Palace Struggles Is Also Crazy - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Empress’s Difficult Role (2)

The Empress had been in her position for many years and was very experienced in managing the harem. She immediately gave the crowd a stern look while supporting the Empress Dowager, “Mother, don’t get angry. Take care of your fragile heart. Yes, yes, cover it well. Xiao Cui, why aren’t you hurrying to support the Empress Dowager and serve tea? These girls will get out of hand if they’re not disciplined for three days. If they do anything wrong, it’s my fault. I’ll punish them by making them run laps. What’s the delay?”

Run, run, Consort Shu, don’t look at me with your beautiful phoenix eyes. You think you can bring your pet to a meeting and it’s justified? I’ve told you countless times, it’s okay to raise cats, but you can’t take them out…

The Empress Dowager sipped her tea and quietly watched the Empress’s performance. After a while, she sighed.

As soon as the Empress Dowager’s eyebrows furrowed, the Empress knew things weren’t that simple. She immediately stopped her speech, quickly knelt down in front of her, and aimed at one of her thighs.

Just as she was preparing, the Empress Dowager said, “This time, it’s not about them, it’s about the Emperor.”

The Empress heard this and stood up easily, “You scared me to death. I thought something big had happened.”

The Empress Dowager: “…”

The Empress Dowager asked, “Do you know which palace the Emperor stayed in recently?”

The Empress nodded, “He stayed with me.”

Everyone: “Ah——”

It seemed the source was correct. The Empress Dowager asked again, “Do you know why the Emperor is unhappy recently?”

The Empress: “…Is the Emperor unhappy? Really?”

She looked at everyone, and they all had puzzled expressions.

The Empress Dowager: “…I think, since your main source of income is still from the Emperor’s monthly allowance, it’s necessary to care about the mental health of your… patron. Don’t you agree, Empress?”

As the winner of the last palace struggle, she grasped everyone’s lifeline in one go.

The Empress nodded first, “The Empress Dowager is right.”

“Then let’s leave this matter to the Empress to handle.”

“I will obey your majesty’s decree.”

The Empress Dowager was satisfied. She named a few people to follow her back to the palace to play mahjong, and the rest were to write self-criticism. The meeting was dismissed.

Section 3

As soon as everyone left, the Empress had the yoga mat taken away, bathed, burned incense, changed clothes, and sat in front of the dressing table.

The palace maid combed her hair into a bun and fetched a phoenix-headed hairpin with spread wings.
Soon, the mirror reflected a stunning beauty.

The flowers and the beauty were equally enchanting, and the two complemented each other perfectly.
Xiao Cui couldn’t help but praise beside her, “A woman adorns herself for the one she delights.”

“That’s wrong,” the Empress said. “A woman adorns herself for her own delight.”

Xiao Cui didn’t understand, “What’s the difference?”

“A huge difference,” the Empress said.

The Empress, looking stunning, arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Emperor Qiyuan, Dugu Xin, ascended to the throne at the age of seven and took personal control of government at fifteen. The Empress married him when he was seventeen and gave birth to a son and a daughter. They had been through countless storms together for fifteen years. The Emperor and Empress’s deep love for each other had become a legend in Chang’an city.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation was quiet, with a subtle scent of Longnao incense and dragon’s fragrance spreading throughout the hall.

Dugu Xin glanced at the doorway and saw someone peeking, a red garnet gemstone on her hairpin shining brightly in the sunlight. The gemstone sparkled with each movement, revealing a hint of mischief and a touch of silliness, as well as loveliness.

He couldn’t help but put down his brush and cough loudly.

The person being watched didn’t show the expected shame.

Instead, she stood confidently in front of the imperial desk, performing a grand bow, “Wishing the Emperor good fortune.”

Dugu Xin looked at her empty hands and found it was the least sincere visit from the harem, without even bringing any food.

The Empress pretended not to understand his gaze.

She got straight to the point, “Your subject came with a task.”

Dugu Xin responded nonchalantly, “Another time being worn down by wages?”

“The Emperor is wise,” the Empress replied.

The wise Emperor threw down a brush, and the Empress caught it skillfully, smiling, “Thank the Emperor’s kindness.”

The Emperor was annoyed by her agile movements.

