The rain drummed softly against the eaves, the garden lanterns flickering in the damp wind. Shen Yuqing wandered aimlessly through the Imperial Garden. At last, she stopped in the open courtyard, where the moonlight was swallowed by rain. She neither moved nor sought shelter. The cold drops soaked her hair, her robe, until her whole figure trembled with quiet sorrow.
Then, a faint glow of lantern light broke the darkness. Steady footsteps approached. A paper umbrella opened above her, cutting off the relentless rain.
She turned in surprise, Li Jun stood beside her, gripping the umbrella's handle.
"Commander Shen, why torment yourself like this?" Li Jun pulled Shen Yuqing into the pavilion to shelter from the rain.
Commander Shen? Shen Yuqing's heart gave a bitter twist. In the past, Li Jun would always call her Qing'er. Now, hearing such a formal address only made her feel sadder.
"Why are you avoiding me? Are you still angry with me?"
"I am not avoiding Your Majesty," Shen Yuqing replied, her voice trembling slightly.
"I only… did not want to disturb you with Dou'er." Her words, however, could not fully hide the jealousy in her tone.
"Qing'er… are you jealous?" Li Jun's lips curved into a playful smile.
Shen Yuqing turned her face away, not wanting to answer or perhaps not knowing how to. She wanted to deny her feelings for Li Jun, yet the fire of jealousy burned in her heart whenever she saw Dou'er.
"I have nothing with Dou'er. When I saw you leaving, I hurried after you. Look…" she tugged lightly at her sleeve, "I only managed to throw on a thin plain robe. I didn't even have time to fix my hair."
She leaned in, whispering with mock seriousness, "If anyone sees me like this, they might think a female ghost is wandering the Imperial Garden!"
Shen Yuqing's lips twitched despite herself. She bit down, struggling to hold back her laugh.
"Qing'er…" Li Jun's voice dripped with affection, her eyes locking onto Shen Yuqing's with burning intensity.
The night air was cold, yet Shen Yuqing's face grew warm. She instinctively stepped back as the empress advanced. The smooth pillar behind her stopped her retreat, there was nowhere else to go.
Her hand came up, pressing flat against the pillar just above Shen Yuqing's head.
The gesture trapped the shy girl between the unyielding pillar and the empress's tall frame. Li Jun's eyes gleamed with mischief as she lowered her voice. "I know you have feelings for me."
She leaned closer, narrowing the space between them, deliberately blew her warm minty breath against Shen Yuqing's cheek.
The faint sandalwood fragrance mingled with the cool night air, wrapping Shen Yuqing in a dizzying haze.
She clenched her robe tightly, her knees threatening to give way beneath the empress's shamelessly roguish attitude, as flashes of that night flooded her mind, leaving her torn between denial and desire.
Li Jun straightened, her teasing smile fading. "You like me, but you're afraid of how the world would see you. You think love between women is immoral… isn't that so?"
The words hung heavily in the air, pressing against Shen Yuqing's heart harder than the pillar at her back.
"Your Majesty knows it well. Love between women is against morality… it cannot be accepted by the world. As ruler, you must set a good example for your people," Shen Yuqing whispered.
She wasn't offended by the girl's words. After all, even in the modern world not everyone accepted same-sex love, let alone in Great Qi, where customs were deeply conservative and even women themselves struggled to stand on their own. "I do not rob. I do not force. I do not kill. Tell me then, what morality have I broken?"
Shen Yuqing bit her lip, unable to answer. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, struggling against the storm the empress's words stirred inside her.
"I don't care how the world sees me. I cannot control their minds and mouths, so why waste my life worrying about them?"
Li Jun quirked an eyebrow, her expression a mix of roguish and sovereign authority. "What men can do, I can do as well. I have shown the world that a woman can rule with wisdom and strength. And if they call it immoral for me to love whom I choose then let them choke on their own hypocrisy."
"If what you seek is bloodline, then I cannot give you that," Li Jun said softly, her tone carrying both weariness and pride. "But everything else, I am confident I can give you more than any man could. Even more than the man who was with you this morning."
"He is only my senior brother. Nothing more," Shen Yuqing quickly explained.
"Human life is short. You see it every day, the palace walls are filled with daggers pointed at my back. There are always those who want me dead."
She stepped closer, her hand brushing against Shen Yuqing's sleeve as though anchoring herself. "When will you dare to face your feelings for me? Will you wait until the day I am gone? Until you can only grieve before my cold body?"
Shen Yuqing's heart clenched painfully. Before she realized it, her hand flew up, covering the empress's lips. "How could Your Majesty speak of death so carelessly?" The mere thought of losing Li Jun suffocated her.
In that moment, she realized just how deeply the empress had already carved herself into her heart.
While she was still caught off guard, the empress seized her hand and slowly licked her palm.
Shen Yuqing jerked her hand back, her voice sharper than she intended. "Your Majesty…" Her palm still tingled from that shameless lick. "You're four years younger than me . How could you toy with me like this!"
Instead of retreating, Li Jun chuckled softly. Her arms slid around Yuqing's waist with ease, drawing her closer into a warm embrace.
"Hey… are you angry again?" the empress coaxed gently as though teasing a child throwing a tantrum.
Shen Yuqing's lips parted, ready to scold her again, but in the end… she didn't struggle. Her body relaxed ever so slightly in Li Jun's arms, surrendering to that warmth.
"Is it warm enough?" Li Jun whispered against her ear, worry stirring in her heart at the sight of the stubborn girl's clothes soaked through.
Shen Yuqing's lashes trembled as she gave the smallest nod.
For a heartbeat, silence stretched between them, broken only by the faint rustle of their robes in the cold night wind. "Let's go back…"
Shen Yuqing's fingers reached out, clutching at the empress's sleeve ."Li Jun…" she whispered, "are your feelings… truly serious toward me?"
Li Jun's earlier words had shaken her heart. Indeed, the young empress's very demeanor and aura were like a magnet, daring enough to challenge the ministers, standing tall above men and leading them with unshakable confidence. At the same time, her gentleness and kindness wrapping around Shen Yuqing like a tide.
No matter how much Shen Yuqing tried to guard her heart, Li Jun's presence kept breaking through her defenses.
"Of course I'm serious," Li Jun said firmly, tightening her hold around Shen Yuqing's waist. "I fell in love with Commander Shen at first sight. As long as you are not afraid to face this world with me, we will always be together."
Shen Yuqing's heart skipped. Before she could answer, Li Jun raised her hand as if taking an oath.
"I swear, I will only love you in this life. If I lie, let thunder strike me down this very moment!"
"Your Majesty…!" Shen Yuqing's eyes widened in alarm.
DUARRRRR! ⚡
The heavens seemed to answer at once. A blinding flash split the night sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. The ground shook, and not far from them, a patch of ornamental shrubs burst into smoke, their leaves blackened and curling from the strike.
Li Jun froze, then immediately clung tighter to Shen Yuqing, her proud composure shattering in an instant.
Shen Yuqing turned her head… and saw the half-burnt plant, its branches still smoking.
Her lips twitched. Then, with a long sigh, she reached up and cupped li Jun's face.
"With your shameless, roguish acts, it's hard to believe a single word you say," she scolded.
Tilting her head, Li Jun tried to laugh it off. "How can that be? How can that be..? You misunderstood, thunder came because Heaven is jealous of me for loving you." Her eyes still flicked nervously toward the stormy sky.
Another rumble of thunder rolled overhead.
This time, both of them glanced upward in unison.
Shen Yuqing jabbed a finger against Li Jun's chest. "Don't speak or swear so carelessly again!"