Qing Mei froze for a moment, then tilted his head and chuckled softly. "And now... the lady's every smile and frown is truly etched upon my heart..."
Shen Lang flicked back her long, silky hair. The corners of her dazzlingly beautiful eyes tilted up slightly, a rosy flush blooming at their edges.
Before she could even speak, a cold voice rang out in her mind.
[System: Please refrain from casually flirting with irrelevant NPCs.]
Shen Lang almost threw out her back. "..."
Shen Lang instantly lost all interest.
Then she stalked off, muttering curses.
*
*
「Imperial Study Room.」
Jiang Yu frowned slightly. "...Where did she go? Say it again."
The Shadow Guard put a hand to his forehead. "She went... she went to Wangfeng Pavilion."
Wangfeng Pavilion was a popular male courtesan house within the Imperial City. The men inside were all dashing and elegant, performers who sold their skills, not their bodies. Many young ladies and noblewomen secretly visited for amusement; even some men frequented the establishment.
It was an open secret in the Capital City.
But for Princess Yu Yin, the future Empress, to behave in such a brazen and shameless manner was truly... an affront to propriety.
The Shadow Guard hadn't even finished speaking when he watched as the well-defined hand holding the vermilion brush snapped it in two. CRACK!
Large beads of sweat rolled down Eunuch Zhang's forehead.
'Good heavens! Who on earth is this Commandery Princess? She hasn't even shown her face, yet she's already got His Majesty this bewitched!'
Immediately after, he heard the exquisitely handsome young Emperor's grim voice echo slowly through the Imperial Study Room. "...Instruct the Ministry of Rites. The wedding is to be moved up!"
Eunuch Zhang: "..."
'A candle for the future Empress.'
*
*
"Sister... where have you been?"
The moment Shen Lang stepped into the room, she heard a soft voice.
'Ah, the female lead.'
'Sitting there quietly, sipping her tea with downcast eyes, she looked so serene and elegant. She really did have the air of an empress about her.'
"Why are you here?" Shen Lang asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sister, you are a lady of a noble house. How can you sneak out of the mansion every day? If someone with ill intentions were to find out, wouldn't you tarnish the reputation of the entire Prince Mansion?"
'Such a self-righteous lecture.'
Cui Sheng was kneeling off to the side, clearly being punished, a heartbroken look on her face.
Shen Lang slowly walked closer and said softly, "Is this what you're relying on? The thing that gives you the gall to offend a superior and disregard our difference in station?"
Yu Ge's face paled slightly.
But she quickly recovered, smiling as if nothing was wrong. She leaned in and whispered to Shen Lang, "Surely you know by now, Sister? ... I will soon be the mother of the nation, second only to one and above all others... And you still want to lecture me about our difference in station?"
'Classic lines straight out of a reincarnation revenge drama.'
Shen Lang nodded slightly, her gorgeous lips curling into a knowing smile.
"Well then, congratulations are in order for you, little sister. You're bringing such glory to our Chen Prince Mansion."
Yu Ge shot her a glance, then smiled with a hint of feigned shyness. "You should behave yourself these next few days, Sister. You absolutely must not sneak out again. If the slightest thing were to go wrong, it would be very difficult for me to plead your case before His Majesty and Father..."
Shen Lang: "..."
'Alright, then. It looks like my self-important little sister wants to start putting on her empress airs ahead of schedule.'
'And as her kind, loving older sister, how could I bear to ruin her performance by not playing along?'
At once, Shen Huoshui nodded slightly and smiled with noble elegance. "In that case, Your Majesty the Empress, you may leave first. I still need to change my clothes."
Upon hearing this, a flicker of coldness passed through Yu Ge's beautiful eyes, and she sneered inwardly.
'It wasn't a waste, being reborn. In her past life, she had been pure and kind, yet met a miserable end. In this life, Heaven was truly on her side.'
'As for Yu Yin, who married the young Prime Minister and lived a happy life last time? This time, she absolutely would not be so lucky!'