The Empress Wears Gucci

70

        I cried myself to sleep that night; I didn't sleep well. After coming back to my estate, I shut everyone out. I felt out of it. Never have I ever skipped the morning to be greeted, but I did today. Besides, it felt good to oversleep.

        Hua Er gave me some space, but I knew she was dying to know what was going on. She must have wondered why I was so upset. She didn't know that Chang Ying wasn't under any influence. 

        "Chang Ying knew about the hypnotism..." I blurted out. I played with the lid of the porcelain cup, admiring my freshly tinted red nails to avoid Hua Er's eyes. 

         My lady-in-waiting, now paused what she was doing. She turned to look at me with the doe-eyed look she sometimes had. "What do you mean?"

        "Or the hypnotism didn't work," I faced her. "But Chang Ying still would've been drugged... if she drank the soup."

        "Well, maybe my aunt wasn't reliable," Hua Er sighed. She pulled out the chair next to me and sat down. As she plopped her elbows on the table, she let out a loud exhale from her nostrils. "It would've ended badly..."

        I didn't want to blame anyone. Even if Hua Er's aunt wasn't reliable, Chang Ying wouldn't be conscious to know she was being hypnotized. She must have known from the soup. It was stupid of me to even drug her soup. I didn't want to think about Chang Ying anymore but I needed to get it off my chest. She did the right thing.

        This proved Chang Ying's virtue. Besides the ploy, Chang Ying was a genuine person. If she had seen Jaxon signalling the hypnotist, then she was kind enough not to put him on blast. I guess the guilt was eating her up as well, and she let everything get to her. That was courage. I hated liking Chang Ying, but it was hard to not. Nobody would do this but her. 

        I felt my eyes water. I turned away from Hua Er. "How could she know? Did your mother..."

        "I doubt it," Hua Er shrugged. She thought for a few seconds before looking at Fen Ai, then at me. "Should we send my mother in?"

        "That'd be lovely." I stood up from the chair and nodded at Fen Ai. Immediately, she headed off. 

        Hua Er and I sat in silence. We were both lost in our thoughts. I knew Lei Shu would never betray me, but I started to think of reasons why Chang Ying would be suspicious. 

        It was easy to see what I did wrong. Just like when the late empress tried to plot against me, she drugged my soup. I realised how risky and stupid I acted, and now that I know, I was going to plan Minister Feng's death accordingly.

        This cycle will never end. Continuously, I will have enemies and how I deal with them is up to me. How I deal with them is all it matters to me, as long as they're gone and I am safe, then I will be fine. Truthfully, I wish it was that easy to snap my fingers for my enemies to disappear. 

        Settling on my throne, I drummed my fingers on the armrest, waiting. Hua Er sat below me. I avoided looking at her. It was disrespectful for me to have suspicions of Lei Shu, but no one can blame me. I was allowed to. I can't trust anyone.

        "Happiness and peace to the Empress." Lei Shu walked in slowly. She went on her knees to kowtow. She pressed her head against the ground swiftly.

        I gave Hua Er one last look before facing Lei Shu. "You may rise."

         "Thank you, Your Majesty," she spoke, then carefully getting up. She flashed me a joyful smile, but I kept my grim expression. "I still can't believe the young girl I found in the village is Empress now."