Chapter 895: The Young Empress (32)

Meanwhile, Su Qing occasionally revealed his various talents in seemingly casual ways, earning Tang Guo's admiration and praise.

For a time, the two men completely overshadowed even the Imperial Consort.

Rumors quietly began spreading throughout the harem that the Imperial Consort had fallen out of favor.

Everyone was waiting.

Waiting for Jing Cheng to lose his composure.

In truth, most of the men in the harem hoped the Imperial Consort would clash with those two. If the three of them started fighting among themselves, the rest could simply sit back and reap the benefits.

Unfortunately, Jing Cheng refused to cooperate with their expectations.

He remained secluded behind closed doors all day long.

According to rumor, he spent every day practicing martial arts and swordsmanship within his palace.

Because of this, countless consorts secretly cursed him.

"What a waste of the position of Imperial Consort."

"If he loves sword practice so much, why did he bother becoming the Imperial Consort in the first place?"

Every day, Tang Guo was invited to a pavilion in the Imperial Garden.

There, she listened to Su Qing play the qin while playing chess against Nan Yunchuan.

Whenever the two sat facing one another, Tang Guo would occasionally look up and smile toward a certain direction.

Neither Su Qing nor Nan Yunchuan usually noticed.

And on the rare occasions they did, they naturally assumed she was smiling at them.

What Tang Guo was actually looking at, however, was the rooftop opposite the pavilion.

The Imperial Consort, who was supposedly in his palace practicing swordsmanship, was crouched in a hidden corner of the roof, revealing only a pair of eyes as he secretly watched her.

The moment she spotted him, of course she smiled.

Jing Cheng felt rather helpless about the situation.

He was only trying to secretly observe what they were doing.

Yet every single time, the Empress would discover him immediately.

Not only that, she would smile at him without the slightest hint of reproach.

Those eyes, overflowing with affection and indulgence, made his ears burn every time.

How was anyone supposed to resist liking an Empress like that?

"Your Majesty, you've lost."

Nan Yunchuan's voice pulled Tang Guo back to reality.

She glanced down and discovered she had indeed lost the game.

The system immediately mocked her.

Host, have you heard the phrase 'beauty leads one astray'?

"Indeed, I've lost."

Tang Guo turned to the Chief Steward beside her.

"Go fetch the White Jade Chess Set. It suits Yunchuan perfectly."

Nan Yunchuan was startled.

The White Jade Chess Set was one of the Empress's treasured possessions.

How could she simply give it away?

"Your Majesty, wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

"There's nothing inappropriate about it."

Tang Guo smiled lightly.

"Yunchuan deserves it."

Nan Yunchuan couldn't deny that his heart was racing.

Especially when he saw the indulgent way Tang Guo was looking at him.

The Empress treated him better and better each day.

Whatever he needed, whatever he requested, she almost always granted it.

If not for...

If not for everything else...

Perhaps he truly would have been moved beyond words.

Perhaps he might even have abandoned his ambitions.

"Yunchuan is so happy that he's gone foolish."

Su Qing's cool voice rang out, snapping Nan Yunchuan back to his senses.

Only then did he hurriedly stand and express his gratitude.

Thankfully, Su Qing had reminded him.

Otherwise, he feared he might already have fallen into the Empress's gentle trap.

Tang Guo glanced at Su Qing.

"Some time ago, I obtained an ancient qin. I've already entrusted it to a master musician for tuning."

She paused before continuing.

"When it's ready, I'll have it brought to you."

Su Qing was equally stunned.

"Your Majesty, such an ancient qin is far too precious. Su Qing is unworthy of it."

"If I say you're worthy, then you're worthy."

Tang Guo's tone was calm.

"When the musician was tuning it, I listened to its sound. It flowed like a mountain spring."

Her gaze rested briefly on him.

"It reminded me of you. I felt it suited you perfectly."

"Enough. The matter is decided. I still have state affairs to attend to."

The two men watched her depart, each carrying complicated emotions.

They assumed she was returning to handle official business.

What they didn't know was that Tang Guo immediately slipped away to the Imperial Consort's palace.

Jing Cheng was already seated there waiting for her.

The moment he saw her, he said, "Your Majesty is truly generous. First the ancient qin, then the White Jade Chess Set."

Although he knew perfectly well that she held no romantic interest in those two men, he still couldn't stop a sour feeling from bubbling up inside him.

More than anything, he wanted to pull the Empress into his arms and keep her there.

"I am indeed generous."

Tang Guo stepped closer.

"There's one more treasure I haven't given away yet."

She leaned toward him slightly.

"How about I give it to you?"

"What treasure?"

Jing Cheng's curiosity was immediately piqued.

Could it be another famous sword?

One glance at his expression was enough for Tang Guo to know exactly what he was thinking.

Leaning close to his ear, she whispered softly,

"Me."

"What?"

Jing Cheng's eyes widened.

For a moment, his mind went completely blank.

What exactly did the Empress mean by that?
:::