Chapter 883: The Young Empress (20)

 "You may leave now. If there's nothing important, don't come to see this Prince again."

The expressions on Shan Ge and Yin Qiu's faces changed instantly.

Even if they didn't like Tang Nuoyue, the fact that she was humiliating them so openly for the sake of Xiao Jin, a mere hostage prince, was beyond tolerable.

How could they possibly feel any goodwill toward Xiao Jin after that?

The moment they looked at him, their gazes were as sharp as knives.

Xiao Jin felt an enormous headache coming on.

His original plan had been simple enough: infiltrate the Moon Prince's residence and form an alliance with the two men closest to Tang Nuoyue.

He had already investigated them. Both were deeply dissatisfied with the Moon Prince, making them ideal candidates to win over.

Then, together with the two people inside the imperial palace, they could use Tang Nuoyue's status to challenge the Empress. With the Moon Prince's name attached, everything would be perfectly justified.

What he had never expected was that Tang Nuoyue's erratic behavior would leave such a terrible impression on everyone. Convincing these two men to trust him now would undoubtedly require a great deal of effort.

Tang Nuoyue sensed Xiao Jin's thoughts and sneered inwardly.

Peaceful coexistence?

Keep dreaming.

What she wanted was exactly this—a front-row seat inside her own residence while her husbands fought amongst themselves. The more fiercely they battled, the happier she would be.

After all, this was something she had learned from them.

"Then Shan Ge shall take his leave."

"Yin Qiu also takes his leave."

Before departing, both men cast another icy glance at Xiao Jin, making his headache worsen even further.

After they left, Tang Nuoyue wrapped herself around Xiao Jin's arm and smiled brightly.

"Xiao Jin, don't worry. I won't like them. You're the one I like most."

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Jin reached out and stroked her cheek.

"Mm."

But inwardly, he was full of worry.

What was he supposed to do next?

At present, Shan Ge and Yin Qiu's hostility toward him was overwhelming. It seemed he would have to rely on Tang Nuoyue's status and enter the palace to discuss matters with those two people instead.

Seeing that nothing particularly entertaining was likely to happen for the time being, Tang Guo closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

With the system keeping watch, there was no possibility of trouble. Besides, she was currently inside the Imperial Consort's palace. She trusted that nothing would happen here.

By the time Jing Cheng finished practicing swordsmanship, he finally learned that the Empress had come.

Sheathing his sword, he asked, "Why wasn't I informed earlier?"

"It was Her Majesty's order. She instructed us not to disturb Your Highness while you were practicing."

Almost immediately, Jing Cheng recalled the sight of the Empress smiling brilliantly at him, her eyes curved into crescents.

For some reason, his heart skipped a beat.

He carried his treasured sword back into his chambers, quickly bathed, changed into clean clothes, and followed the palace attendants to the garden.

The moment he entered, he saw the woman resting with her eyes closed beside the sea of flowers.

His footsteps halted instinctively.

Only after a long moment did he regain his senses and continue forward, moving quietly, making almost no sound at all, as though afraid of disturbing someone deep in slumber.

"Your High—"

One of the attendants spotted him and moved to offer a formal greeting, but he immediately raised a hand to stop them.

The attendants had no wish to disturb Tang Guo either. They merely bent their knees slightly in salute and remained silent.

Jing Cheng quietly took a seat on a nearby stone bench.

At first, he intended to admire the flowers in the garden.

Yet as he watched, his gaze unconsciously drifted toward the figure resting among them.

One glance became another.

Before he knew it, he had completely lost himself.

While asleep, the corners of her lips curved faintly upward. She was clearly having a pleasant dream.

The sleeping Empress was remarkably quiet.

She looked harmless.

He couldn't help recalling the stern and imposing woman everyone else saw, then comparing her to the smiling, gentle woman who always faced him with warmth.

Which one was the real Empress?

Taking a sip of tea, he found that his eyes still refused to move away.

Then, in the very next instant, Tang Guo opened her eyes.

The suddenness of it startled him so badly that his teacup nearly slipped from his hand.

Fortunately, his martial skills were excellent. He immediately tightened his grip and caught it before it could fall.

Those beautiful eyes looked slightly dazed, still clouded with traces of sleep. A faint mist lingered within them as she gazed at him in confusion.

Apparently, she hadn't noticed that he had been staring at her so intently just moments ago.