Chapter Twenty-Seven: Empress Chu Yue'er

Baili Xian was startled, wishing he could turn into a needle and sew Liu Ling’er’s mouth shut. How could Liu Ling’er speak so carelessly? In Yunfeng Continent, where martial arts flourished, even ordinary people had senses sharper than most.

What’s more, the empress dowager before them—Chu Meier—was the master of the Ten Thousand Flowers Palace, her strength unfathomable. He was certain she’d heard everything Liu Ling’er just said.

He shot Liu Ling’er a subtle warning glance, hoping to signal her to hold her tongue, but she only grew more animated and asked in confusion, “Prince Xian, what’s wrong with your eyes? Did you get sand in them?” Her wide-eyed curiosity nearly made Baili Xian cough up blood in frustration. Couldn’t she just keep quiet for once?

Of course, Liu Ling’er understood what Baili Xian meant. From the moment she’d seen the empress dowager, she’d sensed this was no ordinary person. As for mentioning sand in his eyes, she was only trying to divert everyone’s attention—if she could distract the empress dowager, all the better.

But while the idea was lovely, reality was harsh. Chu Meier’s attention was not so easily turned. “My dear daughter-in-law, what did you mean by that just now?” she asked.

Liu Ling’er shot Baili Xian a fierce glare. If he hadn’t mentioned seeing an old witch last night, she wouldn’t have been thinking about it and wouldn’t have slipped up today.

Yet this hardly troubled Liu Ling’er—who was she, after all? Someone who could tailor her words to any audience, turning black into white, the dead into the living. Glancing at the empress dowager, she immediately knew how to respond.

She offered a graceful bow. “Ling’er greets Your Majesty. Lately, I’ve been reading some stories—there are old witches in them, each living to a ripe old age. Seeing Your Majesty’s noble features, I am sure you are destined for a long life.

“In fact, Your Majesty looks even younger than I do. If we walked down the street together, people would surely mistake us for sisters—perhaps even think I was the elder! If that isn’t like a fairy, what is?”

The empress dowager’s brows arched with delight, but as soon as Liu Ling’er finished, her expression hardened, and cold sweat broke out on Liu Ling’er’s forehead. Flattery was an art: done well, it could make a person float on air, but there was always the danger of overdoing it. Had she gone too far?

But the empress dowager, face stern, merely said, “Ling’er, listen to that honeyed tongue of yours. But why do you still call me ‘Your Majesty’? Are you not going to start calling me ‘Mother’?”

It was a false alarm after all—the power of flattery truly knew no bounds. Liu Ling’er breathed a sigh of relief and immediately called out sweetly, “Mother.”

Baili Xian was slightly surprised. He’d been waiting for Liu Ling’er to embarrass herself, but she’d turned a potentially offensive remark into a compliment with her glib tongue. This was a far cry from the rumors about the General’s useless, incompetent daughter.

Just then, applause came from outside the door, followed by a clear, melodious voice: “Princess Xian, you certainly have a way with words! Looks like from now on, I’ll be neglected in front of Mother. Ling’er, how are you going to make it up to me?”

The voice was as sweet and crisp as a songbird’s, echoing straight to the heart. Liu Ling’er looked toward the door and saw a woman dressed in a phoenix robe, her hair adorned with a phoenix hairpin, bearing a striking resemblance to Chu Meier.

Liu Ling’er turned to the empress dowager. “Mother, is this your younger sister? Why is she jealous over me?”

Chu Meier tapped Liu Ling’er lightly on the head. “You silly girl, didn’t Xian’er tell you about Empress Chu Yue?”

She then looked at Chu Yue. “And you, always calling me ‘aunt’ in private—they’re all family here. I still prefer you calling me ‘aunt’.”

Now Liu Ling’er understood—Chu Yue was the empress dowager’s niece. With such a powerful backer, it was no wonder she’d become empress. It seemed she needed to find her own powerful ally in this ancient world—otherwise, if anyone bullied her, she’d have no one to turn to for help.