Li Xiao reached out and took it, asking in surprise, "What is this?"
Chu Susu: "There's a recipe, but some of the ingredients are hard to find. I'd like to trouble Your Highness to help me find them. Niannian has already marked out the ingredients that need Your Highness's help."
Li Xiao froze as soon as he glanced at the recipe: it was full of checkmarks! Were these two women trying to play a trick on him?
Chu Susu then asked, "I hope Your Highness won't find this difficult!"
"No...no!" Li Xiao replied with a smile, though the smile seemed somewhat stiff. He put the recipe away.
Chu Susu said, "Your Highness, because of this grilled fish, the Emperor only ate one piece when he came just now, so I'm sorry I can't give you more. Otherwise, if you surpass the Emperor, it might give others something to talk about, saying that Your Highness has always wanted to be superior to the Emperor."
Li Xiao's eyelids twitched as he listened: Did the Empress mean to warn him not to covet the throne?
To be honest, he wasn't really after the throne. It's just that the woman he fell in love with was the emperor's empress…
Li Xiao said sadly, "Your Majesty the Empress should know that I have never thought of surpassing the Emperor. All I have thought of is the lingering gaze that you once cast upon me."
Chu Susu used to be a die-hard fan of Li Xiao, loving him to the point of obsession, even more so than Lian Nian loved the emperor.
Although Chu Susu was trained by Li Xiao to be good at music, chess, calligraphy and painting since childhood, she was also too honest and virtuous, a typical good wife and mother type. It was difficult for her to get along in the cutthroat harem, so she could never attract the emperor's attention. Li Xiao's feelings for her were just simple superior-subordinate feelings.
However, after Chu Shu transmigrated into the body of Chu Susu, her personality changed drastically. She swiftly dealt with several troublemakers in the harem with overwhelming force. Even Consort Lian, who had the Lian family as her backing, was driven to drown herself in a lake by her.
Although she didn't die, Consort Lian now clearly no longer wants to be Chu Susu's enemy.
Such a Chu Susu, such an empress, is impossible for either the emperor or the regent to ignore.
At this moment, Li Xiao finally remembered that Chu Susu always gazed at him from the corner before the Emperor's arrival, and unconsciously developed feelings for her. He wanted Chu Susu to be his wife, but she was now the Emperor's Empress, which put him in a difficult position.
No matter how high his official rank, he couldn't possibly say to the emperor, "Give me your empress as my princess!" That would be utterly ridiculous. He couldn't bring himself to say it, and the emperor certainly wouldn't agree: the humiliation of having one's wife taken away was an unbearable disgrace; how could that ingrate tolerate it?
Seeing his dejected expression, Chu Susu sighed inwardly. She had previously admired Li Xiao's extraordinary power in single-handedly reversing the fate of the Great Yu Kingdom; such a person deserved to be emperor. Therefore, when Li Xiao revealed his intention to seize the throne in order to marry her, she did not object.
But now, after listening to Chu Nian's words, she felt that Chu Nian's words made a lot of sense: Now that the country is peaceful and prosperous, if the emperor and the regent continue to fight for power and profit, or even develop into a struggle for imperial power, the peaceful and prosperous state of the country will be shaken.
Therefore, it would be better to maintain the stalemate between the two sides. In this way, both sides will be wary of each other and will not act excessively, thus avoiding doing anything that would endanger the people.
She said, "Your Highness, don't forget that it was you who personally cut off such gazes."
Upon hearing this, Li Xiao felt that she was blaming him for sending her to the palace to become empress, and sighed, "I know, I brought this upon myself."
Chu Susu: "Since that's the case, why think about it anymore? Now, I only want to live out the rest of my life in peace. I don't want any palace coups or strife. Is that alright?"
Looking at her, Li Xiao was overcome with sorrow. Did Chu Susu say such things because she had little hope for the future? Was it because she was utterly disappointed in him?
"Very well," Li Xiao said in a deep voice, "Whatever kind of life Your Majesty desires, I will strive to create such a life for you. But I fear..."
Chu Susu: "Do you think the Emperor won't let this go?"
Li Xiao: "He... presumably will never allow anyone to threaten his dignity as emperor." As regent, he seems to have offended the emperor more than once.
Chu Nian couldn't help but say, "As the ancients said: Men who are overly concerned with their authority are doing so to conquer women!" (Note)
Huh? Li Xiao was immediately stunned: Did the ancients really say something like that?
Some palace maids couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Chu Susu smiled helplessly and said, "What, is this something those ancient people who didn't even have a written language said?"
Chu Nian nodded and said, "Well, if that's what you think, then it is."
Chu Susu: "What do you mean 'I think so'? You just made that up!" It's just like that saying, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach"—it's all fabricated. Chu Susu believes that what men want most is power and wealth. With those two things, why worry about not having someone or food to win his heart?
Two quarters of an hour later.
Seeing the Regent leave dejectedly, Chu Nian waited until he was out of sight before her gaze fell on the military tally in Chu Susu's hand, and asked, "Empress, what is the meaning of you asking the Regent for this military tally of the Imperial Guards?"
Chu Susu stared blankly at the military tally, still somewhat dazed. She had only tentatively asked for it, but Li Xiao had unexpectedly handed it to her so readily. This was the military tally of the Imperial Guard! Having this tally in hand meant that the safety of the entire palace was now in her, the Empress's, hands.
Hearing Chu Nian's words, she smiled wryly and said, "You said that the best way to avoid more conflicts and maintain the current state of peace and prosperity is to have checks and balances."
Chu Nian raised an eyebrow.
Chu Susu asked curiously, "Niannian, what does that expression mean? Something doesn't feel right."
Chu Nian said, "I feel that with your abilities, sister, whether you have the military seal or not, it should be... the same, right?" She couldn't help but smile as she spoke.
Upon hearing this, not only the people of Xukun Palace, but even Suhe, the Empress's confidante, was extremely shocked: How could Consort Lian say such a thing?
Chu Nian's gaze towards Chu Susu was exceptionally clear. Chu Susu, looking at her former adversary, now…
Chu Susu was silent for a moment, then threw her head back and burst into laughter. It wasn't the dignified laughter of a woman she used to have, but rather a kind of boisterous laughter, more like that of a man.
“Niannian,” Chu Susu said, “People often say that the people who understand you best are not your friends and relatives, but your enemies. Now I understand that this is true.” She then burst into laughter.
Chu Nian: "What you mean is, we used to be enemies, so I'm the one who understands you the most."
"Yes, I never imagined that Niannian would be my only true confidante in this life." Chu Susu's smile faded, and she said in a deep voice, her emotions a mixture of joy and sorrow.
If she hadn't become Chu Susu, she probably wouldn't have had much interaction with Consort Lian throughout her life, and naturally wouldn't have known much about this concubine favored by the emperor.
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