s favor; did that mean life wouldn’t continue? Even if not for herself, she had to consider the people around her.

“I feel it’s not worth it for you. When the late Emperor and Empress were alive, how favored the mistress was, but now it’s come to this…” Saying this, Ye Meng started to tear up. The greater the favor her mistress received back then, the greater the disappointment now. Thinking about it made her feel bad for her mistress.

“A-Meng, I am not a fragile orchid that can only be sheltered indoors, desperately needing someone’s affection. If others don’t love me, must I continue to wallow in self-pity?” Ye Guichen gently held Ye Meng’s hand and asked in a soft but somewhat firm tone.

“That’s true. It’s truly best if the mistress can genuinely see things clearly.” Ye Meng saw her mistress’s emotions returning to normal and smiled through her tears. In the past, the late Empress Dowager said that her mistress was outwardly soft but inwardly strong and wouldn’t be easily defeated by setbacks. Now, it seemed the Empress Dowager truly understood her mistress. Her mother also said that a woman who doesn’t fall in love won’t get hurt and can live well. It would also be good if the mistress could just withdraw the affection she had placed on the Emperor.

“It’s fine. Nothing can get any worse.” Ye Guichen thought that this was probably the worst it could get, and the current situation was somewhat better than what she had originally anticipated. If she could keep the position of Empress, at least she would retain some dignity, and her future situation in the palace would be better. Growing up watching her maternal uncle and aunt, the Emperor and Empress, as a loving, harmonious couple, she had originally held hope and expectation for love and for Yang Zhao.

Now that Yang Zhao had caused such a fuss by not deposing her but taking another Empress, she finally understood: to Yang Zhao, she was merely that. To turn a wife into a quasi-concubine was a huge humiliation for a woman. Ye Guichen had never been so humiliated in her life, especially by the husband she had placed such high hopes on. The greater her expectation for him then, the greater her disappointment now.

If Yang Zhao had even a shred of pity for her, he should have known that no woman would want to be understanding at a time like this, or have to pretend to be sensible, virtuous, and not contending for anything. It was all just a case of swallowing the pain in silence! She would no longer seek the Emperor’s love; everything from now on could only depend on herself.

“I’m a little hungry. Go prepare a bowl of lamb soup,” Ye Guichen said to A-Meng. She knew that she had been depressed and without appetite for days because of these issues and hadn’t eaten much, which worried A-Meng. Even though she didn’t have much of an appetite now, she felt she should eat something to cheer herself up. Her body needed food, and it would also stop A-Meng from worrying about her.

“Good, I’ll inform the Imperial Kitchen right away.” A-Meng was overjoyed to see her mistress finally having an appetite. She thought that the mistress must have truly gotten over it and immediately went out to instruct the palace staff to prepare a bowl of lamb soup.

Most of the concubines in the palace were also observing the situation, wanting to wait until the situation stabilized before deciding which Empress to side with. Ye Guichen’s Changle Hall had become quite deserted recently. In contrast, Liu Honing’s Changqing Hall appeared unusually busy, as everyone prepared for the Emperor’s second grand wedding. When he married Ye Guichen years ago, he was still the Imperial Heir. Now that he was the Emperor, the second grand wedding would only be more solemn and elaborate.

Yang Zhao was eager to be the groom again, but it was a hardship for Liu Honing, who had always disliked restrictions. The Emperor and Empress’s wedding involved many steps and countless rules. The tedious temple-visiting attire was tried on again and again, altered again and again, and the rules were explained repeatedly, making Liu Honing extremely annoyed.

“Can this grand wedding really not be skipped?” Liu Honing asked Liu Yan with a frown after taking off the temple-visiting attire once more.

“Which woman in the world doesn’t look forward to her own grand wedding? Miss, no matter how little you care for worldly formalities, you can’t skip the grand wedding. Just bear with it; this month will pass quickly. The Emperor said that as long as you endure these days, after the wedding, you can be as free as you were in Jiangdu, and he won’t restrict you anymore,” Liu Yan said seriously.

This honor that women all over the world begged for, her miss actually found annoying. They were originally worried that the miss wouldn’t be able to manage a household properly, but now she was going straight to being an Empress, setting an example for the world and managing the six palaces. Liu Yan felt worried about the future, thinking about it. However, she heard that the current Empress grew up in the palace from a young age, was very generous and proper, and had the demeanor suitable for ‘mother of the world.’ It seemed the miss’s suggestion to the Emperor to have two Empresses was quite insightful.

“Being an Empress is truly boring,” Liu Honing said. After speaking, she took advantage of a break to grind ink and began to paint a picture of Guanyin. Whenever she felt unhappy, painting Guanyin statues would restore her peace of mind.

At this moment, the palace staff brought the Empress’s crown for a fitting. Liu Yan asked the staff to wait aside until her miss finished painting the Guanyin statue. In the painting, in a rocky valley facing west, streams flowed and reflected, trees were lush, and fragrant grasses were soft, covering the ground in spirals. Guanzizai Bodhisattva was seated in the lotus position on a diamond treasure stone, surrounded respectfully by countless Bodhisattvas seated on treasure stones. The image was solemn, compassionate, and lifelike.

“Miss paints really well,” Liu Yan had seen countless Guanyin paintings by her miss, each with a different posture, but every time she saw one, she still felt a sense of amazement. Seeing it brought peace of mind.

