Autumn Is Coming and the Weather Is Cooling, Time to Give Senior Sister a Pair of Black Stockings

"Your Majesty, the empress dowager has sent someone with a handwritten letter."

At her desk, Qi Yueli was surprised.

Ever since she had dismissed the consorts from the palace, the empress dowager had not spoken to her for many years.

The empress dowager was not her birth mother, and there was no affection between them.

Even so, she had been the late emperor's empress, and in name, she was still Qi Yueli's imperial mother.

For the sake of stability at court, Qi Yueli still had to show her due respect.

Qi Yueli opened the letter and scanned it with her phoenix eyes, her brows gradually knitting together.

"She wants me to issue a decree betrothing Huai'an to Xiao Chen, the heir of the King of Qingzhou?"

In the past, Qi Yueli would have thought the empress dowager merely wanted to find a good match for her favorite daughter.

But now...

Qingzhou was going to rebel. Her purpose in seeking to marry the princess into the family at a time like this might not be so simple.

"If I recall correctly, the empress dowager's ancestral home is in Qingzhou, is it not?"

The Mystic Shadow Guard was taken aback. He did not know why the empress asked, but he cupped his hands and replied:

"Your Majesty, as far as I know, the empress dowager's ancestral home is in Liaoyuan, Qingzhou."

Qi Yueli tapped her fingertips lightly on the desk and said nothing for a long time.

"What has the princess been doing lately?"

"Your Majesty, the princess has been practicing martial arts and amusing herself, no differently than usual, except..."

"Except what?"

"Today, the princess invited Gu Yuan to lunch. They also seemed to... pour wine and serve food for each other..."

The Mystic Shadow Guard's voice grew quieter.

As the empress's most capable intelligence organization, the Mystic Shadow Guard missed nothing that happened in the palace, large or small.

But an unmarried princess putting food on an official's plate was simply outrageous.

She was a princess!

Gu Yuan really had a death wish!

Qi Yueli said nothing, her eyes sweeping over Gu Yuan's Diary.

No wonder he hasn't written in his diary. He went to keep the princess company...

Hmph!

"I understand. Keep watch over the princess's residence. Nothing about what happens between Gu Yuan and the princess is to get out, especially not to the empress dowager."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

He's getting away with that?

The Mystic Shadow Guard could not contain his amazement.

Gu Yuan, you're fucking incredible!

"Princess, castrate the heir of the King of Qingzhou? Are you sure you're not joking?"

Gu Yuan was thoroughly startled.

What happened to the male and female leads?

Why does the female lead want to castrate the male lead now?

This little girl is fucking ruthless...

"I'm not joking. I'm serious." Huai'an's face was solemn.

"Have you met the heir of the King of Qingzhou before? Do you have a grudge against him?"

"I haven't met him, and I don't have a grudge against him."

"Then why do you want to castrate him?"

"I... I heard from the empress dowager that she wants to marry me to Xiao Chen, the heir of the King of Qingzhou, while the heirs from all the provinces are coming to the capital for the Heavenly Longevity Festival. I don't want to marry him," Huai'an said indignantly. "As long as you castrate him, the empress dowager will definitely give up on the idea."

No, she won't.

Even if Xiao Chen becomes a vegetable, you'll still have to marry him...

Gu Yuan sighed inwardly.

"Everyone says Xiao Chen, the heir of the King of Qingzhou, is handsome and upright, a husband the daughters of many prominent families are eager to compete for. Why are you unwilling, Princess?"

"I don't know. I just don't want to." Huai'an plopped down beside the stone table and propped her cheek on one hand, looking thoroughly dejected.

"Will you help me or not?"

"No." Gu Yuan did not hesitate.

"You... how can you refuse so quickly?!"

"If you won't help me, I'll tell the empress and the empress dowager that you molested me!"

"..."

"Princess, that joke isn't funny. It could damage a reputation."

"I'm not joking, I'm serious! I don't want to marry into Qingzhou. I won't do it even if you beat me to death! Even if it damages my reputation, I'll accept it."

"You misunderstand, Princess. I meant it would damage my reputation."

Huai'an froze on the spot.

"Gu Yuan, are you asking to die?!"

The next moment, a barrage of Chaotic Cloak Fists came raining down.

Of course, not a single punch landed.

After striking at him for a long time, Huai'an either realized she couldn't hit him or grew tired. She plopped down on the ground, her eyes red, and burst into tears.

"You're bullying me... boo-hoo-hoo..."

"Please don't be upset, Your Highness. If you don't want to marry, why not go and plead with Her Majesty the Empress?"

Huai'an sobbed. "Marrying me off would do her nothing but good. She must be eager to see me married off."

"Not necessarily," Gu Yuan said slowly. "Your Highness, you're already old enough to marry, yet Her Majesty has never mentioned your marriage. Don't you find that strange?"

Huai'an was taken aback. "You mean she actually doesn't want me to leave the palace?"

"What elder sister doesn't care for her little sister? Go act cute, and this matter might just come to nothing."

"Act cute?"

"I mean, act coquettish with the empress."

"Will that work?"

"It's worth a try."

[Phew... I finally talked the princess into leaving. I'm never coming to this residence again, even if you beat me to death!]

[Fucking hell, to avoid being betrothed, the princess actually told me to castrate Xiao Chen. You'd need a seriously bizarre train of thought to come up with that.]

Reading the words in the diary, Qi Yueli nearly choked on her tea.

[I talked her into going to the empress. With how strained things are between the sisters, this marriage is sure to happen now!]

[Only when the male and female leads get together can the plot move forward, the empress be taken down, and the version update happen, causing a great upheaval in heaven and earth.]

Qi Yueli: ...

Day after day, can't he write about anything besides taking down the empress?

[That silly princess is naive enough. The empress dowager and the King of Qingzhou have long been in cahoots. This marriage was probably arranged years ago.]

[Qingzhou needs to raise its army in the name of the princess and the empress dowager to have legitimate grounds to attack the evil demon empress. Even if Xiao Chen really becomes Eunuch Xiao, the princess won't escape.]

"Empress dowager..."

Qi Yueli's gaze grew cold.

[Forget it, it's none of my business. I should hurry up and get off work. Senior Sister is waiting for me tonight... uh, that sounds a little strange.]

[I wonder what Senior Sister will teach me. Ideally, she'll teach me some methods for circulating true essence and some ways to save my life...]

[Since Senior Sister is willing to teach me, I can't just learn from her without giving anything in return. I have to prepare some gifts for her. I have to get the social niceties right, but what should I give her...?]

[...Those legs of Senior Sister's would look great in black stockings, wouldn't they?]

[Autumn is almost here, and the weather is getting cool. Those long legs of Senior Sister's surely can't stand the cold wind. A pair of black stockings would be just right!]

[It's settled, then. I'll find a chance to make a pair for Senior Sister to wear.]

[Pah! It's not like I want to see her in them myself. (crossed out)]

[It's getting late. Time to go be the empress's doorkeeper. While I'm there, I can watch the show as the princess acts cute and coquettish, only to be thrown out by the empress. Off I go!]

Smack!

Qi Yueli slapped the diary onto the desk.

She had more or less guessed what the black stockings Gu Yuan often mentioned were.

"Hmph!"

"Lecher!"

"He even wanted me to wear black stockings and step on him before... utterly shameless!"

Qi Yueli decided that she had to put Gu Yuan through his paces tonight.

She would not stop until she had worked him half to death!

"Your Majesty, Princess Huai'an requests an audience," came an announcement from outside the hall.

Hearing this, Qi Yueli restrained her aura. Her irritation vanished completely, and her face grew calm again.

"Let her in."