Chapter 20

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Chapter 20: Title

Qingfeng laid a light purple long dress on the table and went to the bed, where someone was sleeping like a log. “Miss, wake up. We’ve got to go to the palace today.”

“Let me sleep a little longer. I already said I’m not going to a brothel, so stop bugging me,” Gu Hengbo muttered, rolling over and burrowing deeper into the blanket.

“Qingfeng, why hasn’t the young lady gotten up yet?” Madam Dou asked softly as she entered.

“She’s probably too tired to wake up.”

“Tired? This girl’s been sleeping since yesterday afternoon! Get her up. Someone from the palace will be here soon, and we can’t keep the Empress waiting.” Madam Dou gave a few quick instructions before hurrying off.

Qingfeng sighed and pinched Gu Hengbo’s side. “Miss, the Empress wants you in the palace. Stop sleeping!”

Gu Hengbo tried to smother herself with her pillow, but Qingfeng snatched it away before she could. “Miss, you’re driving me crazy!”

“What’s your problem? Waking someone up this early is a crime, you know?”

“The Empress wants to see you.”

“Who’s the Empress?” Gu Hengbo mumbled, still half-asleep.

“Enough messing around. Let’s go!” Qingfeng said, yanking Gu Hengbo out of bed.

After all the fuss, Gu Hengbo’s sleepiness was completely gone. “Why does the Empress want me in the palace? It’s not like we’re close,” she said, recalling that she’d only saved the Empress’s life once.

“No idea. Someone came last night to let us know, but you were asleep, and I didn’t have time to wake you.”

“Just fix my hair a little. No need to go all out,” Gu Hengbo said, looking at her reflection in the mirror. “You’re pretty good at this for a little girl.”

Just as they finished getting ready, there was a knock at the door.

The Prime Minister’s residence wasn’t too far from the palace, but it wasn’t exactly close either. Halfway there, Gu Hengbo, bored, lifted the curtain to look outside. Her eyes immediately landed on the three gilded characters of Prince Rong’s residence, the gate wide enough to fit three or four carriages at once. Gu Hengbo stared, thinking, *Wow, they must be loaded.*

Just as Gu Hengbo was starting to doze off again, the carriage came to a stop.

After getting out, she followed a young eunuch toward the Empress’s palace. Along the way, she quietly stared at the young eunuch’s hat. Last time she’d been in such a rush, she hadn’t noticed anything. Now, she couldn’t help but wonder: *Don’t these guys ever need to, you know, take care of business? What do they do when nature calls?*

“Ahem, excuse me, young… eunuch?” Gu Hengbo quickened her pace to walk beside the young eunuch.

The little eunuch quickly stepped back upon seeing this.

Gu Hengbo felt a headache; she wasn’t going to eat anyone. Never mind, she didn’t want to scare them by speaking.

Following the little eunuch to the Mingluan Palace of the empress, the eunuch had someone announce her arrival and then left.

Inside the hall of Mingluan Palace,

"Why did you suddenly come today?"

"Does sister-in-law not want me to come?" The red-clad figure leaned casually in a chair, carelessly playing with the hair at her chest, her captivating phoenix eyes faintly glancing at the person sitting on the phoenix throne.

The empress felt a bit helpless. "It seems you are quite idle. Didn’t you just come a few days ago? How is business?"

The red figure sitting in the chair was Lian Rong, propping her chin with one hand, her eyes fixed on the empress. "I heard you discussed my wedding with brother."

The empress sighed and walked over to her. "A-Rong, how long are you going to drag this out?"

Lian Rong chuckled lightly. "Sister-in-law is very eager to marry me off. At my age, which man would dare want me?"

"Don’t say that! A woman as excellent as A-Rong, not to mention the men of Dongyin, even men throughout the Nine Provinces would line up outside the continent."

"Then sister-in-law thinks there is a man in the Nine Provinces who is worthy of the royal sister?" Lian Rong’s voice was almost cold.

The empress paused. Yes, when discussing her wedding with the emperor, she honestly didn’t know who to choose.

"After so many years, do you truly not know, or are you pretending not to know?" Lian Rong’s voice was gentle, as if she were asking both the empress and herself.

The empress stared at her blankly.

"Lan’er, if I were a man, would you choose me?"

The empress closed her eyes; what was meant to happen would happen.

"No, I wouldn’t." Her soft voice sounded extremely indifferent in the spacious hall.

Lian Rong laughed lightly. "Lan’er, you are harsher than I am."

"I’m sorry."

Lian Rong slowly stood up, kissed the corner of her lips, gently pressed the tip of her nose against her cheek, and spoke in a low, hoarse voice, "I won’t let go, nor will I show mercy. I will take back everything that belongs to me, including you."

The empress widened her eyes in disbelief. "A-Rong, you…"

Lian Rong smiled slightly. "You can stop me; either come with me or kill me."

The empress shook her head, her eyes filled with pain. "Why must you force me? I love him, I don’t love you."

In an instant, something seems to shatter in Lian Rong’s eyes; but in a moment, it was as if it returned to normal. She laughed nonchalantly. "I don’t care. I just want to have you."

"A-Rong, please don’t be like this."

Lian Rong raised a hand and gently wiped away the tears on her face. "Lan’er, be good. A beautiful woman looks unattractive when she cries."

The empress stared at her in a daze. This woman possessed unparalleled beauty and talent. They had spent over twenty years together, from envy and jealousy to deep closeness. She had never truly understood her, never knew what she was thinking. She took her kindness for granted until she took her place as empress and experienced the ups and downs of human feelings.

From the beginning to the end, she had never thought to understand her, never.

When Lian Rong walked out of the back hall, she immediately spotted Gu Hengbo, who was feeling bored and frustrated in the main hall. She smiled, and the gloom from earlier in the back hall lifted considerably.

"What are you doing here?"

Gu Hengbo felt as if she had waited an eternity. Hearing the voice, she turned around to bow, but when she saw who it was, she froze.

“Did the Empress summon you to the palace?” Lian Rong asked when she saw Gu Hengbo did not respond.

Gu Hengbo came back to her senses and nodded, “Yes.”

At that moment, the Empress walked out from the inner hall. “Meisheng has arrived.”

“Oh, Meisheng pays her respects to the Empress,” Gu Meisheng began to say, but the Empress helped her up. “Today, I called you to the palace alone, with no outsiders present. There’s no need for excessive formalities.”

Lian Rong glanced at the Empress holding Gu Hengbo’s hand and smirked. “Since this king has no matters to discuss, I shall take my leave.”

Gu Hengbo watched the red figure for a moment, denying her own thoughts. It was just a red dress, after all. Many people in the world wore red clothes. That woman wore a mask, making it hard to see her face. This Lian Rong, though looking very feminine, was still a man. No, no, it couldn’t be one person. But why did it feel like she was overlooking something?

“What is Meisheng looking at?” The Empress’s gentle voice came from behind.

Gu Hengbo turned around awkwardly. “Nothing, hehe. Did the Empress summon Meisheng for a reason?”

The Empress sat down. “There is nothing particular, just wanted to chat with you, and to thank you for saving my life last time.”

Gu Hengbo looked at the woman sitting in the high seat. The saying "a smile can topple a city, another smile can topple a nation" was probably about her. No wonder she could have a daughter like Lianhua.