Yu Zheng, standing by, watched Liu Honing painting intently with a calm and peaceful mind. That feeling seemed contagious, making everything around her also feel tranquil. After serving for many days, she also understood her new mistress’s temperament somewhat. She was gentle, compassionate towards her subordinates, and could smile sincerely and warmly at anyone, which made people feel an irresistible urge to be close to her.

She also loved to compliment others, regardless of their status, and could always find one or two sincere compliments, often making the complimented person feel cherished by her. Within only seven or eight days, the palace staff working in Changqing Hall all respected her. Yu Zheng did not know if this was a sign of the new mistress’s skillful tactics or her innate nature, but regardless of which, this person was extraordinary. As for the new mistress’s true character, Yu Zheng believed that time would tell.

After finishing the Guanyin painting, Liu Honing put down her brush. Her mood had improved greatly. Seeing that everyone had been waiting for a long time, she felt a little embarrassed and obediently cooperated with the palace staff to continue all the preparations for the wedding.

A month was neither long nor short. Within this month, Yang Zhao finally settled the court dispute, deciding not to depose Ye Guichen and instead establish Liu Honing as Empress as well. Although the court officials still had objections to the Emperor’s action, they could not overcome the Emperor’s authority and could only let it be.

Finally, the wedding day arrived. Yang Zhao was probably the happiest. Now that he was the Emperor, he had finally married the woman he had wanted to marry for years. With all the beauties in the world, how could he not be proud and happy? Yang Zhao made all civil and military officials, as well as the concubines in the harem, offer congratulations to Liu Honing and himself, as if he couldn’t wait to proclaim his joy and pride to the world.

Ye Guichen thought that she had to attend her own husband’s wedding. Although her mindset had been adjusted quite well recently, the thought of having to offer them congratulations still made her very unhappy. However, no matter how much unhappiness she had in her heart, she could only hide it. At least on the surface, she had to appear pleasant, dignified, and virtuous.

When Liu Honing arrived in the hall, Yang Zhao walked down from the throne. He looked at Liu Honing, who was usually supremely ethereal. Even dressed so gorgeously, she still couldn’t hide the spiritual clarity and transcendent quality in her eyes. Only the red mole between her brows looked even redder, as if stained with a touch of the mortal world, no longer so out of reach.

In the grand hall, Liu Honing indeed saw the beautiful woman she had accidentally startled a month ago when she first entered the palace—the Empress Ye Guichen, who was now dressed very solemnly, gorgeously, and dignifiedly. Liu Honing naturally loved all beautiful things in the world, especially the reunion with a beauty. It made her perhaps happier than her own wedding, so she smiled first at Ye Guichen, a smile as happy as encountering an old acquaintance.

Liu Honing treated her like an old friend, but Ye Guichen looked at her as if she had never seen her before, returning a polite but distant smile. She bowed slightly to Yang Zhao with a respectful and composed attitude, and gracefully nodded slightly to Liu Honing, signifying acceptance.

Liu Honing saw that Ye Guichen looked outwardly submissive, gentle, generous, and proper, but her eyes hid a subtle indifference. Liu Honing did not care about being snubbed by Ye Guichen; instead, she felt pity for the woman in front of her. It must be difficult for her to have to offer congratulations to herself. No wife would be happy when her husband took a new bride, yet she had to force a smile and offer congratulations. Jun Shen truly wasn’t afraid of hurting the beauty’s heart!

Yang Zhao knew Ye Guichen had always been virtuous and dignified. Now, seeing no trace of unwillingness or unhappiness in her attitude was exactly the reaction he had expected from her. Ye Guichen’s sensible conduct delighted the Emperor. Looking at Ye Guichen’s beauty, which eclipsed the entire harem, he felt the same stunning awe as when he first saw her, even after many years.

He naturally liked such a breathtaking beauty. However, perhaps because she grew up in the palace from a young age, Ye Guichen’s temperament was overly cautious and somewhat constrained, making her less comfortable to be around than Ning’er. Her temperament, however, complemented Ning’er, allowing her to manage the six palaces perfectly for him. Yang Zhao was clearly very satisfied with both of his Empresses, so he stepped forward to take Ye Guichen’s hand, asking her to sit on the Empress’s seat to his left, so that she could receive the court officials’ homage and congratulations along with him and Liu Honing.

Sitting on the Empress’s seat, Ye Guichen felt as if she was wearing a mask. The expressions on her face and the emotions she displayed were all fake. She secretly glanced at Liu Honing from the corner of her eye, the one who had just smiled at her like an acquaintance. This person, knowing her identity, could still smile so falsely, suggesting she must also be good at pretense. She really disliked Liu Honing’s affected mannerisms, which always made her feel a little embarrassed and annoyed.

She wondered if Liu Honing had caught her peripheral glance, as she looked over. Ye Guichen quickly withdrew her gaze, pretending to look ahead naturally, daring not to look at Liu Honing again, always feeling that Liu Honing would see through her distress.

Liu Honing felt Ye Guichen secretly looking at her, and when she looked back, the other woman quickly avoided her gaze. That slight panic was like when she was caught snapping the plum branch in the plum grove. However, she didn’t seem to like herself very much. What a pity, Liu Honing thought. She quite liked her. Who wouldn’t like such a beautiful woman? Furthermore, Liu Honing had a hunch that beneath Ye Guichen’s dignified and virtuous exterior, there seemed to be another Ye Guichen hidden, which also seemed very interesting.

Yang Zhao was extremely pleased, feeling that everything was going his way, never imagining that the minds of his two Empresses, one on his left and one on his right, were not focused on him at all.