Miss Cousin is Always Busy

Chapter 190

“Imperial Sister isn’t that kind of person,” Yue Mingsheng said in an angry tone. She really wanted to kill Xiao Nan’an right now. After all, what kind of nonsense was he spouting? “Leave the palace now, and I’ll spare your life. Otherwise, I’ll take it that you want to die by my sword.”

“Fine, fine. I just came to apologize to you and see—”

Xiao Nan’an stopped speaking when he felt Yue Mingsheng’s sword stopping right before his chest. So long as Yue Mingsheng used even a little more force, the sword would pierce into his heart.

“Can you let me meet her? Just a look. I just can’t let go of some things. If I see her, maybe I can let them go.”

Originally, Xiao Nan’an had difficulty understanding Yue Mingsheng’s hostility toward him. After hearing Yue Mingsheng’s revelation, though, he knew that she must be treating him as a love rival. However, even so, he still felt the need to take a look at Jun Zishu. He simply did not wish to continue seeing the empress’s face appearing in his mind any longer.

“I’ll go and ask Imperial Sister.”

Yue Mingsheng wanted nothing more than to kill Xiao Nan’an and rid herself of this problem. However, Xiao Nan’an wasn’t some nameless peon. He was quite the well-known figure in the world of martial artists, and the relationship between the dynasty and the world of martial artists was quite complicated.

However, after thinking it over, Yue Mingsheng felt that it wouldn’t matter even if she let her Big Sister meet with Xiao Nan’an. After all, she was the person her Big Sister currently liked. If letting Xiao Nan’an catch a glimpse of her Big Sister would stop him from pestering her Big Sister, so be it.

Afterward, Yue Mingsheng returned to the bedchamber and told Jun Zishu about Xiao Nan’an’s request, and Jun Zishu allowed Xiao Nan’an into the room after giving the matter some thought.

After over half a month, Xiao Nan’an was finally able to see Jun Zishu’s face again.

Xiao Nan’an found that the woman in his memories had become even more beautiful. Unlike before, the woman’s face now carried the solemnity of a ruler. She also looked much spirited than before. The arrogant aura she exuded, though, remained the same as before.

Jun Zishu wore a calm expression as she looked at Xiao Nan’an, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Meanwhile, Yue Mingsheng stood beside Jun Zishu, serving Jun Zishu a cup of tea. This should’ve been the job of the palace maids originally, yet Yue Mingsheng carried it out flawlessly.

In response, Jun Zishu accepted the teacup with one of her hands, a feeling of intimacy flowing between them when their hands touched.

After taking a sip of tea and looking at the gentleman holding a folding fan, Jun Zishu jokingly asked, “You wanted to see me? What for? Could it be that you couldn’t forget about the wine in my palace?”

There was no enmity between them. Xiao Nan’an and the original owner had practically hit it off with one another after they met, and rarely would there be any conflicts between them.

“That’s right. The palace’s wine has remained stuck in my mind,” Xiao Nan’an said generously as he unfolded his folding fan and slowly fanned himself. At the same time, he could feel the thoughts that had haunted him for the past two weeks disappearing, proving his point that his urge to meet with Jun Zishu was simply his mind playing tricks on him.

“Take two jugs when you leave, then. But don’t ever return.”

“Okay. The future is long, but may we never meet again.”

Jun Zishu liked conversing with smart and carefree people. So, she gladly had some palace maids lead Xiao Nan’an to the winery.

However, after taking two steps out of the bedchamber, Xiao Nan’an stopped and turned back to look at Jun Zishu and Yue Mingsheng. Then, he asked Jun Zishu, “Are you taking it seriously this time? Or are you just switching to a different playstyle?”

Xiao Nan’an felt that Jun Zishu was a truly difficult woman to understand using common sense. However, it also made sense since Jun Zishu wasn’t an ordinary woman.

“Of course,” Jun Zishu answered definitively. There was no doubt that she had feelings for Yue Mingsheng. Although her affection wasn’t as intense, she had never been an overly passionate person, to begin with.

Even so, Jun Zishu was very faithful. Once she had decided to be with someone, she wouldn’t change her mind no matter what. If Yue Mingsheng truly had been chasing her across multiple worlds solely for the sake of loving her, Jun Zishu was willing to grow old together with the other party.

Meanwhile, when Yue Mingsheng heard Jun Zishu’s response, she felt as if she had just eaten a mouthful of honey.

…

Summer will soon end, and the cool autumn would arrive.

