Dual Queens GL - Chapter 7

Although Liu Honing intended to please the beauty, in Ye Guichen’s view, Liu Honing was deliberately playing with her, clearly a ruthless beauty pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger.

“Your Highness is now the mistress of the Central Palace. I, Guichen, have specifically come to present the Empress Seal to Your Highness,” Ye Guichen said patiently and courteously again, then subtly signaled a palace maid to bring the Empress Seal before Liu Honing.

“I grew up among the common folk and am quite wild. How could I understand the palace rules? It’s most suitable for Huachao to keep this Empress Seal,” Liu Honing genuinely refused.

“I heard it was Your Highness who proposed establishing two Empresses, and that Your Highness deliberately granted Guichen this courtesy. Guichen is deeply grateful to Your Highness. To now still manage the Empress Seal would be inappropriate, as it lacks proper justification,” Ye Guichen also said with great sincerity.

“You were originally the rightfully wedded Empress whom Jun Shen married first. Jun Shen was wrong in this matter,” Liu Honing said. She found Ye Guichen’s words so proper, so proper that they seemed a little humble. The beauty was clearly full of grievances, yet she didn’t show any, and her temper was not of the ordinary restrained kind. Her cautious and careful demeanor truly evoked pity. Although Jun Shen was wholeheartedly doing this for her, she still felt Jun Shen was wrong. Moreover, Liu Honing felt a sense of guilt towards Ye Guichen, a feeling of “I didn’t kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me.”

Ye Guichen was slightly stunned upon hearing this. This person truly dared to say anything, not even afraid of Yang Zhao hearing it, especially since everything Yang Zhao did was for her sake. If Ye Guichen held no prejudice against Liu Honing, she might have thought well of her for speaking fairly. However, Ye Guichen, unable to rid herself of reservations about Liu Honing, only felt that Liu Honing was exploiting her advantage and still putting on a show of virtue.

“This matter shouldn’t be blamed on the Emperor. After all, the Emperor had a prior engagement with you. Besides, when he married me back then, it wasn’t his original intention,” Ye Guichen said in a gentle tone, still acting as a gentle and virtuous woman who was very understanding of Yang Zhao.

“How could it not have been his intention to marry you back then? You are so beautiful; even as a woman, I like looking at you. How could a man not be moved?” Liu Honing felt that Yang Zhao was not inconvenienced or wronged in the slightest by marrying Ye Guichen. She didn’t believe Yang Zhao was unmoved by Ye Guichen’s beauty.

Ye Guichen thought, no wonder Yang Zhao liked her; this mouth was very persuasive. Even she felt slightly soothed by her words, but Ye Guichen would not be moved by just a few sentences from Liu Honing.

“That’s incomparable to Your Highness. In the Emperor’s heart, what is important and what is less important is clear at a glance,” Ye Guichen said modestly, thinking with self-mockery: What good is being beautiful? I still lost, didn’t I?

“People are often like this. They don’t cherish what they have already obtained and are certain is theirs so much, always gazing at the one that is not yet theirs,” Liu Honing was very perceptive about human nature. She felt that Yang Zhao assumed Ye Guichen was as virtuous and dignified as she appeared on the surface, putting her husband first, and willing to share his worries, believing that even after everything he had done to her, Ye Guichen would have no complaints. If Ye Guichen truly didn’t care about him, it would be another matter—at most, she’d lose some face. Someone genuinely indifferent to fame and fortune probably wouldn’t care too much. But Yang Zhao misunderstood Ye Guichen; Ye Guichen cared very much. It was evident that she once held expectations for her husband, and the more she suppressed her feelings, the greater her resentment towards Yang Zhao probably grew.

Listening to Liu Honing’s words, Ye Guichen didn’t know if Yang Zhao thought as she described, but she felt a bit more comfortable. She hadn’t lost; she was just the one who was obtained first. It was Yang Zhao who didn’t know how to cherish her. She wasn’t flawed. At this moment, looking at Liu Honing, she actually had the illusion that the woman was comforting her, but Ye Guichen quickly dismissed the thought, thinking: This person is truly terrifying, skilled at psychological warfare. I must be more vigilant next time.

