Chapter 634: Make Her Prioritize You As I Do

Hearing Huangfu Qing’s frustration from outside the door, Xia Chichi stuck out her tongue. She had to admit that she

might

have gotten slightly carried away, which was not ideal.

In truth, the sky was only just beginning to lighten, and it was not truly urgent to attend court. Xia Chichi could easily hear the hint of jealousy in her Empress Mother’s voice. The insistence on attending court was clearly just an excuse. But the real issue lay deeper—Xia Chichi was still adjusting to her role as empress. She knew this night should have rightfully belonged to Tang Wanzhuang.

If Tang Wanzhuang woke to find her man had slipped away in the night, the sting would be hard to bear. It would be a bitter pill, especially if it seemed like the empress was competing with her own minister for affection. That was a humiliation best left to palace maids like Baoqin, not the sovereign herself.

It really isn’t strange for her to be displeased. If the venerable catches wind of this, the resulting storm would probably be far worse.

Yet, the current situation and her own feelings left Xia Chichi clinging to Zhao Changhe. His presence was a wellspring of safety and comfort. Even now, as empress, she found solace in him, just as she had when they first met. Back then, isolated in unfamiliar territory, he had been the only one to share her burden. Even now, with their statuses having shifted dramatically, he remained her emotional anchor.

With a sigh, Xia Chichi rose and gathered the scattered inner garments, slipping them on. She opened the door, her expression mischievous. “By custom, shouldn’t I be greeting the Empress Mother at this hour?”

Huangfu Qing’s face was stormy. “Spare me. With a child like you, my heart can barely handle it.”

Xia Chichi leaned closer, a sly smile on her lips. “But isn’t your heart still in bed, brimming with energy...? Need me to send him over?”

Huangfu Qing: “...”

She shot a quick glance at Zhao Changhe, who was calmly getting dressed. His eyes met hers through the space between Xia Chichi’s shoulders, his gaze laced with something unreadable. A strange flutter stirred in her chest, and she hastily looked away.

Composing herself, she snapped at Xia Chichi, “The palace is newly established, and there is much to do. As both a representative of the holy cult and the empress dowager, I advise you not to indulge in this... and certainly don’t compete with Tang Wanzhuang.”

With that, she stormed off. “I have my own affairs to handle. I don’t have time for your childish games!”

Watching her storm away, Xia Chichi exhaled in relief.

As expected, my aunt-master truly is reliable.

The empress dowager’s reaction assured Xia Chichi that no reports would be made to the venerable, hence everything was safe... for now.

Hmm... My aunt-master mentioned that she would ask for a favor once she resolved things with my master. I wonder what embarrassing task awaits me.

She turned to Zhao Changhe, her eyes bright with resolve, and clenched her fist. “I’ll soon resolve the issue with the venerable. At that time, we can be together openly! Go and keep Tang Wanzhuang company—I have work to do.”

Seeing the little empress so full of determination, Zhao Changhe’s heart softened. Xia Chichi’s emotions were deeply buried, but her actions revealed all the struggles she kept hidden. Her acceptance of the throne, her resistance against the venerable, her willingness to endure humiliation for love—all spoke to her quiet strength and resilience.

The tides are about to turn... only to discover that the final boss doesn’t even exist...

Zhao Changhe shook his head, unsure what to feel. One thing was clear: he needed to find a way to teach “Vermillion Bird” a lesson.

He had originally planned to ask Lady Three for confirmation, but now it seemed unnecessary. This recent encounter revealed more than enough. If it were the Huangfu Qing of before, she would have seized every moment to be close to him, to share a fleeting kiss or a whispered word. The empress dowager was indeed busy, but for her to be so busy she could not spare a few moments to soothe her longing? No. Only someone juggling the roles of both Vermillion Bird and the empress dowager—overwhelmed by palace and cult affairs, forced to play two parts in front of her disciple and lover—could be so drained that she would storm off in frustration.

He had not noticed it before because his mind had never wandered down this path. Who would suspect that the affectionate woman who locked eyes with him, playful and tender, was also the fearsome and proud acting leader of the Four Idols Cult? Who would think that someone who kissed him with such devotion could be Vermillion Bird, the embodiment of ruthless pride?

But once the seed of doubt was planted, the clues began falling into place. The most obvious: Vermillion Bird and Huangfu Qing had never appeared together.

Vermillion Bird had clashed with Tang Wanzhuang for years. So had Huangfu Qing. The former made sense, but the latter? How could a woman locked in such a rivalry still be only at the ninth layer of the Profound Gate? What power could she possibly wield to contend with a master like Tang Wanzhuang? Tang Wanzhuang herself had long suspected Huangfu Qing was Vermillion Bird, but without proof—or help from Xia Longyuan—she had no grounds to pursue it further.

