His anger gradually faded, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly. "Empress, what brings you here?"
The visitor was none other than the Queen Mother of the West. Her eyes shifted fluidly, her smile gentle and radiant, her bearing graceful and dignified. She left the Jade Emperor Haotian momentarily dazed. When he came to his senses, he happened to meet her expression, which was half coy annoyance and half bashfulness, as though she wished to speak but hesitated. His heart suddenly trembled, and he could barely hold himself together.
He composed himself and said, "Empress, why have you come to this Jade Pool instead of enjoying the plum blossoms and chrysanthemums in the rear garden?"
The Queen Mother of the West covered her lips and chuckled softly. "I heard Ancestor Minghe's words just now, every single one of them. They were truly unbecoming, so I came to see how Your Majesty was faring."
When the Jade Emperor Haotian heard the words "your concubine," his heart suddenly warmed. He heard nothing that followed, feeling light all over, as though he were floating on a cloud, intoxicated by that soft form of address.
"Your Majesty? What are you thinking about?"
He abruptly returned to his senses. Looking up, he saw the Queen Mother of the West's eyes carrying a trace of displeasure and her cheeks tinged with a faint blush. The emotions he had just suppressed immediately rippled out once more.
"What advice does Empress have?"
The Queen Mother of the West cast him a sidelong glance and spoke in a coquettish, reproachful tone. "Your Majesty certainly is something. You left your concubine standing here while you lost yourself in thought?"
The Jade Emperor Haotian hurriedly smiled apologetically. "It was My negligence. Please do not be upset, Empress."
The Queen Mother