Chapter 193: Chapter 175

“You’ve changed a lot in these two days, Big Sister,” Yue Mingsheng said softly as she looked at Jun Zishu’s profile. Although this person had always treated her warmly in the past, she would always speak in a commanding tone, making sure to always put some distance between them. Needless to say, this person had also never treated her using such a frivolous attitude.

“Oh?” Jun Zishu raised an eyebrow curiously. Then, she lifted a lock of Yue Mingsheng’s hair, wrapped it around her fingers, and teasingly said, “It’s probably because I am finding you cuter and cuter, Mingsheng.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Yue Mingsheng revealed a somewhat helpless look when she heard Jun Zishu’s words.

Yue Mingsheng had never felt that this person was a qualified sovereign in the past. Hence, although she respected this person, she lacked fondness for this person. However, for some reason, she now helplessly found herself wanting to go along with this person’s wishes.

She found this situation both laughable and annoying.

“Stop teasing me, Big Sister,” Yue Mingsheng said abashedly.

Jun Zishu responded with a silent smile. Then, with one hand wrapped around Yue Mingsheng’s waist, she picked up a document with her free hand and started reading it.

Yue Mingsheng found this position somewhat awkward, and she couldn’t help but shift in her seat.

“Let me down, Big Sister,” Yue Mingsheng said, finding this sitting experience incredibly strange.

“What? Feeling uncomfortable? Or is my body not soft enough?” Jun Zishu asked in a frivolous tone.

“Big Sister!” Yue Mingsheng cried out angrily, her embarrassment reaching its maximum.

“Alright, I’ll stop messing with you. You can go down,” Jun Zishu said, choosing not to take things too far. She was only trying to tease her little cousin to tighten their relationship. She wasn’t trying to push Yue Mingsheng into rebellion.

As soon as Jun Zishu released her waist, Yue Mingsheng promptly stood up and stepped aside. She also quietly sighed in relief.

Honestly, Yue Mingsheng wasn’t opposed to the idea of sitting on Jun Zishu’s lap. She simply found the experience embarrassing to a point where it was suffocating.

“You don’t have to move so far away, my dear cousin. Come; let’s read the documents together,” Jun Zishu said as she beckoned at Yue Mingsheng with her hand. Her fingernails weren’t dyed in any colors today, so her hands looked plain and beautiful.

Yue Mingsheng walked closer as told. Then, seeing that Jun Zishu was earnestly reading the documents, she took a seat beside Jun Zishu and started inspecting one portion of the documents as well.

After inspecting a pile of documents, Jun Zishu massaged her sore wrists.

“Are you tired, Cousin?” Yue Mingsheng asked. She had initially thought of referring to Jun Zishu as “Your Majesty,” but she found herself changing those words when they reached her mouth.

“I’m still fine—Tsk, how tiresome. I used to think that I could enjoy myself once I got the throne. I didn’t think being an empress regnant was such a tiresome job. Not only do I have an endless pile of documents to inspect, but I also have to listen to a bunch of people arguing every morning. Some of these officials even have rebellious hearts.”

Jun Zishu spoke as if complaining. It also looked like she was acting spoiled in front of Yue Mingsheng.

Of course, Jun Zishu’s true thoughts were different from her words. Since the imperial throne offered its owner so much power, whoever sat on it naturally had to put in the corresponding amount of effort.

“Are you not enjoying life now, Cousin?” Yue Mingsheng asked in a dubious tone. Not only did this person have over a hundred men in her harem, but even the eunuchs serving her possessed feminine faces.

Of course, Defu did not count.

“Tsk. Don’t bring that up anymore, Cousin. I was only blinded by lust in the past. Now, I don’t find it interesting anymore,” Jun Zishu said, shaking her head, a few strands of her hair swaying along with her movements. Then, she nonchalantly said, “I find it troublesome just thinking about all those men now. Maybe I should let them go.”

“Let them go?”

“Mhm. If not, what use would I have for so many men? It costs a lot of money to keep them here. I’d rather let them go out and find a job, live a normal life, and save me the trouble of taking care of them.”

Jun Zishu wasn’t the original owner. She had little need for the male body.

Compared to men, she felt that books were much more interesting. Not to mention, probably because she had been dating women exclusively thus far, she had grown to dislike men.

“Do you mean to let all of them go?”

Yue Mingsheng thought she had heard wrongly, and she couldn’t help but ask her question again. This time, though, she worded her question more specifically.

“Mhm. I’ve grown tired of playing this type of game. I’m thinking of trying something new now.”

“Like?”

“Like playing with the world?”

“Your Majesty?”

“I wish to make this legacy my father left for me prosper. I wish for my name to be remembered even after thousands of years. I wish to become the first female ruler in history.”

Jun Zishu got up from her seat and stood with her hands behind her back. Although she had the figure of a woman, the aura she exuded did not lose to any man.

Yue Mingsheng found her eyes drawn to Jun Zishu’s figure. Then, out of impulse, she knelt and said, “This world will definitely flourish as Your Majesty wishes.”

Yue Mingsheng did not make any vows to Jun Zishu. She had said such vows many times in the past, and saying more of them wouldn’t make any difference. Rather than making empty promises, she’d rather prove herself with her actions.

At the same time, Yue Mingsheng inwardly vowed that so long as Jun Zishu sincerely wished to achieve her dream, she would definitely strive to help Jun Zishu realize this dream even if it meant risking her life.

“Why are you kneeling again? Get up.”