“These are not important. What’s important is that Your Highness must accept the Empress Seal. If I keep the seal, I will surely feel fearful and uneasy,” Ye Guichen redirected the conversation back from where Liu Honing had led it astray.

Liu Honing looked at the still rigid Ye Guichen, thinking: The beauty’s psychological defense is truly strong; she doesn’t trust easily. No matter how sincerely I speak, she skillfully deflects it. However, Liu Honing didn’t mind. She believed that with time, and her sincere treatment, Huachao would eventually feel it.

“I won’t accept it. Even if Jun Shen were here, it wouldn’t work,” Liu Honing adamantly refused to accept the Empress Seal. She knew best what she was suitable for. If the Empress Seal were in her hands, the palace would surely be turned upside down in no time.

Just as they were at a stalemate, Yang Zhao finished the morning court and, just like yesterday, came directly to Changqing Hall without changing his court robes, demonstrating his affection for Liu Honing. Yang Zhao was slightly surprised to see Ye Guichen at Changqing Hall.

“Why are you here?” Yang Zhao asked.

“Your humble subject specifically came to pay respects to Your Highness,” Ye Guichen replied respectfully, looking straight ahead but not at Yang Zhao.

Seeing Ye Guichen like this, Yang Zhao felt an indescribable emotion. For the first time, he sensed that there was something else beneath Ye Guichen’s respectful demeanor.

“She is an Empress, and you are an Empress. You don’t need to specifically come to pay respects to her,” Yang Zhao said.

“This humble subject was elevated from the Eastern Palace; it is proper to pay respects to the Empress of the Central Palace,” Ye Guichen replied, presenting a very sensible and proper image.

“Huachao insists on giving me the Empress Seal, and I certainly won’t accept it,” Liu Honing interjected at this point.

Yang Zhao frowned slightly upon hearing this. Ye Guichen was being overly sensible at the moment, and beneath this propriety seemed to hide a dissatisfaction with him. Yang Zhao originally thought Ye Guichen wouldn’t mind these things, which was why he had wronged her this way. He didn’t expect Ye Guichen to care, but he could understand her concern. So, Yang Zhao decided to comfort Ye Guichen properly, as she was also one of the women he loved.

“The reason I designated Ning’er as the Central Palace is because I rely on you to manage the six palaces. I was afraid those clueless servants would slight Ning’er, which is why I made this decision. Ning’er’s temperament is too casual and unsuitable for managing the six palaces. You are more suitable to manage the harem for me. The Empress Seal should still be kept by you. I never intended for you to give up the Empress Seal,” Yang Zhao had also thought that Liu Honing was unsuitable to lead the six palaces. By keeping the real power in Ye Guichen’s hands, he was afraid Liu Honing would be wronged, so raising Liu Honing’s status slightly above Ye Guichen’s would perfectly balance the two Empresses.

“Your Majesty’s intentions are thoughtful. Guichen understands,” Ye Guichen replied. In fact, her early morning visit to voluntarily offer the seal was merely a tactic of feigned retreat. If Yang Zhao intended for Liu Honing to manage the six palaces, she couldn’t keep the seal even if she wanted to, so she might as well offer it proactively and gain some favor. If Yang Zhao had no intention of letting Liu Honing manage the six palaces, keeping the seal and getting a clear statement from Yang Zhao would prevent anyone from questioning her authority in the future, especially since there was still a Central Palace Empress above her. As for Yang Zhao’s stance of seemingly being forced to elevate Liu Honing, Ye Guichen only felt like sneering inwardly. With the Emperor’s favor, no one would dare slight Liu Honing even if she wasn’t the Empress. The truth was that Yang Zhao couldn’t bear to wrong Liu Honing and had considered everything fully for her.

Liu Honing, unable to interject, also sensed the undercurrent between Yang Zhao and Ye Guichen, thinking: Staying in the palace is quite tiring, like playing a game of chess. However, she felt that Ye Guichen should have shown her dissatisfaction much earlier. Why would Yang Zhao have been so fearless about deposing the Empress before? He truly treated Ye Guichen like an honest person to be bullied. Clearly, he had misjudged Ye Guichen.