When the seventh month of the year came around, the leaves of trees quietly changed color.

The relationship between Jun Zishu and Yue Mingsheng grew more and more stable. Yue Mingsheng also found herself liking Jun Zishu more and more. At this point, she no longer behaved cautiously around Jun Zishu. She would even become spoiled around Jun Zishu occasionally. Naturally, Jun Zishu was more than willing to spoil Yue Mingsheng. She even found the girl’s behavior rather pleasing to the eye.

Yue Mingsheng also stopped worrying that she might lose Jun Zishu’s love one day. This was because whenever Jun Zishu’s eyes fell on her, she could instantly tell that Jun Zishu cared for her. So, she didn’t have to worry too much about losing Jun Zishu’s affection.

The two did not deliberately conceal their relationship from others. Those unaware might think they were sisters with a close relationship when they saw their interactions, but the palace maids and eunuchs serving the two were well aware of what was actually happening.

Defu was rather surprised when he first found out about their relationship. However, he eventually grew used to it, and the only thing he was concerned about now was the matter of the dynasty’s heir.

If Her Majesty had become a lesbian, what would happen to the position of crown prince?

However, Defu also understood that this wasn’t something he should concern himself with. The empress was bound to have a solution for it.

After several months, Jun Zishu had already replaced all the palace staff with people she could trust. Right now, there existed no spies in the imperial palace, so nobody in the outside world knew about her relationship with Yue Mingsheng.

While in court, Jun Zishu remained a tyrant who didn’t take no for an answer. However, the ministers were no longer full of complaints as before.

Many people were happy to see a decisive and intelligent ruler on the throne.

Liu Bichen didn’t let down Jun Zishu’s expectations, either. Although the process was a little bumpy and accompanied by some bloodshed, he had at least managed to solidify his position in court and gathered some power for Jun Zishu.

Jun Zishu didn’t kick Chen Bai out of court. She still had a use for him and his bootlicking faction, so she let them continue prancing around in court. Of course, she also made sure not to grant them any additional authority.

While Jun Zishu was stabilizing the situation in court, Chu Meng had also been continuously growing his forces. On the surface, though, he remained well-behaved as always. If Jun Zishu didn’t have Little Fairy keeping an eye on him, she might not have noticed anything strange at all.

However, even after learning of Chu Meng’s actions, Jun Zishu didn’t try to expose him. She wanted to see how he planned to enact his rebellion. Then, she would strike him down using his own forces.

…

There was a flower named osmanthus, and it gave off a wonderful fragrance when it blossomed. When the osmanthus flowers bloomed all over the imperial capital, Yue Mingsheng’s birthday also arrived.

It was common knowledge that Jun Zishu favored Yue Mingsheng. So, when Yue Mingsheng’s birthday approached, many people started preparing exquisite birthday gifts to get on good terms with Yue Mingsheng.

“There’s no need to make such a huge commotion over my birthday, Big Sister.”

Yue Mingsheng would’ve been fine so long as she got to spend her birthday with Jun Zishu. However, Jun Zishu insisted on throwing a feast for her.

“There’s no way I can allow that. You are my most beloved princess. Others will look down on you if I don’t make this birthday banquet as grand as possible.”

“I’m satisfied so long as Big Sister treats me well,” Yue Mingsheng said, smiling happily as she gently ran her fingers along Jun Zishu’s face. She didn’t need any material objects to fill her heart. All she wanted was for Jun Zishu to always love her and accompany her. So long as she had this person by her side, she felt that she could die happily and without regrets.

“That won’t do. I have to let everyone under the heavens know that you are going to become my empress consort.”

“Empress consort?”

Yue Mingsheng covered her mouth and gasped in shock.

Yue Mingsheng was greedy. She was incredibly greedy for Jun Zishu’s love, and she wanted Jun Zishu’s heart to belong only to herself. However, she never dared to aim for the empress consort’s position.

“So long as Big Sister loves me, I don’t need any inconsequential titles,” Yue Mingsheng hurriedly said in an attempt to dissuade Jun Zishu’s thoughts.

It was already a huge controversy for a woman to be sitting on the throne. If Jun Zishu took in a woman as her empress consort on top of that, it’d ruin her reputation among the masses. Meanwhile, there was no way Yue Mingsheng could bear to tarnish her beloved woman’s reputation. She also didn’t mind going without some empty title so long as she could remain by Jun Zishu’s side.

