Chapter 199: My Dear Majesty, Please Let Go (29)
Translator: Guy Gone Bad
Baili Jue looked away with only one quick look at her because he was annoyed by her fake sadness. Xia Liang was the only cute girl in his eyes.Even though she had no expression on her face, she was cute. And she was even cuter with a bit smile. He had started to miss her only after half a day.
He was bewitched by her.
As Baili Jue was thinking of Xia Liang to kill time, the empress dowager was still mad at Baili Jue"s att.i.tude. The vibe between them got even colder.
It was at that time that eunuchs and maids came in to serve food. Very quickly, a table of food was served.
The empress dowager took a deep breath and stood up, said to Baili Jue, “eat first.”
Baili Jue had no appet.i.te because he was annoyed too. He put down his chopsticks after a few quick bites and said, “mother, I must go to deal with national affairs.”
“Wait.” The empress dowager stopped him, putting down her chopsticks and asked maids to remove the food, and said, “I need to take to you.”
“I am listening.” Baili Jue said.
“You are about age and you have been crowned for three years. And you are still not married. Not even to a concubine. Look at your brother. He already has two concubines. I am thinking that I will hold a banquet to select a queen and concubines for you and also a wife for your brother.” empress dowager said.
“You don"t have to worry about that. I have a queen I"d like to marry.” Baili Jue refused.
“Who?” empress dowager raised her voice and even sounded mean, “selecting a queen is not a small thing. I can stay out of anything else but not your queen. I will have a say to who your queen would be.”
“Do you think that I care about your opinion? I am the emperor.” Baili Jue said with a sarcastic smile.
The empress dowager was so outraged that she had to pant out of breath and squeeze her fists, “now that you have made up your mind to choose your own queen. Then I will get to choose your concubines. 10 days later, at the banquet, bring the girl you choose to me.”
“Not necessary. I don"t want to marry other women. Marrying one woman is already a lot to take care of.” Baili Jue refused.
“Your uncle, also my brother, is about to come back lately. He cares about you and must be interested in your marriage which is a big deal.” empress dowager warned him.
“Then your suggestion is taken.” Baili Jue said coldly, “you will take care of choosing concubines. But you have to know it very well that I have already chosen my queen.”
Then Baili Jue left without saying a single word because his mood was ruined.
After Baili Jue left, the empress dowager"s face got pale and serious. She was also annoyed by Chen Xin"er who was putting on a fake sad face,
“You are useless! You can"t even make him give you another look. How dare you want to be the queen. You are good enough to be a concubine.”
Chen Xin"er wished she could b.u.mp onto a pillar to kill herself because of the insult she got today. And then she started to cry.
“Enough! Stop crying! You are driving me crazy!” the empress dowager stopped her and said angrily,
“Who seduces the emperor to make him marry her as the queen? I will know who she is eventually and what she gets.”
Xia Liang, the seducer the empress dowager mentioned, was reading the intelligence she got from the hidden guard and making a.n.a.lysis in her own room.
Part of the intelligence was about shops and products that Baili Xi owned, and part was about Baili Xi"s women.
The hidden guards that Baili Jue arranged for her to dig intelligence were quick and sensitive to information. They got very good and detailed information for her.
They made a clear list and record about Baili Xi"s shops, including locations, items to sell, comments, revenues, shopkeepers, and staff. Thanks to those reports, Xia Liang could a.n.a.lyze the advantages and disadvantages of those shops.
Xia Liang nodded satisfactorily at the reports. Soon she came up with a business plan including what, where, and how they were going to do business and how they were going to beat Baili Xi, and then she would give the plan to the emperor for a final solution.
After she finished all these, she started with another report but frowned after she read it a few times.
The report said everything about Baili Xi"s two concubines, two close maids, and two low-level beauties, including their family background, age, hobbies, personalities, habits and what they had been doing in recent month and their behaviors.
But with such a report, Xia Liang couldn"t find out who was the time-travelling and reborn woman.
Because these women kept consistent for their behaviors and everything since they were born. Everything about them were what any typical woman would do in this world.
After she read it quite a few times, Xia Liang came to one conclusion which was that the time-travelling woman was not yet Baili Xi"s woman.
Since she time-travelled and was reborn, and she hated the emperor in her last life, this woman must hold grudge with Baili Jue in her last life. in such case, she must be Baili Jue"s concubine or her family must be destroyed by the emperor.
From Xia Liang"s own experience of time-travelling, there would be a big chance that this woman would become Baili Jue"s concubine.
If so, she must be born in a powerful family. She must be a lady now.
From this point of view, among all women that Baili Xi had gotten in touch with in half a year, those singers and dancers in brothels were not possible, which narrowed down the range.
Xia Liang"s finger drummed on the table and repeatedly went through her conclusion in her mind and finally made sure it was a logical deduction. Then she could investigate with it.
If she failed, she could try a different way.