The Employed Empress 101 Chapter 101: Start of the Parade

Not expecting someone else to react too, Ye Ai Ning sharply turned to Su Mei Fan. "What are you looking at?!"
"I-I'm not looking..." Su Mei Fan got startled.
"Tsk. Forget it. Show more spine, will you?!"
Then Ye Ai Ning stepped inside on her own carriage.
Su Mei Fan wanted to laugh towards her mighty acts. In her eyes, Ye Ai Ning is comparable to a declawed kitten. After the empress got favored, all she could do is hissed.
In the inner palace, it is usually mistaken that power and favor came hand in hand. While there's some truth in it, the reality is a lot worse. You might be favored for now, but feelings are fleeting in the harem.
The emperor's most favored consort. How long can one hold on to such title?
Affections are irrelevant. Your rank is influenced by your family's nobility. A visit is fueled by political motivations and rarely by his majesty's personal feelings.
What's absolute is the power that you could command without your man.
And the kind of empress that they have, is one that would remain unmoving from her throne regardless of the emperor's feelings.
Using her sleeves, Su Mei Fan hides the smile blooming by the edge of her lips. She then gave a quick visit to the Empress' side.
Tang Mei cheeks were bright red and she was biting her lower lip. The small eunuch trembles as he thought about where he could go wrong in his actions for the empress to refuse his service.
Peeking inside, she saw Wei Yi Yi looking a bit disheveled. Her outerwear falls down until her elbow. One of her hand is supporting the phoenix coronet halfway from falling down. She's on her knees and another hand is supporting her body from toppling over.
Su Mei Fan gasped. "Empress are you alright?!"
"Oh, it's Fan'er. Why aren't you inside of your carriage yet?" Wei Yi Yi looked over.
"There was a commotion and... I can't help going over to look..."
"Were you worried?" Wei Yi Yi smiled. Su Mei Fan has this cute looks that excuse her stuttering behavior. "It just that I didn't expect for the trail to get caught into something but, all in all, I'm fine."
She almost had a heart attack actually.
"The empress almost slump backward. How could that be anything close to being fine," Tang Mei said. She panted heavily to repress her building anger.
Wei Yi Yi whistle in embarrassment. That was a miscalculation.
"Don't do anything dangerous, Empress," Su Mei Fan sobbed.
"Nothing bad will happen," Wei Yi Yi said. Obviously not swearing anything. Taking away the hand that Su Mei raised to her eyes, Wei Yi Yi wipes the blooming tears away herself. "Don't easily produce tears Fan'er. You might unconsciously give them away to the unworthy ones."
A strong squeeze assaulted Su Mei Fan's heart.
"Don't delay anymore. Go ride your own carriage," Wei Yi Yi said. "There'll few stops before we reach our destination. Come eat with me then."
With the sudden struck of happiness, Su Mei Fan stood there a bit disoriented for a while before reacting. The empress sent her off with her gaze and wave happily as she stepped on her own carriage. Only when she let go of her curtains that the Empress gave her orders.
Su Mei Fan heart jolted along with the rolling of the carriage wheels.
So what if her rank is not worth mentioning? So what if the emperor does not favor her? She has the empress so what of it?
In the whole duration of their journey, Su Mei Fan sat there drowning in bliss. She lost count how many scenarios she fantasized between her and the Empress.
In this filthy world, Su Mei Fan hopes that the vivid smile on her empress would remain unsullied.
One by one, the carriages travel along in silence. Once they reach a fork in the road, Wei Yi Yi saw a more majestic carriage join them.
Now leading in front, it was the dragon carriage.
Wei Yi Yi observed her surrounding more discreetly now that her boss is within range.
They pass a few buildings that Wei Yi Yi never saw despite living inside the palace all this time.
The walls surrounding the palace met and for the first time, she saw how enormous and majestic the gates to her home.
Up above, flags were dancing and fluttering. Down below, it was wide open and imperial guards lining orderly stood on each side.
They were wearing finely crafted helmets and decorative armor. Each one holding a spear on their side. Their shiny edge shimmer under the sun.
The carriage passed the thick gates of the imperial palace and trotted along the main road of the capital.
With all its fanfare, the carriages parade thru the people watching on the side of the street. The loud bang of the drums beating along the band startled Wei Yi Yi.
'Wait! Wait! What kind of world am I stepping into?!'
The contrast in which she had gone out of the palace one time is striking.
Large banners wave in front. Flowers and waves of laughter mix along the air.
The palace guards turn, their expression retrained their ice-cold countenance but every step on their marching is pounding to deep within every soul.
Every restaurant in the main street was pack with hundreds of people. The commoners looked excitedly as they squeezed into the veranda.
This is the imperial family. And Wei Yi Yi sat within their ranks.

Chapter end