“I will arrange it properly,” Jun Zishu said as she caressed Yue Mingsheng’s hand, her eyes giving off a convincing look. “Don’t forget that I have never been a proper ruler. I’ll just kill anyone who dares to object to your coronation. Before that day comes, though, I will need to wield absolute power first.”

Could a tyrant ruler do whatever she wanted?

Indeed, a tyrant could do whatever she wanted.

“I understand,” Yue Mingsheng said as she looked at Jun Zishu with an obsessed gaze.

…

Jun Zishu held the dinner banquet in the imperial garden. The lamps hung around the garden looked exquisite, and the glazed tiles covering the garden reflected the moonlight of the full moon. The fragrance of flowers also filled the air as a gentle breeze blew past the garden.

Slender palace maids walked around the garden with wooden trays in their hands, serving food to the seated guests. Meanwhile, the musicians in the background played a soft tune, ensuring that they didn’t disturb the guests’ conversations while also preventing the banquet from growing too quiet.

Lan Xi, the dancer Jun Zishu had previously taken in as her subordinate, had already become a capable female official. Jun Zishu had tasked Lan Xi with managing the palace’s internal affairs, and the woman was also responsible for arranging today’s banquet.

The sound of merry laughter and the beautiful scenery created a gorgeous scene.

Jun Zishu wore a beautiful dress today as she sat in the seat of honor. Meanwhile, Yue Mingsheng sat in the seat on her lower left.

Yue Mingsheng was the main character today. At Jun Zishu’s request, Yue Mingsheng had dressed brightly today, a stark contrast to her usual plain clothing. She wore embroidered clothes and beaded shoes. She also wore a pair of blood jade earrings that gave off a dark glow in the light.

Yue Mingsheng did not try to hide her good mood, and she wore a smile on her face throughout the banquet.

After the guests had filled their stomachs, everyone began offering luxurious and exquisite gifts to Yue Mingsheng one after another.

Yue Mingsheng politely thanked every person who offered her a gift, her beauty and elegance attracting the attention of many youths attending the banquet.

From an outsider’s perspective, Yue Mingsheng was the perfect wife candidate. Not only did she possess a noble identity, but she was also talented and well-educated. In addition, she was deeply favored by the empress, and she possessed an exquisite appearance paired with a dignified posture. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that she was flawless.

Moreover, when compared to Jun Zishu’s past image, Yue Mingsheng looked even more pure and pristine. After thinking up to this point, many of the youths present couldn’t help but grow restless.

While Yue Mingsheng thanked the guests for their gifts, Jun Zishu remained quiet as she slowly sipped on her wine and listened to the music playing in the background. Of course, she would also glance at Yue Mingsheng from time to time.

The atmosphere at the banquet was excellent, the music was beautiful, and the dancers were graceful.

After another song ended, someone got up from his seat to toast.

First to Jun Zishu, then to Yue Mingsheng.

People of ancient times were rather subtle when it came to matters of courtship. After the man toasted to Yue Mingsheng, he followed up his actions with a short poem.

The crowd could hear the hidden meaning in his poem. Some cheered on the man, and some quietly watched what would happen next.

After drinking the wine she used to toast with the man, Yue Mingsheng turned to look at Jun Zishu.

In response, Jun Zishu looked at Yue Mingsheng with a smile.

Afterward, Yue Mingsheng responded with two subtle sentences, her words hinting that she wasn’t interested in the man and that she didn’t intend to get married for the moment.

Meanwhile, after hearing Yue Mingsheng’s response, everyone couldn’t help but turn toward Jun Zishu, their eyes clearly conveying their intentions. After all, the princess was no longer young, and she had long reached marriageable age. As Yue Mingsheng’s cousin, it was only right that Jun Zishu helped Yue Mingsheng find a good husband as soon as possible.

“Which family are you from? How bold of you to court the princess in front of me,” Jun Zishu jokingly said as she looked at the man who tried to court her woman.

Seeing that Jun Zishu didn’t seem angry, the man generously told Jun Zishu about his name and family.

In response, Jun Zishu nodded and took a mental note of her love rival. Then, she said, “The person most suited for the princess will naturally have to be someone I find the best. Alright, enough of this matter. Let the banquet continue.”

Following Jun Zishu’s words, the crowd laughed, and the banquet continued.

Under the shine of the lamps and moonlight, Yue Mingsheng snuck a look at Jun Zishu. Coincidentally, Jun Zishu also turned to look at Yue Mingsheng, their eyes perfectly meeting each other.