Jun Zishu pulled Yue Mingsheng up from the floor, her eyes curving into smiles.

Jun Zishu naturally understood what Yue Mingsheng was trying to convey. By kneeling to her now, Yue Mingsheng had finally chosen to be loyal to her sincerely.

With that, Jun Zishu had basically completed her first mission.

Now that Yue Mingsheng had declared her loyalty to her, Jun Zishu didn’t have to worry about the girl betraying her and ending up with Meng Lanxi.

It wouldn’t be a problem to take care of Meng Lanxi, either. Jun Zishu was currently the reigning empress of this empire, and she could do whatever she wanted. If she could drive the members of her harem out of the imperial palace, she could naturally isolate them from the world as well.

The only problem now was her second mission. While it wasn’t exactly a problem, it was a mission she could only complete with time.

Jun Zishu was in a good mood, so after having lunch with Yue Mingsheng, she invited her for a stroll in the imperial garden.

The flowers in the imperial garden were in full bloom. Meanwhile, a man wearing black robes sat amidst these flowers while dashingly drinking from a wine cup.

The man was dressed in a debauched manner, a large part of his chest exposed. He had a handsome face, and he looked quite flamboyant when standing among the flowers.

“I greet Your Majesty.”

The man got up from his seat and lazily bowed to Jun Zishu when he saw her. Even while he was bowing, his hand continued holding onto the wine cup.

Yue Mingsheng frowned at this scene. There were many men in the empress’s harem, so she had never bothered memorizing every harem member’s face. However, no matter who they were, they needed to understand the palace rules and act accordingly after entering the palace. Yet, this flamboyant man’s behavior was anything but appropriate.

Meanwhile, when Jun Zishu saw this man, his information instantly surfaced in her mind.

Xiao Nan’an, a martial artist.

The original owner had met Xiao Nan’an two months ago. Even before meeting the original owner, Xiao Nan’an had already been a debauched wanderer in the world of martial artists. He was known for his fondness for beautiful women and good wine.

When Xiao Nan’an heard that the palace was home to the best wine available, he had tried to steal a jug from the palace. While doing so, he accidentally alerted the patrolling guards and got surrounded. Although he could’ve escaped using his martial arts, when he recalled the reigning empress’s reputation, he decided to let himself get captured.

The original owner had been very satisfied with Xiao Nan’an’s appearance when she first laid eyes on him. Since they both had something they wanted from each other, they naturally got together.

Xiao Nan’an didn’t have any particular requests. All he requested was that he be provided with wine and sufficient freedom. In return, he would willingly accompany the original owner.

The original owner naturally agreed to his simple requests. The two of them didn’t hold any grudges with each other, anyway.

There were many men in the imperial harem, and some of them sought to enjoy life without working hard, some were willingly serving the empress, and some were here against their will. However, regardless of whether they entered the palace willingly or unwillingly, they all needed to stay within the palace grounds.

However, Xiao Nan’an was the first and only person to have entered the original owner’s harem via a form of transaction, and he could enter and leave the palace freely whenever he wanted.

“I thought you left for good,” Jun Zishu said, holding onto Yue Mingsheng’s hand while offering Xiao Nan’an a perfunctory smile.

Yue Mingsheng noticed the change in Jun Zishu’s attitude. However, she chose to say nothing about it.

“Leave? I still haven’t had enough of the wine here. I also haven’t seen enough of this palace’s beauties. How could I bear to leave?” Xiao Nan’an said as he flirtatiously ran his eyes across Jun Zishu’s body.

Normally, the original owner would have shown some sort of reaction to Xiao Nan’an’s flirting. However, Jun Zishu’s heart remained unfazed.

At this time, Xiao Nan’an’s gaze had already moved on to Yue Mingsheng, the words “very interested” practically written on his face.

Yue Mingsheng and Jun Zishu were two different types of beauties. If Jun Zishu was a well-cared-for peony that had bloomed resplendently, Yue Mingsheng was a piece of beautiful jade that gave off a cold and bland feeling.

“Watch your eyes. Don’t put them where they don’t belong. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind gouging them out.”

When Jun Zishu said these words, her smile remained on her face, but her expression conveyed unwavering seriousness.

Hearing Jun Zishu’s threat, Xiao Nan’an clicked his tongue and retracted his gaze. He still knew his limits, and nothing good would come from going against the empress.

“How protective you are of your junior, Your Majesty.”

“Isn’t that obvious? Or what? Do you think I should be protecting you?”

“That’s not what you said a few days ago, Your Majesty,” Xiao Nan’an complained as he looked at the fickle woman before him. The woman had clearly been very doting of him two days ago. Yet, now, she was threatening to gouge his eyes out.

In the past, this woman would always behave passionately when seeing him. Yet, she looked like she was disgusted with him today.

Tsk, what a fickle and philandering woman.

“That was a few days ago,” Jun Zishu said, smiling as she let Xiao Nan’an get a taste of the empress’s unpredictability.

“So, you have moved on to disliking me today? It’s been a few days since I’ve met Your Majesty. How about we do some catching up today?” Xiao Nan’an said in an ambiguous tone.

Yue Mingsheng frowned when she heard Xiao Nan’an’s words, inwardly criticizing him for being shameless and a scoundrel. At the same time, though, Yue Mingsheng couldn’t help but grow nervous, worried that Jun Zishu would fail to resist the temptation and revert to her usual ways.

“No need. See you never again, Mr. Xiao.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means I am tired of playing with you,” Jun Zishu savagely said.