He couldn’t bear to scold or hit her, so he pampered her instead, making room for her on the dragon throne. As the Empress sat down, she put the brush back in the brush holder and asked, turning her head,”Tell me, pillar of the empire, what’s been making you unhappy lately? Let your wise wife help you share the burden!”

Dugu Xin was extremely tall, with long hands and feet in perfect proportion, making him a natural clothes rack.
Such a person would easily attract attention if he looked a bit good, not to mention Dugu Xin was not just a bit good-looking, he was exceptionally handsome.

The Empress couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch his face, his skin was so good. No wonder Consort Xian always wanted to persuade the Emperor to endorse her face masks, but every time the endorsement fee was too low, the Empress would fiercely nip it in the bud. The Empress’s claws slid down to Dugu Xin’s waist and pinched it, casually suggesting, “There’s a risk of excess fat, Your Majesty. I warned you, people who sit for long periods need to exercise. Otherwise, when it’s your next birthday, I’ll give you two exclusive customized hula hoops, okay?”

This sentence successfully shut the Emperor up, who was about to say why he was unhappy.

The Empress returned empty-handed, feeling puzzled.

She immediately called a small meeting with the entire harem, encouraging everyone to brainstorm ways to secure next month’s salary. The Empress sat in the seat of honor, reflecting, “Could it be that I was imagining him playing with a hula hoop in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and I smiled too obviously, and he noticed, making him angry and ashamed?”

Consort Liang chimed in, “Probably, everyone knows our Emperor’s face is thin-skinned. Oh, Noble Consort Xi, can you pass me some sunflower seeds? I also need some dried fruits.”

Consort Xian took the opportunity to say, “Your Majesty, you just need to be more mindful of your expressions. Smiling too much can cause wrinkles. I have a new zombie face mask that I’d like you to try. Since we’re all so familiar, I’ll give you an 8% discount and throw in some essence samples…”

Everyone had long been immune to her advertisements. The Empress turned to look at Consort De, who had been silent for a long time, and asked in surprise, “How come you changed your style today? You haven’t spoken up for half the time.”

Consort De looked indifferent, “I’m happy enough. Why do I need to care if the Emperor is happy or not? He’s an adult, can’t he manage his own emotions? If one can’t clean one’s own house, how can one clean the world?”
Everyone paused for a moment, feeling convinced by her words.

They immediately put aside Dugu Xin and returned to the theme of “The Emperor’s mood is not important, my own mood is what matters,” starting a discussion on whose palace to have a party in next.

As the fashion pioneer of the harem, Consort Xian pulled on Consort De’s skirt, studying it for a long time, and commented, “Sister, how did you know this pattern is popular this year? I went to the Weaving Department yesterday and looked, the new materials didn’t have this kind. Where did you get it? Share the link with me later, okay?”

Consort De waved her hand domineeringly, “It’s fine.”

Only Noble Consort Xi’s gaze followed her idol, seeing that the Empress wasn’t very happy, and approached her, asking, “Sister, are you still worried about the Emperor?”

The Empress worriedly said, “I’m worried about myself. After leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation, I bribed Da Xi, the Emperor’s attendant, to help me figure out why the Emperor is unhappy. You know the Emperor’s intelligence, I think I’m doomed.”

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Da Xi carefully observed the Emperor’s expression while grinding ink for him and cautiously asked, “So, Your Majesty, why are you unhappy?”

He recalled three days ago, on the 15th, in order to ensure harmony between the Emperor and Empress, there had been an unwritten rule in the harem since the founding of the Da Wei dynasty that the Emperor must stay in the Kun Ning Palace on the 1st and 15th of every month.

On the morning of the 16th, Da Xi was guarding the entrance of the Kun Ning Palace and saw the Empress emerge full of energy, enthusiastically greeting him and holding a dumbbell in each hand, starting her daily morning run.

After a while, he heard the Emperor’s unpleasant voice calling for someone from inside.

It seemed that the Emperor had started to become unhappy from that moment on.

Da Xi had a vague and ominous guess.

Indeed, he heard Dugu Xin sigh and say listlessly, “The Empress has a mermaid line and abs, and she even has two abdominal muscles… I don’t have any, and I’m outdone.”

“…”

Later, this matter somehow reached the Empress’s ears, and she laughed so hard in the Kun Ning Palace that she developed a third abdominal muscle.