"Did you hear anything?" Li Xinyue pointed at the warm chamber.
The other person shook his head. "Your Highness, I heard nothing."
Li Xinyue paused, then understood. The guard's cultivation was low; what she could hear, he likely couldn't.
Li Xinyue couldn't help but call out loudly, "Mother Emperor, Xinyue requests an audience with Mother Emperor."
Li Xinyue called out three times, and receiving no response from within, she sat down dejectedly.
Inside the warm chamber, Chu Chen and the Empress both tensed upon hearing Li Xinyue's shouts.
Chu Chen felt a touch of relief. "Your Majesty, perhaps we should stop for today. It wouldn't be good if the Princess were to discover us."
The Empress shot him a look. "What are you afraid of? Let Xinyue wait. My guards will block her, she wouldn't dare force her way in."
Chu Chen nodded and hesitated. "Your Majesty, if Xinyue asks, what should I say?"
The Empress pinched him. "Just say we were discussing state affairs. She's not that concerned with such matters; just brush it off."
"By the way, Your Majesty, will the sounds from in here be heard outside?"
Thinking of the Empress's frenzy earlier, Chu Chen grew worried. Li Xinyue's cultivation was far superior to the guards. What if she heard them?
The Empress shook her head confidently. "Don't worry, I've set up a barrier. Outsiders won't hear anything easily."
Chu Chen was finally relieved. They continued for another quarter of an hour before lying down to rest.
Another quarter of an hour passed. They were both dressed. Chu Chen went to the door and looked back at the Empress. Seeing her nod, Chu Chen opened the door.
As the door opened, Li Xinyue immediately rushed past the guards.
"Chu Chen, didn't you hear me calling just now? Why didn't you open the door for me?" Li Xinyue said, a little indignantly.
Chu Chen glanced at the Empress. "Your Highness, this was His Majesty's order. I couldn't do otherwise."
Li Xinyue snorted, then suddenly smelled a faint fragrance. It emanated from Chu Chen and seemed similar to the perfume her Mother Emperor used!
Li Xinyue couldn't help but feel incredulous. What was going on? Why did Chu Chen have her Mother Emperor's perfume on him?
She vaguely sensed something unspeakable was happening, but couldn't grasp any clues.
"Your Highness, you came to see His Majesty. Is there something you need?" Chu Chen broke the silence, looking at Li Xinyue.
Li Xinyue came back to her senses. "I just wanted to chat with Mother Emperor. How about this, you go back first."
Chu Chen nodded and left. After seeing Chu Chen disappear, Li Xinyue entered the warm chamber and closed the door.
The Empress sat at her desk, flipping through memorials, and asked without looking up, "Xinyue, why are you here? I told you to oversee the state these past few days. Shouldn't you be resting?"
Li Xinyue went to the Empress's side, casually moving closer. "Mother Emperor, I just wanted to talk with you."
The Empress nodded, put down her memorials, and looked up at Li Xinyue. "You've come at just the right time. I was about to ask Chu Chen to discuss state affairs. You can offer your opinions too."
Li Xinyue nodded. "So you asked Chu Chen to discuss these matters. But even so, why did you have the guards block me? I could have joined your discussion."
The Empress smiled and shook her head. "It's not that simple. I didn't want to be disturbed. Besides, Chu Chen hasn't been decided yet. This time, the discussion failed."
"But it's not Chu Chen's fault. Some things can't be rushed. I heard your voice, and seeing no progress, I let Chu Chen leave first."
Li Xinyue took another step closer to the Empress, standing behind her and gently massaging her shoulders. "Mother Emperor, it's my fault. I was too impatient and disturbed your important discussion."
She inadvertently took a sniff and her eyes widened.
She smelled a strong scent of Chu Chen on her Mother Emperor.
Although her Mother Emperor had applied perfume, she recognized Chu Chen's scent immediately.
Li Xinyue didn't understand what it all meant, but she felt a sense of loss, as if she had lost something.
The Empress hadn't noticed the change in Li Xinyue's expression. She smiled and said, "It's nothing. We weren't going to reach a conclusion so quickly anyway. Your arrival merely gave us an opportunity to pause."
Li Xinyue nodded. "Mother Emperor, what did Chu Chen say?"
The Empress said casually, "Chu Chen suggested attacking Wei first, but it's not confirmed yet."
"There are only two choices: attack Zhao first, or attack Wei first. I lean towards Wei."
Li Xinyue nodded. "Are you sure Chu Chen said to attack Wei first? What did he say?"
The Empress nodded. "Of course, I'm sure. Chu Chen said that Zhao losing might not be good for us, so it's better to attack Wei first."
"With Yan and Zhao holding the north, the Xiongnu won't directly threaten us. Even if we conquer Wei, we'll border Qi and Chu, which is at least an internal matter of the Central Plains."
Li Xinyue nodded. "Mother Emperor, did Chu Chen massage your back for you? Or perhaps he massaged your shoulders, just like this?"
The Empress froze. "Xinyue, why do you say that?"
Li Xinyue thought for a moment. "It's nothing. I just smelled Chu Chen's scent on you, though it's faint, I still smelled it."
Upon hearing this, the Empress suddenly turned her face away, feeling her whole body heat up, her complexion becoming flushed.
After a moment, she recovered and chuckled, "Xinyue, your nose is truly sharp. You've discovered it. Yes, when I went to Wei, I don't know why my back started hurting. I asked Chu Chen to massage it for me, and it got much better."
Hearing this, Li Xinyue forgot about the scent for a moment, her attention shifting entirely to her Mother Emperor's health.
She gently massaged the Empress's back. "Mother Emperor, is this how you massage? Do you feel better?"
The Empress smiled. "Yes, much better. Actually, I felt much better just from Chu Chen massaging my back. My back pain isn't a serious ailment; it should heal on its own."
Li Xinyue massaged the Empress's back for a while longer. "Mother Emperor, shall I call an imperial physician to examine you? Your health is most important."
The Empress shook her head. "No need. I know my own body."