Infiltrating the palace was a perilous mission. To stand face-to-face with the most dangerous woman in the realm while simultaneously overseeing critical organizational work—who else but Vermillion Bird could manage it? Even if she delegated matters to a trusted subordinate, where would Vermillion Bird herself have hidden during such a pivotal operation? Surely, she would need to remain in the capital, directing things personally.

The final, undeniable clue was that if Huangfu Qing was not Vermillion Bird, then her appearance at the Taiyi Sect when they first met made no sense. She was not a mere subordinate serving the venerable. She was a spy embedded as an imperial noble consort. There was no plausible reason for her to be at the Taiyi Sect—unless Vermillion Bird herself had donned a new mask and identity to probe for information. But at the time, he had not thought along those lines. Instead, he had assumed she was a subordinate sent to lure him in, and that assumption had sparked the beginnings of their intimacy.

The conclusion was clear enough. But now, what was he to do about it?

He had bedded Venerable Vermillion Bird... and she had even used her mouth...

Should he confront her directly? There was no way her pride could endure such a revelation.

This dilemma explained his silence during their last few encounters. He had not figured out how to broach the subject. Fortunately, Huangfu Qing was so preoccupied with her own burdens that she had not noticed his subtle shift in demeanor.

Lost in thought, Zhao Changhe returned to the adjacent pool. When he had first woken, he had already carried Tang Wanzhuang to the dragon bed, using his internal energy to dry her off and cover her with a light blanket.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

She was still asleep when he returned. The usual furrow in her brow had smoothed away, replaced by a serene smile. Her once-pale face now glowed with a healthy flush, the warmth of the hot spring clearly having aided the recovery of both her body and soul.

Zhao Changhe sat beside her, quietly watching her face. A pang of guilt prickled his heart. This had been Wanzhuang’s first night with him. He should not have left her side, and yet...

He remained still, keeping a silent vigil over her, his gaze soft with remorse and tenderness.

For half an hour, he did not move.

Somewhere in the distance, the crow of a rooster broke the silence. Tang Wanzhuang’s eyes flew open, as though a spring had snapped into place, and she sat up abruptly.

Zhao Changhe was startled, blinking in surprise. “That’s quite a combat-ready way to wake up...”

“Huh?” Tang Wanzhuang exhaled deeply, brushing away imaginary sweat from her forehead. “I’ve never slept so deeply before. For a moment, I thought I’d missed something important. But... thinking it through, Baoqin hasn’t come to wake me, so I suppose everything is fine.”

Zhao Changhe sighed softly, his hand caressing her cheek with a touch of regret. “It’s alright now... Even before, I always told you to let go of some burdens...”

“Because you’re here?”

“Yes, because I’m here.”

Her beautiful eyes lingered on his face for a moment, only then noting that he was already dressed. A thoughtful look crossed her face.

Zhao Changhe spoke in a low, apologetic voice. “Sorry, earlier...”

“Shh...” She placed a slender finger on his lips, silencing him. “You didn’t lie back down and pretend nothing happened. That’s good enough for me...”

“Wait, are you... self-gaslighting?”

“What’s gaslighting?” Tang Wanzhuang asked, curious but not dwelling on it. She simply smiled and said, “Anyone seeking you out here would either be the empress or the empress dowager. It’s not like you can just turn them away...”

There was no reproach in her voice. Instead, she leaned into his embrace once more. “Changhe...”

“Hmm?”

“Calling her Your Majesty is just a courtesy for appearances. In my heart, you are the true emperor.” Her voice then dropped to a whisper as she said, “As for the Four Idols Cult, it’s wise to use affection to secure loyalty—not just with Chichi, but also with the empress dowager.”

Zhao Changhe shook his head, half-amused, half-exasperated. “One of you is the bureau chief of the Demon Suppression Bureau, while the other is venerable of the Four Idols Cult. Why does everything you say sound like a strategy for seducing a man?”

Tang Wanzhuang laughed softly. “Because right now, it’s the most straightforward, effective, and least costly approach. You may not like seeing it that way, but that doesn’t change how we view each other in this game.”

She paused, her expression turning serious. “I once advised the late emperor that Huangfu Qing was likely Vermillion Bird. He ignored me. Do you believe it now?”

“I do.”

Tang Wanzhuang let out a sigh of relief, a faint smile touching her lips. “I worried about finding proof, but if you believe it, things are simpler. Even if Vermillion Bird has shared intimacy with you, her heart is still dedicated to the cult. She only allows herself to be with you as Huangfu Qing. What you need to do now is make her prioritize you—just as, in my heart, the Great Xia is second to you.”