Chapter 218: A lover’s tale
Han Shuying’s calm exterior as she bent her head down to capture Empress Lihua’s lips was a direct opposite of the drum inside her chest.
To say she was nervous would be an understatement. She’d expected Empress Lihua to summon her not to come all the way to her residence.
That was why she’d been caught unaware when she saw the woman in her inner chamber. Panic seared her insides when she saw the Empress bent over the letter she’d written to send to the triplets informing them of the new development in the palace.
Even now, she forced herself to kiss the Empress, tasting the tea she’d had earlier. Her strong lean arms wrapped around a tiny waist, squeezing lightly when the Empress pulled away.
"Your distraction is working perfectly," Empress Lihua muttered in between kisses, letting Han Shuying guide her to the bed.
"I’m glad you’re enjoying it," Han Shuying muttered, simultaneously slipping the Empress’s robe off her shoulders. "Never ever doubt my loyalty again," she finished, biting the soft skin of Empress Lihua’s neck.
A gasp fell from Empress Lihua’s lips when Han Shuying bit down harder, a sly smile blooming on her face.
Empress Lihua wrapped her arms around Han Shuying’s and pulled her down to the bed. "My wicked...wicked girl..."
Instead of taking it further, Han Shuying turned until they were lying side by side on the bed facing each other. "How long do you intend to keep Zhao Chen locked up?"
Empress Lihua’s smile morphed into a scowl. "Try to be more subtle when you’re trying to change the topic. He’s going to be in there until I take the crown. I don’t trust him to make a mess of things. Sometimes I wonder if I really gave birth to him."
Han Shuying rubbed the growing bruise on Empress Lihua’s neck in slow circles. "He took after his father for sure. Besides, no one can ever be as brilliant as you."
Empress Lihua’s eyes narrowed in a teasing gesture. "Flattery has never been your forte. Tell me...what really happened after you went to Emberfall?"
Han Shuying froze for only a millisecond but the Empress caught it.
"I followed the triplet to Ashen Fortress," Han Shuying answered in a voice that was free of suspicion. "It turned out General Sheng had reached out to help them reconnect with their mother’s remaining soldiers."
"Let me guess..." Empress Lihua ran her fingers along Han Shuying’s arm, "it was a trap and they totally fell for it."
Han Shuying nodded once. "He was only there for the Eclipse relic and Ru Yi." She raised a brow when Empress Lihua didn’t give me any reaction. "You already know about the relic."
The Empress nodded. "General Han Zheng has been very informative."
"Are you not worried what General Sheng is now capable of with the two of them in his possession?"
"From my observation, Ru Yi is just a mere shadow healer. I have no reason to be afraid of someone that was born with shattered meridians. Relic or not...Ru Yi is too weak for General Sheng to make a weapon out of her."
"You taught me never to underestimate anyone," Han Shuying said calmly.
Empress Lihua laughed. "Please...It would take years before she even mastered how to summon her shadow. I’ll worry about that in the future. For now I’m focused on you..." she tapped the tip of Han Shuying’s nose.
"On the throne," Han Shuying reminded her. "What do you intend to do with the princesses? They’ll definitely be coming back."
"When the time comes we’ll fight back. They might be raising an army right now, but they would never beat your father’s special forces. We will definitely win a war against them."
"No doubt." It was indeed the truth, but that was not what Han Shuying was worried about. She had to find a way to get Ru Yi out of this mess.
"If you’re so worried about General Sheng then we can have Zhao Chen marry Ru Yi just like he has always wished. That way we’ll have Ru Yi right under our thumb."
Han Shuying suddenly felt like a thousand insects were crawling all over her body. That idea did not settle well with her.
"That won’t be entirely necessary," Han Shuying replied without being too eager.
Empress Lihua cocked her head to the side. "Actually, it sounds perfect to me. That way we can also have a control of what General Sheng is doing. That old man has never been up to any good. He was one of the people that protested against my title."
"Still...I doubt Ru Yi has any real interest in marrying the crown prince. We’ll just find another way since there’s really nothing to worry about."
Empress Lihua nodded, getting up from the bed. She already got the confirmation that she needed. "You should get some sleep, I need to go prepare for a meeting with the ministers tomorrow."
A clueless Han Shuying watched her walk towards the door. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Everything has been properly handled," she replied. "I’ll send for you if anything comes up. Have a good night."
Han Shuying didn’t relax until the door shut after the Empress. She finally let out a sigh of relief. That was close.
Except there was another problem on the horizon. Zhao Chen. She’d already planned to use him to bring Ru Yi back to the capital, but not in the way Empress Lihua had suggested.
Han Shuying would sooner die than watch someone else put a claim on her woman. She’ll have to find a way to stop Empress Lihua.
In the past she’d meant every word about being loyal to the Empress. There were no lengths she wouldn’t go for her.
But right now— with every breath she took, she didn’t know where her loyalty started and where it bled into her desperation to have Ru Yi all to herself.
No—
This wasn’t love, she wasn’t capable of that. It was just the hunger and need for someone whose shadow was the same as hers.